Welcome to Your Chamber

Welcome to the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has been a local voice on behalf of business and the community since 1889. We are an independent Chamber of Commerce working within the Santa Cruz community bringing together businesses, workers, residents, organizations, citizens, and local governments to promote economic vitality and prosperity in Santa Cruz County.

In Santa Cruz County there are many choices of professional associations—local chambers, shop local advocates, downtown associations, and merchant associations that support regionalized shopping areas. All of these organizations help you keep in touch with your local neighborhood.

The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce represents more than 15,000 jobs across every sector of the local economy and throughout the entire county, from Davenport restaurants to Pajaro growers, from Capitola village shops to the mountain wineries, and from downtown Santa Cruz businesses to UC Santa Cruz. Our members include all types of businesses from one-person shops to organizations of more than 2,500 employees. Our mission is to provide advocacy for important issues that affect the success of all Santa Cruz businesses, as well as protecting our natural resources and the health and well-being of the families in Santa Cruz County.

The Chamber has many exciting ways to promote our members. The Chamber website includes information about working, living, and visiting Santa Cruz County. The website boasts more than 100,000 visits per year from Santa Cruz County and around the world. Your free member listing in the Chamber’s online Business Directory provides direct links to your website and e-mail.

We encourage you to make the wise business decision to invest in the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. We welcome you to our lectures and workshops where you can continue to get an edge in this competitive business climate. We invite you to volunteer your time on our committees and at our events. And, we look forward to seeing you at upcoming networking events that keep you connected to our vibrant Santa Cruz County business community.

An independent voice for the local community.

The Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce is not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber and has not been U.S. Chamber member for many years. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is a broad association, predominated by large businesses and industries and state-wide chambers of commerce. Its political positions tend to reflect the interest of large, multi-national corporations and traditional industry groups.

The Santa Cruz Chamber’s focus is on local Santa Cruz area issues and policies. While we may join with others to advocate for state or national policy in areas of local Santa Cruz County concern (e.g., education, local tourism, regional land use, water and transportation policies, state and local governance) the Chamber dedicates its efforts to matters in which it can have the greatest influence at a local Santa Cruz area level.

You can read more about Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce's separation from the U.S. Chamber in We are NOT the U.S. Chamber!

The purpose of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic vitality and prosperity.

We value a healthy and productive economic community. As a business organization we are responsible for ensuring the community's economic resources are preserved and well utilized. We believe in the operation of a competitive market place and, in general, oppose efforts to control supply and demand of goods and services.

We value a high quality of life and expect our community to be welcoming to residents and visitors alike. We expect our streets to be safe, our parks to be inviting, our schools to provide quality education, and our natural resources to be sensitively utilized for the public good. 

We value fairness and efficiency in community decision making. We believe the business community must play an active role in public decision making. The Chamber will provide business people the means to act collectively, influencing decisions of economic significance in our community.

We value efficient and sustainable business practices, which produce quality goods and services. We want to continuously improve the level of excellence in business practices throughout our community. We will set an example as a well-run business.

The Chamber has five major strategic goals.

I. Economic Environment: The Economic Environment in the Chamber’s sphere of influence attracts and retains workers, entrepreneurs and capital as a result of a positive reputation as an attractive location to live, work, and do business. Community policies, the community of business leaders, and community resources enhance the evolution and growth of Santa Cruz’s economic base.

II. Member Success – Knowledge Transfer: The Santa Cruz Economic Community is differentiated by effective educational experiences, networks of those with shared needs and interests, and the efficient and effective organization of working groups to address threats and opportunities. The knowledge based sectors of the Santa Cruz economic community are recognized as an effective and successful business environment with great opportunities for growth.

III. Member Success – Member Resources: Members of the Chamber have a measurable competitive advantage that results from the use of Chamber resources and participation in Chamber activities.

IV. Strategic Vision: The Chamber will be a purpose driven organization, committed to continuous improvement, linking goals and strategies to specific implementation milestones and benchmarks.

V. Chamber Success: The Chamber is recognized as a model of business competence, of purpose-driven organizational design, and of an effective community partner.

We are your Chamber

Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce member organizations range from single-person, home-based businesses to large organizations of more than 200 people.

  • There are more than 15,000 individual Santa Cruzans employed by Santa Cruz Chamber member organizations.
  • 68% of our member organizations have nine or fewer employees
  • 54% of individuals at Santa Cruz Chamber member organizations work at organizations with more than 200 employees
  • Our longest-standing member has been with the Chamber since 1920
  • We have members from every area of Santa Cruz County, from Davenport and Boulder Creek in the north of Santa Cruz County, to Santa Cruz and Capitola on the coast, to Freedom and Watsonville in south county.
  • Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization
  • Our Board is made up of members who volunteer without compensation
  • We are in independent chamber and are not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber
  • We are the seventh largest business organization in northern California
  • We have been advocating for Santa Cruz businesses and the community since 1889

To join the chamber, please complete an Online Membership Application or download and fax or mail the Santa Cruz Chamber Membership Application.