July 2007

Board Attends Planning Retreat

On July 12th and 13th the Board of Directors held the annual planning retreat in Fallbrook at the Pala Mesa Resort. This year’s retreat was well attended. I again want to thank the board members for their commitment of time, the cost of attending the retreat, and for the strategic plan revisions which will be implemented by the chamber this next year.

The board identified five areas we will focus on this next year. They are membership, business advocacy, long term strength, value to business and the Latino network.  

Let me expand on the five areas. The first, membership is going to receive major emphasis. We have a goal of reaching 600 members by the end of  June 2008, a net increase of over 150 members. Our chair for this committee is Chuck Dinise, who with his committee is moving forward on plans to help build our membership.  

Second we want the chamber to continue to be an advocate to and for our business community with local representatives. Kathy Barr will be the chair for this important area of business advocacy and has a great committee working with her.
 
The third area is long term strength of the Chamber. Greg Christian was appointed chair of this area and his committee will be following through on several items outlined for special attention this year.

The fourth area is the Latino Network. Our chair will be Suzie Colón who will be following through on several key programs to increase attendance and involvement of the Hispanic community. 

The fifth area is value to business. The chair of this area will be Jaynie Boren who with her committee is committed to several important initiatives which will help ensure we are meeting the needs of our members.

In addition to these important areas a finance committee and personnel committee were established. The officers of the board will each serve on one of these committees.

Once again we are looking forward to a great year. In this month’s Business Journal you will read more about our upcoming events which include the Fontana Racefest Golf Classic on August 29th and the Inland Empire Woman’s Expo on September 26th at Etiwanda Gardens. These two exciting events are in addition to our monthly meetings.

Thank you for allowing me to be your chairman of the board and remember: It’s another great day in Fontana.

Everett Thompson
Chairman of the Board
Fontana Area Chamber of Commerce