Cozy Updates & Dates to Remember☕️

Greetings!

Be on the lookout Monday morning, November 10th, as the Chamber’s Board Election Ballots will be distributed via email. All voting members in good standing will receive a secure digital ballot sent to one company representative — typically the most senior executive on record, unless that executive has designated an alternate. If you do not receive your ballot on November 10, please check your spam or junk folder or contact the Chamber Team at (671) 472-6311/8001 for assistance. Please support our member candidates by participating in the voting process.

Mark your calendars for our Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, November 19th, at the Hilton Guam Resort & Spa. The program will feature Chairman Tae Oh’s farewell address to the membership as he concludes his term of service. Results from the 2025 Board elections will be announced before the close of the Annual Membership Meeting. Registration is ongoing - it would be great to see you there!

The Guam Young Professionals have been hard at work planning the upcoming Mental Mastery for Market Dominance professional development conference. This event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18th, at the Hyatt Regency Guam, featuring internationally recognized speakers on leadership and market strategies. Chamber members, especially our young professionals, are highly encouraged to take advantage of this valuable opportunity. Scroll down to learn more about the conference and save a seat!

November 29 marks Small Business Saturday! Nationally, this is the day that shoppers are encouraged to support our local and independent businesses, who can really use the hand up. Let's all go out of our way to support our local small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving!

Tuesday is Veterans Day. A time we set aside to honor our military servicemen and women who served and continue to serve our country and our island with honor and bravery. After their service, many veterans serve our community differently, many of whom are our very own Chamber members. In respect of your sacrifice, your service, and more, we send our sincerest and most humble Un Dångkulu na Si Yu'os Ma’åse.

Onward together,

Catherine Castro

President

Upcoming Events | NOVEMBER 🍁

NOV 18

GYP's Mental Mastery Market Dominance

RSVP Required

NOV 19

Annual Membership Meeting

RSVP Required

NOV 27

Happy Thanksgiving!

View Full Calendar

Meet The Candidates Mixer Recap

Wednesday, November 5th

We send our sincere appreciation to Security Title for hosting a wonderful "Meet The Candidates Mixer" on November 5th. The evening was filled with laughter, engaging conversations, and a strong sense of community spirit as members and guests gathered to connect and learn more about the candidates running for the 2026 Guam Chamber Board of Directors!

We would like to thank everyone who joined us for this special event and contributed to such a lively and meaningful evening. Best of Luck to all our Chamber Board Candidates!

Chamber Board Elections

The Guam Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that thirteen (13) distinguished members are vying for nine (9) available seats on the Board of Directors for the year 2026. Read more about the candidates here.

Members who are unable to cast their vote for any reason may provide a proxy letter assigning their voting designation to another member or a company representative. If there are questions regarding any proxy assignments, please contact Ella at the Guam Chamber.

Find Proxy Letter template here!

If you are unaware of the representative who is eligible to vote on behalf of your company, please don't hesitate to call or email your Guam Chamber office. Electronic Ballots are scheduled for release the morning of November 10th. Ballots will only be sent to members in good standing. If you need to get caught up with your dues, please give Milcah at the Chamber office a call. Additionally, if you did not receive your ballot on November 10th (and you are a member in good standing), please check your spam or junk folder or contact the Chamber Team at (671) 472-6311/8001.

View Special Election Report

2026 Annual Meeting & Board Election Results

Hilton Guam Resort & Spa | November 19, 2025 | 11:30am-1:30pm

Your Guam Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, 2025. The meeting will feature the Guam Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman, Tae Oh, who will provide his end-of-the-year remarks to the membership. The Chamber's President, Catherine Castro, will provide an annual report on the state of the organization. Results from the 2026 Board elections will be announced before the close of the meeting.

The Chamber Team encourages its members to make advance payments over the phone to secure your seats for a swift and fast entry on the day of the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

Save Your Seat!

GYP’s Mental Mastery for Market Dominance – November 18, 2025

Join the Guam Young Professionals (GYP) for a full-day professional development conference at the Hyatt Regency Guam, designed to equip Chamber members and the broader business community with actionable tools for leadership, resilience, and performance. This immersive event will feature world-class speakers, including internationally renowned NeuroCoach and keynote speaker Luc Cardinal, whose transformative approach blends neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and real-time practices to help leaders reconnect with their core and thrive in complexity.

Whether you're looking to sharpen your leadership edge, build team coherence, or break through performance plateaus, this event offers a rare opportunity to engage with cutting-edge content right here on island.

Hear From the Speakers!

RSVP NOW!

U.S. Chamber Updates

End the Shutdown, Find Bipartisan Solution to Healthcare Affordability

“ENOUGH,” U.S. Chamber President and CEO Suzanne P. Clark wrote in a letter to Congress calling for the reopening of the federal government.

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“Government shutdowns are always counterproductive, imposing heavy burdens on federal employees and contractors as well as businesses and citizens who rely on the services government provides.”

Why it matters: The longest full government shutdown in American history “is now putting the safety and livelihood of the American people at risk,” Clark added. “Each day the federal government remains closed, the likelihood of a catastrophic event increases.”

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Be smart: The government shutdown is harming small businesses and costing American economic growth that can’t be recovered.

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Small businesses are losing customers and revenue as well as having their growth plans put on hold.
The partial government shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, reduced economic output by $11 billion in the following two quarters, including $3 billion the U.S. economy never regained.

