Gilroy Chamber Board opposes SB 626

Posted on March 26, 2013 by gilroychamber

Gilroy Chamber joins cadre of business groups opposing SB 626

The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors joined the CalChamber and other business organizations in opposing SB 626 (Beall; D-San Jose). The Bill would severely undercut recent workers’ compensation reforms agreed to by labor unions and employers and would result in dramatic cost increases to California employers.

The goal of the reform package passed in 2012 was to provide injured workers with needed benefit increases while closing certain loopholes intended to make the system operate more efficiently with fewer disputes and litigation. The reforms guaranteed nearly $1 billion in benefit increases while reducing employer costs after regulatory implementation of system reforms.

According to industry experts, SB 626 eliminates the entire balance of the deal and would erase hundreds of millions of dollars in projected savings – basically, SB 626 would roll-back the reforms dealing with timely, high-quality medical treatment and a more predictable – and less litigious – permanent disability system including:

  • Eliminating the cornerstone cost saving provision of the independent medical review (IMR) and result in treatment delays for injured workers;
  • Repeals a provision that eliminates impairment ratings for psychiatric add-ons in some, but not all, cases.
  • Repeals a provision that prohibits a chiropractor from being a primary treating physician once the maximum number of chiropractic treatments has been received.
  • And it unnecessarily limits utilizing review and independent medical review by requiring that the reviewing physician hold the same license as the physician requesting treatment. Current law requires reviewers to be competent to evaluate the specific clinical issues involved in the medical treatment and utilize relevant, evidence-based medical treatment guidelines, which are not state-specific.

SB 626 reverses a bipartisan labor-employer compromise that provided stakeholders a stable, predictable, cost-conscious approach to workers compensation reform. The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce continues to monitor legislation that counters the attacks on economic vitality in the Gilroy community and in the state.

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Representing the interest of business with Government – Kristina Chavez Wyatt

Posted on December 4, 2012 by gilroychamber

The path to 2013

By Kristina Chavez Wyatt
Vice Chairman of Public Affairs

It’s a little overwhelming how quickly this year is coming to a close. Although looking back on all that has transpired over the past several months, there is no wonder how the many distractions of home, work, life and the “noise” of the world have made it pass us by so quickly. With many thanks to you, your engagement with the external political forces that hold a good deal of your future in their hands via support of the GilPAC, the ship has been turned ever so slightly. As always, there is a lot of work to do and fortunately, the Chamber takes their “your business is our business” tagline to heart.

From the local elections perspective, the Chamber’s recommended positions and GilPAC endorsements faired very well. First and foremost, we are very proud to see Don Gage elected mayor, council members Perry Woodward and Cat Tucker re-elected and Terri Aulman joining the council ranks. According to his remarks at our last GRC meeting, Mayor-elect Gage will be focusing on working with council to form short and long term goals, “pick off low hanging fruit,” seeking community support and guidance on realigning the city’s goals with a single focus on Gilroy’s future, and working as a team “period.”

With the overwhelming passage of the Santa Clara Valley Water District parcel tax extension, the hard work comes in seeing that those funds are allocated responsibly and effectively and that as many of those funds possible are focused on projects that serve our local community and environments. The same story goes for the eighth-cent sales tax increase for transactions in the County unincorporated area. We must work with Supervisor Wasserman, local leaders and agencies to see that the estimated $50 million in annual revenue that is generated is put to work for our community, specifically for public health, welfare, public safety and voter registration. The County has a lot of work to do- officials acknowledge their employee retirement costs will grow by $12 million in 2014, $24 million the year after and $36 million in 2016. The county has promised some $3 billion more in retirement perks than its plan has cash to cover, a debt of almost $5,000 per county household.

The bottom line in Sacramento-

State Controller John Chiang’s latest report shows total revenues were still $162.5 million below projections contained in the 2012-13 State budget, leaving the last fiscal year ending with a cash deficit of $9.6 billion. As of September 30, that cash deficit totaled $22.3 billion, and is being covered with $12.3 billion of internal borrowing (temporary loans from special funds), and $10 billion of external borrowing.

