Executive Director

Amanda Baillie

When businesses join the Sierra Vista Area Chamber they receive a window decal which states they are a proud member of our organization.

We encourage all of our current 610 members to display this decal in their business – a great place to put it is on the front door so customers know about your company’s chamber affiliation.

Why is that so important?

A national study by The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based market research firm, looked at how consumers and business owners perceive their local chamber of commerce and its members.

It found that when a consumer knows a business is a member of the local chamber, they are 44% more likely to think favorably about it.

When told that a business is a chamber member, customers are 51% more likely to be highly aware of the company and 57% more likely to think positively of its reputation.

Consumers are 63% more likely to buy goods and services in the future from a business that they believe is a member of the local chamber of commerce.

The study was also good news for businesses that sell to other businesses.

When business decision makers believe a company is a chamber member, they are 37% more likely to think favorably of the business, 51% more likely to be aware of it, 58% more likely to think positively of its local reputation and 59% more likely to buy goods and services from it.

From a chamber perspective, naturally we are happy to see such positive results from a study like this and we hope our members are heartened also.

As well as asking those members to display their decal, we also encourage them to use our logo on their marketing materials.

The next time you place an advertisement in this newspaper, or send out a flyer to potential customers, let them know you are a member of the chamber.

It lets people know that you support your community and you support our mission of creating a strong local economy.

To receive a copy simply email the chamber’s Communications Director, David Elkins, at delkins@sierravistachamber.org

Lost your decal? We will give you a new one when you drop by our offices at 21 E. Wilcox Drive or call 458-6940.

Visitors to Bisbee will see a growing number of our decals popping up in businesses in this historic mining town, as we continue to welcome more members from there.

And this past Thursday, we took our monthly Business at Twilight networking event on the road and headed down Highway 90, along with around 50 of our Sierra Vista members, to spend a very enjoyable evening strolling the streets of old Bisbee.

In a couple of hours we visited around 15 different locations, from the Screaming Banshee restaurant in Tombstone Canyon to the Bisbee Olive Oil store in Brewery Gulch, and many more in between.

Hosted by the Bisbee After 5 group, which stages an art walk every second Saturday of each month, this was a delightful event which showcased the quirky, eclectic and wonderful variety of businesses offered by our Cochise County neighbors.

And it was great to hear some of the ideas and business proposals being exchanged between our Sierra Vista and Bisbee members – that is, after all, the goal of these popular events.

In fact, the response to this event was so positive it has already been booked for a repeat performance next year.

Many of our events are open to the public, so please visit our website to find more details about other opportunities that you can participate in.

This past week I had the privilege of attending and actively participating in the 100^th Arizona Town Hall in Tucson.

Arizona Town Hall is a non-profit organization that identifies critical issues facing the state and then holds a three-day forum providing exploration and education on the topic.

Twice a year, it brings together around 100 people from across Arizona to discuss these issues, builds consensus and then makes recommendations to state decision makers about how to implement change.

For its milestone 100^th Town Hall, the subject under the spotlight was civic engagement.

This is an area which can have a broad interpretation, depending on the individual’s perspective.

Does civic engagement mean volunteering your time for a good cause?

Does it require making a monetary donation to your favorite charity?

Is it simply helping a neighbor in need?

Or does it involve becoming an active part of the political process?

These suggestions were all part of the extensive conversations that took place among the five panels over the three days.

In the end, attendees agreed that civic engagement can take many forms, but basically describes how an individual participates in the community in order to improve conditions for others and help shape that community’s future.

As we explored the many avenues of civic engagement, it was only natural that each of the participants looked to their own communities as a point of reference.

And as I thought about examples of civic engagement in Sierra Vista and Cochise County, it struck me just how involved our citizens are in their pursuit of an improved quality of life.

One of the advantages of living and working in a smaller community is the ability to become engaged, give back and make a true difference.

Speaking from personal experience – and as someone who came to Sierra Vista from not just another town, but another country – becoming civically engaged is very easy in this corner of Southeast Arizona.

We have a wealth of opportunities, from joining a service organization to running for a seat on city council.

Civic engagement can not only allow you to improve your community, it can bring you new friends and experiences, it can build your skills and knowledge, and it can even open doors to different career paths – all of which I have benefited from as a result of giving back.

And with today’s advancements in technology and social media, there are more ways to become involved, other than the traditional forms of civic engagement.

Why not create a Facebook page in support of your favorite cause, or retweet an interesting or informative piece of information you read on Twitter? It can be as simple as that.

As part of the Town Hall process, participants are given a comprehensive background report looking at several areas concerning the topic to be discussed.

