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The Santa Cruz County Chamber waves goodbye to 2021 as we begin a new year. The Chamber will be kicking off 2022 with our Annual Members’ meeting set at the Dream Inn on Wednesday morning, January 26, 2022. There are still a few seats left and the registration link is here: Annual Members Meeting. As we roll out the new year’s programs and events, I want to take a moment to announce our 2022 Chamber Board of Directors with a new Chair and Vice Chair and also welcome our new Board members to the team. Long time community leader, Alan Smith, attorney at the Grunsky Law Firm, will be leading the Chamber in 2022. Moving up as Vice Chair, Dan Smart, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dream Inn, will be responsible for assisting the Chamber with membership growth and marketing. Duf Fischer, known as Mr. Chamber Extraordinaire, will continue to lead our Ambassador team in 2022. Zach Davis, CEO of the Glass Jar, will continue another term as the Chair of the Community Affairs Committee, and Angelo DeBernardo, Jr., EVP and Chief Lending Officer at Santa Cruz County Bank, will again serve the Chamber as our Finance Committee Chair. We welcome our new Board members: Jeff Daneff, VP of Finance from Dominican Hospital; Kristin Fabos, Director of Marketing & Communication from Cabrillo College; Clara Flores, Sr. Director of Supply Management at Poly (formerly Plantronics); Morgan Lyng Lukina, CEO of David Lyng Real Estate; and Tejal Sood, General Manager of Bayside Properties and Hyatt Place, who all round out our new Board. They are joined by our current Board of Directors, Shawn Adams, Owner of Santa Cruz and Monterey Signs; James Allen, Co-founder of Allterra Solar; Kenny Au, VP of Product Management from Bay Federal Credit Union; Jessie Bristow, Development Product Manager at Swenson Builders; Keisha Frost Browder, CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County; Steve Gray, CAO and Area Operations Executive at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center/PAMF; Bonnie Lipscomb, Economic Development Director for the City of Santa Cruz; Laura Marcus, CEO, Dientes Community Dental Care; Stephanie Munoz, Vice President/Co-Owner of BTF Enterprises; Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors; and Christian Pellecchia, Vice President of Slatter Construction. You can read more about our Board members here: 2022 Santa Cruz Chamber Board of Directors. The Chamber has an exciting year planned for 2022 as we cautiously and carefully return to host indoor and in-person meetings following COVID-19 safety protocols. The Chamber Board voted overwhelmingly in favor of proof of vaccine or a negative test to attend our Annual Members’ meeting, and we will continue to modify our event policies based on current health protocols. Our committee meetings will be a balance of in-person and via Zoom. Take a look at our upcoming events in this eNews — where we start with the Chamber hosting our very popular Employment Law Workshop on January 13; a Ribbon Cutting with our newest member, SCG Fitness Santa Cruz on January 15, and the Annual Members Meeting on January 26. We will host our annual Community Recognition Gala Dinner at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom at the Boardwalk on March 24; a golf tournament at the Delaveaga Golf Club later this summer, and our traditional Biz Expo on the Boardwalk in September. As the Chamber team builds out our events calendar with lunch events, Business After Hours networking mixers, and community activities, we intend to focus on local and state issues that impact our business community. As 2022 is an election year, we will see candidates pitching their views to lobby for your vote. We will also listen and learn about local and state ballot measures that can modify the way local land use policies are made, tax policies, and a host of neatly designed measures to impact the business community at the city, county and state level. With new district boundaries for federal, state and local elected offices, the Chamber will closely follow these changes to ensure that candidates’ views reflect what is in the best interest of our Chamber members and the greater Santa Cruz County business community. A great place to stay informed and be an engaged community member is through the Santa Cruz County Chamber’s weekly digital reports. I hope you take the time to read and review our eNews and Monday reports as well as follow us on our social media outlets. Santa Cruz County is a wonderful place to live, work and play. The Chamber team will work hard to ensure that our region’s economy and our businesses thrive. Here’s to a productive and healthy 2022!
