The Town of Sahuarita council voted to approve a contract with the Green Valley Chamber of Commerce after the chamber’s president, Randy Graff, gave a remote presentation about the organization’s programs and local partnerships.

Victor Gonzalez, the town’s economic development director, introduced the item and said the chamber’s presentation would highlight activities that support local businesses. Randy Graff described the chamber’s membership and outreach: "We currently on the poster, it says we have 413 members, but we're actually at 417 as of today," Graff said, noting roughly 101 members are located in Sahuarita.

Graff reviewed chamber programs that support local businesses: monthly third-Thursday breakfasts and workshops that draw 35–40 attendees, the Business Expo and Taste of the Valley events (which previously drew about 3,000 visitors), ribbon cuttings, and two women’s business cohorts. He also detailed Elevate SGV/Elevate AZ, a workforce-development partnership that places college and career coaches in local high schools and connects students to internships, job-shadowing and certification opportunities. Graff credited a grant from Freeport-McMoRan and the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation support for initial funding.

Town Manager Shane Dilley and council members praised the chamber partnership and asked Graff to consider an ex officio arrangement so the town maintains a continuing connection to the chamber board. After council discussion, Shane Dilley moved to approve the visitor-center contract; the council voted in favor and the mayor announced the motion carried.

What this means: The contract formalizes the town’s partnership with a chamber that is actively running local business support and workforce programs; staff and council said they want continued coordination, including possible town representation on the chamber board.