We all need it. Many provide it for their employees, if that is still a viable option. But, healthcare costs are out of control. What is the future of healthcare – how will it be delivered and how will we pay for it? Will we be facing Medicare for all? Can California implement a "single-payer" system and figure out how to pay for it? What will happen to government entities who are currently strapped with funding healthcare benefits for retirees? Will the Trump administration be able to repeal the Affordable Care Act? These questions and more will be addressed at the Oxnard Business Outlook on November 9. Healthcare costs have an impact on every single Chamber member – business or individual. The more prepared we are for our options, the better we can advocate for reasonable outcomes. Our keynote speaker for the Oxnard Business Outlook is Loren Kaye. Mr. Kaye is the president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education. The Foundation is affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce and serves as a “think tank” for the California business community. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the California business climate and private enterprise through accurate, impartial and objective research and analysis of public policy issues of interest to the California business and public policy communities. Mr. Kaye has devoted his career to developing, analyzing and implementing public policy issues in California, with a special emphasis on improving the state’s business and economic climate. Mr. Kaye was also a gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Little Hoover Commission, charged with evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies and programs. In addition to Loren Kaye's address, he will moderate a panel of experts in healthcare:
The Oxnard Business Outlook will be held at the Tower Club, 300 E. Esplanade Drive, 22nd Floor in Oxnard. The event will run from 11:30 to 1:30. We would like to sincerely thank our Title Sponsor, Umpqua Bank for their ongoing support of the Oxnard Business Outlook. Additional sponsors committed to date are: Lead Sponsors: St. John's Regional Medical Centers/Dignity Health, UCLA Health, Port of Hueneme, and Western States Petroleum Association Supporting Sponsors: DCH Auto Group, SoCalGas, and Ventura County Credit Union Sponsor and individual reservations can be made via the Chamber's website (www.OxnardChamber.org) or by calling the office at 805-983-6118. Hurry! Reservations are due by Friday, November 3. Changes to employment law require new posters at each place of business STATEWIDE - order your posters today to avoid fines The Oxnard Chamber is making it easy for businesses to comply with California’s labor laws. No matter how many employees you have in California, your business is required by law to post a current California and Federal Employment Poster centrally in every place of business. Severe fines and penalties will be assessed if a business doesn’t display a current poster. In partnership with the CalChamber, the Oxnard Chamber is currently taking pre-orders for the updated 2018 California and Federal Employment Poster. CalChamber is a trusted source for California and federal compliance products, with more than 125 years of experience helping California business do business. The 2018 all-in-one poster includes mandatory updates to the Cal/OSHA notice for January 1, 2018, plus recommended updates to the USERRA notice and the CFRA notice. Reminder: The first scheduled minimum wage increase (to $10.50/hour) takes effect for employers with 25 or less employees; second increase (to $11.00/hour) takes effect for employers with 26 or more employees. The all-in-one posting is available laminated or non-laminated and in your choice of English or Spanish. Posters must be displayed in a conspicuous place accessible to all employees. Employers must also display posters in each company location. Orders placed by December 15 will be available for pick up at the Chamber around January 1. Orders placed after mid-December may take two weeks to process depending on current inventory. Please call the Oxnard Chamber at 805-983-6118 or download the order form via our website www.oxnardchamber.org . Other labor law compliance resource materials are available as well. Need a supply of the required pamphlets and notices for new hires? We can provide those. A list of all products and pricing (discounts for members) is listed on the order form available on the Chamber's website. The Oxnard Chamber Board of Directors has scheduled their annual planning session for Friday, November 3. This is the once-a-year opportunity for the Board to set aside a full day to look at what the organization has accomplished and where they would like to see it go. Thank you to our members who completed the recent survey conducted by the Western Association of Chamber Executives to evaluate how we are doing in some core competency areas. That feedback is essential to decision-making for the coming year. The Chamber Board is made up of volunteer representatives from member businesses. They are tasked with setting policy for the organization and taking positions on issues. On October 12 the California Coastal Commission met in Chula Vista to address a myriad of agenda items. The Fisherman's Wharf project in Channel Islands Harbor was one of those items. The reason it was on the agenda stems from a dispute that has escalated between the city of Oxnard and county of Ventura over who has approval and permitting authority for the redevelopment project.
