It’s easy to get swept up in the holiday busyness of the season. So today, I want to take a moment to slow down and share what some of the Chamber team is grateful for this year. I encourage you to do the same! If you come into the Chamber office Monday – Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM and share with us what you’re grateful for, we’ll put your name in a drawing for a local gift from our Visitor’s Center (we’ll conduct the drawing on November 23rd and contact the lucky winner). I can’t wait to hear what you’re thankful for this year, Atascadero!

Back to the Chamber team, first up is Julie Matthews, VP of Membership and Special Projects; finding out what she’s thankful for this year didn’t take long. “I’m thankful for our community! Where else can I network over tacos with wonderful folks and call it a business lunch?” While you may know Julie as our VP here at the Chamber, she also has a talent for finding the best ice cream in town. If you ever want her ice cream recommendation, swing by and ask!

Next, I sat down with Jessica Cresci, our Operations Manager at the Chamber. Smiling, Jessica reflects, “I’m thankful for my best friend. I love the nights we spend out in Atascadero at places like the Central Coast Distillery, where we enjoy fun drinks and amazing food.” For those of you who haven’t met Jessica, you’ll often see her with an ice-cold Red Bull in hand, expertly juggling a dozen exciting projects here in the office.

Jose Guadarrama, our Get Your Business Online Program Specialist, waved me over to his desk in our Bridgeworks Coworking space. “I’m thankful for the Chamber’s donors and supporters; without them, we couldn’t run incredible programs and offer resources like we do to help local businesses.” Jose works hand-in-hand with many businesses in North County, helping them build a website free of charge. He experiences first-hand how impactful Chamber programs like these can be for businesses. A working and updated website is a game-changer for many businesses in our community.

What am I thankful for this year? That’s an easy one! I’m grateful for my passionate and hardworking team. While I couldn’t feature all of them in this article, I want to give a shout-out to Karina Velazquez, our Visitor Outreach/Administrative Assistant; Eryk Nappi and Kim Wybenga, our Business Services Consultants; Tobi Rossi, our Member Service & Events Assistant, and Madison Quiring our Marketing Consultant. There’s no team I’d love to work with more in our efforts to empower OUR business community!