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Upcoming Events


Wednesday, April 10th
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin Mixer 5:00-7:00pm

Wednesday, April 24th
Bite of Reality Financial Literacy Program 8:30am-11:30am

Wednesday, May 8th
-
Excellence in Education Recognitions at Cornish and Carey Commercial 5:00-7:00pm

Thursday, May 16th
-
Right at Home Ribbon Cutting 5:00-7:00pm

Tuesday, May 21st
-
European Wax Center Ribbon Cutting 5:00-7:00pm

Click here for detailed calendar.


In this Issue
Message from the President and CEO

Workforce Housing is Critical to Our Economy

A recent public meeting at a neighborhood community center in San Rafael drew over 500 people, some to attend the meeting and some to protest it. Police were present to maintain order. The topic of the meeting: Affordable Housing. With the current housing inventory crunch and proposed development projects like Marinwood, Grady Ranch and others across Marin County, this subject has again taken center stage in Marin and the North Bay.
more ->

Rick Wells
President and CEO
 

Leaders Circle Spotlight

Cal-Pox

Cal-Pox, Inc. is a Marin based family owned real estate development company that has been a member of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce for 40 years. The company has its origins in San Quentin Disposal, the city’s former landfill and one of Cal-Pox founder Martin Bramante’s first acquisitions. Martin acquired the disposal site in 1967 and operated the landfill for twenty years, closing it in 1987 to develop Shoreline Center.  more ->
 


San Francisco Chronicle
Hearst Media Services is your gateway to the best, results-driven marketing tools available today. It’s home of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most-read newspaper and most-visited local news and info site – The San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com.  more ->
 


San Geronimo Golf Course

There are three new fund raising events planned for San Geronimo Golf Course this year. First up is a unique event set for July 19; the Marin Million Dollar Fantasy Golf Vacation Shootout benefiting the San Francisco Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Every hole will offer every player an opportunity to win an exciting golf vacation, and one player will earn the chance to win $1,000,000.  more ->
 
Strengthening the Local Economy

Committee of the Month:
Membership Development Committee


The Membership Development Committee plays a key role in the retention of our chamber members. At their monthly meetings, they call and thank members for their continued investment and ask how the chamber can be a greater value to them. The committee also notifies members about current programs and benefits that the chamber offers and updates the business on the Chamber’s core competencies. Recently, the Membership Development Committee created a Membership Referral Program that can be financially rewarding to our members and their referrals. For each new business which you refer and joins our chamber, we will issue you a check for $50 and the new member’s one time administrative fee is reduced $50.   

For more information on the Membership Referral Program please click here.

For more information or to get involved with a Chamber committee, please click here.
 




Committee Roster: Laura Bertolli, Bertolli's Auto Body Repair; Rick Wells, San Rafael Chamber; Mark Schmidt, Unicorn Group; Becky Pryce, Pryce International and Vicky Smirnoff, VYS Strategic Solutions



NEW! Chamber Referral Program - Get Your Membership for FREE

Want to save money this year? Refer businesses to the Chamber and you could receive your entire membership for FREE... Really!

Click here for more details.
 


Add Member2Member Discount Plan Into Your Business Strategy for 2013

The San Rafael Chamber Member2Member Discount Savings Program supports our Chamber members' businesses and keeps shopping dollars in our Community. More businesses are signing up every day - we have over 75 businesses offering significant discounts right now! Members can sign-up for free.
 
Member2Member Spotlight:

Mountain Mike's Pizza - 20% discount on pizzas!

View All Member2Member Deals
 
Representing Business to Government

How will The Affordable Care Act impact you
 
Chamber News

Congratulations to the 2013 San Rafael Businesses of the Year!

Roots of Peace, Large Business of the Year



Il Davide, Small Business of the Year



California Film Institute, Joe Garbarino Green Business of the Year



The winners were announced at the annual State of the City Awards dinner on March 14th at the Embassy Suites, where a sold-out crowd of 350+ business leaders, government officials and company CEOs gathered to celebrate the most outstanding businesses of the year and to hear Mayor Gary Phillips’ in-depth review of the state of San Rafael. Guests were also able to dine around Marin in one night, enjoying culinary samples of Chamber member restaurants.
 


