Catalyst. Convener. Champion.
Chamber Connection
SA NTA M A RIA VA LLE Y CH A MB E R MO NTHLY NE WS LE T TE R | FE B RUARY 202 2
Local Non-Profits Play Critical Role as Economic Driver in the Santa Maria Valley Santa Maria is fortunate to be home to numerous non-profits. From serving the disadvantaged to providing resources for small businesses, there are countless ways these organizations give back to those in need. While many see the value non-profits give to the populations they serve directly, our non-profits also have a direct impact on the local business community and, by extension, the economic health of the Santa Maria Valley community. We spoke with a few local organizations about how the important work they do is strengthening our local economy. Santa Barbara Foundation connects small businesses with financial support The Santa Barbara Foundation’s (SBF) mission is to mobilize collective wisdom and philanthropic capital to build empathetic, inclusive and resilient communities. Nearly every Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization and essential community project has been supported by the Foundation during its almost 93-year history. “During the ongoing pandemic we have seen the increased need to be connected,” explained Petra Gomez, Program Manager for the Santa Barbara Foundation. “As your community foundation we have worked tirelessly to convene funders, government agencies, non-profits, businesses, and others to connect resources. Most recently we have launched our COVID Impact Report that shares our work since the pandemic reached
SEEAG's Farm Day event draws thousands of visitors to the Santa Maria Valley to learn more about the local agriculture industry. Santa Barbara County in March 2020. Some highlights include $4.1 million through our non-profit COVID-19 Response Grant program and $1.5 million in support for small businesses – and we are still working to provide additional support.” Additionally, the Santa Barbara Foundation continues to tackle community needs in the areas of childcare and workforce development through their funding, capacity building and partnerships. ““As your community foundation, we use our resources to match donors to giving opportunities with the overall goal to make a positive and lasting impact across Santa Barbara County,” Petra said. SEEAG connects youth to Santa Maria’s
largest industry SEEAG’s (Students for ECO-Education & Agriculture) mission is to educate students and the greater community about the farm origins of our food and agriculture’s contribution to our nutritional well-being. “SEEAG's students, young and old, are put on a new trajectory to appreciate local farmers and ranchers, farm workers and the farmland that provides us all with sustenance,” explained Mary Maranville, CEO and Founder of SEEAG. “We believe there is nothing more important than feeding your family and SEEAG’s programs cultivate the next generation of new agricultural ambassadors and stewards of farmland who will help support and
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WHAT ' S INSIDE : FE BRUARY 2022 ISSUE
Monthly Featured Businesses p.2
eCommerce as an SEO Strategy p. 6
Ribbon Cuttings p. 7
Continued - Non-Profits as Economic Driver in the Santa Maria Valley Continued from p.1 preserve local farms and ranches, the largest economic driver in Santa Maria Valley.” In addition to workforce development opportunities for local youth, SEEAG hosts and annual Farm Day event which attracts 5,000+ visitors to the Santa Maria Valley to learn more about the booming agriculture industry in our community. Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley addresses youth needs to build strong future leaders Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley’s mission is to partner with all members of the community to achieve resilience against substance use, reductions in violence and promote a healthy and safe environment for our youth and families. “Today more than ever we can see what happens to the economy if we do not have
a healthy work force,” explained Edwin Weaver, Executive Director for Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley (FBSMV). “To get a stable, healthy, equipped work force we must invest in the children and youth of our community. They need to live a life free from drugs, alcohol abuse, violence and the stress of homelessness. In order to do this and focus on their education they need our support. As their parents head out to their jobs, they need to know that their children are safe and are given the opportunity that this great community can offer them.” Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley provides help along the way for those children and their families that are struggling to make it by filling in the gap when other services are not able to assist, and help prevent young people from getting derailed and losing their way. In 2021 FBSMV was able to successfully
house over 57 18-24 homeless adults through their street outreach program. Their 35 full -time employees are all Santa Maria Valley residents, where they shop, pay taxes and raise their families contributing to the prosperity of our community. From connecting businesses to financial resources to building a strong future workforce, the work of our local non-profits serves the local community well beyond the scope of their organizations’ work, strengthening the local economy for years to come. The above examples are just a small sample of the great work the non-profit community is doing in the Santa Maria Valley. If you are looking for ways to get involved in helping build a stronger Santa Maria Valley, visit santamaria.com/list/ for a more extensive list of local non-profits.