The passage of Proposition 30 takes some of the pressure off education, local government and health and welfare interests as far as balancing next year’s budget. However a very lean budget is expected from Governor Brown as revenues continue to lag projections and the remaining $2.6 billion hole not covered by Prop 30. It is important to note that Proposition 30 also imbeds into the State Constitution the guaranteed funding stream to counties for public safety and health and welfare realignment.

The Assembly Speaker and Senate pro Tem are both celebrating Democratic Party supermajority wins for their respective houses.  Expect to see a number of efforts to “reform” the tax code, increase revenues through fees and taxes, lower the voter threshold for passage of taxes and bonds at the lower level. Depending on the proposals, the Governor will either go along with his party’s efforts or not. With supermajorities however, the Legislature can override the Governor’s vetoes.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel. In the waning days of the legislative Session, there were hurried attempts to craft a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) reform measure, something to give relief to businesses and improve California’s economic development outlook while also maintaining critical environmental protections. The effort was shelved at the last minute, put over for debate and resolution next year. Expect a number of job-growth and business-friendly measures, including some reforms of the CEQA process.

On the Federal front-

The status quo has won. President Obama secured a second term by winning a solid majority of Electoral College votes and narrowly winning the popular vote. Republicans retained control of the House, Democrats netted seven additional seats, leaving the balance of power in the House at 235-200. In the Senate, Democrats surprisingly added two seats to their majority (assuming Independent Angus King from Maine caucuses with Democrats) in an election that many had bet on the Republicans taking control of the Senate. The Democrats will now likely have a 55-45 seat majority in the Senate in the 113th Congress.

Back on the homefront-

Government Relations Committee program focuses for 2013 are currently in formulation including the Gilroy General Plan Update and land use, downtown revitalization, federal policy impacts on local businesses, forging and building relations with elected representatives and staff at all levels. To get engaged and focus our work plan most effectively for your business, please make sure to contact the chamber and complete the Chamber’s online membership survey.

As 2012 comes to a close and the holiday season ramps into full swing, please keep in mind the multiple benefits of patronizing and “occupying” Gilroy businesses, purchasing locally made and grown products. Wishing you, your family and business team a safe, festive, joyous and fruitful holiday season. Cheers!

 

Posted in Chamber Of Commerce, General Information, Government Relations Committee | Comments Off

2013 Workplace Practice Tune-ups from Jay Menchaca, Attorney at Law

Posted on December 4, 2012 by gilroychamber

2013 workplace practice tune-ups start with your local Chamber

With the end of the year quickly approaching, now is a good time to evaluate your workplace practices to ensure that you are in compliance with applicable state and federal laws. Employers are required to address a wide variety of issues such as privacy, safety requirements, discrimination, meal period policies and more. Employers also need to have a good understanding of at-will employment, should set document retention policies and should be aware of the variety of types of leaves of absence. Employee handbooks can be an important tool for communicating essential information to employees and help to develop uniform standards.
But where to start? The tasks required of businesses can appear overwhelming. Methodologies on how to approach the multitude of tasks vary. While some prefer to start at the beginning of the employment relationship (pre-employment procedures to termination practices) others audit areas in accordance with the potential risk to the employer. I tend to favor attacking easier tasks first and the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce helps make it easier for businesses to meet most, if not all, Federal and State posting requirements.
Posting requirements are governed by a variety of agencies including the Department of Labor, Department of Industrial Relations, and Cal-OSHA, just to name a few. Some notices are required of all employers regardless of size or industry and they address numerous issues such as Federal and State minimum wage, the applicable industry’s Wage Order, payday information, health and safety, emergency contacts, workers’ compensation information, whistleblower protection, no smoking, discrimination and harassment, unemployment and disability insurance, family paid leave, occupational injuries, voting rights, equal employment opportunity, Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act. The all-in-one poster available at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce contains the 16 required State and Federal employment notices every California employer must post and it also includes the mandatory update to the Discrimination and Harassment notice, effective January 1, 2013.
Notices must be conspicuously displayed and some posters also need to be displayed where job applicants can view them. All required notices must be in English but employers are sometimes obligated to post notices in foreign languages as well.  Also, if your business has more than one location, you are required to provide the same postings at each site. You are only required to replace a workplace posting when its content changes so it is a good idea to check occasionally to ensure that your postings are up to date.
Most, but not all, posting requirements can be met by using the all-in-one poster. Notice requirements differ depending on different factors so it’s important to determine the requirements specific to your industry or size. So check posting requirements off that long list and move on to the next project!

