By Chair of the Board Stacy Miller

Sgt. Ron Helus, 54, of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department was one year away from retirement after 29 years on the job, but he was the first to enter the Borderline Bar and Grill on that fateful night when 12 people lost their lives in a mass shooting last November.  

That was the kind of dedication Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Ron Helus had, protecting others before himself.  On Saturday, June 29, our community has an opportunity to show respect and appreciation for Sgt. Helus and other members of law enforcement as part of the Ride for the Blue event.

If you are a motorcyclist, the Ride for the Blue event will start at the parking lot of Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, 99 Rolling Oaks Dr. Thousand Oaks, with registration beginning at 6:45 a.m. The actual motorcycle ride will begin at 7:50 a.m., with a lunch break at 12:30 p.m. and the event ending at 4:00 p.m. Participants will ride their motorcycles and briefly visit each law enforcement station in Ventura County to say thank you to the officers who are protecting and serving our communities.
 
If you would like to show your support for the Oxnard Police Department, we invite you and your family to meet in front of the Oxnard Police Department, 251 S. C Street, Oxnard. You should plan on being at the station at approximately 10:45 a.m. on June 29 to support and cheer on our dedicated law enforcement personnel and the hundreds of riders visiting our great city.

The event is free and open to the community to participate.  More information and registration is available at ridefortheblue.com, or you may call the event coordinator John Short III at (800) 606-1390 or email him at john.short@ubs.com.

​I hope you can join our local enforcement for this important event to show appreciation and support for those who work so hard every day to keep our community safe.

By Chair of the Board Stacy Miller

Considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet and great when mixed with chopped onions and cilantro, California-grown avocados are beloved around the world. In Oxnard, Mission Produce has been answering the international call for this superfood for the last 35 years by producing the world’s finest avocados.

Mission Produce of Oxnard is the largest avocado provider in the world with long-term, year-round retail and food service relationships throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Mission Produce houses North America’s largest and the world’s most technologically-advanced packing facility, packing 1,000 pallets of fruit daily.

During the growing season, the Oxnard facility employs 202 employees. Internationally, Mission employs nearly 3,000 employees.

Mission Produce got its start by packing and marketing avocados from Oxnard, California. Today, Mission continues to pack and market throughout the sunny coastal areas of California and has developed partnerships with the state’s top growers to provide high-quality avocados to markets all over the globe.

Mission Produce celebrates its strong ties to our community by supporting several organizations and events including the Big Brother/Big Sister organization, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Food Share, American Heart Association of Ventura County, Casa Pacifica and the Ventura County Fair’s Kids in Agriculture program.
 
Thank you, Mission Produce, for your investment and commitment to Oxnard!

Is This Avocado Ripe?

If you are one of those people who needs to feel your avocados prior to purchasing them, then according to Mission Produce avocado experts, you are selecting your avocados correctly.

“It’s all in the feel—color is not an indicator of ripeness. The best way to judge ripeness is to feel for uniform softness,” explains Denise Junqueiro, Director of Marketing for Mission Produce.

Your avocado’s not ripe enough to eat? Here’s a tip from Mission Produce: Place avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana. Close the bag and leave on the counter or windowsill for 24-48 hours. Check periodically. The avocado ripening process is stimulated by the release of ethylene gas from its companion fruits. Once the avocados have reached desired ripeness, they can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
 
Need More Reasons to Enjoy Oxnard-Grown Avocados?

According to WebMD, avocados offer nearly 20 vitamins and minerals in every serving, including potassium (which helps control blood pressure), lutein (which is good for your eyes), and folate (which is crucial for cell repair and during pregnancy). Avocados are a good source of B vitamins, which help you fight off disease and infection. They also give you vitamins C and E, plus natural plant chemicals that may help prevent cancer.
 
Avocados are low in sugar and contain fiber, which helps you feel full longer. In one study, people who added a fresh avocado half to their lunch were less interested in eating during the next three hours.

By Chair of the Board Stacy Miller

​Would you be surprised to learn that 99% of all security alarm calls in Oxnard during 2018 were actually false alarms? Business and commercial false alarms totaled 3,103 and residential false alarms totaled 1,720. 
 
As the use of commercial and residential security alarm systems increases, so has the incidence of false alarms. False alarms cost police departments across the country more than the time and resources spent on response; they divert attention and resources away from genuine law enforcement needs. 

When our police officers respond to a false alarm, it competes with real emergency calls for service. It is also expensive and an inefficient use of the Oxnard Police Department’s time and resources.
 
To help reduce the number of false alarms and promote alarm user responsibility, the City of Oxnard adopted a new ordinance which calls for fines to alarm users who generate excessive alarm call responses.  Excessive is defined as the occurrence of two or more false alarms, generated by an alarm user’s alarm system within a 12-month period. 
 
The fine is $145 for the second false alarm and each one thereafter within a year’s time period. Locations with over five false alarm responses in a 12-month period may be subject to an alarm permit suspension or revocation.  A suspension or revocation will result in fines up to $290 per response.
 