The Santa Cruz County Chamber waves goodbye to 2021 as we begin a new year. The Chamber will be kicking off 2022 with our Annual Members’ meeting set at the Dream Inn on Wednesday morning, January 26, 2022. There are still a few seats left and the registration link is here: Annual Members Meeting.
As we roll out the new year’s programs and events, I want to take a moment to announce our 2022 Chamber Board of Directors with a new Chair and Vice Chair and also welcome our new Board members to the team.
Long time community leader, Alan Smith, attorney at the Grunsky Law Firm, will be leading the Chamber in 2022. Moving up as Vice Chair, Dan Smart, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Dream Inn, will be responsible for assisting the Chamber with membership growth and marketing. Duf Fischer, known as Mr. Chamber Extraordinaire, will continue to lead our Ambassador team in 2022. Zach Davis, CEO of the Glass Jar, will continue another term as the Chair of the Community Affairs Committee, and Angelo DeBernardo, Jr., EVP and Chief Lending Officer at Santa Cruz County Bank, will again serve the Chamber as our Finance Committee Chair.
We welcome our new Board members: Jeff Daneff, VP of Finance from Dominican Hospital; Kristin Fabos, Director of Marketing & Communication from Cabrillo College; Clara Flores, Sr. Director of Supply Management at Poly (formerly Plantronics); Morgan Lyng Lukina, CEO of David Lyng Real Estate; and Tejal Sood, General Manager of Bayside Properties and Hyatt Place, who all round out our new Board.
They are joined by our current Board of Directors, Shawn Adams, Owner of Santa Cruz and Monterey Signs; James Allen, Co-founder of Allterra Solar; Kenny Au, VP of Product Management from Bay Federal Credit Union; Jessie Bristow, Development Product Manager at Swenson Builders; Keisha Frost Browder, CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County; Steve Gray, CAO and Area Operations Executive at Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center/PAMF; Bonnie Lipscomb, Economic Development Director for the City of Santa Cruz; Laura Marcus, CEO, Dientes Community Dental Care; Stephanie Munoz, Vice President/Co-Owner of BTF Enterprises; Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors; and Christian Pellecchia, Vice President of Slatter Construction.
You can read more about our Board members here: 2022 Santa Cruz Chamber Board of Directors.
The Chamber has an exciting year planned for 2022 as we cautiously and carefully return to host indoor and in-person meetings following COVID-19 safety protocols. The Chamber Board voted overwhelmingly in favor of proof of vaccine or a negative test to attend our Annual Members’ meeting, and we will continue to modify our event policies based on current health protocols. Our committee meetings will be a balance of in-person and via Zoom.
Take a look at our upcoming events in this eNews — where we start with the Chamber hosting our very popular Employment Law Workshop on January 13; a Ribbon Cutting with our newest member, SCG Fitness Santa Cruz on January 15, and the Annual Members Meeting on January 26. We will host our annual Community Recognition Gala Dinner at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom at the Boardwalk on March 24; a golf tournament at the Delaveaga Golf Club later this summer, and our traditional Biz Expo on the Boardwalk in September.
As the Chamber team builds out our events calendar with lunch events, Business After Hours networking mixers, and community activities, we intend to focus on local and state issues that impact our business community. As 2022 is an election year, we will see candidates pitching their views to lobby for your vote. We will also listen and learn about local and state ballot measures that can modify the way local land use policies are made, tax policies, and a host of neatly designed measures to impact the business community at the city, county and state level. With new district boundaries for federal, state and local elected offices, the Chamber will closely follow these changes to ensure that candidates’ views reflect what is in the best interest of our Chamber members and the greater Santa Cruz County business community.
A great place to stay informed and be an engaged community member is through the Santa Cruz County Chamber’s weekly digital reports. I hope you take the time to read and review our eNews and Monday reports as well as follow us on our social media outlets. Santa Cruz County is a wonderful place to live, work and play. The Chamber team will work hard to ensure that our region’s economy and our businesses thrive. Here’s to a productive and healthy 2022!