Website Banner Ads Now Available - Drive Traffic to Your Business

Sign up NOW for a banner ad and get 2 Months FREE. Sponsorships start at just $125/year!

Click HERE to get started.
 


Required 2013 Employment Posters Now Available - Avoid Unnecessary Fines!


Your business MUST post a compliant Employment Poster in a conspicuous place in the workplace where all employees and applicants can see it. The poster also must include information about your workers’ compensation benefits, payday schedule and emergency contacts.

Click here to download the order form.
 


Education Committee Recognizes Educator of the Month


The San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Education Committee recently selected educator, Kim Goodhope as one of the recipients of the San Rafael Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Education Awards for 2012-2103

Kim is a third grade teacher at Glenwood Elementary School with 11 years experience in education. Her outstanding contribution is Personal Involvement and Leadership. more ->

March Educator of the Month is sponsored by Minuteman Press.
 

Downtown News

  • B.I.D. Expansion - public meeting set for May 6th  more ->
  • Farmers Market Season Opens  more ->
     
Green Business News

  • Latest GreenUp Newsletter from the San Rafael Chamber Green Business Committee  more ->
     
City and County News

  • Setting Speed Limits in Our Streets  more ->
  • Climate Action Plan 2013 Priorities  more ->
  • Second Installment of Property Taxes Due  more ->
  • Marin Ranked Healthiest County in California Again  more ->
     
Promoting and Connecting the Community

Marin History Museum & Bonhams Host 2nd Annual Appraisal Day - On Friday April 12th from 10 AM- 2:30 PM, the North Bay will be fortunate to have, once again, the largest auctioneers and valuers on Marin soil. more ->

Redwood Credit Union Presents 'A Bite of Reality' - Financial Planning for Teens - The Bite of Reality is a 3-hour program intended to teach high school students about the financial realities of the real world. more ->

Admirals and Pacifics Announce Pre-season Exhibition Game - The 2012 North American League Champion San Rafael Pacifics and the newly formed Vallejo Admirals will square off in a pre-season exhibition
game at 1pm on April 6th at Vallejo’s historic Wilson Park. more ->

Bank of Marin Donates $25K to SchoolsRule-Marin - Bank of Marin has continued its strong history of supporting education as a major philanthropic initiative with the announcement of a $25,000 contribution to SchoolsRule-Marin. more ->

A New Home for WildCare - After an extensive multi-year search, WildCare, Marin County’s only Wildlife Hospital and Environmental Education Center, has signed a long- term lease to relocate to a site on the Silveira Ranch property in San Rafael. more ->
 

Chamber Members

NEW MEMBERS

APRIL MEMBER MILESTONES


34 YEAR MEMBER
Mertel Carpets

20-29 Year Members
  • Delicious, Inc.
  • Catholic Charities CYO
  • John Eells Consulting Services
15-19 Year Members
  • Drake Terrace
  • San Francisco Chronicle - SF Gate
  • Mulberry Street Pizzeria
  • Building Care Systems
  • McInnis Park Golf Center
  • Putney Financial Group-RIA
10-14 Year Members
  • Taylor's House of Karate
  • Roots of Peace
     


5-9 Year Members
  • Alma Via San Rafael
  • Interstate Storage
  • Bradley Real Estate
1-4 Year Members
  • Liquid Marin
  • Cornish & Carey Commercial Newmark Knight Frank
  • Marin County Employer Advisory Council
  • Optique de Fleur Opticians
  • Transportation Authority of Marin
  • Mountain Play Association
  • Oce North America a Canon Group Company
  • Meridian Commercial Real Estate
  • Fenix Entertainment Group, LLC
  • MarinEyes
  • Dolores Cordell, Employment Law Attorney
  • First Bank
  • Marin Law Center
  • MINI of Marin
  • Johann Paul Jewelers
  • StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc.
  • Zero Breast Cancer
     
About Us
Emily Maloney
Office Manager

Joanne Webster
Director of Marketing and
Community Promotion

Leonard Weingarten
Business Development

Rick Wells
President and CEO

Our Core Values - Strengthening the Local Economy, Promoting and Connecting the Community, Providing Quality Networking Opportunities, Representing Business to Government, �Political Action.�Find out�about how to join the Chamber.