Jay Menchaca, Attorney
Menchaca Law Offices

http://www.menchacalaw.com/

 

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Agenda, Friday, October 12, 2012 Government Relations Committee

Posted on October 8, 2012 by gilroychamber

Gilroy Chamber of Commerce
7471 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA  95020
Government Relations Committee

Friday, October 12, 2012

7:30 – 9:00 AM. @ The Chamber Board Room

Agenda

  1. Opening Remarks/Introductions (7:30 – 7:35)
  1. Approval of minutes:  September 14, 2012
  1. Doing business with local and regional government

Christina Turner, Finance Director, City of Gilroy (7:35 – 7:45)

Inga Alonzo, Purchasing Coordinator, City of Gilroy

Jenti Vandertuig, County of Santa Clara (7:45 – 7:55)

Director of Procurement

Question and Answer:  7:55 – 8:05 a.m.

  1. Sign Ordinance Task Force, Kristi Abrams, Community Development Manager (8:05 – 8:15)  Q & A (8:15 – 8:25)

The City of Gilroy is currently meeting with a Sign Ordinance Task Force. Information presented will be an overview of the existing sign ordinance, particularly as it pertains to the most common violations.  Also provided will be a recap of the scope assigned to the task force and where they are in the process.

  1. Gilroy Business PAC (Giusiana) (8:25 – 8:30)
  • Endorsements
  • Strategy
  • Fund Development
  1. Community Development Updates (Haglund/Abrams/Butler) (8:30 – 8:40)
  1. Economic Development Updates (Brownlow) (8:40 – 8:45)
  1. Gilroy Welcome Center Updates (Howard)  (8:45 – 8:50)
  1. Inquiries from GRC regarding the following (8:50 – 8:55)
  • Police Department (Turner)
  • School Board (Lai)
  • Gavilan College (Day)
  • SCVWD (Gibson)
  • County of Santa Clara (Sanford)
  1. Meeting wrap-up and discussion of July GRC meeting (8:55 – 9 a.m.)
  • Recommendations to Chamber Board
  • Other Discussion
  1. Adjournment (9 a.m.)

 

 

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Gilroy Chamber of Commerce Government Relations Committee minutes September 2012

Posted on October 8, 2012 by gilroychamber

Gilroy Chamber of Commerce
Government Relations Committee
7471 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA  95020

September 14, 2012
7:30 – 9:00 AM. | Chamber Board Room

Minutes

  1. Opening Remarks/Introductions

GRC Chair, Christi Garcia opened the meeting. Also present were: Kai Lai, Glenn Pace, Elizabeth Sanford, Lee Butler, Erwin Boggs, Rob Oneto, Ken Schreiber, Jane Howard, Rachael Gibson, Kristina Chavez-Wyatt, Tom Haglund, James Suner, and Susan Valenta

  1. Approval of minutes: August 10, 2012

It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the August 10, 2012 meeting. MSC.