Chamber & City Celebrate Local Business with Monthly Featured Business Program The City of Santa Maria and Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce are partnering to highlight different businesses in the City of Santa Maria through their Santa Maria Featured Businesses program. This program gives recognition to businesses who have been in the community for a significant amount of time, and/or providing unique or significant contributions to our community. Not only does this give valuable exposure to these local businesses, it also reminds our community of the unique, diverse and longstanding businesses we are fortunate to have in Santa Maria. The focus for 12 months, beginning in December 2021 is on major manufacturers and women-owned businesses in the City. Each month, one business from each of these two categories will be recognized during the City Council meeting and publicized by the City and the Chamber. January 2022 Featured Businesses • Women-Owned Business: Cugini’s Pizzeria & Trattoria (Louise Pippin) • Manufacturing Business: The Okonite Company Cugini’s Pizzeria & Trattoria is an Italian restaurant that began in 1999 in San Luis Obispo and moved to Santa Maria. Cugini’s 2
uses social media, delivery companies, and catering to keep its business thriving. The nine-employee company is recognized for its commitment to the community and its excellent customer service. Operating in Santa Maria for 53 years, the Okonite Company is an independent manufacturer of high-quality power and control cables, serving major utilities and industrial customers throughout the country. It employs 200 people locally at its now 565,106-square-foot Santa Maria plant and offers an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The company last year spent more than $2 million supporting local businesses, annually donates to local charities. Businesses for the monthly featured business program are chosen by the Chamber of Commerce. To nominate a business or ask about the program, contact Molly Schiff at the Chamber via email at molly@santamaria.com or by phone at (805) 925-2403 extension 816. Additional information on the selected featured businesses can be found at www. s a nt a m a r i a . c o m /m o nt h l y-fe a t u r e d business.
Louise Pippin of Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria was recognized as the featured women-owned business for January 2022. She is joined by Glenn Morris, President/ CEO for the Santa Maria Valley Chamber (left) and Carlos Escobedo, City Council Member for the City of Santa Maria (right).
Working Hard on Your Behalf: Chamber Month in Review The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is here for business. We are a catalyst for business growth, convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for a stronger Santa Maria Valley. We continue to work hard to serve our members, local businesses and the Santa Maria Valley community. Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been up to lately.
Catalyst for Business Growth • •
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The Chamber partnered with the city in recognizing their January Featured Businesses, Cugini's Pizzeria & Trattoria and The Okonite Company. Additional information can be found on p. 2. The Chamber partnered with the Santa Maria Times on their local business spotlight series. For January, Oasis Senior Center talked about the vistal services the nonprofit provides the local community and plans for expansion. The full video can be found at http://santamaria.com/local-business-spotlight. The Chamber and Visitors Bureau kicked off the Dine Out Santa Maria Style & Craft Cocktail campaign, encouraging the community to support local restaurants offering $20.22 specials. Additional information available at https://santamariavalley. com/2022-dine-out-santa-maria-style-craft-cocktail-contest. The Economic Development Commission assisted two businesses with business licenses and two businesses with setting up their business
The Santa Maria Valley Visitors Bureau kicked off 2022 Restaurant Month & Craft Cocktail Contest, with local restaurants offering $20.22 specials and specialty cocktails.
