CV/Eden Area Chamber Toasts Its Latest Mixer
After a long two years of virtual events, the Castro Valley and Eden Chamber of Commerce held its second in-person event this past weekend at Twining Vine Estate Winery.
The gathering of more than 50 members was a chance for people to network and celebrate the great weather as well as welcome new businesses to the Chamber including Keith Seibert of Twining Vine and Chef Marisa Gittens of Cook and Run Catering, which provided the food for the event.
“This is a great way to help launch ourselves back into the community and let them know we’re back.”
“This is a great way to help launch ourselves back into the community and let them know we’re back,” Chamber Board Member Aaron Lewis told the Forum. “Our members have been asking for events like this where we can showcase their talents. For example, we’re paring Twining Vine wines with food from Cook and Run Catering.”
While the Chamber is proud of its more than 250 members, the organization lost businesses to the pandemic and finds itself in a rebuilding phase. Thankfully, a few grants coming from the American Rescue Plan infused more than $500,000 into its coffers so the Chamber can return that investment into business-building programs.
For example, the Chamber is on the cusp of a lot of announcements including naming a full-time Executive Director and the opening of two formal brick-and-mortar offices—one in Castro Valley and the other somewhere in the Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo area. The new leadership and staff are expected to bolster the Chamber’s community outreach. The current 22-member Board has been operating with a shoestring volunteer staff, which provides information and suggestions on which county agencies they need to work with to grow their business.
Chamber President Julie Sumiki says the goal of the new staff will also be to help with the signature events for the year including the various chamber mixers, the Fall Festival in September, the Castro Valley Light Parade in November, and Showtime in San Lorenzo.
“The new executive director is expected to re-establish the relationship with the two MAC groups (Castro Valley and Eden Area) and advocate for local business interests,” Sumiki said.
For those who have yet to join the Chamber, Sumiki and Lewis say they are really missing out.
Lewis for example is an auto broker who says he values referrals from the community which he gets by participating in the Chamber.
“Through events like this one, I can find out what other members do, and I learn about their business,” Lewis says. “Advertising can’t do everything for me. But there are people here who have purchased vehicles through my business that I can now use as a referral. I can now get business through word of mouth and it’s important to me.”
Chamber members can also take advantage of other perks like participating in a crime prevention round table. The events are designed for the business community to hear and work with the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and Highway Patrol and learn from each other’s experiences so that business owners can reduce crime in the unincorporated areas.
The next Chamber mixer is scheduled for Wednesday, August 24 at the Cannery Kitchen and Tap at the Castro Valley Marketplace. For more information, you can visit the Chamber website at edenareachamber.com.