  1. Final Draft Plan, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan,

Stan Ketchum (City of Gilroy) provided a PowerPoint presentation on the final draft of the SCVHCP.  Also present was Ken Schreiber, Program Manager for the SCVHCP, to answer questions from attendees.  The Plan will be presented to Council on September 17 and voted on in October.  The SCVHCP draft plan and other information may be accessed at http://www.scvhabitatplan.org/www/site/alias__default/1/home.aspx

  1. State Propositions

Kristina Chavez-Wyatt, V.C. of the Public Affairs Division for the Chamber reported that the Chamber approved recommendations from the GRC including:

Proposition 30 – Sales tax and Income Tax Increase — Oppose

Proposition 32 – Paycheck Protection Initiative – Support

Measure A – County Sales Tax measure – Oppose

Measure B – Santa Clara Valley Water District – Parcel tax extension — Support

  1. Gilroy Business PAC

Gregg Giusiana, Chair of GilPAC reported that the Board of Trustees has organized a fundraiser for Wednesday, September 19, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Fortino Winery Event Center. Candidates for Mayor and Council were requested to complete a questionnaire, and those who have done so are invited to an interview. GilPAC endorsements will be completed the last week of September.

  1. Community Development Updates (Lee Butler)

Lee Butler, Development Center Manager for the City of Gilroy, reported that the paseo project has gone through the Historical Heritage Committee and the Planning Commission with approval from both entities. Demolition is expected to take place in January 2013. A policy is currently being developed for sidewalk cafes in the downtown area. The Sign Review Task Force will be holding its first meeting next week, and the Task Force will continue to recruit for members to serve.  In questions regarding the URM buildings in the downtown corridor, Lee reported that if there was no building permit on file addressing the mandatory safety standards, a $500 monthly penalty is in place.

  1. Economic Development Updates (Brownlow). No report.
  1. Gilroy Welcome Center Updates (Howard)

Jane reported that the Welcome Center had 4,650 guests in August with 15% international visitors from 19 countries. The Strategic Plan of the Gilroy Welcome Center will continue the Discover Gilroy initiatives. The GWC will give their annual report to Council on Monday, September 17; additionally, there will be a public hearing on the Tourism Improvement District (TBID).

  1. Inquiries from GRC regarding the following
  • Police Department (Turner) – no report
  • School Board (Lai) – No further report.

Gavilan College (Day) – At their meeting on February 14, 2012 the Gavilan College Board of Trustees voted to refinance a portion of outstanding Measure E General Obligation Bonds at much lower interest rates, without extending the life of the bonds. The District was able to reduce the interest rates on Measure E bonds, which will generate a net savings in debt service to taxpayers of $2,592,801 over the life of the Refunding Bonds.

  • SCVWD (Gibson) – Rachael reported on the good work of the Water District irrespective of recent publicity.
  • County of Santa Clara (Sanford) – Elizabeth Sanford reported on the election cycle currently underway.
  1. Meeting wrap-up and discussion:
  • It was requested to add the General Plan Update to the regular agenda of the GRC.
  • It was requested that the GRC have a presentation on policies from local agencies on bid preferences for local businesses.
  • It was further requested to invite the candidates endorsed by GilPAC to the September GRC meeting.
  • Recommendations to Chamber Board:

After review and discussion, it was moved and seconded to support the draft plan of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan subject to further input on the implementation process.  MSC.

  • Other Discussion – None
  1. Adjournment (9 a.m.)

Respectfully submitted by,

Susan Valenta, President/C.E.O.
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce

 

 

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Government Relations Committee – September 14 Agenda

Posted on September 10, 2012 by gilroychamber

Gilroy Chamber of Commerce

7471 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA  95020

Government Relations Committee

Friday, September 14, 2012

7:30 – 9:00 AM. @ The Chamber Board Room

Agenda

  1. Opening Remarks/Introductions (7:30 – 7:35)
  1. Approval of minutes:  August 10, 2012
  1. Final Draft Plan, Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan Stan Ketchum, City of Gilroy (7:35 – 8 a.m.)

Excerpted from the Executive Summary:

The Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan (Plan) provides a framework for promoting the protection and recovery of natural resources, including endangered species, while streamlining the permitting process for planned development,

infrastructure, and maintenance activities. The Plan will allow the County of

Santa Clara (County), the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), the Santa

Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and the cities of Gilroy, Morgan

Hill, and San José (collectively, the Local Partners or Permittees) to receive

endangered-species permits for activities and projects they conduct and those

under their jurisdiction.