Convener of Leaders and Influencers • • • •
The Chamber continues to hold their weekly “Build Your Business” breakfast meetings, an opportunity for local businesses to network and provide leads and testimonials. The Economic Development Commission worked with AT Still with assistance with various student needs. The Chamber convened Hispanic business leaders for an insightful and engaging conversation around how the Chamber’s organization can best meet the needs of all businesses in the Santa Maria Valley community. Due to the rise in COVID cases, the Chamber postponed their 2022 Business Expo to March 3rd.
Hispanic business leaders met at the Maya Mexican Restaurant for an insightful conversation on how the Chamber can better meet the needs of all businesses in our local community.
Champion for a Stronger Santa Maria Valley • • • • • • •
The Visitors Bureau hosted three journalists, who provided positive PR about the Santa Maria Valley. The Chamber released their Winter Quarterly Digital Magazine, which included the 2022 Visitor Guide as an insert. You can read this latest issue at http://santamaria. com/quarterly-digital-magazine. The Visitors Bureau launched a new and improved tourism site, which can be viewed at https://santamariavalley.com. The Visitors Bureau launched a new PR campaign. The “Spice Campaign” showcases why Santa Maria is a great play to stay when visiting the Central Coast. The Economic Development Commission continues to assist with Skyway Collective project, bringing new businesses to Santa Maria. Winners were announced for the Chamber’s support local & win big campaign, which gave away $3,000 in cash prizes to individuals who supported local businesses during the holiday shopping season. Leadership Santa Maria Valley Class of 2022 finished the program and celebrated with a graduation ceremony.
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | February 2022
Leadership Santa Maria Valley class of 2022 celebrated their program completion with a graduation ceremony.
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Chamber Membership Corner Chamber Board of Directors: 2021-2022 Executive Committee Chairman: Danny Deveraux, CalPortland Chairman-Elect: Sandra Dickerson, Your People Professionals Vice Chairman: Butch Lopez, V Lopez Jr. & Sons General Engineering Contractors Vice Chairman: Laurie Tamura, Urban Planning Concepts Past Chairman: Edgar Gascon, Hacienda Realty Board Members Mark Allen, Marian Regional Medical Center Dominick Barry, Quintron Systems, Inc. Paul Cook, CoastHills Credit Union Ron Cossa, Tolman & Wiker Insurance Donna Denham, Santa Maria Country Club Donna Farrell, Santa Maria Town Center Karen Fothergill, Andre, Morris & Buttery Angelica Gutierrez, L & G Farms Chris Hastert, Santa Maria Public Airport District Doug Janzen, The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center Emily Kitts, Naughty Oak Brewing Company David LeRoy, Toyota of Santa Maria David Merlo, Glenn Burdette Luke Ontiveros, Santa Maria Bonita School District Tere Paredes, Maya Restaurant Era Polly, Era Polly Real Estate Shannon Seifert, Santa Maria Valley YMCA Michelle Shipman, Searchlight Properties Max Tucker, Best Westen Plus Big America Tim Williams, Digital West
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for a stronger Santa Maria Valley. Learn more about the Chamber by visiting www.santamaria.com.