If your Oxnard-based business or home has a security alarm, you’d better also have a security alarm permit; a requirement of a city ordinance that costs $25 a year. Alarm users without a valid permit and have an alarm-generated police response to their site will be subject to a fine.  You can download the alarm permit application at: www.oxnardpd.org/alarm-permits.
 
If you accidentally activate your security alarm at your home or business, you should contact your alarm company immediately if they do not call you. If you cannot recite the property’s password or code word over the phone to the alarm operator, the police will be dispatched. 
 
Let’s all do our part to help reduce the number of false alarms in our community so that our fine Oxnard Police Department can be available to quickly respond to real emergencies.
 
For more information regarding the alarm program, contact the Oxnard Police Alarm Administrator at (805) 385-7672 or at alarms@oxnardpd.org.

A message from the Chair of the Board Stacy Miller

"The earth laughs in flowers." ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing says spring quite like a colorful bouquet of fresh flowers and, in Oxnard, we enjoy some of the most beautiful blossoms grown right here.
 
Would you be surprised to know that Oxnard is home to a floral company that employs 200-300 people, boasts 60 acres of floral farms and 1.3 million square feet of greenhouse space growing flowers that are shipped throughout the U.S.?
 
Farm fresh and California-grown, Sun Valley Floral Farms flowers are available locally at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Ralph’s, Vons and through flower wholesalers. You can even send Oxnard-grown flowers as a gift via www.flowerbud.com.
 
In 2001, Sun Valley acquired Pleasant Valley Flowers, Inc. and Golden Coast Nurseries in Oxnard, which enhanced their product line with additional greenhouse capacity. The Sun Valley Floral Farms Oxnard Division currently produces lilies, irises, matsumoto asters, lisianthus, calla lilies and delphinium, as well as other seasonal flowers.
 
“About 80 percent of flowers sold in the U.S. are grown in Columbia and Ecuador. Our flowers are all grown in California and we encourage flower buyers to look for the 'CA Grown' license plate logo on our products,” explains Bill Prescott, Marketing Communications Specialist for the Sun Valley Floral Farms.
 
Sun Valley prides itself on utilizing practices that are of an ecological nature and promote sustainable floriculture. Sun Valley received the prestigious Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture Standard Certification, which signals to consumers that their flowers were grown in a responsible, ethical and sustainable manner. Sun Valley Floral Farms was the first California farm to qualify for this certification and challenged fellow growers and shippers to adhere to the guidelines because it is the right thing to do. 
 
“At the Sun Valley Floral Farms, we aim to be stewards of the earth and work in harmony with nature to create amazing cut flowers that are safe for farmers to grow and promote healthy soil,” explains Prescott.  “The highly recognizable Rainforest Alliance ‘green frog’ seal has been an essential part of our marketing since we achieved certification in 2017,” he added.
 
A little-known fact about a favorite lily varietal: The Sun Valley Floral Farms developed the Stargazer lily in their Humboldt County facility and named it to recognize the fact that this beautiful flower points up to the stars rather than pointing down like other varieties of lily. 
 
If you are interested in learning more about this amazing Oxnard-based business, visit their website.

A message from the Chair of the Board, Stacy Miller

What do custom outdoor umbrellas, high-end drums, ice cream, top-line machine tools and gourmet macarons have in common? All of these internationally-sold items are made right here in Oxnard!  Oxnard is home to an amazing array of creative (and delicious) manufacturing companies, each with its own unique story and success.
 
Santa Barbara Designs has it MADE IN THE SHADE with its world-renowned production facility in Oxnard.   Santa Barbara Designs uses locally-sourced materials and vendors from our community to create elegant outdoor umbrellas.   Completely customizable, these gorgeous umbrellas can be found in some of the world’s finest private residences, yacht clubs, luxury hotels, exclusive restaurants and high-profile corporate facilities.  I’m hoping my husband will purchase one for our house, they are truly works of art! www.santabarbaradesigns.com.
 
When Gene Haas founded Haas Automation Inc. in 1983, his goal was to manufacture economical and reliable machine tools.  The company entered the machine tool industry with the first-ever, fully automatic, programmable collet indexer – a device used to position parts for machining with very high accuracy. The patented Haas 5C collet indexer was a huge success, and over the next four years, the company expanded its product line to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, rotary indexers, and machine tool accessories. All Haas products are manufactured at the company’s expansive facility in Oxnard– the largest, most modern machine tool manufacturing operation in the United States. These guys aren’t just tooling around!  www.haascnc.com.
 
Follow the beat of the drum to DW Drums, a world-renowned manufacturer of drums with nearly five decades of success located in Oxnard. According to professional musicians, touring the DW Drum factory in Oxnard is every drummer’s dream. DW Drums is considered to be the biggest manufacturer of drums on the planet. The light wood colored drum is considered the “Rolls Royce” of drum kits. The 45th Anniversary Exotic Stradivarius 6-Piece Shell Pack retails for about $8,000 and is made of the same wood (hand-selected Norwegian Spruce from the Fiemme Valley in Northern Italy) that Stradivarius violins are made from; only about 650 original Stradivari instruments remain in existence, and these sell for millions of dollars. Beat that!  www.dwdrums.com.
 
