Letter from the Board Chair

The mission of the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce is to provide programs, connectivity and advocacy that promote economic vitality. This vital tool of the business community was established in 1904 and is going strong at 114 years old! It has been my honor to serve as your Board Chair this past year.

To advance the Chamber’s mission, your board recognizes that, in our second century, we need to embrace change, evolve and define a future that continues to support our business community.

There is a healthy and productive sense of urgency that has enabled us to take strategic risks to set the Chamber, and community, up for success. The organization is stronger because of our commitment to making Huntington Beach a prosper place to start and grow a business.

While this second century provides us many new business tools, including social media, to advance our mission, the basics have not changed. People getting together to share ideas and leverage relationships remains a key ingredient to our success. And this is an area where Huntington Beach shines.

While we have become one of the larger cities in Orange County, we continue to retain and appreciate “small town” relationships.

The Chamber has grown to embrace inclusivity and increase its reach during my time as board chair. We increased our print distribution ten-fold with this very publication and increased our social media reach by just over 30 percent. We increased the distribution of our weekly e-newsletter, the Chamber Preview, by 50 percent and have seen increased open rates.

In addition to launching a tiered investment program to allow us to better tailor benefits to businesses, we established an affiliate program that allows our chamber better advocate for an increase the visibility of local businesses regardless of their membership status.

To advance advocacy goals and objectives, the board developed and approved the Government Affairs Committee platform to ensure the chamber is an effective and strong voice for business not only in Huntington Beach, but also in Orange County more broadly. The 2017-18 platform includes stances on tax and regulatory matters, aerospace and technology, workforce housing, transportation, tourism, healthcare and community wellness, and education.

Finally, we took significant strides in breathing new life into our events and programs this year. Some examples can be seen in our Work Smart political forums and the new Best of HB awards ceremony. We will continue to modify our programming with the business community’s best interest in mind, while paying special attention to increasing engagement, participation, and benefits.

As a board, we evaluated the industry trends and our options to enhance the value proposition for our investors. We have taken a long-term view and appreciate your patience as these strategic changes mature.

Further, as we aim to grow and strengthen your chamber’s voice and presence, we recognize industry trends that leverage strategic partnerships and regional approaches that yield stronger returns for the greater community.

At the Annual Gala in March, the responsibilities of board chair will be passed to Jim Duncan, owner of AIM Office Solutions, and I will serve on the board as the immediate past chair. We experienced several phases of growth and development during my time as chair, and I hope to see further facilitation of growth moving forward. I’m eager to participate in the advancement and betterment of your chamber.

About Us

Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based business advocacy and networking organization that represents 675+ businesses, employing more than 160,000 employees in Huntington Beach and Orange County.

Contact Us

Phone (714) 536-8888

15744 Goldenwest Street
Building A Room 137-138
Huntington Beach CA, 92648