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New Members: November & December 2021 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome these new members joining the Chamber. We appreciate their vote of confidence in our ability to add value to their business and to create a strong local economy together. We highly encourage individuals and businesses to support Chamber member businesses. Director
Member
Road to Recovery Navigation Center 801 E. Chapel Street, Santa Maria (805) 332-4568 http://lagsrecovery.com
Pro-Tec Coatings Industries Inc. 3535 Duke Ave., Ste. A, Fresno (559) 323-8147 proteccoatings.com
Investor
Ralph & Amalia Rea, Amway Independent Affiliate Santa Maria, CA 93454 (805) 252-4678 amway.com/myshop/ReaRalphandAmalia
Collaboration Business Consulting 3220 S. Higuera Street, Suite 231, San Luis Obispo (805) 541-9040 https://collaboration-llc.com/ Member Alliance Environmental Group, LLC 535 Lindon Lane, Unit D, Nipomo (805) 551-4079 alliance-enviro.com BALANCE7 2360 Thompson Way, Ste. K, Santa Maria (805) 474-0558 balance7.com Blue Cloud Cleaning Co., LLC Santa Maria, CA 93454 (443) 240-7353 http://bluecloudcleaning.com County of Santa Barbara Sustainability Division 123 E Anapamu Street, 2nd Floor, Santa Barbara http://www.countyofsb.org/sustainability First Bank 2027 S. Broadway, Ste A, Santa Maria (805) 928-7727 www.first.bank Golden Corral Buffet and Grill 2104 S. Bradley Road, #A-1, Santa Maria (805) 623-5018 www.goldencorral.com Kia Santa Maria 2175 S. Bradley Rd., Santa Maria (805) 268-7980 www.kiasm.com
Salty Tails Sun Spa & Boutique 325 E. Betteravia Rd. Suite B-11, Santa Maria (805) 332-3008 Shahnaz Kafader, Ambiance Realty Agent 1111 S. Broadway #101, Santa Maria (909) 478-2322 The Roots Dispensary 805 W. Laurel Ave., Lompoc (805) 757-0031 http://visittheroots.com TREAD Wines 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos (805) 688-9339 http://www.treadwines.com Veterans Lending Group 731 S. Lincoln Street, Santa Maria (805) 441-4661 veteranslendinggroup.com Women's Council of Realtors Central Coast San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 (805) 550-3041 www.ccwcr.org Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards 6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos (805) 688-9339 http://zacamesa.com
Renewing Members: December 2021 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is excited to recognize these partners who strive each day to create jobs, boost our local economy and build a community of which we can all be proud. Thank you for your loyalty and continued support in renewing your commitment to the Chamber and to the communities of Santa Maria Valley. 81 Years: Engel & Gray, Inc.
15 Years: Knollwood Meadows Apartments
73 Years: Stowasser Buick GMC
13 Years: Achievement House Inc. Family Service Agency
51 Years: Nancy Stewart 41 Years: Pacific Premier Bank Tomooka Brothers Ptr 40 Years: Santa Maria Ford Lincoln 33 Years: Costco Wholesale #1275 30 Years: Robert D. Kitto, DDS 29 Years: Curation Foods 27 Years: J B Dewar, Inc. Santa Maria Women's Network 26 Years: Aloha Family Chiropractic Office Depot #922 26 Years: Aloha Family Chiropractic Office Depot #922 20 Years: Ogden Wealth Management People for Leisure & Youth 19 Years: Perry's Electric Motors & Controls 17 Years: Tyler Wilson DDS Valley Yellow Pages
Thank You to Our Chamber Investor Program Sponsors:
11 Years: St Mary of the Assumption School 10 Years: Children's Resource & Referral Excel Personnel Services Fortress-Secure Mini-Storage 8 Years: Santa Barbara County Labor Management (LMCC) 7 Years: Safran Cabin Santa Maria SCORE 6 Years: Advanced Wireless Hacienda Realty 4 Years: Moats Laser & Skin Care PB & Associates Real Estate and Home Loan Services The Garden Mediterranean Restaurant & Cafe 3 Years: Wave Business 2 Years: RRM Design Group World Financial Group, The Altergott Strategic Focus Team 1 Years: FoodTrip
16 Years: All American Screen Printing & Embroidery Santa Maria Energy LLC Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | February 2022