McConnell’s Ice Cream has been scooping up fans for decades with its made from scratch, no preservatives, pure-flavored ice cream.  McConnell’s Ice Cream manufacturing plant has been based in Oxnard since 2017 where the delicious, local, sustainable and organic 70-year tradition of ice cream is made for all of the McConnell stores. They had me at ice cream! www.mcconnells.com.
 
One of the sweetest manufacturers in Oxnard is Duverger Macarons. Each of its macarons is confectioned in Oxnard, using the best fruits, berries, nuts and almond flour.  Owner and Chef Claire Becker’s passion is creating two slightly crispy shells with a lush enticing filling. She says that Duverger macrons will melt in your mouth and slowly release the taste of its raw ingredients.   (Wiping drool now), I think I will need a taste test to confirm, thanks Claire.  www.duvergermacarons.com.
 
These businesses are just a handful of many businesses that create amazing products purchased world-wide and are located right here in Oxnard.  Congratulations to all of our MADE IN OXNARD businesses and manufacturing companies.  We appreciate your contributions of employment, business-to-business purchasing and support of non-profits for the benefit of our community.
 
MADE IN AMERICA & MADE IN OXNARD!

A message from the Chair of the Board Stacy Miller

The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome Jeff Lambert, the City of Oxnard’s new Director of Development Services.  In his new job, Jeff will oversee the City’s planning, building and engineering and code enforcement divisions. He will also be working with the City Manager’s office to participate in the City’s Economic Development priorities to ensure the City has a prosperous future.

“I am personally excited to work with Oxnard’s many and diverse stakeholders to move the City forward.  The City has so much to offer and my job will be to help put all the pieces together to realize the community and City Council’s vision for our future,” explains Jeff Lambert. 

“I love that I can use the word “our’ for Oxnard after being in Ventura County for nearly 10 years.  I am also excited to get to know the community, spend time in the neighborhoods and work with those interested in investing in Oxnard.  Our future depends on balancing neighborhood preservation and revitalization while seeking new opportunities to provide needed housing, jobs and amenities for our community,” Lambert continued.

​Jeff says he first brings a commitment to community to this job.  He promises to be engaged and accessible to the community and its stakeholders. Jeff has a long track record of bringing people together to get things done; this includes supporting and developing a staff team that shares this commitment and is equally excited about doing the community’s business. 

“I have had a unique career for a public servant in that I have worked in both the public and private sector; I understand first-hand what it is to be a customer of Development Services.  I believe this experience will serve me and the City of Oxnard well.”

 Jeff believes that cities, including Oxnard, cannot stay the same; they must look to a prosperous future and to do that it is important to support existing businesses with a strategy of business retention, expansion and attraction. 

“I know what it takes to revitalize our downtown and will do my part to ensure this long-held dream is a reality,” Lambert said.

Jeff earned a Bachelor’s degree from Clark University in Massachusetts in political science and psychology, and a Master’s degree in planning from USC.  Jeff Lambert can be reached via email at: jeffrey.lambert@oxnard.org.

The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce is pleased to share a number of great accomplishments for 2018 that reflect a strong and growing business community. 

This year, we celebrated 110 years of service to the Oxnard business community.  While business has changed dramatically over the last century-plus, your Chamber’s commitment to helping businesses thrive in Oxnard remains steadfast.

With a mighty membership of 478, this year saw an increase of 71 new members—that’s an 11% increase over last year.  319 members choose to renew their membership, reflecting a 5% increase over last year.

The Chamber’s Business Voice newsletter is emailed to every member and this year, there were 48 issues including a new addition to the newsletter, "5 Things" we did for business in the past week.

The Oxnard Chamber values education that is strategic for its members and this year, we hosted seven knowledge and networking luncheons, including two candidates’ forums, as well as 10 educational sessions of the Oxnard Leadership program.

The Chamber’s “Oxnard Young Professionals” group reached 35 members.  This is definitely an area we are seeking to grow in the years ahead.

The Chamber PAC (Political Action Committee) held a successful fundraiser aboard the Scarlett Belle and was instrumental in 5 of the 7 Chamber-endorsed candidates being elected or re-elected in November.

The Chamber celebrated new businesses locating to Oxnard by co-hosting 13 ribbon cutting and groundbreaking ceremonies throughout the year.

Helping members get to know one another and encouraging more business to business relationships is vital to growing businesses and this year, the Chamber hosted 10 happy hour mixers and four new member mingle receptions.

I hope that you find your Oxnard Chamber of Commerce membership valuable and were able to participate in at least one of these great successes.   If you didn’t participate in any of these events or programs, know that the Oxnard Chamber is still working for your business through its strong advocacy programs. We encourage you to get engaged because 2019 promises to be even better!

Thank you for your support of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce.  On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we wish you and hour family a joyous holiday season.
Stacy