San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce

As a relatively new organization, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce entered 2011 with modest goals to promote itself within a growing region while gradually increasing its membership. Having more than doubled its size and fostered relationships with individuals and groups throughout the community, and Arizona as a whole, The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce closes 2011 having achieved its objective of promoting the San Tan Valley while simultaneously bringing it closer together.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our members, Board members, committee members and volunteers for making 2011 such a successful year,” said San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce President, Tisha Castillo.  “It was because of all of you, and our ability to work together that we have been able to accomplish so much. I can only imagine what 2012 will bring for our community, our members and the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce.”

Striving to ‘Get the Word’ out about Chamber services and initiatives in 2011, The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce launched a new, interactive website at http://www.SanTanChamber.com, as well as Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/santanchamber  and Twitter pages - http://www.twitter.com/santanchamber - allowing the Chamber to promote itself to a larger member base and keep the community up-to-date, in real time, with happenings within the Chamber. A new logo and marketing materials were also introduced to establish the organization as a professional brand. Finally, the Chamber made a concerted effort to participate in local events, and partner with organizations such as SanTanValley.com, to assist in promoting events and members.

Recognizing a need for a universal directory of area businesses and resources, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce created the first-ever San Tan Valley Area Map and printed 10,000 copies for distribution.  Many retail members volunteered to place maps at their locations for additional exposure for the Chamber and its members. The Chamber also dedicated itself to regularly contacting area media regarding activities and new members leading to coverage in the Phoenix Business Journal, the Arizona(Gilbert)Republic, and a partnership with the Queen Creek/San Tan Valley  Independent, to name just a few. 

With 41 members at the beginning of 2011, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce entered the year with the goal of increasing membership by 50%. As of November, 2011, the Chamber now stands at 96 members – an increase of 142%. The Chamber celebrated new members with ribbon-cutting ceremonies and feature articles distributed to local media. With a primary goal of promoting member businesses, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce organized and/or participated in several community events to introduce members to potential customers. The Chamber hosted a vendor fair in February at the Two Sisters One Heart Final Race, negotiated discounted vendor pricing for the Spring Festival at Canyon State in March and co-sponsored the Northeastern Pinal Business & Technology Expo in October. Members were also given opportunities to promote themselves through the Chamber website, media partnerships, newsletters, event hosting opportunities and more.

In addition to serving its members within the San Tan Valley community, the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce also served as an advocate outside its boundaries. The Chamber has met with Pinal County officials to discuss a number of issues affecting its community, joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Small Business Association and the Arizona Chamber Executives to better represent the interests of its members, and was one of only three Chambers in Arizona to receive a fully-produced, no-cost Online Video Program for its website. This program will enable the Chamber and local businesses to highlight their attributes in dynamic new ways as part of a multi-faceted, three-year promotional campaign.  All videos will be accessible for viewing at the Chamber's website – http://www.santanchamber.com. 

“It has been an exciting year that has demonstrated what we are capable of as an organization and a community as far as promoting who we are and what we have to offer,” Castillo said. “We are excited to take the next steps in 2012 and beyond to bring our members to the next level in showcasing their products and services to San Tan Valley and beyond.”

ABOUT THE SAN TAN VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
Established in 2005, The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote and support the San Tan-area business community. To do this we promote the Chamber and our member businesses, while also providing the tools and resources our members need to grow their business. The San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce has an After Hour Mixer the second Thursday of every month from 6– 8:00 p.m. at various locations and a General Membership Meeting the fourth Thursday of every month from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. at the SRP Service Center. Please come as a guest and see what the San Tan Valley Chamber of Commerce can do for you and your business. For more information, visit http://www.SanTanChamber.com, or call 480-626-7757.