1 Temply Annual Report 2015 Designed By Temply Annual Report: Economic Development Commission Visitors Bureau & Tourism Marketing District 2017-2018 Chamber of Commerce | Visitors Bureau | Economic Development Commission 2 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Contents Cover Letter 3 Chamber Staff & Leadership 4 Economic Development Commission Introduction 6 Members 7 Business Attractions & Services 8 Collaboration with Economic Development Partners 11 Engagement with Regional Partners 12 Next Steps 15 Santa Barbara County Energy Watch Partnership & RMDZ 16 Visitors Bureau Introduction 21 Key Metrics 22 Visitor Assistance 23 Enhancing the Visitor Experience 24 Promoting Local Events 26 Marketing the SMV as a Tourism Destination 28 Appendix A: Economic Development Commission 34 End of Year financials Appendix B: Santa Maria Valley Visitors Bureau 35 Press Clippings Appendix C: Santa Maria Valley Tourism Marketing 40 District Analytics Appendix D: Visitors Bureau End of Year Financials 55 Contact Information 57 3 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau September 2018 Alice Patino, Mayor Jack Boysen, Council Member Mike Cordero, Council Member Michael Moats, Council Member Etta Waterfield, Mayor Pro Tem Jason Stilwell, City Manager On behalf of the board, staff, and members of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, I am pleased to share with you the attached annual report highlighting the economic development and tourism programs and results. The Chamber is proud to be a partner with the City of Santa Maria, the Santa Maria Public Airport, and our local industries on these programs. We are committed to being aggressive and effective in making a positive impact on the economic vitality of our community through support for existing businesses, attraction of new businesses and business start-ups, and the promotion of the community as a tourism/hospitality destination. The enclosed reports provide a review of the work we engaged in during the 2017-18 fiscal year. As you know, economic development and tourism require sustained efforts and highly visible wins come with unpredictable frequency. We believe that the community is best served by ongoing efforts that ensure we continue to be a community that is as open to and supportive of business activity as possible. Looking forward, we are excited about the potential for Santa Maria. The continued investments made by the city and our local hotels are generating strong returns in awareness and visibility of the community to our target audiences. We are particularly pleased with the growing interest on the part of event organizers. On the Economic Development side, we are encouraged by the progress we are making to create alliances that will lead to a regional collaborative approach to business attraction and retention. We are also encouraged by the increased activity we are seeing as developers and business owners look to capitalize on the momentum they see in Santa Maria. Once again, the Chamber is grateful for the opportunity to work with the elected and appointed leaders in our community on these important initiatives and looks forward to your continued feedback and support. Sincerely, Glenn D. Morris Jennifer Harrison Suzanne Singh President & CEO Director, Visitors Bureau Director, Economic Development Commission 4 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Chamber Staff & Leadership Chamber Volunteer Leadership 2018-2019 OFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark Allen, Marian Regional Medical Center Cynthia Schur, Santa Maria Times Chairman of the Board Ed Carcarey, Mega 97.1 Michelle Shipman, Searchlight Properties Dr. Ray Arensdorf, Arensdorf Chiropractic Ron Cossa, Tolman & Wiker Insurance Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts Chairman Elect Edgar Gascon, Hacienda Realty Tim Williams, Digital West Jean-luc Garon, Radisson Hotel Santa Maria David LeRoy, Toyota of Santa Maria Tim Woodbury, Woody’s Butcher Block Butch Lopez, V Lopez Jr. & Sons General Vice Chairman Janet Silveria, Community Bank of Santa Engineering Contractors Maria Eddie Murray, Murray Group-Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman Dr. Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College Era Polly, Era Polly Real Estate Hugh Rafferty, Coast Hills Credit Union Past Chairman Cameron Stephens, SM Tire Professional Staff President & CEO Marketing & Communications Manager Tourism Coordinator Glenn Morris, ACE Molly Schiff Yarely Corona VP, Chamber Operations Membership Manager Administrative Support Coordinator Terri Oneschuck Cara Martinez Patricia Horta Director, Visitors Bureau Event & Special Projects Manager Administrative Clerk Jennifer Harrison Alex Magana Taz Dougherty Consultants & Support Team Economic Development Commission Leadership Santa Maria Valley Suzanne Singh Terri Oneschuck Membership Sales Tourism Marketing District Terri Lee Coleman Cheryl Cuming Douglas Coleman Carlos Escobedo Energy Watch Partnership of Northern Santa Barbara County / Recycled Materials Development Zone Dave Cross 5 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Economic Development Commission 6 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Economic Development Commission Introduction The Economic Development Commission (EDC) is a department of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, which partners with the City of Santa Maria, the Santa Maria Public Airport District, and local development organizations to market our community to prospective companies. The Chamber/EDC is also the lead agency in providing retention programs geared toward strengthening the current base of industrial, retail and manufacturing. The City of Santa Maria continues to invest in economic development by providing funding for the Chamber/EDC. The Santa Maria Public Airport District also contributes. The Chamber of Commerce provides the additional necessary resources and support to accomplish the responsibilities of the Chamber/EDC, including : • promoting Santa Maria as a prime business location • providing business information to potential and existing companies • working directly with local agencies and commercial brokers to provide information, resources and contacts to meet specific needs of both new and expanding businesses • partnering with agencies that provide incentives, workforce training, and outreach to businesses and organizations. The EDC and the Chamber of Commerce appreciate the continued support from the City of Santa Maria, the Santa Maria Public Airport, and the many businesses and organizations that participate in its programs. 7 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Economic Development Commission Members The Chamber engages local business and community leadership in the economic development process through an advisory board, made up of individuals selected and invited because of a specific role that they play in the local development community. The Commission is charged with providing input and direction to the Chamber/EDC staff to identify key barriers to economic growth and the development of action plans designed to address specific issues. The Commission also ensures accountability on those action plans as we report on progress, lessons learned, and successes achieved. During the current fiscal year, for instance, the Commission received updates on issues such as Industrial/Commercial real estate inventory, workforce availability, the city’s broadband effort, residential market trends, the Airports’ status and goals, and a state funded apprenticeship program available to Santa Maria businesses. The Commission membership, appointed by the Chamber Board of Directors and/or the respective partner organization, currently includes the following individuals: Dan Blough, Dan Blough Construction (CRE Developer) Jason Stilwell, City of Santa Maria Jim Bray, Pacific Coast Energy (Energy) Rob Himoto, SMV Railroad (Transportation) Anne Cremarosa, Santa Maria Business Development Center Sofia Lariz, Emerald Broadcasting (Small Business) (Small Business) Kerin Mase, Marian Regional Medical Center (Healthcare) Dave Cross, Fletcher Cross Associates (Land Use/Planning) Steve McCarty, Stafford McCarty (Commercial Broker) Danny Deveraux, CalPortland (Transportation) Matt Murphy, Presqu’ile (Agriculture) Jason Diani, Diani Companies (General Contractor) Cheun Ng, City of Santa Maria Mark Fugate, Charter Brokerage (CRE Developer) Rick Rust, Aera Energy (Energy) Angelica Gutierrez, Rabobank (Banking) Jerry Schmidt, Pacifica CRE (Commercial Broker) Tony Guy, Zodiac (Large Employer) Steve Scott, Scott Construction (General Contractor) Joe Halsell, Halsell Brothers & EconAlliance (Residential) Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts (Land Use/Planning) Derek Hansen, The Towbes Group (Residential) Dr. Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College (Education) Chris Hastert, Santa Maria Public Airport Brooks Wise, Heritage Oaks Bank (Banking) 8 Annual Report 2017 - 2018 Business Attractions & Services Recognizing the need to engage with a wide range of economic development related partners, the Chamber/EDC has invested significant effort in working with organizations like Econ Alliance, SCORE, CalPoly, the Workforce Development Board, and Softec to advance programs and services that can benefit our local businesses. During the past twelve months, the Chamber/EDC responded to 126 varied requests from local businesses, site selectors, potential companies, government agencies seeking specific assistance with needs ranging from locating facilities or land, resources or understanding new state legislation to identifying new vendors/partners and working through the city regulatory process. Additionally, the Chamber/EDC began or