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Santa Maria Valley Chamber reports membership growth, workforce programs and tourism gains in six‑month update
Summary
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber told the council it added 35 members over the prior six months, expanded workforce‑education partnerships (teacher tours, NextGen CEO), launched a Young Professionals group and reported encouraging transient‑occupancy trends in early 2026.
Representatives of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and Visitors Bureau presented a six‑month update to the City Council on June 16, describing member growth, workforce‑development partnerships, and tourism marketing results.
Michael, opening for the Chamber, framed the presentation around a mission to "foster a thriving, inclusive, and resilient community by leveraging resources, strengthening partnerships, and promoting economic vitality." Molly Alves, the chamber’s vice president of operations, said membership is "looking strong" and reported 35 new members in the October–March period and more than 2,300 attendees at networking events during the same timeframe.
Alves highlighted workforce initiatives that connect educators and employers: teacher tours that exposed career‑technical education teachers to 13 local businesses with more than 80 teachers participating; NextGen CEO programming for middle‑school students in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club; and a relaunched Young Professionals group that launched in January and will begin a mentorship program. "We wrapped up this program for the school year," Alves said of teacher tours, adding they produced internships and teacher externships that help align curricula with employer needs.
Suzanne Singh, vice president of economic development and government affairs, presented tourism and advocacy metrics. Singh said the Chamber supported or opposed 14 pieces of business‑related legislation in the period, assisted 23 existing businesses, and handled 11 attraction inquiries. On tourism, Singh reported early‑2026 monthly transient‑occupancy tax data showed strong performance for February, surpassing February 2024 and 2025 levels; the Chamber tracked more than 211,000 website visits and 4,000 hotel referrals and hosted influencer fam tours and a restaurant‑month promotion.
Council members asked about services to new businesses and details of the BYB (Build Your Business) networking events; staff said the Chamber introduces prospective businesses to brokers, city staff, and local resources and offers ongoing small‑business assistance.
Next steps: the Chamber will continue workforce programming, launch a mentorship pilot for Young Professionals, and roll out a new Hispanic Business Alliance membership model later in 2026.