The dispute was taken to the Coastal Commission in an effort for resolve the matter. However, after miles of travel and hours of waiting the Commission basically said, go back and figure this out yourselves. So here we are back to square one. The Chamber supports the redevelopment project at Fisherman's Wharf because it revitalizes a blighted corner that is the gateway to Channel Islands Harbor. It also provides high quality rental housing, which is in extreme demand. Those additional housing units will also help support other retail, restaurants and service industries in the Harbor area. We encourage the two government agencies to seek a third party mediator to resolve the dispute and move the project forward. What is the future of healthcare – how will it be delivered and how will we pay for it? Will we be facing Medicare for all? Can California implement a "single-payer" system and figure out how to pay for it? What will happen to government entities who are currently strapped with funding healthcare benefits for retirees? Will the Trump administration be able to repeal the Affordable Care Act?
These questions and more will be addressed at the Oxnard Business Outlook on November 9. Healthcare costs have an impact on every single Chamber member – business or individual. The more prepared we are for our options, the better we can advocate for reasonable outcomes. Our keynote speaker for the Oxnard Business Outlook is Loren Kaye. Mr. Kaye is the president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education. The Foundation is affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce and serves as a “think tank” for the California business community. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the California business climate and private enterprise through accurate, impartial and objective research and analysis of public policy issues of interest to the California business and public policy communities. Mr. Kaye has devoted his career to developing, analyzing and implementing public policy issues in California, with a special emphasis on improving the state’s business and economic climate. Mr. Kaye was also a gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Little Hoover Commission, charged with evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies and programs. In addition to Loren Kaye's address, he will moderate a panel of experts in healthcare:
We would like to sincerely thank our Title Sponsor, Umpqua Bank for their ongoing support of the Oxnard Business Outlook. Additional sponsors committed to date are: Lead Sponsors: St. John's Regional Medical Centers/Dignity Health, UCLA Health, Port of Hueneme, and Western States Petroleum Association Supporting Sponsors: DCH Auto Group, SoCalGas, and Ventura County Credit Union Sponsor and individual reservations can be made via the Chamber's website (www.OxnardChamber.org) or by calling the office at 805-983-6118. The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce supports comprehensive immigration reform that will contribute to the safety of all Americans while supporting the U.S. economy.
Border Security The federal government must allocate adequate resources to employ both technology and enforcement to secure our borders. Border security policy needs to include cooperative efforts with neighboring countries. Such efforts must incorporate data on international criminal and terrorist information. Additionally, a comprehensive approach should include support for economic development and security in countries of origin for illegal immigrants. Undocumented Immigrants currently in the U.S. The estimated 11 to 12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States are contributing to our economy. The federal government needs to establish an earned pathway to legal status program for these workers that include:
Deferred Action Programs In the absence of comprehensive immigration reform, legislative action should be passed as soon as possible to shield individuals covered under the DACA program from deportation action and provide a pathway for legalization of their status in the United States. Guest Worker Program The federal government should continue and expand the current guest worker programs to assure employers are able to fill jobs due to a lack domestic workers. Guest worker programs are also critical in some high tech sectors where sufficient qualified U.S. citizens are not able to qualify for many jobs. Guest worker programs should have clear requirements and streamlined processes for employers to be certified to participate in the program. Additionally, these programs should provide sufficient protections for certified employers / employees to allow for the employees to return to their country of origin and return to meet the needs of the industry where they are working. Approved by the Oxnard Chamber Board of Directors on September 28, 2017 The Oxnard Business Outlook is an annual program of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce. Each year we look at a different segment of the economy that is integral to our business community. In the past couple of years we have focused on agriculture and tourism. In 2017 we are taking a look into the future of healthcare – how will it be delivered and how will we pay for it? Our keynote speaker for the November 9 lunch event is Loren Kaye. Mr. Kaye is the president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education. The Foundation is affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce and serves as a “think tank” for the California business community. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the California business climate and private enterprise through accurate, impartial and objective research and analysis of public policy issues of interest to the California business and public policy communities. In addition to his keynote address, Mr. Kaye will moderate a panel of experts on healthcare:
We would like to sincerely thank our Title Sponsor, Umpqua Bank for their ongoing support of the Oxnard Business Outlook. Title Sponspor:
What can we expect to see in the healthcare arena for California and the US? The field is rapidly changing with nationwide repeal-and-replace efforts and a push for a "single payer" system in our state. Loren Kaye will be the keynote speaker on healthcare for the 2017 Oxnard Business Outlook. Mr. Kaye was appointed president of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education in January 2006. Loren has devoted his career to developing, analyzing and implementing public policy issues in California, with a special emphasis on improving the state’s business and economic climate. Mr. Kaye was a gubernatorial appointee to the state’s Little Hoover Commission, charged with evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of state agencies and programs. He served in senior policy positions for Governors Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian, including Cabinet Secretary to the Governor and Undersecretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency. Loren Kaye has represented numerous private sector interests, managing issues that affect specific business sectors to promote an improved business climate or to resist further regulation or costs on business. He lives in Sacramento with his wife and daughter. The California Foundation for Commerce and Education is affiliated with the California Chamber of Commerce and serves as a “think tank” for the California business community. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the California business climate and private enterprise through accurate, impartial and objective research and analysis of public policy issues of interest to the California business and public policy communities. The Oxnard Business Outlook will be held at the Tower Club on November 9 from 11:30 to 1:30. Umpqua Bank has stepped up once again as the Title Sponsor for the event. Other sponsorship opportunities are still available. Individual reservations can be made via the Chamber's website or by calling the office at 805-983-6118. Title Sponsor
The Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) launched a survey for the Oxnard Chamber this morning. Email messages with a link to the brief survey were sent to the main contact person on file for each member. The survey should take no more than seven minutes to complete and the results will provide the Chamber Board with much direction when they hold their annual planning session next month. WACE is a repository of a lot of data about local chambers of commerce. They will take our survey results and compare them to the aggregate of data from chambers throughout the western United States. The survey also gives the Oxnard Board of Directors a good indication of how our Chamber is performing in certain key competencies. Please complete the brief survey in a timely manner. Your feedback is important to us! Thank you!! This month the Chamber visited Aspen Helicopters with City Manager Greg Nyhoff, Police Chief Scott Whitney, and Chamber Chair Amy Fonzo. Charlie McLaughlin was the very accommodating host. Like most business visits, we learned a lot about the work Aspen does locally and throughout the U.S. In addition to support of our ag industry, they do a lot of work for the Navy, the Department of Forestry, and offer executive charters.
As well as the numerous sizes and capacities of helicopters, they also have a fleet of fixed-wing planes. In fact, they have a plane stationed in New Jersey whose job it is to fly a 100 square mile area over the Atlantic every month to track whales. When we visited, they also had a plane in South Dakota. What we learned about the business was that they offer a variety of air services. They also employ a good number of people. Aspen has the same challenges as many other companies in that they find it quite difficult to find qualified workers. The highlight of the visit was when McLaughlin offered to take us on a tour of Oxnard from the air. It is certainly amazing to see the city from a different perspective. We flew over the beautiful Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Resort and then on to Channel Islands Harbor. We saw a ship being unloaded in the Port of Hueneme. Unfortunately, we also saw an encampment of homeless people near Ormond Beach. This certainly was a business visit to remember. The Chamber and City Manager visit a different business every month. The purpose is to make sure the city's management is in touch with our local businesses and the challenges they face. If you would like to host a future business visit, please let Chamber CEO Nancy Lindholm know. Now that our state legislators have completed their work in Sacramento for 2017, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin will address the Oxnard Chamber at its Knowledge & Networking luncheon on October 12. Attendees will hear about the tough decisions Ms. Irwin faced during a year of major issues. 2017 saw the passage of an historic transportation package (which means taxes as well as capital improvements), extension of the cap and trade program, numerous housing bills, and some controversial labor law proposals. Jacqui Irwin was first elected in 2014 to represent California’s 44th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village and the communities of Casa Conejo, Channel Islands Beach, El Rio, Lake Sherwood, Oak Park, and Santa Rosa Valley. In her first term in the Assembly, Irwin successfully authored numerous pieces of legislation into law and brought vital state funds back to her community. Through her leadership funding was allocated for the creation of the CSU Channel Island School of Engineering and for innovation centers on UC campuses to transform UC research into products. Her legislation created tax-free savings accounts for the disabled, increased the cybersecurity of state agencies, and removed barriers for military service members seeking mental health services. Assemblymember Irwin currently chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Agriculture Committee, Business & Professions Committee, Higher Education Committee, and the Privacy & Consumer Protection Committee. Assemblymember Irwin also chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Cybersecurity, and Co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on Cybersecurity. These roles have allowed her to help lead national and statewide efforts to improve our cybersecurity policies. Her career in public service began on the Thousand Oaks City Council, where she was first elected in 2004. Irwin served two terms as mayor of Thousand Oaks. On the City Council she was a strong advocate for the preservation of open space and responsible development, while working tirelessly to ensure that families had a safe community. Prior to her public service, Irwin was an employee of Teledyne Systems. She also worked as an engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. She has been honored as Assemblymember of the Year by TechNet, the Woman of the Year for the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Champion for College Opportunity and Student Success by the Campaign for College Opportunity, and received the California Bear Award for her service to the California National Guard. Assemblymember Irwin holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from UC San Diego. While earning her degree Irwin was an All-American swimmer and competed in the national championships all four years. A proud mother of three young adults, Jacqui Irwin and her husband Jon have lived in Thousand Oaks for nearly 20 years. In addition to her work in the Assembly, Irwin has been appointed by the Assembly Speaker to serve on the Governor’s Military Council, the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, the State Public Works Board, the Inter-Agency Council on Veterans, and the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The October 12 Knowledge & Networking lunch will be held at the Residence Inn at River Ridge on Vineyard Avenue with California State University Channel Islands as our sponsor. Advance reservations are requested and are discounted for members through October 9. Log onto the Chamber's website to make a reservation or call the office at 805-983-6118. SPONSOR:
The Military Appreciation Dinner may be an annual event for the Oxnard Chamber, but it is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for the enlisted personnel being honored. The entire affair would certainly not be possible without the support of some very generous businesses and organizations. We would like to sincerely thank the sponsors of the 20th annual Military Appreciation Dinner. Presenting Sponsors: AMS Craig, LLC California State University Channel Islands Centers for Family Health Clear Channel Outdoor Glovis America, Inc. Kaiser Permanente Marriott International Government Travel Port of Hueneme Residence Inn & Courtyard by Marriott Supporting Sponsors: DCH Auto Group Holiday Inn Express Port Hueneme Oxnard Ambassadors Oxnard College Foundation River Ridge Golf Club St. John's Regional Medical Center / Dignity Health Select Staffing Other Essential Sponsors:
Kirby Auto Group (Commemorative Wine Glass Sponsor) Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau (Awardees' Gift Sponsor) Ventura County Lodging Association (Commemorative Program Sponsor) In addition, we are grateful to Magnavino Cellars and Rancho Ventavo Cellars for donating wine for the dinner. We would also like to acknowledge Garden Acres Santa Claus (Santa to the Sea) and Bill Gallaher for sponsoring enlisted personnel to attend the event. It is truly inspirational to see how much our community embraces the local military presence and the Americans who step forward to defend our freedoms. Thank you all!! Last week California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Secretary David M. Lanier issued the following statement that the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) does not require employers to re-verify work authorization documents: "With the announcement to phase out the DACA program, the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and its partner departments affirm the action does not require an immediate re-verification of work authorization documents for DACA recipients. "Any action or attempt by employers to re-investigate or re-verify work authorization documents in order to retaliate against any immigrant worker is unlawful in California. "The Labor and Workforce Development Agency will continue to work in partnership with community leaders, worker advocates and employers to make sure DACA recipients and immigrant workers know they are covered by our State's workplace protections." Employees with work-related questions or complaints may contact the Department of Industrial Relations' Call Center in English or Spanish at 844-LABOR-DIR (844-522-6734), and more information on wage theft and how to report violations is available through the Labor Commissioner's Wage Theft is a Crime website. The Collection at RiverPark serves up Mexican cuisine with opening of Los Agaves Restaurant9/12/2017
Popular Santa Barbara hotspot makes Oxnard debut The Collection at RiverPark has added popular Santa Barbara-based eatery Los Agaves Restaurant to its growing list of dining selections. The restaurant marks the leading Oxnard shopping center’s first Mexican dining spot. “With a reputation of being one of region’s go-to spots to grab a bite of authentic Mexican cuisine, we’re excited to bring this popular brand to The Collection to round out our list of diverse and delicious dining offerings,” said Stefanie Muegel, marketing director for The Collection. This newest location in Oxnard will serve the same award-winning Mexican cuisine that has made Los Agaves a favorite among foodies and families alike. Guests will enjoy authentic Mexican favorites with an innovative twist, prepared using the highest quality ingredients, and characterized by the bold flavors of Mexico. With simple and sophisticated presentation, signature dishes include Los Agaves Enchiladas featuring fresh halibut and shrimp, red pepper, onions, and topped with chipotle sauce; Chiles Nortenos stuffed with shrimp and Oaxaca cheese, topped with chipotle dressing; Sea and Earth Molcajetes with grilled nopal, panela chorizo, grilled chambray onion and