American General Media Auto World 805 BBSI Babe Farms, Inc. Black Bear Diner - Santa Maria Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast CALM CA Real Estate Co., Inc. Care Connection Transport Services Cat Canyon Resources, LLC CenCal Health Certified Freight Logistics Collaboration Business Consulting Comcast CommUnify Community Bank of Santa Maria Darensberries, LLC Diani Companies Family Care Network, Inc. FUEGO 97.1 Hot Hits/La Buena Golden State Water Company Innovative Produce InSPArations Full Service Salon & Spa J. Wilkes Wines Jack's All American Plumbing JR Bookkeeping Morris & Garritano Insurance Moxie Cafe New Life Painting/Bath & Kitchen/Restoration NKT Commercial I, LLC One Capital Management, LLC Orkin Central Coast PCPA - Pacific Conservatory Theatre PETS Hospital/Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic Phoenix Property Inspections/ Veritas Innovative Pest & Termite Solutions Plantel Nurseries Prudential Overall Supply Safran Cabin Santa Maria Santa Barbara Foundation Santa Maria Bonita School District Santa Maria Country Club Santa Maria Joint Union High School District SCORE San Luis Obispo SESLOC Federal Credit Union Smith’s Alarms & Electronics, Inc. SpotOn SM Tire Testa Catering Tileco Distributors, Inc. The Salty Brigade Kitchen The Towbes Group, Inc. Trojan Petroleum, Inc. Urban Planning Concepts/ Rural Planning Services VTC Enterprises Wave Business Wells Fargo Bank Wilshire Health & Community Services Wine & Design Orcutt World Financial Group, The Altergott Strategic Focus Team WSPA Xtreme Electronics The Y
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eCommerce as an SEO Strategy Josh Erdman, CEO, Torchlight Marketing If you have spent any time on Amazon you are already familiar with verbose descriptions of each item for sale, product reviews from verified purchases, and the ability to search by product name, product description and category. These elements are some of the secret sauce that has made Amazon so successful. They provide their shoppers plenty of information to make a confident purchase decision and at the same time this data is structured in a way that Google can gobble the information up. Google is not a person but a robot, a collection of powerful computers and clever programming to accomplish the following mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. The more information you put on your website and the better you organize it, the more you help Google to accomplish its mission. But without being sentient, how does Google accomplish this? Structured Data It may be easy to trivialize until you look at common scenarios. Consider a business with multiple locations on the ‘About Us’ page; each location has an address and phone number listed. Now consider a single location business who has a partner and both the single location and the partner business are listed on the ‘About Us’ page. From a search engine perspective, how would a computer program differentiate between these two ‘About Us’ pages? It could very well get confused and think a business has multiple locations when it only has one. Another common scenario is your local Chamber of Commerce. When a search engine sees all the businesses listed how would the search engine know what is the actual contact information for the chamber vs all the chamber members. This is where Structured Data comes into your SEO strategy. Google wants to understand the world, and in order to do so data needs to have a schema in order to allow for automation without confusion. A great example of this is our mailing address format in the United States. A Typically mailing address is formatted in a hierarchy from specific to general. Any good eCommerce platform has this same type of schema built in for the products and services you offer. Height, Weight, Length, Width, Colors, warranty, price, description, 6
Improving your websites's SEO will help your ecommerce site align with Google’s mission making your own online store universally accessible and useful. reviews, and product image libraries are all datapoints that Google will vacuum up if in a structured schema. If you already have an eCommerce site make sure you have completed the following: • Make sure you Shopping Cart has built in support for Schema 2.0 (AKA Structured data) • Give full product details - fill out all the fields: Short description, long description, price, dimensions, etc • Provide multiple pictures of high quality • Make Checkout as Easy as possible Google Merchant Center is now Free On April 27th, 2020 Google announced the ability to link your eCommerce site and all its products into the Google Merchant Center for free. This is not free advertising but a free listing for each product within Google Shopping. Getting your eCommerce site connected will increase your exposure, especially if you sell non-commodity items. If your eCommerce is up and running you can get started with connecting it to Google Merchant Center at: https://www.google. com/retail/solutions/merchant-center/ Having eCommerce can be much more than just the ability to sell online. It is another doorway to getting Google’s attention and is organized in a way to really inform your clients.