The Plan is intended to protect, enhance, and restore natural resources in specific areas of Santa Clara County and contribute to the recovery of endangered species. Rather than separately permitting and mitigating individual projects, the Plan evaluates natural-resource impacts and mitigation requirements comprehensively in a way that is more efficient and effective for at-risk species and their essential habitats.

This Plan was developed in association with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), and in

consultation with stakeholder groups and the general public. The Permittees are

asking the USFWS to issue them a 50-year permit that authorizes incidental take1

of listed species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The

Permittees are also asking CDFG to issue to them a 50-year permit that

authorizes take of all covered species under the Natural Community

Conservation Planning Act (NCCP Act).

USFWS and CDFG (collectively the Wildlife Agencies) will also provide

assurances to the Permittees that no further commitments of funds, land, or water

of all covered species under the Natural Community

Conservation Planning Act (NCCP Act). This approach will allow the Permittees

to streamline future mitigation requirements into one comprehensive program. In

addition to obtaining take authorization for each participating agency’s respective

activities, the cities and County will be able to extend take authorization to

project applicants under their jurisdiction.

The SCVHCP can be accessed at the below noted link:

http://www.scv-habitatplan.org/www/site/alias__default/1/home.aspx

  1. State Propositions (8 – 8:10) – Board adoption of GRC recommendations
  • Proposition 30 – Sales and Income Tax Increase 2012
  • Proposition 32 – Paycheck Protection Initiative
  • County of Santa Clara Sales Tax measure
  • SCVWD parcel tax extension
  1. Gilroy Business PAC (Giusiana) (8:10 – 8:20)
  • GilPAC fundraiser, September 19, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. @ Fortino Winery
  1. Community Development Updates (Haglund/Abrams/Butler) (8:20 – 8:30)
  1. Economic Development Updates (Brownlow) (8:30 – 8:35)
  1. Gilroy Welcome Center Updates (Howard)  (8:35 – 8:40)
  1. Inquiries from GRC regarding the following (8:40 – 8:45)
  • Police Department (Turner)
  • School Board (Lai)
  • Gavilan College (Day)
  • SCVWD (Gibson)
  • County of Santa Clara (Sanford)
  1. Meeting wrap-up and discussion of July GRC meeting (8:45 – 9 a.m.)
  • Recommendations to Chamber Board
  • Other Discussion
  1. Adjournment (9 a.m.)

 

 

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What’s new with our Gilroy businesses from the desk of Sue Thurman

Posted on July 31, 2012 by gilroychamber

Contact Sue Thurman at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce at member@gilroy.org or call 408.842.6437 to find out how your business can reach thousands of potential customers.  Below are some highlights from our local business members:

Solis Winery is living the California Dream after being awarded top honors at three major wine competitions in the Golden State—the California State Fair Wine competition; Orange County Commercial Wine Competition and San Francisco International Wine Competition. Award winning wines are the 2011 Fiano, Estate and the 2009 Zinfandel, Estate. Solis Winery’s handcrafted wines are not mass produced or distributed and can only be purchased at exclusive local restaurants, specialty shops or directly through the tasting room located at 3920 Hecker Pass in Gilroy. To learn more visit www.soliswinery.com.

BAM Smart, Fast, Nutrition, has part-time and full-time positions available for people with a great attitude, who can work independently, are self-motivated and enjoy a team environment.  No experience required as complete training is provided; flexible schedules are available, and you can work from anywhere!  You’ll learn to do scheduling; conduct weekly wellness evaluations and interviews; train clients and track your clients’ results. Schedule your interview at www.PTihealth.com.

The Gilroy Grocery Outlet, 333 East 10th Street, is proud to announce that they were able to help feed people facing hunger in Gilroy again this year through the Independence from Hunger campaign. This month-long event in July brings together the Grocery Outlet and their customers to feed people dealing with food insecurity. They partner with St. Joseph Family Center, and Gilroy Grocery Outlet owners, Janice and Gilbert Angkiangco, say they are committed to supporting their neighbors in need. To learn more about this third-generation, family-led company visit www.groceryoutlet.com.