avocado; or one of the many variations of their famous Ceviches. To view the full menu, please click here. The restaurant currently has four locations in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Westlake Village. “We are proud to open our doors in Oxnard and welcome the community to come taste the flavors of authentic Mexico,” said Carlos Luna, owner of Los Agaves. “At Los Agaves, we have always taken tremendous pride in being a part of the community, embracing our neighboring businesses and residents alike, and we hope to surpass expectations with our dedicated service and quality of food in our newest location for many years to come.” About Los Agaves Los Agaves celebrates the authentic flavor and foods of Mexico with an innovative twist and contemporary style. Signature dishes include Molcajetes, Chiles Norteños, Enchiladas Los Agaves, and Fajitas del Mar, among many more. All dishes are prepared fresh daily with the highest quality of ingredients, handmade salsas and tortillas. Owner Carlos Luna opened Los Agaves in Santa Barbara on Milpas Street in 2008. Nearly a decade later, Los Agaves has four locations in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Westlake Village, with a fifth location opening in Oxnard (summer 2017). All locations are open for lunch and dinner daily, Monday through Friday from 11:00 am – 9:00 pm. Breakfast is served at the Milpas location only, on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Catering services available upon request. Locations: 600 North Milpas Street (805) 564-2626, 2911; De La Vina Street (805) 682-2600; 7024 Market Place Drive (805) 968-4000, and 30750 Russell Ranch Road, Westlake Village (805) 874-0779. For more information on Los Agaves, please click here. About the Collection (TheCollectionRP.com) The Collection at RiverPark is a 750,000 square foot, open-air specialty retail center located in the heart of West Ventura County. Inspired by the beauty of the California coast, The Collection reflects the unique atmosphere of the surrounding seaside communities. The Collection is built around a town grid of retail streets, each of which has its own personality-a carefully crafted assortment of established and contemporary designer shops, distinctive dining, and signature entertainment venues. Anchors include Target, Century RiverPark 16, REI, Whole Foods Market, H&M, 24-Hour SuperSport and The Container Store. Restaurants include Yard House, Larsen’s Grill, Gen Korean BBQ, Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, Maria’s Italian Kitchen and more. Follow us on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram at TheCollectionRP. The City of Oxnard realizes that your time is valuable, and they want to help make the most of it. Standing in line waiting to do City business during limited hours is no longer an acceptable option. You want to do business using your smartphone at anyplace and anytime, so the City of Oxnard is looking at new technology to become a smart city in order to better serve residents and businesses. They are seeking input from the business community. If you have acquired a permit – whether it be for major building, structure improvements, or special events – Keith Books, IT Director for the city of Oxnard, would like to hear from you. Call him at 805-385-7597 or email keith.brooks@oxnard.org and let him know how technology could improve the way you interact with the City. Let's be part of the solution!! New venue and new keynote speaker! The September 14 Knowledge & Networking lunch will feature the State of the Port report. The Port is one of the biggest economic engines in Ventura County. It is owned and operated by The Oxnard Harbor District, created in 1937, as an independent special district (business enterprise) and political subdivision of the State of California. Its mission is to operate as a self-supporting Port that enforces the principles of sound public stewardship maximizing the potential of maritime-related commerce and regional economic benefit. The Oxnard Harbor District’s policies are set by a five-member Board of Harbor Commissioners elected at large from the District. Day-to-day business operations of the Harbor District are administered by the CEO & Port Director and professional staff. The Harbor District, by its charter, can acquire, construct, own, operate, control or develop any and all harbor works or facilities necessary to efficiently accomplish its mission. It prepares and controls its own budget, as well as fiscal activities. It is responsible for all Port construction and operations. Port of Hueneme CEO and Port Director Kristin Decas will be the keynote speaker. A proven leader, Kristin Decas repeatedly demonstrates her ability to build vision and implement strategy through open, collaborative processes that foster results. Since beginning her tenure with the Port of Hueneme in February 2012, the Port has realized several successes. Tonnage totals have grown every year since her arrival from 1.3 million tons for FY 2012 to over 1.575 million metric tons in 2015 marking the Port’s strongest sustained trade years since its inception in 1937. Kristin championed the first annual Port Banana Festival, drawing over 10,000 visitors to the Port. Port of Hueneme related activities generate $1.1 billion in annual economic impact and create more than 10,200 direct, indirect, induced and influenced jobs. Kristin was recently selected as Top Port Director of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals. The Knowledge & Networking Lunch will be Thursday, September 14 from noon to 1:30 at the Courtyard by Marriott on Esplanade Drive. Click here to go to the online registration or call the Chamber office at 805-983-6118. Click here to go to the online registration or call the Chamber office at 805-983-6118. The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce strongly supports California WaterFix to protect the reliability of our state and local water supplies. In our role as a champion for a stronger community, we know how critical it is to have a reliable source of water to serve our businesses and residents alike.
