Adapting & Innovating Together
By: President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber, Emily Reneau
We have all had to adapt during this time. I want to give a resounding thank you to OUR business community that has not only pivoted how they do business but have developed new ways to serve our residents and support each other. For our members, barbers, hair salons, and more, who have remained closed, thank you for your patience. Like you, I am excited as we begin to re-open our community back up. We are all making significant progress; you can review the State’s Resilience Roadmap for additional information about the stages. So the big question is, when will the County be able to move fully into Stage 2? This should happen in a matter of days and not weeks. After the County Attestation document is approved by the State and signed off by the County Board of Supervisors.
Every week I am on dozens of Zoom calls with the county and other public leaders, giving them your feedback and taking notes on the updates so that I can share them with you. The team and I are your biggest advocates and, while that is a significant responsibility, it’s why our Chamber exists. We are here to empower OUR business community by being a catalyst for positive change, a convenor of leaders and innovators, and a champion for businesses. The Chamber is here as a resource to empower you and your business.
On the topic of providing resources, the team and I have a couple we’d like to draw your attention to. The first new resource is our latest site listing for businesses with essential supplies, ranging from face masks to plexiglass barriers. As we progress through the stages of re-opening, as your Chamber, we want to make sure you have access to the health and safety supplies you need to protect you, your staff, and customers’ wellbeing. You can review this list for yourself here. If your business supplies one or more of the following: face masks, hand sanitizer, plexiglass barriers, disposable gloves, cleaning supplies or PPE, please email Marketing@AtascaderoChamber.org so we can list your business. When you reach out to us, please share your business name, website, phone number, hours of operation, if you offer delivery or curbside pickup and the safety and health items your business sells.
Even during this time of sheltering in place, the team and I recognize that being able to talk to other business owners in real-time and connect with them for support is essential now more than ever. In the spirit of acting as a convenor of leaders, we have continued to hold both our Chamber Mixers and Good Morning Atascadero online. May’s Chamber Mixer is on May 21st at 5:30 PM, and you can register for it here. We’ll have a brief presentation from our business highlight, Bloom’ n’ Grow, and then we’ll break up into groups to connect. Feel free to join us with a glass of local wine or beer! Then on May 29th at 8:30 AM, we’re hosting Good Morning Atascadero. You’ll get an update from the Atascadero City and Atascadero School, in addition to a brief Uptalk by Tenet Health, followed by a review of benefits and support you have available to you from OUR Chamber. You can register for it here.
Here at the Chamber, we haven’t stopped working to support and empower the local businesses in OUR community because we know that we are all stronger together.
President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber | Emily Reneau
Emily Reneau is a longtime Central California local, having lived in the area for twenty-three years. She worked previously with HM Holloway and opened their Paso Robles office and coordinated outreach and marketing efforts for the organization’s three regional offices. She also worked as the Business Development Director for the American Heart Association and raised over $150,000 annually for the organization. She discovered her passion for working alongside the community when she worked in Southern California with the Walt Disney Company in Community Relations. Emily Reneau stepped in as acting CEO & President for the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce on April 23, 2020.
