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A publication of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce | August 2015
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Gilroy Chamber of CommerceOFFICERSCHAIR OF THE BOARD LISA FARIA • Coldwell Banker
PAST CHAIR DEBBI SANCHEZ • Fortino Winery
CHAIR OF THE BOARD-ELECT TERRY FEINBERG • Moxxy Marketing
SECRETARY/TREASURER DAVID MATUSZAK, Ed.D.
VC OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT TERRY NEWMAN • Gavilan College
VC PUBLIC AFFAIRS TERRY FEINBERG • Moxxy Marketing
VC BUSINESS PROGRAMS & SERVICES JAY MENCHACA • Menchaca Law Offices
VC MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CHERYL ELLEMBERG • ABD Promotions
BOARD OF DIRECTORS JASON RABY • Articulate Solutions DAVID JEWELL • Syngenta Flowers ERIC GEBHARDT • Hilton Garden Inn PAM GARCIA • Affordable Solar Roofs GINA LOPEZ • State Farm Insurance
CHAMBER STAFF Mark Turner • President/CEO Michelle Garcia • Administrative Assistant Chris Bevilacqua • Administrative Assistant Sue Thurman • Business Relationship Manager
WELCOME CENTER STAFF Jane Howard • Executive Director Pam Gimenez • Office Manager
EDC STAFF Tammy Brownlow • President/CEO Candace Van Sambeek, Administrative Assistant
FOCUS PRODUCTION STAFF EDITOR • Mark Turner, President/CEO Gilroy Chamber of Commerce
PRODUCTION & DESIGN • J. Chris Mickartz InfoPOWER Communications
PHOTOGRAPHY • Larry Mickartz InfoPOWER Communication
PHOTOGRAPHY • David Ferry David Ferry Photography
7471 Monterey Street • Gilroy, CA 95020 web: gilroy.org e-mail: [email protected] phone: (408) 842-6437
ON SEPT. 11, 1992, the strongest and most destructive hurricane to hit the Hawaiian Islands made landfall on the island of Kauai causing a path of destruction including water, wind and dirt. Hurricane Iniki hit the United States on the heels of the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Louisiana. Iniki pummeled the south shore of Kauai destroying about 1,500 homes and damaging hundreds of others. Beachfront shops and businesses were also destroyed by 20 foot waves and sustained winds of 130 mph. In all, Iniki caused an estimated $1.8 billion in damage.
The storm lived up to its name Iniki, which means sharp and piercing winds in Hawaiian, as it battered Kauai with wind gusts up to 160 mph. The storm’s high winds accounted for much of the destruction. Twenty-one years later, Hurricane Iniki remains one of the costliest hurricanes to ever impact the Eastern Pacific.
One local shop keeper, a screen printer, was hit hard by the hurricane with hundreds of t-shirts drenched with water and stained with red dirt that had been churned up in the storm. What could have been a disastrous and devastating blow, causing financial ruin and ending the dreams of store owner Randy Williams, turned out to be a boon for business. Liking the reddish color and turning a seeming catastrophe
into an opportunity, Randy developed a dirt dying process and sold the shirts with an, “I Survived Iniki” design. Since then, the company has grown to a world-wide brand known as the Original Red Dirt Shirts.
The company still has a factory in Kauai where they produce 10,000 shirts every month. At the other factory in Mesa, AZ, nearly 100,000 t-shirts are produced monthly. The dyeing process is 100 percent natural from the red dirt and other food grade products used to set the color through the design process to finalize the shirts’ appearance.
Efforts by Randy Williams to overcome the challenges presented by Hurricane Iniki are leadership lessons for everyone.
Disasters Don’t Have to Be Disastrous - Just Ask OthersEverybody and every business is going to face challenges, obstacles and difficulties somewhere along the line. Challenges often times are the trigger points that help devel-op our character, hone our skills and inspire creativity. A Dutch proverb says, “The gem
cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.” Problems may arise and cause delays in schedules and plans but delays are not denials. In his effort to develop a nickel-iron battery, Thomas Edison tested over 9,000 experi-ments without getting positive outcomes.
LISA FARIA2015 Chair of the BoardGilroy Chamber of Commerce
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD
What is happiness? Why do we pursue it so diligently? Why do we tie business success to happiness so strongly? Here are some things that happiness is not:
• Happiness is not a genetic disposition. Believe it or not people are not born happy!
• It is not dependent on other people. As much as we would like to blame our lack of happiness on other people – it just isn’t the case.
• Happiness is not contingent on certain outcomes. If I make these 10 extra sales, then I will be happy.
• It is not a constant state. Life happens.• Happiness is not just for others – it is for
everyone.
In the Pursuit of Happiness
Here are some things that happiness is:
• Happiness is a choice. Each and every day and all day long.
• It is an attitude. The best attitude is grati-tude. I suggest you write down three things you are grateful for each morn-ing, see how your day goes from there.
• Happiness is a commitment. It takes a lot of effort to be positive, enthusiastic and fired up – it takes a commitment.
• Happiness is a by-product. Focus on a happy day, string them together and you will get a happy life.
• Happiness is awesome.
Happiness is individual. The pursuit of hap-piness takes many paths. Here are some
MARK TURNERPresident/CEOGilroy Chamber ofCommerce
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO
Weathering Storms and Working Toward Success
areas that may help you in your pursuit: Growing, setting goals and learning new things; achieving those goals; aligning your desired values with your daily values; stay-ing healthy; connecting with people and developing relationships.
This is where the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce can work with you in your pur-suit of happiness - networking. Meeting and building relationships with new people you meet each month might just be what you need in your pursuit of happiness. We are constantly looking for ways to establish great relationships with our members and for our members.
“The Constitution only guarantees you the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” Benjamin Franklin.
Page 2 Gilroy Business Focus I August 2015