One-third of Southern California's water supply comes from Northern California. Our long-term water supply depends on modernizing the state's water delivery system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. After 10 years of research and environmental review, state and federal agencies have proposed California WaterFix as the solution. This modernized system would have two locations to divert water – one in the north Delta and one in the south Delta. This will provide more flexibility and reduce conflicts with fish species like salmon and smelt. The new tunnel pipelines will safely transport supplies to the 25 million people, farms and businesses that depend on this water in the event of an earthquake or other disaster that collapses Delta levees and disrupts the water we get from the current decades-old system. There are many regional benefits to having a reliable State Water Project. Water from Northern California helps to prepare the Southland for future droughts and emergencies. Imported supplies from Northern California help replenish our ground water basins. Sierra snowmelt is pure enough to recycle again and again, promoting more water recycling projects. The cost for California WaterFix is roughly half the cost of other large-scale local water supply projects. This investment, spread over the expected supply, breaks down to less than a tenth of a penny per gallon and will protect the supply for decades. In addition, California WaterFix will create about 100,000 jobs, and it supports Southern California's trillion dollar economy and hundreds of thousands of existing jobs. “20th Year Supporting Our Military Heroes and Families” The 20th annual Military Appreciation Dinner will be held on September 29. The Chamber’s Military Committee is busy working with all branches of the service to gather awardees’ names and biographies. The honorees are selected by their commanding officers not only for their military service, but also for their service in the local community. "There are some very impressive awardees," said Sharen Strong, Chamber staff liaison for the event. "These are not only our country's heroes, but they are community heroes and volunteers as well." This year, the event will feature keynote speaker CAPT Chris Janke, who assumed his duty as commanding officer of Naval Base Ventura County in March of 2015. Prior to arriving at Naval Base Ventura County Janke completed deployments to Iceland, Puerto Rico, Panama, and Italy and participated in Operation Sharp Guard. He was then selected for duty as Flag Lieutenant to Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean/Task Force 67 in Naples, Italy, responsible for all installations and maritime patrol forces in the U.S. 6th Fleet. In June 1998 he continued his duties in Annapolis, MD upon the Admiral’s reassignment as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy. Janke returned to sea duty aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) and was deployed to the Arabian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch in which he led the ship’s largest division (V-2) in the Air Department. Upon completion of his Department Head tour, he was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Operations Directorate (J-3). Serving in the J-39 Reconnaissance Operations Division, he was responsible for the coordination of SecDef approval for deployment orders for DoD reconnaissance assets and charged with preparation of Sensitive Reconnaissance Operations mission packages for Presidential approval. In July 2008, Janke was selected for command of Scientific Development Squadron (VXS) 1 onboard NAS Patuxent River, MD. Most notably VXS-1 conducted Colombia survey operations, POW/MIA recovery operations in Iraq and Counter-IED technology development in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn. In May of 2012, Janke assumed duties as Chief Staff Officer for Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 11 in Jacksonville, FL, where he directed a staff of 350 personnel conducting Man, Train and Equip tasks for eight P-3, P-8 and MQ-4C squadrons encompassing 2,700 personnel. His efforts were instrumental to the successful transition to the P-8A Poseidon and introduction of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft. His awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and various operational awards. The Military Appreciation Dinner will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard on Friday evening, September 29. Advance registrations are required and can be made via the Chamber's website or by calling the office at 805-983-6118. Sponsorships are also available. The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce values its relationship with our local military installations. "We sincerely appreciate the military's defense of our free enterprise system and recognize the positive impact the local installations have on our economy," added Chamber CEO Nancy Lindholm. Learn how to get the most out of your listing on our website. See what complimentary promotional opportunities are available to both new and veteran members. Can participation on a Chamber committee help your business? It's all available at the August 8 New Member Mingle. "Seasoned" members are also welcome. The Chamber's Director of Communications, Janet Pozos, will be on hand to demonstrate how easy it is to link your social media accounts to your Chamber web listing. Members can also offer discounts or coupons to fellow Chamber members or the general public. Meet some Chamber Board members, the Chamber staff, and your fellow newbies! The New Member Mingle is free to attend. It will be in the Chamber office (400 E. Esplanade Drive, Suite 302) on August 8 from 4:30 to 6 PM. Refreshments, wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served. Click here to let us know you are coming! 