Last Friday, I was working away at my computer when congratulations started to roll in via email. Wondering what I'd done to deserve the accolades, I looked closer and realized LinkedIn was celebrating my 3-year anniversary at the helm of the Chamber. Wow, time has flown by! I paused to reflect on these past 3 years and consider where we are now given what we - all of us - have endured. The outlook in 2011 was very shaky and we were starting to see our public resources dry up without any indication of recovery. The landscape was changing right before our very eyes and we didn't have a roadmap. Now, in 2015, strengthened by the partnerships and efficiencies that have sprung up from our collective scarcity, we are lifting our heads to look toward the horizon. We're asking: what's next? Where will we be in 2018? I can guarantee we'll have made progress on our top business climate priorities and you will see a more robust local government serving Chico. In the meantime, it's up to us to create the roadmap for our own success as a community in the years to come. If we have the creativity and innovative spirit to survive with so little, we certainly have the capability to thrive. On that note, take a look at Mark's article below and tell us what you think. Where will Chico be in 5-10 years? You decide. - Katie Simmons, President & CEO, Chico Chamber of Commerce

Chairman's Report

If I were King/Queen  . . . . Haven't we all thought about that at one time or another when we see something locally that just isn't right?   Here's one of my favorite examples... "If I were King, Chico High wouldn't be playing football on Pleasant Valley's field."  No kidding! We are embarking on a project with the Chamber Board to identify some of those "If I were King/Queen" long term projects or programs that are necessary for our community's health, pride and well being.  We want to circle four or five and have them on a list that the business community helps push forward.  Not only to shine the light on the projects, but to lend our support in making them happen. What would you do here in Chico if you were King/Queen?  Email me your ideas at mfrancis@goldenvalleybank.com. Please remember that showing up is one of the most important things we can do as Chamber members!  See you at the next event! Mark Francis, Chair of the Board, Golden Valley Bank

I recently had an opportunity to attend a presentation by the Disney Institute. I learned that in 60 years of operation, the same three survey questions have returned the same three responses from Disneyland guests. Surveyors ask: 1) Why do you come? 2) Why do you come back? And 3) Why do you tell your friends and family to come? Guests respond: 1) Cleanliness, 2) Friendliness, and 3) Safety. Amazingly, despite all the magical bells and whistles of "The Happiest Place on Earth," people visit the park for very basic reasons. Our speaker shared that the Disney philosophy is to "over-manage" the details that are often overlooked such as the distance between trash cans (26 paces in their case), the consistency of lighting (all light-bulbs are changed out at 85% of the manufacturer's recommended duration), the appearance of their lawns (replaced every 42 days), and the genuine friendly spirit of their "cast members," aka staff. "Perfection is something you can feel," said our speaker, "not necessarily see." I took this information to my leadership team and we talked about how Disney's priorities mirror some of our own. We want Chico to shine, to feel enduringly safe, and to be seen as a smiling, happy community. We want visitors, potential residents and business owners, and residents to sense these things about Chico intuitively. What is the role of the Chamber in ensuring that we are clean, friendly, and safe? Our priorities, set by our members, help us address concerns that threaten the health and vitality of our businesses which, in turn, fund the public services that allow us to enjoy such a high quality of life in Chico. We are all responsible for making sure that our guests, whether they are here for four hours or for a lifetime, have a sense of perfection about this place. Chico is special and we all know it. I hope that our work continues to demonstrate how invested we are in keeping it so.

February is upon us - how did that happen? January was a big, busy blur filled with events and programs that kicked off 2015 with a bang. We hosted our 77th Annual Dinner on January 15th, honoring the men and women who have made an indelible impact on our community. Fred Davis received our first ever Legacy Award for the decades he dedicated to the City and our community. Mayor Mark Sorensen received our J. Pat Lappin Award, Audrey Taylor received our Jeanne Posey Award, Scott Gruendl was our 2014 Community Service Award recipient, and BT Chapman was chosen as our Business Advocate of the Year.

Mark Francis was recognized with our Chairman's Award, Anne Johnson was our 2014 Ambassador of the Year and Danie Schwartz was recognized as our Young Professional of the Year. It was an honor to acknowledge these recipients for their tireless efforts to make Chico the dynamic community it is.  
Our Business Summit & State of the City Address provided us with a positive outlook for the year. The Mayor decreased the projected 10-year recovery timeline for the City saying that we will see technological improvements and incremental staffing growth this year. Mark Francis, our new Chairman, shared the Chico Economic Index demonstrating higher notes of optimism in all economic indicators. While the economic forecast even a year ago looked "cloudy with a chance of sunshine," I think we're looking at "sunny with a chance of clouds" for 2015. While that's our local economic outlook, I sure wish our real forecast would predict unending rain and snow for several weeks. Then we'd really have a lot to celebrate. Have a great month!

A new year is all about new beginnings and this rings true for the Chico Chamber. We are pleased to welcome Mark Francis, President & CEO of Golden Valley Bank, to the helm as Chairman of our Board. Mark will continue a long-standing tradition of solid leadership on our Board of Directors. We also welcome new Directors: Terra Ayers with FAFCO, Inc.; Ryan Arnold with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; Angela Casler with Sustainability Management Consulting; Crystal Torres with Recology Butte Colusa Counties; Shaunna Jones with Milestone Technologies, Inc.; Mark Pierce with North Valley Ag Services; and Danie Schwartz with LRT Graphics. Welcome to our team and thank you for your commitment to being the 'Voice of Business' in Chico. I'd also like to thank Toni Scott with Morrison & Company for agreeing to Chair our Legislative Action Committee in 2015. Watch this newsletter for future news on the issues we're tackling this year.

