MESSAGE FROM THE
I
t's been a crazy year so far. As I'm sure many of you have felt, the convergence of an election, a pandemic and the underlying economic turmoil have been difficult to navigate. While the waters have been rough, at the Chamber, we've been blessed by the continued support of amazing local businesses and a giving community. One program we look Nick Ortiz forward to every year is the Beautiful Bakersfield Awards. Although this year was a little different - broadcast only instead of a live event - on Oct. 24 our team was very excited to celebrate Bakersfield and the people who make our community great. Big thanks to our presenting sponsor Valley Strong Credit Union; our broadcast sponsor Castle & Cooke; our media sponsor KGET-TV 17, our awards sponsor Raymond's Trophy & Awards and all of our category sponsors. Thank you to our amazing volunteers led by Beautiful Bakersfield Committee Chair Christina Springstead with Kwik Signs and all the committee members and volunteer judges. Finally, a big thank you to my team, especially Hillary Haenes, Jean Scheiber and Frances Klingenberger who worked tirelessly to make Beautiful Bakersfield a reality, even in a pandemic.
As the end of the year approaches, we're not only excited to turn the page on 2020, but a little anxious about what 2021 looks like. We're starting the process of planning our overall program of work; and we're looking to hear from our member businesses. Through a series of polls and meetings, we want to hear from local business about how best to support you in the coming year. In partnership with the City of Bakersfield, we'll be hosting a series of roundtables with local businesses. Our goal is to learn from you and share relevant resources and information. We previously held a series of roundtables around reopening and they've helped us greatly in understanding the needs and pressures on our local businesses. In addition to these roundtables, we'll be holding a series of educational webinars - and we need to make sure that our education programs meet your needs. Please consider joining one of our roundtables or participating in our polls - we need to hear from you now more than ever. It's a privilege to serve you, and we thank you for all you are doing to keep our economy moving and our community thriving. - Nick Ortiz President & CEO Greater Bakersfield Chamber
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