At the heart of every local economy is the chamber of commerce, and at the core of the chamber is the diversity of its members, both big and small.  As I begin my term as chair of the board, I am proclaiming this to be the “Year of the Member” and have made my goal to offer even more opportunities for our members to create the tangible results they demand.

 As we start our new fiscal year, we welcome new leadership on the Board of Directors and new volunteers on our various committees.   We are excited about the program of activities and initiatives that your Board has approved for the coming year – all of which are designed to make us more responsive to member needs and to increase the value that comes from being a member of the Chamber.

From hybrid vehicles to solar panels, Californians are becoming more proactive and environmentally conscious these days.  Businesses are taking note and have begun implementing a number of initiatives to make Visalia a more eco-friendly place to live, work, and do business.

The Governmental Affairs Committee recently heard a presentation by Tricia Stever of the Tulare County Farm Bureau about issues confronting Farm Bureau members.

 August is an exciting month for the SBDC!  We have a couple of special events planned with our local business owners in mind!

Join us at the Chamber on Thursday, August 13 at 8am for the Visalia SBA Resource Day, co-hosted by the Visalia Chamber of Commerce, the Central California SBDC, and the U.S. Small Business Administration!

The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) works to ensure that individuals who are supposed to be licensed – whether as a contractor, or a dentist, or an accountant – are, in fact licensed.

This year’s graduation was held at the Holiday Inn (Visalia) on the evening of Friday June 12, 2009.  The 16 graduating class members included Guadalupe Aguayo, Gamaliel Anguiano, Stephanie Bartsch, Anita Bivian, John Bradley, David Bruce, Christine Chavez, Christy Curtsinger, Osvaldo Dominguez, Benjamin Filiponi, Juan Hernandez, Christy Martinez, Julie Medina, Erica Mireles, Sheri O’Hara, and Chad Rittgers.

Happy Trails Riding Academy Celebrates 25 years of serving Tulare, Kings and Fresno’s counties.  Happy Trails Riding Academy is a non-profit program which enriches the lives of children and adults with physical, cognitive and psychological disabilities through equine associated activities and therapy. Happy Trails will be hosting an open house for the community on Saturday, August 15, 2009 from 9:00am-11:30am at our facility located at 2773 E. Oakdale Ave., Tulare. Therapeutic horsemanship provides a unique opportunity for self improvement and independence in a positive learning environment, while offering a challenging alternative to traditional therapy.

 How often we hear the jeers from those outside the school business about the relaxed summer vacations for those who work in the schools.  It is true that school is out for summer and all teachers and students are not attending daily.  However, there is much you may not know.