It was heartening to see that in the chapter on Engaging Rural Communities, an entire page was devoted to Sierra Vista’s public facility and park planning process, which was highlighted as an excellent example of civic engagement.

The report talked about the extensive outreach to the community when plans were being drawn up to create Tompkins Park, Garden Canyon Park, Cyr Center Park and the skate and bike park.

In each case, the public was actively engaged in the planning and design process, resulting in well utilized facilities that meet the needs of local people.

Of course, there is always room for improvement and change, and there are many areas where soliciting citizen input and involvement can be a frustrating process.

So I challenge those reading this to think about what civic engagement means to you and how you can become a contributing member of our community, no matter how small that effort may be.

It does not have to be grand gesture – maybe it’s checking on an elderly neighbor or dropping a spare dollar in a charity collection box.

Trust me, it can make a difference.

Executive Director

Yesterday was a very special day for one of our Chamber members.

The Sierra Vista Food Co-op celebrated the one-year anniversary of opening its doors and we were delighted to be there to host a ribbon cutting to mark the occasion.
At its recent annual membership meeting, store manager Chris Roland told attendees that the business is on schedule to break even in less than two years.
That is something the Food Co-op can be extremely proud of and it’s a testimony to the dedicated group of volunteers who stuck with the project for more than five years, knowing their dream of opening a community-owned natural foods store would become a reality.
The Food Co-op and its ongoing achievements represent a truly fine example of the entrepreneurial spirit that we see on a day to day basis at the Chamber.
While Cochise County is home to a number of nationally recognized chains and franchises, it is the independent small businesses that make up the largest portion of our local business community.
It is also these types of companies that form the biggest piece of the Chamber’s membership pie.
This country is famous for being the land of opportunity and, in spite of one of the worst recessions that most of us have lived through, commerce is still thriving in many corners of the United States.
This is especially evident through the number of home-based and sole proprietor businesses we have seen join our organization in recent months.
Often times I am asked about how I think our business community is doing and, when I answer, I think first about the make-up of our membership.
The 602 companies and organizations which belong to the Chamber represent all facets of our business community, but the growth in home based businesses tells me that entrepreneurship is strong in Sierra Vista.
During these tough economic times, more and more people are looking at new and different ways to earn a living.
Starting up your own business can be a risky road to take, but the most successful enterprises did not get where they are today without taking chances along the way.
Would the Sierra Vista Food Co-op have opened the West End’s first grocery store in 25 years if its members and Board of Directors had not been willing to roll the dice and grasp an opportunity to make a difference?
Businesses like this are vital to the long term viability of our local economy and the Chamber is proud to be a part of that – not only be a part, in fact, but instrumental in helping those businesses grow and prosper.
On Thursday evening, the Chamber and its members will be celebrating those companies that embody the best in our business community at our annual awards dinner.
We will be honoring nine finalists – from a one-man home based business to an international corporation – and announcing the winners of our three businesses of the year awards, as voted by the general public.
Of note, is the fact that most of the businesses being recognized are independent and owned by local people.
We very much look forward to acknowledging all of them, and their contributions to our community.

Executive Director

Several weeks ago, a new community campaign was launched by four high profile organizations focusing on water use and Fort Huachuca.

Sierra Vista & Fort Huachuca – Our Community  Our Future is a joint effort by the Sierra Vista Area Chamber, City of Sierra Vista, Cochise County and the Huachuca 50.

It is a grassroots campaign which aims to raise awareness regarding the critical nature of Fort Huachuca to our economy and national defense, and why water and the San Pedro River are so important to the longevity of this military installation.

There has been much attention given to this issue recently, and this is by no means a new topic of conversation for this community.

However, during discussions last summer by the Chamber’s Legislative Affairs Committee it became clear that a new approach was needed to clearly convey the message to area residents and businesses that they too must play their part to mitigate water use.

The committee members also felt there are misconceptions regarding the amount of water available in Sierra Vista, as well as confusion over why Fort Huachuca is required to protect the San Pedro River.

After further discussions and a lot of research, we put together a letter to explain the purpose of the campaign, as well as a set of frequently asked questions aimed at educating local people, in layman’s terms, about the water issue and how they can help.

Since early February, we have been distributing this information to as many people as possible via mail, emails, hand outs and websites.

First and foremost we are explaining to the community that, as a federal agency, Fort Huachuca must comply with a variety of laws which place significant responsibilities on the post to help protect the local environment – in particular the endangered Water Umbel, a plant that grows along the San Pedro River.