2018 Leadership opens registration Oxnard Leadership's 2018 program is accepting applications from those who desire to enhance their leadership potential, increase their knowledge of the community and are willing to commit their individual talents for future years toward the betterment of the community of Oxnard. A successful candidate should possess a passion for self-improvement with the goal of assisting others. This interactive program provides a behind-the-scenes view of the issues that impact the region’s economic prosperity and quality of life while developing and refining individual skills to better serve in leadership roles within their organization or in our community. Participants receive a comprehensive overview of the Oxnard area – its realities, opportunities and challenges. Sessions move to various locations throughout the Oxnard area and provide students with a unique opportunity to meet key business and government leaders who play integral roles in the region by way of tours, panels, and speakers. Class speakers address not only the facts, but also perspectives, challenges, and opportunities in highly interactive sessions. Oxnard Leadership extends an invitation to interested individuals who are committed to a better tomorrow and who are motivated to assume leadership roles in Oxnard today. "I highly recommend anyone who lives and or works in our community to seriously consider going through this program. You will undoubtedly learn things about our community that you did not know before, and you will make new connections that otherwise would not have been possible." Craig Classen, JaniTek Cleaning Solutions 2016 Oxnard Leadership Graduate The benefits of Oxnard Leadership are multifaceted. Your participation in the program allows you, employers, and the community as a whole to reap rewards. Whether you are new to the area, or have lived here for years, this course can open new doors of opportunity. Benefits from the program include the following just to name a few:
"I highly recommend the Oxnard Leadership program, especially to younger professionals working and networking throughout Oxnard and Ventura County. Having the opportunity to sit down and speak with Representative Irwin, our Ventura County Supervisor, Ventura County CEO, Oxnard City Managers, Police & Fire Chiefs, and local business leaders was invaluable." Thomas Buenger, Buenger Commercial Real Estate, Inc. 2016 Oxnard Leadership Graduate Click here for more information and the application. Chair-Elect Michael Wynn Song, Ed Gibbs, and City Manager Greg Nyhoff take a tour of Gibbs Truck Center The Oxnard Chamber has successfully continued a Business Visits program it launched three years ago. "Getting the City Manager Greg Nyhoff into a variety of different enterprises helps him understand what makes the business community successful," remarked Chamber CEO Nancy Lindholm. "It reminds him where his tax revenue comes from."
Past visits have included agriculture, manufacturing, research, media, healthcare, nonprofit, and hospitality entities. Visits normally take between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the size of the facility and the history or background of the business. The visits are normally attended by the City Manager, the Chair or Chair-Elect of the Chamber, and the Chamber President/CEO. "We recently visited Cloudburst Misting Systems in south Oxnard," said Lindholm. "They are doing a huge job in Dubai. Who would have guessed?" If you would like to host a business visit, please contact Nancy Lindholm. The Chamber's Nominating Committee is seeking volunteers interested in serving on the Board of Directors. "We have a number of openings for 2018 since quite a few of our current Board members are termed out," said Nancy Lindholm, Chamber President and CEO. The term for Directors is three years. Directors can serve two consecutive terms before they must leave the Board for at least one year. The commitment is to attend ten Board meetings each year, participate in an annual planning session, represent the Chamber as appropriate, and contribute to the betterment of the organization. Any member in good standing interested in serving on the Board should contact Nancy Lindholm. The Chamber and its members are happy to see the Dallas Cowboys Training Camp come to town again this year. Their fans have quite an impact on local businesses. The Chamber is always touting the positive impact the Cowboys have when they come to Oxnard. To substantiate those claims, we thought we would share some data with our readers from the 2012 Training Camp. The UCSB Economic Forecast Project conducted an economic impact study for Oxnard and Ventura County. Here is what they found:
The Oxnard Chamber Board of Directors voted to OPPOSE the effort to recall the mayor and three councilmembers. Following a recommendation from the Chamber’s Business Advocacy Committee, the Board cited the cost of a potential election as well as the proximity of a special election to the June Primary and November Gubernatorial elections set for 2018.
