GCVCC - Impact Report 2022

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ANNUAL REPORT 2022

PROUDLY SERVING

THOUSAND OAKS • WESTLAKE VILLAGE • AGOURA HILLS

or the Chamber, 2022 represented a year of key economic development

advocacy efforts, small business initiatives and bold decisions during

election season.

The year started with COVID-19 cases that impacted tourism during a time that

small businesses were also adapting to new retirement mandates.

By March, tourism had rebounded and the Chamber transitioned back to in-person

programming including our Regional Economic Forecast featuring a panel with local

biotech companies driving economic growth.

We continued our strong focus on advocacy, taking positions on 28 issues across

Federal, State and local levels that would impact the business community including

the CHIPS Act, Unemployment Insurance Funding, Measures A&B and the PURE

Water Project.

At the local level, the Chamber successfully advocated for the approval of two mixed-

use housing projects, T.O. Ranch and Gateway at The Oaks, and approval of a future

20-acre biotech campus by Alexandria Real Estate.

In July, the Chamber Board approved an Endorsement policy that resulted in

endorsements for Jeff Gorell in the Ventura County Supervisor race and Bob Engler

and Sharon McMahon for Thousand Oaks City Council. The election results

brought victory for two of the business-friendly endorsed candidates, Jeff Gorell

and the re-election of Bob Engler.

We capped 2022 by honoring our 7th class of 40 Under Forty honorees and eight

award categories at our “Art of Excellence” Recognition Gala. Taste of Conejo

and MIXPO returned to the event line-up and State of the City Agoura Hills and

Thousand Oaks were both held in-person.

Our Chamber is committed to continuously moving our business

community forward and wants to thank our members, cities and community

for your partnership and trust over this past year.

Danielle Borja

President/CEO

Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Moving Our Business Community Forward

The mission of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is to promote

the economic success of our members and strengthen the business community

in Conejo Valley through leadership, advocacy and programming.

Official Chamber of Commerce for

Top 1%

of Chamber’s of Commerce Nationwide

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 02

2022 FISCAL YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

JANUARY 2022

OMICRON

DISRUPTION

______________________

A new Omicron variant,

BA.2, spiked COVID-19

cases in January causing all

in-person programming to

be postponed.

MARCH 2022

LIVE EVENTS RESUME

______________________

In person programming

returns with The Breakfast

at Honey Cup Coffeehouse

& Creamy and The Mixer at

the new Oakmont of Agoura

Hills.

MAY 2022

CHAMBER HOSTS

CANDIDATES FORUM

AHEAD OF PRIMARY

______________________

The Chamber partnered

with the Thousand Oaks

Acorn to host a Candidates

Forum on May 11th

at California Lutheran

University, that was also

live streamed, featuring the

Ventura County Sheriff and

Ventura County Supervisor,

District 2 candidates.

THE ART OF

EXCELLENCE GALA

______________________

The Recognition Gala at

the Hyatt Regency Westlake

honored Outgoing Chair

Natalie Yanez, alongside

eight category award

winners. During the event,

guests experienced master

works of art brought to life

– Degas’ Ballerina, Monet’s

Roses, & Klimt’s Tree of

Life, while enjoying live

music by the Neos Ensemble.

CALCHAMBER SUMMIT

______________________

Chamber staff and three

board members traveled

to Sacramento for the

CalChamber summit where

the Chamber received our

15th consecutive President’s

Circle Award and had

legislative meetings with

Assemblymember Irwin and

staff members of Senator Stern.

FEBRUARY 2022

NEW RETIREMENT

MANDATE WEBINAR

______________________

The Chamber held a

webinar to educate small

businesses on the new law

requiring employers with 5

or more employees to offer

a retirement program or

participate in CalSavers.

APRIL 2022

REGIONAL ECONOMIC

FORECAST

______________________

The Regional Economic

Forecast was held on April

8th at the Regency Theatres

at the Janss Marketplace. The

event featured Dr. Matthew

Fienup from California

Lutheran University

providing the economic

update and a panel of

biotech leaders from Takeda,

Capsida, Amgen and Atara.