Fortino Winery, a family-run boutique winery based in Gilroy has announced that they received eleven awards combined from San Francisco Wine Chronicle competition, San Diego International Wine Competition, Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Competition and the Orange County Commercial Wine Competition. Award-winning wines include their 2008 Estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Estate-grown Charbono and Pomegranate Fruit Wine; 2009 Carignan and their signature Maribella.  Fortino Wines are available at selected retailers and restaurants, in addition to the Winery’s Tasting Room, and their popular Wine Club. The Tasting Room is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm.  Call 408.842.3305 or visit www.fortinowinery.com.

Greenstreak Landscaping of Gilroy has had another award-winning year.  Lead by owner Pete Gluhaich, they received two regional awards and one state award from the California Landscape Contractors Association. Pete has been a landscape contractor for more than25 years, and the company has won a total of 58 CLCA Awards over 20 consecutive years. Their awards this year for were Outstanding Achievement in Medium Residential Installation; first place, Beautification Awards for Large Residential Installation and First Place Beautification Award Small Residential Maintenance. You can contact them at 408.848.8446 or visit them at www.greenstreakls.com.

Congratulations to Mike & Jasmina Patel, owners of the Best Western PLUS Forest Park Inn for receiving the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award.This accolade honors hospitality excellence and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. To experience this award winning service, call them at 408.848.5144 or visit them at www.bwforestparkinn@sbcglobal.net.

Scentsy Wickless Candles make great gifts for the young adults going off to college. Most colleges do not allow candles in their dorm rooms; therefore, wickless candles make the best sense and the best gifts. There are many college campus warmers as well, including Arizona State, Cal, San Diego State, Stanford and UCLA. For a catalog or more information on the warmers and scents, contact Marsha Becht at 408.842.0383 or visit www.marshabecht.scentsy.us/.

Phil Fortino has been appointed V.P. and Business Banking Officer for Rabobank N.A., in Gilroy. He will be responsible for fostering new business relationships with small-to-medium sized companies and providing solutions to meet the banking needs of customers in Gilroy, Hollister and the surrounding area. Receive personalized service by contacting them at 408.847.3133 www.rabobankamerica.com or stop by 761 First Street in Gilroy.

The Gilroy AAA office will be changing hours effective Monday, August 6, 2012.  New hours will be 8:30am-5:30pm, Monday through Friday; closed on Saturday and Sunday, but they can meet with customers on Saturday by appointment. Their Summer Road-trip Checkup event will be at the AAA office, 1395 First Street on Friday August 3 from 1pm-4pm. You will be able to meet reps from Hertz Local Edition; Marx Towing and other local businesses. They will be serving hot dogs, chips and drinks and the event is open to the public. Call AAA at 408.847.9250 for more information.

Pure Water Bottling Company achieved the State of California’s Small Business Environmental Climate Leader Award. They are the 1st and only bottled water-company in Monterey County to achieve this prestigious award by the California Air Resources Board presented by State Assemblyman Bill Monning. They also have recently become one of only 16 small businesses in the state to be awarded the State of California’s Cool California Climate Leader Award. To start your water or coffee service, give them a call at 831.236.8820 or visit www.purewaterbottlign.com.

Jim and Debbie Hoey, owners of The Barn at Hoey Ranch, have been busy expanding their “vintage garden” with lots of great new plants, garden art and furniture.  They have become super pickers always looking for something special—in fact if you have been looking for a special gift or item, let them know and they will find it. For more information call 408.309.1179. The Barn’s hours are Friday-Sunday, 11am-5pm or by appointment. Stop by, 2480 Hecker Pass Highway.