Aaron Starr, an unsuccessful candidate for city council in 2014 and 2016, is spearheading the recall effort based on how the council members voted on adjustments to wastewater rates. Mayor Flynn, Mayor Pro Tem Ramirez, Councilmember Perello, and Councilmember Madrigal all voted in favor of rate increases. Councilman MacDonald voted no, so he is not a target of the recall. The Chamber Board received information that a special election would cost more than $200,000, as estimated by the County Clerk’s office. That number does not include the cost of verifying petition signatures, nor does it include the cost of the Oxnard City Attorney’s office and the Oxnard City Clerk’s office. If the recall proponent is successful in gathering sufficient valid signatures (roughly 12,000) to trigger a special election, the city may be forced to hold one in the spring of 2018 – just a few months before the June Primary. If there is a special election, the ballot will contain a question whether the sitting council member should be recalled. That would be followed by a list of candidates running to potentially replace the city council person and convolute the ballot further. If there is a successful recall, the person elected to replace the ousted council member would likely have to run for a full term in the November 2018 election. Mayor Flynn, Mayor Pro Tem Ramirez and Councilmember Perello all have terms expiring in December 2018. Councilmember Madrigal’s term is not up until 2020. The Chamber believes this to too much disruption of local government when Oxnard voters could simply express their support or opposition of current council members in the November 2018 election. In addition to the timeline for a potential special election, the Chamber has great concern over the premise that elected officials could be recalled based on his or her vote on a single issue. It is the Chamber’s position that the recall stipulation in the elections code was included to address malfeasance and gross negligence. The Chamber encourages Oxnard voters NOT to sign the recall petitions being circulated and support the city while it continues to move forward in a positive direction. The Oxnard Chamber successfully implemented all aspects of its Direct Path To Success (DPTS) proposal of 2016-17. The chief goal of the program was to increase the involvement of chamber members in work-based learning opportunities for local high school age youth including internships. Along the way, the program developed various tools and novel approaches to promoting this engagement. The program supported on-going annual events within the school district that provided opportunities for employers to become engaged with youth both in the classroom and in the workspace. The work began by repurposing the chamber’s existing education sub-committee into the Workforce Education Readiness Committee (WERC) whose primary mission was to assist with the recruitment of other chamber members in support of the activities of the DPTS program. This realignment imparted a more action-oriented mission for the committee and satisfied the member’s feeling of a “return on investment,” since they got to see the immediate impact of the DPTS initiatives. A unique activity spawned from the grant was the chamber’s Intern Bootcamp, which targeted juniors and seniors in technical education academies, in order to develop essential skills for the workplace. The chamber used responses collected from a survey of chamber members on the top five attributes either deficient or necessary in new hires to their organization. Next, HR professionals from within the chamber were recruited to present on these skill areas on both off-site and on-site sessions for students interested in preparing for an internship. In all over 50 high school students received this training from 10 volunteer presenters. Another engagement opportunity unique to this program was the Girls in STEM day. Female chamber members from engineering and engineering-related businesses volunteered on a Saturday morning to conduct short activities focused on science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) with middle school-aged girls from local middle schools. Concurrent with the experiments, the engineers were encouraged to relate their own experience of how they were drawn to a STEM profession. This event brought together 24 volunteers with over 150 students. In addition, workshops on high school programs and college information were simultaneously offered for the parents. The chamber partnered with the Oxnard Union HS District, the Ventura County Civic Alliance and the Ventura County Office of Education to make these and several other events come to fruition. In February, the chamber supported the annual Job Shadow Day that had been initiated by the school district in the prior year. One-hundred and five students were placed in 25 different businesses to spend a couple of hours looking over the shoulder of a professional in whose work the student had expressed an interest. In March, the chamber hosted an Entrée to Employment event, focused on the Hospitality industry. Eleven chamber organizations volunteered to attend an evening of informal discussion with 75 students who were taking courses to prepare them for careers related to hospitality. The students had an opportunity to ask in-depth questions about proper preparation for the career, nature of the work, salaries, working conditions, upward mobility, etc. In May, the program assisted with the recurring Sweets at the Beach culinary competition. This event drew volunteers from the chamber member and host hotel, the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Resort, as well as chefs from chamber member organizations who served as judges for the event. The competition involves students from three different high schools and a number of academy programs including culinary, business-event planning, and multi-media promotion. On going opportunities presented themselves through out the year so that chamber members were able to engage in guest speaking, judging of team projects, or giving mock interviews for local high school students. Partnerships developed in this program with private businesses and municipal agencies will result in approximately 40 internships for this summer, which previously have not existed. In summary, the DPTS program engaged 75 new chamber partners in activities that reached over 2,000 students of local high and middle schools. It created new opportunities for professionals to become engaged with local students in ways that met the desired level of involvement of the business. Moreover, it raised awareness of chamber members to the value of internships. The chamber’s effort was able to demonstrate a program scalable to both larger and smaller organizations and replicable, since it only requires strong partnering with local educational agencies. |