A Message from Chamber CEO Douglass Wilhoit:

Chamber moving forward in new year

June 2009 - I have really found that the old saying, “time flies when you’re having fun,” is really very true! As having the honor of serving as your CEO since July of 1999 each year has seemed to fly by because of all of you being such great members of the community and the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. It flies because there are so many wonderful people, activities, events, venues and yes solvable issues that can be overcome by people working together instead of against each other or just plain being stubborn, foolish, selfish and all of the above.

The 2008-2009 Chamber fiscal year is coming to an end and has been both exciting and challenging at the same time. Certainly the Chamber programs and events have put local business first and the made every effort possible to helping local businesses weather this economic storm we find ourselves in knowing that we will come out as better businesses, people and a community.

I want to thank those members who maintained their membership during this tough time and to those who felt, due to economic hardship, felt they could not afford to stay as members. We never stopped trying to help you get through the “rough economic seas” by representing all businesses in our community on the local, state and federal level.

Chamber fiscal year 2009-2010 will find a few changes on how we provide services to all of you and they will all be positive, productive and in some cases moving the Chamber more into the 21st Century of technology and how we deliver our services to each of you.

We have not had a dues increase since fiscal year 2005-2006 and in this upcoming year we will institute a modest increase, as each of you must do, to keep up with the cost of doing business. Since we ARE a business organization we look very, very carefully at our mission and what we felt the market could bear. We feel confident that the increase is not only reasonable but needed to continue to provide A + service to our current members and members who will be joining all of you as we move the Community and the Chamber forward.

To highlight how important it is that we, the Chamber, continue to support and work hard for you, and that you continue to be part of our membership family let me first quote Andrew Carnegie who stated, “The average person puts only 25 percent of his (her) energy and ability into his (her) work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50 percent of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100 percent.” Your Chamber officers, board members, volunteers and staff devote 100 percent of their energy to make sure your business is successful and you recognize the value of your membership and continue to be part of our team and brings others along with you.

Then let me add one of my favorite mantra’s spoken by Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Yes times are tough now but coming together (as members and staff of your Chamber), keeping together and working together we will come out the other end the better for it and the community.

This year has seen great leadership by your President Dennis Goldstrand! Dennis was extremely active in all our events, committees, programs and his monthly article. I know I can speak for all our members, staff and the community that we thank Dennis and Judy for giving us such a wonderful year and that they are greatly appreciated and admired. Don’t worry, Dennis is not going away! He will remain on the Executive Committee, this next year as Immediate Past President.

We look forward to the new Chamber year with the installation of Rick Goucher as President who has proven over and over again that he is 100 percent dedicated to the Chamber as was Dennis and many other Presidents I have served under.

He will have an active continuing Board of Directors who will be joined by Judith Buethe (Judith Buethe Communications) and Blain Bibb (ServiceMaster Building Maintenance) who filled out unexpired terms of two other board members who had job changes during their term. They now have been elected to full three year terms.

Joining them as newly elected board members for three year terms will be Terry Lightfoot (Kaiser Permanente), Phil Acosta (Delights Waterfront Eatery and Bay Yachts), Kenneth Levy (Wells Fargo Advisors). Active board member Ralph Carino (JC Penney) received a transfer and had to leave the board before his term was up so President Goldstrand appointed Fred Walkover (Comcast Communications). Tour new Chamber President, Rick Goucher and your chamber officers will be sworn in by Mayor Ann Johnston at the annual installation dinner on June 25, 2009 at Elkhorn Golf and Country Club. This is also the annual meeting of the Chamber so please make your reservations ASAP.

Many thanks to retiring board members and long time Chamber supporters, Jane Brause (Sunflower Presents, Inc.) and Mark Plovnick (University of the Pacific) who will be duly honored at the annual installation dinner. We know they will continue being active in both the Chamber and the community.

The 24th Annual Asparagus Festival was a huge success and you will be reading more in the local media and in Port O Call about the wonderful amount raised and distributed to local charities thanks to the tireless work of over 5,000 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS. At our May 21st Asparagus Board of Directors meeting we received preliminary figures and they look great. We are already making plans for the 25th Anniversary of this wonderful community event.

I will have for you , in future issues of Port O Call, the complete story of the POSITIVE ECONOMIC AND IMAGE IMPACT the Asparagus Festival has on this community and its citizens, all of them!

One closing comment: There are some, for their own personal and seemingly selfish reasons, have made negative, uninformed and damaging comments about the value of the festival to this community. To them I again quote Dale Carnegie: “when dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” Those who approach issues within our community with self-serving emotion are truly the losers and do damage to all the good people who try their very best to be a community of ONE.