Millennials - who are they and what do they want? I'm kidding, but much of the talk around our office over the last few months has been centered around these two questions. As you likely know, millennials were born between 1980 and the early 2000s, and they are shaking things up in the business world and in our workplaces. Even the White House published a study called 15 Economic Facts About Millennials in 2014. And you know how it goes: once you pay attention to something, it starts popping up everywhere...as has been the case with our focus on Millennials. Later this month, to help us understand how to do business with and for these technological trailblazers - called "technology natives" by many major corporations - our Chico Young Professionals Organization will be circulating a Millennial Survey to begin scoping out this information in Chico. With a goal of 500 responses, the survey will be open to the public and we're hoping you will encourage all millennials in your local circle to take it. With this information, we will not only better understand what the "Voice of Millennials" in Chico sounds like, but we will be better equipped to consider their expectations as we finalize the community vision plan Mark refers to in his message below.

Last Friday, I said goodbye to our Air Service Development Manager after coordinating 3 days of meetings for him with local businesses and entities. His intent on this first trip was to gather information on what kind of airline service Chico might be able to sustain. I don't have any details to share just yet as his meetings with the airlines begin this month, but as soon as I know what direction we're heading, I'll let you know!

With that, I'll see you on the 11th at Patrick Ranch for the anniversary celebration of the year. We love Italian Cottage!

This week, AvPORTS, the company hired to develop a long-term business plan for the Chico Municipal Airport made their first public visit to Chico. Back in March, it was our recommendation to the City Council that an Airport Manager or firm be hired if restoring commercial air service is a community priority - which, in so many ways, it is. But, there is more to AvPORTS' work than attracting an air carrier to our city. To dive into the details about business development plans, infrastructure improvements, and, yes, what commercial carriers are saying about Chico, we had the opportunity to participate in a stakeholders meeting with their CEO. We spent some time talking about what makes the Chico air field unique and the benefits of such a diversified business mix currently located at the airport. The good news is: AvPORTS sees a great deal of potential for the Chico Municipal Airport. The work lies in maintaining a general willingness to tolerate and adapt to new standards, developing adequate incentives for the airline attraction strategy, and ultimately centralizing our marketing efforts to brand Chico as a regional travel hub. This is just the beginning of the City's formal relationship with AvPORTS but I, for one, am very invested in ensuring the business voice is heard in each and every discussion.

Speaking of travel, Chico will soon host tens of thousands of parents and visitors who will be dining, shopping, lodging, and recreating in our fair city. Graduation weekend is great for business! Enjoy the smiling faces of the many proud family members and friends who helped Chico State and Butte College turn students into graduates. It's a great month to celebrate their accomplishments and to give their guests a red-carpet experience that they'll never forget.

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!