Laura Nicholson, Executive Director / CEO

As 2009 draws to a close we would like to thank every Chamber member and volunteer for their part in keeping the Yuba-Sutter business community strong through an especially tough year. We can only hope that the glimmer of light that is appearing will get brighter each and every day in 2010.

Here at the Chamber in 2009 we continued to support the community, provided networking opportunities and advocated on behalf of business to government. We grew our tourism program, supported a "Shop Local" effort through a regional discount card program and provided breakfast and lunch events that were informative about the business community and issues of interest to the members.

The discount card program comes to an end on Thursday, December 31, 2009. We are pleased that more than 3,000 cards went out into the community and the program was successful for the participating businesses. In 2010 we will concentrate the Chamber's "Shop Local" effort through support and partnership with the "Think Yuba Sutter First" campaign. That campaign is the outgrowth of an effort by the City of Yuba City, local auto dealers and businesses to promote a large, regional effort. It now includes a web site with a "Deal of the Day" at www.thinkyubasutterfirst.com and a Facebook page at ThinkYubaSutterFirst. The "Think Yuba Sutter First" program continues to grow and we look forward to continuing to promote the importance of shopping locally in the Yuba-Sutter area.

The Chamber's first event of the year is the Business Connection Breakfast on Friday, January 29, at Hillcrest Catering at The Plaza Room in Yuba City. We will start the year off with the topic, "State of the Local Economy." There will be two speakers. Dan Gallo with the Center For Economic Development at California State University, Chico, will discuss regional trends and their impact here. Dan Flores from Cambridge Junior College in Yuba City will concentrate on his impressions of the Yuba-Sutter business community going into 2010. This will also be the official annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.

Starting in 2010, we will alternate the Business Connection Breakfast and the Business After Hours monthly. This will allow us to respond more quickly and efficiently to business events that come up that the Chamber would like to support each month without impacting other planned events and saturating your already busy schedule. Two mini-expos are planned as part of the after hours events.

In addition, planning is under way for the annual gala on Saturday, March 13, 2010, at Beale Air Force Base where the theme is, "Honoring Our Members & Our Military." Call 743-6501 to reserve tickets at $50 each or sponsor a table. As always this promises to be a very special event. It is also where the annual Vision Awards and Athena Award are given out.

Meanwhile, we will continue serving the community through a variety of programs. As we conclude this year I would like to take a moment to congratulate our Chamber award winners. They include the Chairman's Award winners, the Ambassadors of the Chamber, those volunteers who form the public relations arm of the Chamber; Volunteer of the Year, Christi Dutcher, Yuba County One Stop; Ambassador of the Year, Kathy Hammons, Frame It - Personalized Picture Frames & More; and Exemplary LEADership award recipient, Ric Teagarden, Yuba County Superintendent of Schools.

The success of the Chamber is measured through you, the members, who are to be commended for all that you do on behalf of the Yuba-Sutter business community.

So, let raise a toast to our business community and barrel on into the New Year.