Chili’s Gilroy is hosting their 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on Monday September 10, at Coyote Creek Golf Course. Pricing is $120 per person or $475 per team. This year the Hole in One prize is a brand new BMW 328i and there will be a great silent auction, contests and prizes. Sponsorship opportunities are available! Call Chili’s Gilroy 408.842.4000 or visit them at 850 Renz Lane, Mon.-Thur. 11am-10:30pm, Fri. & Sat. 11am-11pm and Sunday 11am-10pm for more information.

 

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Chamber Marketing Marvels

Posted on July 23, 2012 by gilroychamber

Tips from Sue Thurman, Business Relationship Manager, Gilroy Chamber of Commerce

Direct mail touches people every day.  Did you know that 98% of consumers bring in their mail the day it’s delivered and 77%  sort through it immediately?* Recent surveys say that physical media (media that consumers can touch and feel) evoked more emotions giving it a deeper impression in the brain. Direct mail transcends age demographics and interestingly enough, the 18-34 year olds prefer to learn about marketing offers via postal mail rather than on-line services.

Direct mail is targeted as it focuses on a smaller group more likely to respond to your offer; it’s personal since you can address your customers by name and appeal to their interests; it’s tangible since you can physically place your message in your customers’ hands and encourage interaction (using elements like stickers and coupons); it’s measurable and easy to track; it’s flexible, from letter to postcards to brochures that you can use to create you campaign and it can be easy and cost-effective as the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce members can access its bulk mail permit (at no extra charge) and realize a significant drop in postage rates.

The Postal Service offers lower prices for bulk mailings because you do some of the work that otherwise would have to be done by the Postal Service (for example, sorting the mail by zip code or transporting the mail to a specific postal facility).

So if direct mail is your choice and you are mailing a minimum of 200 pieces, submit your piece to the Chamber for approval. Then borrow the bulk mail stamp (for up to a week) or if you prefer, we can email the electronic version of the permit to be printed directly onto your collateral.  We will provide the U.S. Postal form needed to be filled out and dropped off with your mailing along with some instructions.  You will find calculators and guidelines to help you determine if direct mail will work for your marketing at www.usps.com/businessmail101.

*Statistics provided by the US Mailing House.

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Government Relations Committee Minutes, July 13, 2012

Posted on July 23, 2012 by gilroychamber

Gilroy Chamber of Commerce
7471 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA  95020
Government Relations Committee

Friday, July 13, 2012

7:30 – 9:00 AM. @ The Chamber Board Room

Minutes

  1. Opening Remarks/Introductions

GRC Chair, Christi Garcia opened the meeting. Also present were: Terri Aulman, Cathy Bentley-Smith, Jim Hoey, Lee Butler, Jennifer Williams, Kristina Chavez Wyatt, Denise Turner, Tom Haglund, Kristi Abrams, Frank Vallierra, Karla Rodriguez Lomax, Jaime Rosso, Elizabeth Sanford, James Suner, Kai Lai, Glenn Pace, Jeff Burrus, Rachel Gibson, and Susan Valenta

  1. Approval of minutes:  June 8, 2012

It was moved and seconded to approve the minutes of the June 8, 2012 meeting. MSC.

  1. County of Santa Clara, Supervisor Mike Wasserman

Supervisor Wasserman detailed the work done to date with the Winery Working Group and the County.  The process has been taking place for several months with outreach and involvement by the wineries.

A detailed matrix of winery requests and county requests were presented. Of note, was the strong interest by the county for cross-communication and consensus with the business community.

In other discussion, Supervisor Wasserman briefly reported that the County is looking at a sales tax for the November ballot, and he was the lone vote in opposition.

  1. 4.               Gilroy Unified School District, Superintendent, Dr. Flores

The City Council recently held a Special Session to discuss the possibility of placing a sales tax measure on the ballot in November per the request of GUSD.  After a City staff report, it was the decision of the Council not to pursue the request.  GUSD continues to look for funding sources to offset a projected deficit.

Dr. Flores impressed on the business community that there is a need to find a funding source in order for GUSD to continue its growth in academic achievement demonstrated to date.  The school district has cut $30 million in five years, and to date, there is very little options for reductions in spending.