LOMBARDI TOUR

STARTS IN

THOUSAND OAKS

______________________

After winning the Super

Bowl, the Los Angeles

Rams began their Lombardi

Trophy tour at the Civic Arts

Plaza where the Chamber

and Visit Conejo Valley had

an onsite booth presence.

JUNE 2022

CHAMBER PARTNERS

WITH MAJOR

EMPLOYEERS ON

HOUSING EFFORTS

______________________

T.O. Ranch, the largest

mixed-use project in the

city’s history, was approved

by the City Council (5-0) on

June 16th that will include

420 housing units (50 low

income) on the former

Kmart site.

On June 28th, the Thousand

Oaks City Council approved

264 units (34 low income)

for Gateway at The Oaks

(5-0) that will reenvision the

Kennedy Wilson property.

MIXPO CREATES

CONNECTIONS FOR

SMALL BUSINESSES

_____________________

MIXPO (mixer + business

EXPO) returned to The

Gardens at Los Robles Greens

after a two year hiatus with

50+ participating businesses

and over 200 guests in

attendance.

TRANSPORTATION

ADVOCACY IN D.C.

______________________

Chamber President/CEO,

Danielle Borja traveled

to D.C. with Mobility 21

advocating for transportation

priorities and funding in

Southern California.

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 03

JULY 2022

BOARD APPROVES

ENDORSEMENT

POLICY

______________________

The Board approved a new

policy to allow the Chamber

to endorse candidates

for the first time in the

organization’s history.

40 UNDER FORTY

______________________

The 7th annual class of 40

Under Forty were honored

on July 15th at a private

cocktail reception at the

Hyatt Regency Westlake.

SEPTEMBER 2022

CHAMBER ENDORSES

THREE CANDIDATES

______________________

The Chamber announced

candidate endorsements

ahead of the November

election for Jeff Gorell in the

Ventura County Supervisor

race and Bob Engler and

Sharon McMahon for

Thousand Oaks City Council.

SMALL BUSINESS

STORIES VIDEO SERIES

______________________

Eight small business owners

throughout the Conejo

Valley had the opportunity

to share their stories through

professionally produced

1-2 minute video segments

promoted on social media

and the Chamber website.

PROJECT HOMEKEY

GROUNDBREAKING

______________________

The first permeant supportive

housing project in Thousand

Oaks, supported by the

former Chamber, breaks

ground at the former Quality

Inn & Suites.

NOVEMBER 2022

TASTE OF CONEJO

RETURNS

______________________

The 11th Annual Taste

of Conejo was held at the

Hyatt Regency Westlake

on the afternoon of Sunday,

November 6th featuring 50+

tasting booths and over 500

attendees.

TWO CHAMBER-

ENDORSED

CANDIDATES ELECTED

______________________

The election results brought

victory for two of the

three Chamber-endorsed

candidates, Jeff Gorell for

Ventura County Supervisor

and the re-election of Bob

Engler for the Thousand

Oaks City Council.

AUGUST 2022

CONEJO VALLEY

JOB FAIR

______________________

The Chamber produced the

Conejo Valley Job Fair at

The Gardens at Los Robles

Greens on August 10th for

the second year in response

to continued local workforce

challenges.

OCTOBER 2022

SECOND CANDIDATES

FORUM AHEAD OF

ELECTION

______________________

The Chamber, in partnership

with the Thousand Oaks

Acorn, hosted a two-

night Candidates Forum

at California Lutheran

University that was also

live-streamed featuring

candidates for the Ventura

County Community

College District, Ventura

County Supervisor, District

2 and Thousand Oaks City

Council.

STATE OF THE CITY

AGOURA HILLS

______________________

Johnathan Franklin of the

Los Angeles Rams served

as Master of Ceremonies

for the in-person return of

State of the City on October

26. Mayor Deborah Klein

Lopez delivered a keynote

address and recognized three

Businesses of the Year.