I hope to see you at our Annual Dinner on January 15th and Business Summit & State of the City Address on January 21st!

Tis the season of giving and gratitude! I am thankful that well over 600 businesses believe in and benefit from our purpose as the voice of business in Chico. I am grateful that our Board is growing in size and dedication, allowing us to do more as an organization than ever before. I appreciate the first 6 businesses who signed up to be Community Impact Partners in 2015. Our Legacy Partners: Allevity HR & Payroll, Golden Valley Bank, and Tri Counties Bank. Our Visionary Partners: Enloe Medical Center, Recology Butte Colusa Counties, and Transfer Flow, Inc. The commitment these 6 businesses have made demonstrates genuine member-Chamber mission alignment and an investment in our community health and economic vibrancy. Contact me to become a Partner today!

On the giving side of things, we continue to stay laser-focused on spending our time and resources on our priorities. As advocates, we are strategizing to restore commercial air service in Chico, ensuring that we have the tools and people in place to provide safe and welcoming business districts, partnering to leverage our voice on policy issues and government decisions, and building trusting and accessible relationships that grease the wheels of economic progress in Chico. As economic development partners, we are reaching out to every single business in Chico, we are developing tools that get information to you faster, we are hosting Community Development Updates to ensure the City stays on track with their efforts to improve permitting processes, and we are putting energy toward sector strategies to improve our retail health and grow manufacturing and tech jobs in the north state.

In 2015, make a difference for your business and for your community through membership or partnership in the Chamber. The "voice of business" is made up of many voices - make sure yours is heard!

During the month of October we began quietly rolling out our Community Impact Partnership. It's a new twist on Chamber involvement - in fact, it's a new twist on everything. Recognizing the changing needs of businesses, we know that mission alignment and ROI are critical for investment. And now that we've firmly established the Chamber as a problem-solving advocate in Chico and successfully re-tooled economic development through collaborative work like TeamChico, we're able to bring more value to our business community and to our members.

We're maintaining standard membership, of course, to foster the business-to-business connections that drive commerce in our town, but we're adding new levels of partnership to support our advocacy and economic development programs. By growing our capacity in these areas and involving business owners like you through partnership and participation, our "voice of business" will continue to strengthen and increase our positive impact on our economy and community. Call me personally for an early overview: 891.5556 x 303.

Speaking of solutions, we're working with the City Council and Airport Commission on commercial airline attraction and feasibility, alternative transportation, and bringing a dedicated airport manager aboard to oversee and develop the economic footprint of the Chico Airport. On November 14th, we'll be rolling out a Community Travel Survey to assess travel needs in the community, and we'll be launching an Executive Business Survey to understand the level of support in the business community for the creation of a proposed travel bank which is needed to incentivize an airline. Please take a moment to participate in these surveys when they are released and/or send your thoughts to me now: katie@chicochamber.com.

As I write this note to you, the results of the election are still a few days away. While the outcome is uncertain, I remain confident in the public/private partnerships we've created with the City and in the relationships we've built with and on behalf of our members. When we share common goals, it's easy to get work done, like the alarm ordinance we revised with the Chico PD that was recently approved by the City Council. The Chamber is well over a century old, so we have the momentum and vision to carry our purpose forward through political, economic, and municipal ups and downs. Your support of our mission makes all of this - and so much more - possible.

A few months before SkyWest notified the City that it will discontinue commercial air service on December 2nd, I half-seriously predicted that 2015 will be the "Year of the Airport." Last Tuesday, when the Chamber agreed to head up the Airline Attraction Committee, we took a central role in shaping the future of the airport and commercial air service in Chico. While we build our strategy and engage stakeholders, I'm receiving comments and letters from local business owners ranging in tone from celebratory to disconsolate. On October 28th, we will return to the joint City Council and Airport Commission meeting with an early plan. In the meantime, I invite your letters and comments on the airport. Does your business rely on commercial air service? What is your ideal destination for air travel out of Chico? Are you willing to incentivize the return of air service by contributing to a travel bank? I want to hear from you.

In October, after months of cooperative negotiations, we expect to bring a revised alarm ordinance to the City Council with high levels of support from our local alarm businesses and law enforcement. The revised ordinance seeks to meet two goals: 1) restore police response to burglar alarms, and 2) decrease overall calls for service. Restoring police response will rebuild confidence and security within our business community, and decreasing overall calls for service will help us redirect safety resources that are lost when false alarms occur.

Now that the City has committed to restoring police staffing over the next 4 years, Clean & Safe Chico has committed to rolling out a public information campaign in the coming months. Too often, we hear distress that nothing is being done when, in fact, there are many hands and hearts and minds hard at work on the very issues that fill our social media spheres day in and day out. We know there is still much to be done, but when you hear good news or see a good deed please share it.

Katie Simmons and Chris Constantin, Assistant City Manager for the City of Chico, at the League of California Cities on September 4, 2014.

On that note, in September, Team Chico was awarded the prestigious Helen Putnam Award for Excellence from the League of California Cities (see photo). This award was given in the category of community services and economic development and recognizes the innovative model of teamwork now reaching and supporting businesses in the Chico area. Read our annual report here. We couldn't do what we do without your constant support and participation - thank you for your membership!