COVER STORY
STATE OF THE CHAMBER By Cecil Russell, Chamber President and CEO
It is year-end for 2017 and I want to reflect on the number of years that I have been the President and CEO of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce. When I became the President in 2011, I realized we would be celebrating our 100-year anniversary in 2012. We moved our annual dinner to the Gallo Center for the Arts and turned the event to a Gala celebration. We took note that the Modesto Chamber had built the iconic Modesto Arch with the slogan “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health” the same year we incorporated in 1912. We undertook the task and financial responsibility of repairing and restoring the Arch with new lighting and powder coating, bringing back the structure to its original color, complete with new flag poles and monument telling the story of the Arch.
We are dedicated to our mission statement: “The Modesto Chamber is dedicated to serving the greater Modesto area regional businesses and community prosperity through advocacy, collaboration, access to leaders, economic development, connectivity and business education.” To execute our adopted mission, we developed an acronym. The acronym is C.A.R.E.S.: Community, Advocacy, Relationships, Education, and Service. With this in mind, we have restated the purpose of the Modesto Chamber. That renewed purpose helps create an environment that is conducive for business to succeed. For our community to prosper, we collectively must partner with others, including government, to advocate and collaborate, while maintaining access to elected officials to expand economic growth.
COMMUNITY
Many of our Board Members and Staff serve on other boards that include the following: Craig Lewis, Stanislaus Community Foundation; Steve Madison, Salvation Army; Dave Gianelli and I, Stanislaus Boys and Girls Club; Steve Rank, Downtown Improvement District; Eric Tobias, Community Hospice; Dave Gianelli, Downtown Modesto Partnership; Cecil Russel, Stanislaus Partners in Education and Opportunity Stanislaus. The crossover of these organizations are very helpful in determining when and where we can create synergy while working on common goals for the vitality of our community. Dave Gianelli brought the Boys and Girls Club to Modesto, and I have had the pleasure of serving with that organization to help finance the start of the club. Today it serves over 1,000 kids with the assistance of the Sylvan School District
ADVOCACY
The Chamber’s Economic Development Committee and Government Relations Council meets with City, County and other Agencies on a regular basis to learn and provide input on policy, rules, and regulations that affect business and economic development growth. The Economic Development Committee, under the leadership of Craig Lewis, developed the Chamber’s “Pathway to Prosperity” strategy, which became a blueprint for Modesto to update its Comprehensive General Plan (includes
1912
SERVICE
Modesto Arch was Founded and christened with a bottle of canal water
18
1930s
1961
1982
Started our Annual Harvest Luncheon- raising money for the MJC Ag Scholarship Program
Leadership Modesto Program was created.
Chamber helped transform 9th Street into a main highway through town.
MODESTO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE I MODCHAMBER.ORG
2012
Arch Restoration Project took place to celebrate the 100year anniversary of the Chamber