National Support Your Local Chamber Day
THIS ARTICLE APPEARS IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
October 15, 2021
Lots of excitement at the chamber as we prepare to celebrate you, our members, and “National Support Your Local Chamber Day” on Wednesday, October 20 at Steakhouse 89, 2620 W State Route 89A.
You are invited to join our Board members, chamber partners and staff for appetizers, music and cash bar from 5-7 p.m. You may be surprised to learn the many ways the chamber is making an impact and how you can be effective as a member, too. No chamber membership is required and no pressure, though. It’s all about connecting for a few relaxing hours.
Already a member? Thank you, and I invite you to bring a potential partner to make new connections. Space is limited to seventy guests, and we are filling up fast. Register today at sedonachamber.com/chamber-events.
Our mixer is not the only “Support Your Local Chamber Day” event next Wednesday. I will also publicly share our FY21 Annual Report live online at 8:30 a.m. Relax at home with your favorite coffee or tea and join me for a 30-minute review of the last fiscal year, and how the chamber is helping make Sedona a better place to live, work, play, visit and do business. I think you will be amazed at how our “3C” philosophy of catalyzing business growth, convening leaders and stakeholders, and championing a thriving community is getting results on the issues Sedonans care about most, such as education, the business of outdoor recreation, short term rentals, transit, workforce and workforce housing. The presentation is free. Register at sedonachamber.com/chamber-events.
Of course, you are always welcome to join the chamber and our more than 725 partners who represent the voice of business in West Sedona, Uptown, South Sedona, unincorporated Cornville, Oak Creek Canyon, the Village of Oak Creek and the greater Verde Valley. As the Official Destination Management organization for Sedona, we are working to disperse visitation and tourism’s economic benefits throughout the Valley and Northern Arizona – including Flagstaff and Grand Canyon – as we strive to balance our thriving visitor economy with environmental preservation and resident quality of life.
We recently helped spearhead the Red Rock OHV Conservation Crew (RROCC), a coalition of a dozen private businesses from Cottonwood to Flagstaff who are taking on the concerns about Off-Highway Vehicle usage on our public lands. RROCC’s first meeting came on the heels of another community dialogue we co-convened with the Sedona Lodging Council at Yavapai College addressing the impacts of short-term rentals.
Other items we are tracking: our federal government raised its debt ceiling to avoid shutdown while the debate over a massive infrastructure bill continues. President Biden officially recognized October 11 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and he restored three national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah. International travel to the European Union and UK is set to resume in November. The increase in Delta variant cases has caused cancellation of Oktoberfest, Uptown Trick or Treat, and Tlaquepaque’s Day of the Dead. Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID, we are not out of the woods yet.
I hope to see you Wednesday evening at Steakhouse 89 and online for my morning presentation. You are also welcome at my new monthly one-hour morning “CEO Coffee Talks” at our chamber offices, an open get together where anyone can share perspectives on the issues of the day. Check our website for upcoming dates. Coffee and tasty treats are on me!
-Candace Carr Strauss,
President/CEO