My Call to Action
There are two common sayings in the Chamber Industry. I believe that one is spot on and the other is somewhat of an incomplete truth. The first statement goes a bit like this: "If you've seen one chamber, you have seen one Chamber." This statement is 100% true. Sure there are elements of similarity in Chambers. But, the very nature of membership make up, regionality and the local issues facing it's community force Chambers to be different. I would like you to remember that, when attending our events, seminars, webinars and committee meetings. We are in this together to continue to build a Chamber that fosters the elements that will ensure a thriving business climate.
The second statement claims that "a Chamber membership is like a gym membership. You only get out of it, what you put in to it." Have you heard that one before? I am sure you have. I find this saying to be an incomplete truth. Do you need to be active, in some sense, to get the best bang for your buck? Yes. However, that is not the complete story. In an ever changing landscape, there are many things vying for your time and attention. As a chamber, we have an obligation to continually work on providing resources, events and relationships that ad value to our membership. In doing this, we can often circumvent the time poverty objection. I've committed early on to continue striving and shifting the Chamber in a direction that will yield the most relevance to the broadest spectrum of our membership. But, that is only as good as the needs that I know need to be addressed.

So, my Call to Action for May ... A committment from each and everyone of you to do two things . First, continue to share with me the things that are keeping you up at night and need to be addressed. Secondily, I ask that you will partner with me to connect with your neighboring businesses and the ones that you currently work with to assist me in growing our membership, strengthening our collective voice and impact. Can I count on you for those two items?
Legislative Perspective
You might remember my introduction of the 2018 Job Killer List, curated by CalChamber, a few months back. In it, was a list of proposed Assembly and Senate bills that, if passed, would affect the vitality of business to our market and California as a whole. You will find, through the banner link below, that the list of Job Killers has gone up from 18 to 24. What does that mean? It means that we all have much work to do. Be on the lookout for a request to write, call and submit your opinion to our local representatives, as well as the authors of some of these bills.

Fret not, however. It is not all bad news! We've also combed through proposed bills to seeks ones that we consider to be job creators. Click the "Job Creator" photo above and to the left to see the list that we are identifying as the 2018 Job Creators List. These are 11 bills that will stimulate the economy and improve the state’s jobs climate.

Since 2008, the CalChamber has identified bills that will encourage employers to invest resources back into the economy and local communities rather than spend them on unnecessary government-imposed costs.

Job creating legislation promotes the following policies

  1. Keeping taxes on new investment and business operations low, fair, stable and predictable.
  2. Reviving local economic development tools.
  3. Reducing regulatory and litigation costs of operating a business—especially when hiring and keeping employees.
  4. Reducing the cost and improving the certainty and stability of investing in new or expanded plants, equipment and technology.
  5. Investing in public and private works that are the backbone for economic growth.
  6. Ensuring the availability of high-quality skilled employees.

It is very likely that a few of these bills will need our support as they navigate through the various channels of getting passed. Be on the lookout for a call to action to write, call and share your support on these bills.
Meet You Ambassadors
For a long time, I have desired to build a team of Ambassadors to act as an extention of the Chamber, a liaison in the community, and an additional asset to our membership. Over the past few months, I have canvassed our city to look for individuals that embody the best parts of our Chamber, while also being approachable, knowledgeable and giving.

Through a careful, deliberate and well-thought out process, I was able to identify and narrow down a list of individuals to a core group that will serve as our 2018 Ambassador Committee. These individuals will be present at our events, available in the community to educate others on the benefits of the Chamber, and ultimately be a Public Relations arm for us moving forward. Please help me in welcoming our Ambassador Committee. Take a look at the below video to put a name with a face. We are excited to have them as part of the Chamber's leadership.
My Personal Invitation
Chamber Investors
New Members
Around The Corner
Culver Expo has changed dates!
Stay tuned for updates!
Ribbon Cuttings Last Month
Poll Of The Month
What are your thoughts on the Culver Expo?
I love it and I'm there every year
I like it, but don't love it
I've never attended before
I tend not to participate as a vendor or visitor
It is a staple event and I wouldn't change a thing
I really don't like the expo
I'd like to see it go through an overhaul
I'd like to see more traffic at the event
You should change the day (usually a Wednesday)
You should change the time (usually from 3 - 6 PM)
About ColinResponse
As your President/CEO, there are a lot of things that I hold with high regards - part of that is keeping you all informed on what the chamber is doing for you. ColinResponse, a play on words of the traditional Call and Response, will be a monthly correspondence from me to all of you. Some months there will be a specific call to action, other times it will be simply advisory. At any rate, it will be my routine attempt at being as transparent and available to you all as possible- our members.

Sincerely,
Colin Diaz
President/CEO | Culver City Chamber of Commerce
colin@culvercitychamber.com
310-287-3855