Bottom line: “The Chamber calls on Senate Democrats to immediately vote to reopen the government and work with Republicans to address the very real issues of healthcare affordability,” Clark wrote. She also reiterated the Chamber's longstanding support of the filibuster. "This process has been instrumental in supporting the nation and free enterprise for nearly 250 years." Read More!

Tackling America’s Housing Shortage

A shortage of over 4.7 million homes has created cascading economic and social challenges. At the U.S. Chamber’s inaugural Housing Summit, business leaders, policymakers, and thought leaders convened to discuss robust, bipartisan, and lasting solutions for increasing the housing supply.

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"Our role is to create the conditions for the American Dream," said U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President Neil Bradley. Housing is central to that vision.

Why it matters: “This isn't just a household budget issue,” said Heather Higginbottom, Head of Research, Policy & Insights for Corporate Responsibility at JPMorganChase. “This is actually a barrier to economic growth, to workforce stability and to community well-being.”

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Be smart: Barriers to building include burdensome zoning regulations and permitting processes as well as workforce and supply chain challenges.

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“We estimate that of the median single-family home that's constructed, 23% of that cost is tied up in some sort of regulation, impact, fee, building code–something that is put on the developer, put on the builder,” Ken Wingert, Chief Advocacy Officer, National Association of Home Builders.

“We have a full generation of tradesmen and women who are retirement age…and we do not have the pipeline of skilled youth coming behind them to follow,” said Heather Kennedy, Vice President, Government Relations and External Communications at Home Depot.

Elected officials are working to craft bipartisan solutions:

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In the U.S. Senate the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 breaks down regulatory barriers to expand the housing supply. “[The bill] makes housing easier to build, creates affordable housing, and streamlines the process,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR) emphasized the need for "cost-engineering and regulatory rightsizing,” largely at the local level.

Business drives solutions. Baltimore shows how small businesses play an important role.

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A partnership with local government and community organizations leverages innovative solutions like modular construction and community land trusts.

“Small businesses are one of the most effective agents of change,” said Brendan McCluskey, principal and founder of Trident Builders. “We’re able to get out there, experiment with solutions, see what works and what doesn’t.”

Learn more:

In partnership with the American Enterprise Institute, the U.S. Chamber introduced the “Strong Foundations” playbook offering data-informed solutions for all 50 states including 500 metropolitan areas, 1,000 counties and 4,500 cities.

JPMorganChase released a policy brief highlighting strategies for reducing regulatory barriers to housing production.

Bottom line: "We can't think like we are going to solve this problem in 20 years," Rep. Bynum warned. "That is today."

Toys for Tots High School Challenge

Every year, our Guam high schools make a significant contribution to the Toys for Tots Campaign. Let’s support our High Schools in this worthwhile program.

It’s not too late for high schools to sign up and participate! Contact the Guam Chamber of Commerce to sign your school up to participate in the High School Challenge this year! Let’s make this year’s challenge the best one yet! 🙌🏽 Thank you again for your time and continued support!

Download the High School Challenge Flyer!

2025 Toys for Tots Campaign

Need some gift ideas? Download our handy gift guide! Toy contributions can be dropped off at any of the following fine establishments:

American Medical Center

Atkins Kroll (All showrooms)

Agana Shopping Center

American Medical Center

American President Lines

BankPacific (All branches)

Burger King (Hågatna & Tumon)

Cruz Benefits Consultants

CTSI Logistics

Core Tech (In-house collection)

Calvos Insurance (In house collection)

Docomo (Tamuning)

East Island Tinting/ Paradise Auto

East West Business Center

Fedex

Gilbane Federal (Construction)

GHD Inc

Grand Plaza Hotel

Guam Ink Hustle

Guam Chamber of Commerce

Guam Regional Medical City (In-house collection)

Granite Construction Company

Guam Pak Express

Guam Economic Development Authority

Hotel Nikko Guam

Hyatt Regency Guam

Hilton Guam Resort & Spa

IT&E (All locations)

International Distributors Inc.

KFC Guam ( All locations)

Matson Navigation

Mega Drug Pharmacy (All locations)

Moylan’s Insurance

Navy Federal Credit Union

PFC Finance (All locations)

Pacific Island Club

RIHGA Royal Laguna Guam Resort

Security Title

Sylvan Learning Center

The Guam Economic Development Authority

Title Guaranty of Guam

Triple J Enterprise (Tamuning and Dededo)

Triple J Five Star

Tommy Hilfiger

USO Guam (All locations)

UOG Endowment Foundation

Wyndham Garden

Holiday Playlists Curated for You!

Enjoy this attitude for gratitude playlist curated just for you!

Wishes do come true! Give this holiday playlist a listen, and you, too, may start to believe!

Sometimes you need a Christmas playlist with all the feels...

we got you!

Chamber Member Spotlight Podcasts

Get to know many of your small business colleagues by listening to any of the podcasts produced to promote our small business members! Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube!

Community Outreach

Save The Date! November 9th & 15th

I Hinanao, I Magahet, Yan I Ininna (HMI) is excited to announce two major events happening this November. Their 4th Annual Veterans 5K on November 9 at Chamorro Village and their 3rd Annual Veterans Gala on November 15 at Dusit Thani Guam Resort.