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A publication of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce | December 2015
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Small Business Saturday Success!
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 • Simmitri, Inc. 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
LISA FARIA2015 Chair of the BoardGilroy Chamber of Commerce
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD
EACH YEAR THE GILROY CHAMBER starts January with enthusiasm, a new board and new goals. This year I was blessed to be sitting in the Chairman of the Board position. Even with my positive expectations this year has far surpassed what I could imagine.
Why is Gilroy so great? Why is serv-ing at the Gilroy Chamber so rewarding? I can tell you whole heartedly it is the people of Gilroy who make this such an amazing place to live, work and volunteer.
If you weren’t able to attend the Hall of Fame luncheon, you really missed out! Four inductees were praised and I could not believe the accomplishments they had attained. Even the people who were introducing the inductees, are themselves, amazing people, the audience was filled with even more incredible humans.
I believe we have a unique city and
A Year To Rememberculture. We truly care for our neighbors and for our community. Most will put aside differences and personal desires for the overall good of the community.
There is no better representation of this culture than at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce. When we say, “Your Business is our Business,” it is true. The Chamber advocates for business like no other with the Government Relations Committee and GilPAC, the political action arm of the Chamber. When there is a need to help attract business to downtown, the Chamber steps up and facilitates the committee, businesses need a way of showing their goods and services, the Chamber hosts trade shows, mixers, breakfasts and power lunches. The list goes on.
Through all of these activities there is an incredible staff and board of directors who do all they can to make Gilroy the best
place to live and do business. Then we finish up the year with nominations for the Spice of Life Awards and even more incred-ible people are brought to light!
I simply want to say thank you for the opportunity to serve this fine community. The year flew by and I feel like I am just getting started, this is probably why the President of the United States has a four year term! Let me sign off with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
MARK TURNERPresident/CEOGilroy Chamber ofCommerce
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO
Visit China with the Gilroy Chamber of CommerceTHE GILROY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE is offering a unique opportunity to experience the Chinese culture, history and business.
Through a partnership with Citslinc, International, the Chamber is offering a cost effective trip to China from October 16 – 24, 2016. The trip includes stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou with opportunities to visit historic sites like the Great Wall of China and Tiananmen Square. There is also an opportunity to visit with a local Chinese business.
“We’re excited to organize a Gilroy Chamber China Tour,” said Lisa Faria, Chamber Board Chair. “This is an excellent
Chamber office located at 7471 Monterey Road from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Leo Liu, owner of Citslinc, will be providing information and answering questions regarding the trip.
To learn more or reserve a spot at the January 21 informational meeting, contact the Gilroy Chamber at [email protected] or 408-842-6437.
opportunity to be introduced to China. It’s extremely affordable and includes visits to major cities, various economic zones and major historical sites.”
The trip includes airfare from San Jose, hotel accommodations at 4 & 5 star hotels, three full meals a day, and professional driv-ers and tour operators. The cost is $2,199 for Chamber Members and $2,299 for Potential Members.
Some of the highlights include visiting the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Ming Tombs, and The Bund.
The Chamber is also hosting an informa-tional meeting on January 21, 2016 at the
CONGRATULATIONS to our Downtown businesses for the completion of another Small Business Saturday! And many thanks to all of our small business supporters who know the value that small businesses offer in our community. Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 26, 2016 as Small Business Saturday next year!
Our holiday season opens in Gilroy with the Annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 5. Our hilariously sweet Doggie Dress-Up begins around 2:30 pm. Performances on the Main Stage in Downtown Gilroy begin at 3:00 pm and the Parade will begin around 5:30. Get
there early though to celebrate the com-munity organizations that are performing and to support our vendors located on Fifth Street between Monterey and Eigleberry. Santa will light the tree and then head over to Mango Street Kids to hear the holiday wishes of all of our good little girls and boys and take pictures. Many thanks to our title sponsor Recology for their continued sup-port and to our other sponsors: Mathnasium Gilroy, Pinnacle Bank, SLE Engineering and Lisa Faria Coldwell Banker for bringing this event to Downtown.
2015 has been a wonderful year in our organization. We are moving forward with
implementing the Main Street Program, have had tremendous success with our annual events, including: the Gilroy Art and Wine Stroll, the 14th Annual Garlic City Fun Run and Car Show, the Fifth Street Live concert series, the Halloween Beer Crawl and Beer Crawl After Party, and the Gilroy Holiday Parade. Many thanks to the volunteers who work tirelessly on behalf of our orga-nization and the businesses in Downtown Gilroy. Thank you to our event supporters and attendees. Thank you to our Board of Directors and Board Advisors. Cheers to a fantastic holiday season and to a successful 2016!
Page 2 Gilroy Business Focus I December 2015
