CHAMBER CONNECTION
SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHAMBER INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE AT 100TH ANNUAL GALA
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber is proud to invite you to our most glamorous event of the year—the 2025 Annual Awards Gala: Night on the Red Carpet. This year’s gala will be unlike any other, as we celebrate 100 years of community, business, and leadership in the Santa Maria Valley.
The celebration will take place on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Central Coast Jet Center in Santa Maria. Guests will enjoy an elegant evening inside a unique hangar setting, with a program dedicated to honoring outstanding leaders, installing new Chamber board members, and recognizing those who have faithfully served our community.
Annual Awards Gala
CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Committee
Chairman: Sandra Dickerson, Your People Professionals
Chairman-Elect: Jason Buchanan, HUB International Insurance Services
Vice Chairman: Shannon Seifert, Santa Maria Valley YMCA
Vice Chairman: Gina Gluyas, BHGRE Haven Properties
Past Chairman: Emily Kitts, Naughty Oak Brewing Co
Board Members
Sue Andersen, Marian Regional Medical Center
Dominick Barry, Quintron Systems, Inc.
Micaela Buchanan, Lark + Sparrow LLC
Jeff Buckingham, Astound Business Solutions Powered by Digital West
Nancy Crawford, Care Connection Transport + Home Care - Santa Maria
Donna Denham
Kelsi Fitzgerald, Veritas Innovative Pest & Termite Solutions
Karen Gjerdrum, Fothergill Andre, Morris & Buttery
Antonio Garcia, Santa Maria Joint High School District
Dave Merlo, Glenn Burdette, Inc.
Sylvia Palacios, Santa Maria Town Center
Terè Paredes, Maya Restaurant
Joshua Beau Flores Sahagun, Luttrell Staffing Group
Dr. Eric Sauers, A.T. Still University / College for Healthy Communities
Ryan Swack, Best Western Plus Big America
Dr. Kevin Walthers, Allan Hancock College
Interested in Chamber volunteer leadership opportunities? Contact Molly Schiff, VP of Chamber Operations & Membership, at molly@santamaria.com to learn more about open positions on our committees.
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organizations whose vision, dedication, and service have strengthened the Santa Maria Valley.
This year’s honorees represent the very best of our region. The Chamber is proud to recognize Noemi Robles as Ambassador of the Year and Hugh Rafferty with the Leadership Santa Maria Valley Ted Eckert Award. The Tourism Partner of the Year award will go to Presqu’ile Winery, while Arrow Plumbing will be honored as Small Business of the Year and SESLOC as Large Business of the Year. In addition, Santa Barbara Humane will receive Non-Profit of the Year, Jason Stilwell will be presented with the Robert F. Grogan Public Service Award, and Jaime Flores will be recognized as the Robert P. Hatch Citizen of the Year. Together, these honorees highlight the dedication and innovation that keep Santa Maria Valley thriving.
These awards highlight the many ways our community members contribute to the vitality and growth of the Santa Maria Valley.
The evening begins with a Happy Hour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a Dinner and Awards Ceremony from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Afterward, guests are invited to continue the celebration at the After Party with live music by Rock Odyssey from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are available now. For Chamber members, admission is $150
per person or $275 per couple, offering a savings of $25. Future members may attend for $175 per person or $325 per couple, and if you choose to join the Chamber within 30 days, $25 of your ticket cost will be applied toward your membership. Chamber Investor Program sponsors also receive complimentary tickets, ranging from two to eight depending on their investor level.
To secure your seat, please RSVP by September 12, 2025. When registering, be sure to log in to your Chamber master account and select “single ticket” to access your complimentary or discounted rate. For more information, contact the Chamber at info@santamaria.com or call (805) 925-2403. Visit www. santamaria.com to secure your tickers.
This year’s Annual Awards Gala is more than a celebration; it is a milestone marking a century of leadership, connection, and community spirit in the Santa Maria Valley. We look forward to commemorating this momentous occasion with you.
KEEP UP WITH OUR OTHER RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Take a look at some of our other recent Chamber publications including our new Local Business Spotlight and editorials.
Business, #SantaMariaStyle is the Chamber’s quarterly digital magazine publication. The magazine is another way we highlight local businesses, see what’s going on in the community, celebrate our members and more!
Check out our newest edition, featuring various locations focused on arts, culture and theater in Santa Maria Valley!
Check out features on PCPA, Santa Maria Civic Theatre, and the Dana Adobe Cultural Center.
Scan to read the Spring 2025 Magazine! or go to:
https://chambervu.com/ santamariaspring25/
LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: SANTA MARIA BBQ OUTFITTERS
In this month’s Local Business Spotlight, we sat down with Vincenza Caicco, manager/owner of Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters who spoke about the local business’ history and efforts to meet a growing demand for their traditional Santa Maria-style barbecue pits.
Pictured: Vincenza Caicco reveals Santa Maria BBQ Outfitters has been working for nearly 40 years to make it easier to source this important equipment, creating sizes for multiple needs and applications while also expanding into large retail markets around the nation through sales at Costco.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LOCAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SERIES!