DECEMBER 2022

STATE OF THE CITY

THOUSAND OAKS

______________________

On December 13th, Mayor

Bob Engler addressed

over 350 members of the

community during his

State of the City address

at California Lutheran

University.

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 04

Thank you to our 2022 Chairman’s Club Sponsors

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce is grateful to our 50+ sponsors

for their ongoing support. This investment allowed our Chamber to deliver eight

signature events and produce two candidates forums furthering our mission to

promote economic success of our members and strengthen the business community.

In 2022, the Chairman’s Club program provided $266K+ in sponsorship revenue,

an $11,575 increase (4%) compared to 2021.

40 Under Forty Award Honoree Reception at Hyatt Regency Westlake.

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 05

EMERALD

PLATINUM

BRONZE

SPONSORS

SILVER

SPONSORS

GOLD

SPONSORS

CHAIRMAN’S CLUB 2022

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Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 06

With over 700 member companies, the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber is one of the largest regional Chambers in the western United

States and represents more than 35 industry categories, from sole proprietorships to large corporations.

NEW MEMBERS & RENEWING MEMBERS

In 2022 we welcomed 111 new members, a 21% increase compared to 2021, and raised our retention rate for current members to 92%.

MEMBERSHIP & RENEWALS

NEW MEMBER PARTNERNSHIPS IN 2022

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Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 07

GROUPS & COMMITTEES

VIRTUAL LEGISLATIVE ROUNDTABLE

Purpose: To provide a dialogue on public policy issues and to provide an opportunity for

public agency staff, elected officials, their staff and businesses to network.

EMERGING LEADERS (EL)

Purpose: To provide young and talented professionals in the Conejo Valley with an

opportunity to network, build friendships and serve the community through various civic

activities. EL is open to all professionals and Chamber membership is not required.

CHAMBER AMBASSADORS

Purpose: To welcome both current and new Chamber Members and guide them to Chamber

resources that will help them grow their businesses and operate more profitably.

CONEJO SENIOR RESOURCE NETWORK (CSRN)

Purpose: To create a diverse group of professionals who work with seniors and family

caregivers, supporting and delivering innovative, collaborative community events designed to

enhance the aging and caregiving experience in our community.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Purpose: To promote and coordinate interaction between business and local school districts

(Conejo Valley Unified School District and Las Virgenes Unified School District) and

continue to partner with private schools and colleges in our area; to promote educational

excellence by recognizing teachers with awards.

NETWORKING GROUPS

Purpose: To provide Chamber members the opportunity to expand their business

connections and referral network by belonging to one of three Chamber Networking

Groups. Networking groups include: The Business Breakfast Network, SPARK and Infinity.

Virtual Legislative Roundtable meeting with

Senator Henry Stern.

CSRN team building activity at Harmony

Family Yoga.

The Business Breakfast Network celebrates 20

years as part of the Chamber.

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 08

LOCAL ADVOCACY EFFORTS

The Chamber successfully took positions on 11 local issues affecting the business community ranging from housing and water

infrastructure to mask mandates and oil and gas production.

EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

COUNTY & REGIONAL ISSUES

The Chamber opposed Measures A

& B, two ballot measures that would

have further politicized the process of

renewing oil and gas permits.

Support for the Pure Water Project

proposed by Las Virgenes Municipal

Water District that would build a

facility in Agoura Hills to purify

wastewater and re-institute into the

potable water supply.

HOUSING ADVOCACY

Advocated for two substantial mixed-used

projects in the City of Thousand Oaks with the

support of major local employers.

• T.O. Ranch will feature 420 units (50

low income) and 15,000 square feet of

commercial that will transform the longtime

vacant Kmart site.

• Gateway at the Oaks will provide 264 units

and reimagine a site traditionally used solely

for office space with walkability to The

Promenade at Westlake.

Both projects were approved 5-0 by the

Thousand Oaks Planning Commission and

City Council.

The Chamber also supported the conversion

of the Quality Inn & Suites to permanent

supportive housing for the chronically

homeless in our community.

T.O Ranch

Gateway at the Oaks

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce 09

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