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By Chamber Executive Director, Kristen Brown I’m excited to announce that I’ll be moderating a panel at this year’s Small Business Summit, hosted by the Small Business Development Center, on Thursday, May 9th at Cabrillo College. The panel, titled “Culture by Design: Building a Thriving Workplace from the Inside Out”, will bring together an incredible lineup of local leaders to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a strong, intentional workplace culture. This topic is especially important for small business owners looking to strengthen their teams, attract top talent, and lead with purpose in an ever-changing business landscape. If you’re planning to attend, you can receive 30% off your ticket with the code SBDCSBS30 at santacruzsmallbusinesssummit.com. Workplace culture isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the foundation for everything from employee engagement to customer experience. A strong culture can fuel innovation, create alignment, and serve as a competitive advantage. But great culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of thoughtful leadership, clear values, and consistent practices that bring those values to life every day. During the panel, we’ll explore how culture differs from brand, how to build trust and cohesion in hybrid or in-person teams, and what to watch for when a once-healthy culture starts to go off track. Our panel includes four incredible leaders from the Santa Cruz business and education community: Jules Greenspan, Executive Coach and Co-Founder of Ignite Nexus; Omid Aminifard, Vice President and General Manager of the Santa Cruz Seaside Company; Kamala Green, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors and Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for the Golden State Warriors. They’ll share candid insights and practical strategies for designing cultures that reflect an organization’s core values and drive long-term success. If this conversation sparks ideas or resonates with the work you're doing in your own organization, we’d love to hear from you. The Chamber is always looking to feature local businesses in our newsletter and across our social media channels. If you’re a Chamber member and want to share your culture story - what makes your workplace special, how your team works together, or what you've learned along the way - please reach out. This is a great opportunity to spotlight your people and your purpose, and to inspire others in our business community. Let’s keep this important conversation going, together.
By Chamber Executive Director, Kristen Brown I’m excited to announce that I’ll be moderating a panel at this year’s Small Business Summit, hosted by the Small Business Development Center, on Thursday, May 9th at Cabrillo College. The panel, titled “Culture by Design: Building a Thriving Workplace from the Inside Out”, will bring together an incredible lineup of local leaders to explore what it really takes to build and sustain a strong, intentional workplace culture. This topic is especially important for small business owners looking to strengthen their teams, attract top talent, and lead with purpose in an ever-changing business landscape. If you’re planning to attend, you can receive 30% off your ticket with the code SBDCSBS30 at santacruzsmallbusinesssummit.com.
Workplace culture isn’t just a buzzword - it’s the foundation for everything from employee engagement to customer experience. A strong culture can fuel innovation, create alignment, and serve as a competitive advantage. But great culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of thoughtful leadership, clear values, and consistent practices that bring those values to life every day. During the panel, we’ll explore how culture differs from brand, how to build trust and cohesion in hybrid or in-person teams, and what to watch for when a once-healthy culture starts to go off track.
Our panel includes four incredible leaders from the Santa Cruz business and education community: Jules Greenspan, Executive Coach and Co-Founder of Ignite Nexus; Omid Aminifard, Vice President and General Manager of the Santa Cruz Seaside Company; Kamala Green, Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and Chris Murphy, President of the Santa Cruz Warriors and Senior Vice President of Franchise Development for the Golden State Warriors. They’ll share candid insights and practical strategies for designing cultures that reflect an organization’s core values and drive long-term success.
If this conversation sparks ideas or resonates with the work you're doing in your own organization, we’d love to hear from you. The Chamber is always looking to feature local businesses in our newsletter and across our social media channels. If you’re a Chamber member and want to share your culture story - what makes your workplace special, how your team works together, or what you've learned along the way - please reach out. This is a great opportunity to spotlight your people and your purpose, and to inspire others in our business community. Let’s keep this important conversation going, together.