Starting with these tips to improve your SEO will help your ecommerce site align with Google’s mission - making your own online store universally accessible and useful. Just remember, technology changes frequently so consider using eCommerce more of a journey than reaching a destination.
Get free support for your business with the Chamber's Get Your Business Online program! Getting started with building your online presence can seem intimidating and overwhelming, which is why the Chamber here to help! With our "Get Your Business Online" program, we'll do an intake assessment of your current online presence and walk you through small, manageable steps that work best for your business to grow your online presence. Learn more and schedule your free intake assessment at http://santamaria.com/getyour-business-online.
Celebrating New Chamber Members & Business Anniversaries: Chamber Ribbon Cuttings November & December 2021 The Santa Maria Valley Chamber is a champion for our local business community. We are thankful for the support from our local businesses, and excited to celebrate new members and major business milestones with the following local businesses in November & December 2021.
Blue Cloud Cleaning Co., LLC Santa Maria, CA 93454 (443) 240-7353 bluecloudcleaning.com Blue Cloud Cleaning Company is a professional commercial cleaning business. Our services include full office cleaning, mopping, vacuuming, spot cleaning, dusting, trash removal, and disinfecting for bacteria and viruses including COVID-19. Our mission is to provide the most thorough cleaning for your commercial or office building and we offer 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
Me-n-Eds Pizzeria and Craft House 560 E. Betteravia Rd, Ste. A, Santa Maria (805) 925-7992 110 Mary Ave, Nipomo (805) 929-2915 www.smvadvisor.com Since 1958 Me-N-Ed's has been serving up good quality pizza, family fun and some ice cold beer. Visit either of their two locations on the Central Coast, conveniently located in Santa Maria and Nipomo!
Road to Recovery Navigation Center 801 E. Chapel Street, Santa Maria (805) 332-4568 www.lagsrecovery.com
Santa Maria Country Club 505 W Waller Ln, Santa Maria (805) 937-2025 www.santamariacc.com
LAGS Recovery Centers, Inc. (LRC) is dedicated to providing an individualized and holistic form of treatment for all those with substance use problems and mental health issues.
California's outstanding Central Coast climate, superior facilities, and warm, hospitable membership make the Santa Maria Country Club one of the finest familyoriented private country clubs in the area.
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce | February 2022
Orcutt Board and Brush 117 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt (805) 332-3348 boardandbrush.com/orcutt/ Are you looking for a night out with friends? Is your inner DIY itching for a fun new project without having to buy all your own supplies and make a mess at your house? Then book a workshop at Board & Brush Creative Studio in Orcutt! Board & Brush Creative Studio is a place for creating fun and unique wood decor projects from scratch while enjoying a fun instructor led atmosphere.
Interested in seeing your business name displayed on one of our next issues? Join the Chamber today by calling Membership Manager Cara Martinez at 925-2403, ext. 852 or email cara@santamaria.com.
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Stay Connected with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber Visit: 614 S. Broadway, Santa Maria Call: (805) 925-2403 Email: info@santamaria.com
614 S. Broadway Santa Maria, CA 93454
Website: santamaria.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ santamariavalleychamber/ Twitter: twitter.com/SMVChamber Instagram: santamariavalleychamber LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ santamariavalleychamber Email List: bit.ly/SMVCCMailingList Text Message Alerts: Text "CHAMBER" to 33222
Chamber Connection is the official monthly publication of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. For questions about this publication or to be added to our monthly mailing distribution list, email molly@santamaria.com.
Join the Chamber for a trip to Pompeii & the Amalfi Coast! Join us for an unforgettable trip to Southern Italy! Discover and explore Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast with Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce! Join us November 1, 2022 to November 9, 2022 for an unforgettable 8-day trip, where you'll experience everything Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast have to offer! Learn more and book your trip today by visiting santamaria.com/chambertravel-2022.
Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau 614 S. Broadway, Santa Maria | (805) 925-2403 | santamaria.com | info@santamaria.com 8