  1. Gilroy Business PAC

Kristina reported that GILPAC will launch with a press conference on Monday, July 16 at 5 p.m. at Station 55.  A fundraiser will also be planned in September.

  1. Community Development Updates (Haglund)

Kristi Abrams reported that there is growth in residential development; industrial/commercial development is not as robust.

  1. Economic Development Updates (Brownlow)

No report.

  1. Gilroy Welcome Center Updates (Howard)

Susan V. reported that the GWC is experience tremendous growth in the number of guests visiting with 2,800 in June, one of the highest months yet.

  1. Inquiries from GRC regarding the following
  • Police Department (Turner) – no report
  • School Board (Lai) – no report
  • Gavilan College (Day) – no report
  • SCVWD (Gibson) – no report
  • County of Santa Clara (Sanford) – no report
  1. Meeting wrap-up and discussion of July GRC meeting
  • Recommendations to Chamber Board

After review and discussion, it was moved and seconded to support the process that has taken place with the Winery Working Group and the County of Santa Clara and the direction being proposed towards the aim of lowering fees, clarifying existing regulations and allowing by-right certain activities with the end-goal of promoting agri-tourism in our County.  MSC.

  • Other Discussion – None
  1. Adjournment (9 a.m.)

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Valenta

President/C.E.O.

 

 

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CodeBrick – engineering websites tailored for business solutions

Posted on July 5, 2012 by gilroychamber

CodeBrick

60 Fourth Street, Suite 204 | Gilroy

408.852.0780 | www.codebrick.com

CodeBrick engineers websites tailored to business needs so that they are functional, easy to use, and efficient. Working in partnership with design and branding agencies, they provide the technical muscle to produce great interactive websites for their clients. Owner, Tim Whitman has been creating the back-bone of websites for 10 years and offers cutting-edge solutions to businesses.

Tell us about the new world of technology users expect

Websites became a must-have in the early 2000s, and that trend continues for businesses large and small. However, today an Internet presence isn’t enough if it can’t be accessed on the devices more and more people are using: mobile and tablet devices. Customers expect to be able to use their mobile devices to access and navigate business websites in order to find the content they need. For instance is a restaurant’s menu easily viewed on a mobile phone, or is it concealed within a large PDF file that takes a while to download over a cellular connection? Solving these kinds of problems is what CodeBrick does­—engineering smarter websites that provide a superior experience to the end user.

As business continues to embrace technology, how does CodeBrick fit their needs

CodeBrick provides solutions from the initial development through to the on-going maintenance and upkeep of a website. In addition, CodeBrick can source solutions to address business problems by developing custom web applications tailored to a business’s needs, or help a client save valuable dollars by researching existing products that can be leveraged to solve the problem. Once a website is live, businesses have found that CodeBrick is an effective behind-the-scenes webmaster that can take the headache out of website maintenance for the business.

What is S.E.O.

S.E.O. is “search engine optimization”, a strategy to creating web content that recognizes search engines as one of the “users” of the website. A good S.E.O. strategy involves making the website content readily accessible to search engines and working to increase a website’s position in search results. What many people may not realize is that Google (and all the major search engines as well) have done a lot of work to localize searches. By keeping track of a user’s browsing history and factoring in many other variables, search engines present a unique result set so that two side-by-side computers could bring up very different results for the same inquiry.

What is your recipe for success?

In business generally, it is important to be intentional—to know why you are doing the things you do in any given day, and then make sure you’re spending your time and energy on those tasks that make the most sense in accomplishing your goals.

In gauging a successful website, it is helpful to recognize that an effective website is the result of a multi-disciplinary process. There are many elements that go into creating an effective website, but we can understand them in four general categories:

(1) the visual design, or artistry; (2) compelling content that draws in the user; (3) marketing strategies that drive the business goals; and (4) the technical implementation, which few might see, but can make the first three elements shine. A website project that encompasses all these elements is a recipe for success.

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