And although the Fort has worked diligently to considerably mitigate its water use – and lessen its potential impact on the aquifer and river flow – it cannot meet its federally required water reduction levels on its own.

Environmental groups are also litigating the Fort at every opportunity in an effort to drastically reduce its missions, which in turn will impact local residents.

The Environmental and Natural Resources Division at Fort Huachuca has calculated that nearly 80 per cent of the water use attributed to the Fort actually occurs off post.

That is because most of the people connected to the Fort, and those who fill jobs that would not exist if the Fort was not here, live in Sierra Vista and the surrounding areas, which makes water use off the installation beyond its control.

That means the community must continue to step up and help shoulder the burden if it wants long term economic sustainability and growth in Sierra Vista and Cochise – something we ALL benefit from.

Those of us leading this effort do not claim to be water experts. We are, however, concerned community leaders who want to protect Fort Huachuca, create a strong local economy and safeguard the quality of life we enjoy in this corner of Arizona.

In putting together our information, we have used statistics and details from comprehensive studies and reliable and recognized sources. We also went out to focus groups to talk about the campaign and we received valuable input and feedback, which we have used to fine tune the information we have compiled.

Much has already been done to reduce water use in Cochise County and there are some exciting new projects coming down the pipeline which will also have a positive impact.

However, we all have a responsibility to protect our natural resources so please, take the time to learn more and to find out how you can help, even in small, no and low cost ways.

To access the letter and FAQs, as well as other related information, you can visit the campaign’s dedicated website, www.SVFortOurCommunity.com or drop by the Chamber at 21 E. Wilcox Drive.

We have also put together an informative presentation which can be given to community groups by local leaders helping us to spread the message.

Just email me at abaillie@sierravistachamber.org to get one of our speakers on your schedule.

Executive Director

With both the State Legislative Session and election campaigning in full swing, the Chamber has been keeping busy looking at issues that may affect our business community.

The Chamber has a Legislative Affairs Committee (LAC) which meets once a month and discusses matters which we believe may be of concern to our members and other local businesses.

Quite often, the Chamber is asked to take a position on a piece of proposed legislation and, if we feel it will have an impact on regional commerce, we ask our LAC to review it.

That committee then makes a recommendation regarding the Chamber’s stance, which goes to the 15-member Board of Directors for the final say.

Just recently the Chamber has voiced its opinion on a couple of subjects that we were asked to weigh in on, and which our Board felt were important enough subjects to act as a voice for the membership.

The first was the 2012 Statewide Legislative Agenda for Arizona Businesses, which is an annual document put together by the Arizona Chamber Executives (ACE), an alliance of state Chambers to which the Sierra Vista Area Chamber belongs.

This agenda, which is available on our website on the LAC page, covers a wide range of subjects, from business taxes and the State budget to economic development and health care.

Endorsed by 38 Arizona Chambers, the agenda was presented to our State representatives during the annual Chamber Day at the Legislature earlier this month.

While the Sierra Vista Area Chamber may not completely agree with every position taken in the document, we do believe it presents a good legislative agenda as a whole.

And when individual issues highlighted in the agenda come up for further review and discussion, we will look at them more closely and decide if we wish to endorse them on a case-by-case basis.

During our visit to the State Capitol on March 6, I had the opportunity to sit down with Representative Peggy Judd and voice our Chamber’s opposition to her proposed House Bill 2586.

This bill would have empowered the head of the state Department of Homeland Security to issue travel warnings for areas along the U.S. / Mexico border, including communities like Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Green Valley and Nogales.

While we want residents and visitors to always be safe, we felt this was a completely unnecessary piece of legislation that would only serve to perpetuate the misconceptions regarding the safety of our communities.

Our region has already suffered through the negative publicity generated through the ongoing immigration debate, and that can only serve to make potential tourists think twice about coming here, or discourage new businesses from investing in Cochise County and the surrounding areas.

Opposition to this bill is not about supporting materialistic needs in favor of public safety. It is about taking a common sense approach and realizing that without successful businesses, we are unable to provide jobs, we are unable to generate enough sales tax to pay for local infrastructure and we are unable to enjoy the quality of life provided through hotels, restaurants, retail stores and other industries.

Many of the Chamber’s members voiced their opposition directly to Rep. Judd and, thankfully, she withdrew the bill.

It is good to know that the voice of this community can really make a difference and the Chamber is proud to be a part of that process.

One of the core values under which the Sierra Vista Area Chamber operates is “Creating a strong local economy”.

We have many services and programs which help us to achieve this goal, from providing networking opportunities to referring our member businesses to the many people who call us.

The Chamber also stages events that help local businesses to promote their wares to the general public.