For more information or if you are interested in being featured, please reach out to the Chamber marketing team via email at marketing@santamaria.com
Scan to view this month’s spotlight.
SANTA MARIA VALLEY CHAMBER’S 100TH ANNUAL GALA AWARD WINNERS!
The Chamber’s Annual Awards Gala celebrates individuals and organizations in Santa Maria Valley, in terms of business, public service and community impact. We are proud to announce the award recipients of our 100th Annual Gala, celebrating a century of excellence in our community! Please visit www.santamaria.com to get your tickers and help us celebrate these local leaders and changemakers on September 27th at the Central Coast Jet Center! RSVP by September 12.
Nonprofit of the YearSanta Barbara Humane
Ambassador of the YearNoemi Robles
Robert F. Grogan Award for Public Service - Jason Stilwell
Tourism Partner of the YearPresqu’ile Winery
Leadership Santa Maria Valley Ted Eckert Award - Hugh Rafferty
Robert P. Hatch Citizen of the YearJaime Flores
Small Business of the YearArrow Plumbing
Large Business of the YearSESLOC
CHAMBER IN ACTION
Here’s a look at what our Chamber & our member businesses have been up to this past month.
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1. July’s mixer took place at the Santa Maria Speedway, celebrating our region’s history with karting and racing! Thank you to all who came and joined in on the networking and fun, thrilling atmosphere!
2. See above.
3. Networking at the mixer!
4. Our quarterly new member orientation took place this month, welcoming our recent new members and helping them get to know their benefits of Chamber membership! It was great to see everyone’s faces and get to know the group of fellow new Chamber members!
5. LMSV Lunch & Learn for July, with featured speaker Police Chief Christopher Williams. Thank you to Police Chief Williams and all LSMV alumni and others who came to this informative meeting!
GROWING MEMBERSHIP: CHAMBER WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
As champions for a stronger Santa Maria Valley, the Chamber is excited to welcome more businesses to our growing organization. Please join us in welcoming the following new Chamber members, who joined in the month of July 2025!
Director:
American Medical Response, Inc. (805) 688-6550
https://www.amr.net/home/santabarbara
Investor:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast - Ron Estabillo Clubhouse (805) 249-2044
https://centralcoastkids.org/estabilloclub/
Investor: Boys & Girls Clubs of Midcentral Coast--Sports Program (805) 354-7429
https://centralcoastkids.org/sports/
Premium: Epic Entertainment (805) 295-8555
https://epicentertainment.group/
Member:
Coastal Dermatology + Aesthetics (805) 544-5567
https://coastaldermaesthetics.com/
Olivia Marketing Group (847) 323-2784
https://www.oliviamarketinggroup.com/
Radius Commercial Real Estate (805) 869-2809
https://www.radiusgroup.com/team/sierrafalso/
USA Ninja Challenge (805) 268-7795
https://ninjasantamaria.com/
Tee Box Social Club (805) 631-8761
https://www.teeboxsocial.com/
Join the Chamber today by contacting Director of Member Experience, Cara Martinez at (805) 925-2403 ext. 852 or email cara@santamaria.com!
CELEBRATING LOCAL BUSINESS: CHAMBER RIBBON CUTTINGS
These Chamber member businesses recently celebrated joining the Chamber or a major business milestone with a ribbon cutting. Join us in congratulating them!
Children’s Resource & Referral Discovery Museum
705 S McClelland Santa Maria CA 934545122 (805) 928-8414
https://www.smvdiscoverymuseum. org/
Altrusa International of the Central Coast - Free Little Library P O Box 5026 Santa Maria CA 934565026 (805) 922-6091
https://www.altrusaofthecentralcoast. org/
Barbara Humane 1687 W. Stowell Rd. Santa Maria CA 93458 (805) 964-4777 https://sbhumane.org/
CALIFORNIA PAID FAMILY LEAVE GRANT - GET GRANTS OF UP TO $2,000 PER EMPLOYEE OUT ON PAID FAMILY LEAVE
DO YOU HAVE EMPLOYEES OUT ON CALIFORNIA PAID FAMILY LEAVE?
The California Paid Familiy Leave Grant (CPFLG) allows eligible small businesses with at least one (1) employee utilizing California’s Paid Family Leave program to apply for grants up to $2,000 per employee to offset the increased costs associated with the employee out on leave.
Businesses impacted by California’s Paid Family Leave program will have increased costs such as training and upskilling existing staff to cover the duties of the employee on California’s Paid Family Leave; hiring and training additional staff to cover the duties of the employee on California’s Paid Family Leave; and marketing, recruitment, and other reasonably foreseeable training costs.
For more information, eligibility details, and to apply, visit CaliforniaPFL.com.
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www.santamaria.com (805) 925-2403 Chamber Connection is the official monthly publication of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber. For questions about this publication, email romina@santamaria.com. Stay in the loop on upcoming events and other community announcements with Chamber text alerts! Text CHAMBER to 33222 to sign up.