Just a week ago we hosted our annual Health Fair at the Mall at Sierra Vista, which featured nearly 50 health industry vendors and was a resounding success, thanks to the participation of the businesses and the large number of attendees.

And in less than three weeks we will be presenting the Southeastern Arizona Contractors Association (SACA) Home & Garden Show at Buena High School.

The Chamber has partnered with SACA to organize this major two-day event, which will feature a wealth of home and yard improvement companies, the majority based in Cochise County, as well as other businesses and community groups.

This is traditionally the time of year when home owners are thinking about redecorating, taking care of repairs or readying the backyard for the great weather we all get to enjoy.

And with tax season well and truly in full swing – and hopefully a good number of refunds landing in local bank accounts – there are many potential customers with some extra cash to spend right now.

So we hope as many of our local businesses as possible take this golden opportunity to talk to the captive audience walking past their booths at the Home & Garden Show on March 23 & 24.

We know from the feedback we have received from previous shows, that solid leads and new business is generated at this event.

In today’s tough market, all businesses need to be thinking about how to market their products as effectively as possible.

It’s no good simply opening the doors and waiting for your customers to come to you.

To stay ahead of the competition, you have to get out in front of the public and potential clients, which is why we have a large number of returning businesses participating in the SACA event.

They know how important it is to advertise their businesses at any opportunity, especially when it comes to talking face to face with existing and possible new customers.

With some great giveaways planned – including 200 Fry’s Foodstore gift cards and a $300 gas grill donated by Southwest Gas – coupled with extensive marketing of this expo, we expect the Home & Garden Show to be a well attended event.

And it could not be easier to get your business registered.

Just visit the Chamber’s website, www.sierravistachamber.org and click the SACA show link to take you to all the information you need, including both sizes and prices.

Our lower priced spaces are selling out fast, so to take advantage of the most affordable booths, which will include pipe and drape, sign up today. This event is open to all businesses, not just Chamber and SACA members.

All vendors are included in our weekly Herald adverts, on our website, and will be featured in an eight-page special insert to be published in this newspaper on March 22.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Executive Director

We get to do a lot of fun and interesting things at the Sierra Vista Area Chamber.

And one of our greatest pleasures is being able to publically recognize our members through our Business of the Year Awards.

As you may have read in this paper last week, the Chamber has made some changes to both the nominating and voting process to help improve this important program.

One of the biggest changes we have made is adding a new category to the existing small and large businesses of the year accolades.

In the last few months we have made concerted efforts to help area home based businesses which, in the wake of the recession, has proved to be a growth area in our community.

Last year we reduced our annual membership investment for these companies from $300 to just $175 and we have seen a growing number of people take advantage of this.

We also appointed a home business owner – Nancy Nash of Stuff N Baskets – to fill a vacant seat on our board in 2011 to help represent the interests of these enterprises.

So we felt it was appropriate to also recognize the entrepreneurial spirit and community support that many of our home based businesses demonstrate through a Home Based Business of the Year award.

The Chamber also formed a business of the year nominating committee, which came up with the changes we have made.

This same committee also met to nominate Chamber members they feel are worthy of one of these awards and we look forward to receiving their completed applications.

Our members are also being encouraged to submit nominations, either for their own business or another company.

And, finally, we want to hear from the general public – the people who patronize and support our local businesses – about the Chamber members you would like to see recognized with an award.

We are looking to hear about businesses who have shown good business practices, have demonstrated quality of service, have contributed to the local economy and its growth, have shown community support and involvement and who have provided an overall positive impact on the greater Sierra Vista area.

After the nominations process has ended, the committee will meet once again to narrow down the applications to three finalists in each category.

All nine finalists will then be featured in the Sierra Vista Herald, as well as on the Chamber’s website, before the voting begins on March 19.

Voting will take place via the Chamber’s website and will be set up to allow just one vote in each category, per person.

Ballots will also be available at our offices for those who do not have access to the Internet and, again, only one vote will be allowed for each award.

We felt it was important to allow the public to have its say in this entire process and we hope you will take the time to participate.

The winners of each award will receive a banner to hang in their place of business and are encouraged to let their customers know about this prestigious award via their letter heads, websites, business cards etc…

They will also receive public recognition at our Annual Installation and Awards Banquet on April 19, where the winners will be announced, as well as in this newspaper and through the many communication channels utilized by the Chamber.

A list of the other benefits the winners will receive can be found on our website www.sierravistachamber.org under the Events tab, along with the nomination form. These forms are also available at the Chamber at 21 E. Wilcox Drive.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 2.