* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [Special Commission Meetings on September 23, 2025.]
          [00:00:05]
           WORKSHOP, THE EEC BUILDING ONE. 
          AND, UH, AS FAR AS ON THE CITY SIDE, UM, WE STILL HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER NAVARRO AND COMMISSIONER ON THE A C SIDE. 
          UH, EVERYONE'S HERE EXCEPT FOR MR. GAVA, AND MS. ES WILL BE LATE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, MAYOR, UH, COMMISSIONER GUNMAN DID CALL. 
          HE'S RUNNING LATE, BUT HE'LL BE OKAY. 
          UH, WANT TAKE IT? SURE. 
          UH, FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME KIM FOLKS AND ALL THE STAFF WORKING BOARD MEMBERS. 
          UM, ITEM FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION IS OUR WORKSHOP. 
          UH, NO, NO, BECAUSE WORKSHOP. 
          THAT'S A WORKSHOP. 
          OKAY. 
          YEAH. 
          WE'LL DISPENSE WITH THE FORMALITIES AT THIS POINT. 
          SO IT'S DISCUSSION ON 70 EC SPONSORSHIP, AND HE PERFORMED THIS INDICATORS TO ENHANCE ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS, BOARD MEMBERS, UH, MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER, AS Y'ALL RECALL. 
          YOU KNOW, UH, WE TRIED TO, UM, ENHANCE OUR RELATIONSHIP NOT ONLY WITH, UH, THE CITY AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, BUT ALSO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          WE FEEL LIKE, UH, THE RELATIONSHIP IS CRUCIAL FOR ALL OF OUR SUCCESS. 
          I THINK THE CHAMBER, UM, WORKS REALLY HARD AT WHAT THEY DO, AND I THINK, UH, ONE OF THE, THE KEY FACTORS IS HOW CAN WE PROVIDE MORE CONGRUENCY BETWEEN WHAT YOU ALL DO, NOT ONLY FROM A, FROM A FUNDRAISING STANDPOINT, BUT ALSO HOW WE CAN DOUBLE DOWN AND, AND ACTUALLY, UH, WORK TOGETHER FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND I THINK IT IS, WE NEED TO DO A LITTLE CHAMBER WORK, AND YOU ALL NEED TO DO A LITTLE EDC WORK. 
          AND I THINK ONCE THOSE TWO MEET, UH, THE SUCCESS WILL COME. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO OPEN IT UP AT THIS POINT, I THINK FOR SOME, FOR SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE, FROM THE COMMISSION OR FROM THE BOARD MEMBERS. 
          AND AGAIN, WELCOME ALL OF YOU ALL HERE, UH, THAT REPRESENT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          AT THIS POINT, I GUESS WE COULD HAVE A, A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCUSSION. 
          THEN WE GO INTO SOME OF THE, THE, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DISCUSS FROM A, FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE STANDPOINT, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO WORK FOR BOTH ENTITIES OR ALL ENTITIES CONCERNS. 
          SO OPEN IT UP AT THIS POINT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I, I, THIS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS, KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, KPIS, UM, AND SO THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. 
          WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          AND WE WANT TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION. 
          WE, WE, AGAIN, I COME IN TO EVERYBODY THEY'RE DOING, BUT, BUT AS WE'VE SEEN, I THINK THAT THE CITY CAN CONTINUE TO, WE'RE AT THE CUSP OF SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS. 
          AND SO WE JUST NEED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER, KIND OF ROLLING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY'S GOOD AND WE WANT TO DO THAT. 
          UM, WHEN, WHEN WE TALK KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT COME TO MY MIND, AND I'M GOING TO KIND OF POINT MY FINGER TO EDC RIGHT NOW FOR THE MOST PART. 
          UM, AND AS TO, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE JOB CREATION AND KIND OF WHAT, WHAT KIND OF STUFF ARE WE DOING? BUSINESS GROWTH. 
          AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT HOW MANY OF THESE THINGS ACTUALLY FIT IN BOTH THE CATEGORIES OF THE, OF THE, UH, EDC AND IN THE, AND IN THE CHAMBER, I THINK THAT'S WHERE, WHERE WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT. 
          UM, INVESTMENT ATTRACTION. 
          I MEAN, YEAH, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AS AN EDC THING, BUT IT, BUT THE CHAMBER, YOU KNOW, HELPS US TO, TO SHOW THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN WHAT WE DO. 
          UM, TAX, TAX BASE EXPANSION, UM, THAT BECOMES IMPORTANT. 
          PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO MOVE HERE. 
          PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO MOVE HERE, THEN WE DON'T EXPAND OUR TAX RATE. 
          WE'RE SEEING THAT HAPPEN RIGHT NOW WITH A LOT OF, UH, NEW RESIDUE, UH, RESIDENTIAL LOTS AND BUSINESSES OPENING, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          SO AGAIN, AN EDC AND A CHANGE OF TYPE OF, OF AN ACTIVITY, UH, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT, UH, TOURISM ACTIVITY, RETAIL SALES GROWTH, BUSINESS RETENTION. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS RETENTION BECOMES SOMETHING TOO THAT BECOMES REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, FOR BOTH, UM, 
          [00:05:01]
EDUCATION, THE WORKFORCE EDUCATION, THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BECOME ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS IN MY MIND AS WELL, RIGHT NOW, I, I LOOK AT SOME OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND I THINK, OKAY, HOW MUCH HELP THAT THEY CAN REALLY USE, UM, IN TERMS OF, OKAY, MAYBE IT'S A, A, UM, UH, A, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? THE, UH, THE PERSON ON THE FRONT COUNTER. 
          YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WHO, WHO TALKS TO GUESTS, THE, THE, UH, THE PERSON THERE. 
          UH, THEY NEED, THEY NEED TRAINING. 
          YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE NEED, UH, HOSPITALITY, HOSPITALITY TRAINING, YOU KNOW, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          THEY NEED HELP PROBABLY WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, FINANCES AND QUICKBOOKS HELP MAYBE WITH THE, UH, LOAN LOANS OR LENDING OR THAT KIND MEAN, THERE'S JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT AREAS THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE TRACKABLE, UH, AND BECOME REALLY GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT. 
          UM, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS, THIS, THIS ENTITY NEXT DOOR HERE, UH, IN THIS BUILDING, WHICH IS U-T-R-G-V TYPE OF THING. 
          I JUST SAW AN EMAIL IN THE CITY THAT WHERE THEY'RE TOUTING THEIR SUCCESSES IN OTHER AREAS. 
          AND I DON'T SEE SANTO ON THAT LIST, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE THIS OFFICE RIGHT NEXT DOOR, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER TO ENHANCE THAT? HOW DO WE USE THAT? AND, AND HOW ARE WE, UH, I, I'M NOT SEEING A REPORT ON THAT, BUT I'D LOVE TO SEE A REPORT ON ACTIVITY THERE. 
          AND WE'RE NOT SEEING ANY ACTIVITY THERE. 
          AND WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO TO BRING MORE ACTIVITY TO HELP? THERE'S JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS HERE, FOLKS, AND I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO OPEN THE DISCUSSION AND WHAT WE, WHAT WE THINK WE CAN DO, AND WHERE ARE WE GOING HERE? I THINK WE'VE LAID OUT THAT AS A CITY, WE BEGAN TO LAY OUT A VISION PRETTY WELL AS CITY LEADERS. 
          AS THE CITY COMMISSION, WE BEGAN TO LAY OUT A VISION PRETTY WELL OF, OF WHERE IT IS WE THINK WE WANT TO GO. 
          UH, WE'VE GOT, UH, LOGO AND BRAND CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING. 
          UM, WE'VE GOT, WE'RE STARTING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, I'M SAY, I SAID THIS EARLIER TODAY WITH SOME BOAT, AND YOU SAID IT MANY TIMES. 
          I'LL SAY IT AGAIN. 
          IN, IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT AND, AND COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT. 
          IF YOU THINK OF SHOPPING, WHERE DO YOU GO? THERE WE GO, RIGHT? WE SHOPPING THERE. 
          WHEN YOU THINK IN TERMS OF IN INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW, AND INDUSTRIAL TYPE THINGS, YOU MIGHT GO TO THE PORT OF BROWNSVILLE. 
          WHEN YOU START THINKING OF VACATION, YOU GO TO THE ISLAND AND YOU START THINKING ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST OTHER AREAS, EDUCATION. 
          WHERE DO YOU GO? YOU GO TO EDINBURGH. 
          SO WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE TO SAN JUAN? WHAT, WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE HERE AND WHAT BRINGS PEOPLE HERE? AND WHAT WE, IN MY OPINION, AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS IS THAT SOUL OF SOUTH TEXAS KIND OF IDEA WHERE WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR HISTORY, AND WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR HERITAGE. 
          WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT, WHAT WE, WE HAVE ALL KNOWN ALL OUR LIVES AND ARE JUST KIND OF AROUND. 
          AND I SAY ALL THIS STUFF. 
          I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 35 YEARS. 
          SO IT, IT, WE'VE SEEN THAT KIND OF STUFF. 
          SO HOW DO WE TAKE ADVANTAGE? HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER TO REALLY MAKE THIS, THIS COMMUNITY START TO REALLY THRIVE AND, AND ATTRACT PEOPLE TO THEM? BRING PEOPLE IN. 
          SO I'M, I'M JUST, THAT'S KIND OF THE VISION THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW. 
          AND, AND TO ME, IT'S THE MUSIC, IT'S THE, IT'S THE CULTURE. 
          IT'S THE WAY OF LIFE. 
          IT'S , IT'S THE, YOU KNOW, IT'S EVEN THE, YOU KNOW, THE FREIGHT VENDORS, THE TERRY CROCKETTS FROM THE MUSIC STANDPOINT, BUT IT ALSO GOES EVEN DEEPER THAN THAT. 
          I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY PEOPLE WE RUN INTO ALL. 
          THEY RAN INTO ANOTHER ONE TODAY. 
          OH, YEAH. 
          I WAS, I WAS, I WAS BORN IN SAN, SO MANY PEOPLE FROM HERE, THERE'S NO, WE SHOULD HAVE GREAT, GREAT PRIDE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHO WE ARE IN OUR HERITAGE, AND WE REALLY CAN BUILD ON IT. 
          SO I'LL, I'LL SLOW IN. 
          I'M GLAD, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP SOME THOSE, UH, ISSUES AS FAR AS THE ECONOMIC, UH, DEVELOPMENT SIDE. 
          UH, AND I THINK WHERE THE CHAMBER CAN HELP US IS IN EDUCATING AND PROMOTING THE BUSINESSES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE HERE. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, WE, I, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA SOUND BAD, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T MEAN IT IN A BAD WAY, BUT IF WE'RE GIVING MONEY TO ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP IT, IT, WE'D LIKE TO SEE SOME KIND OF RETURN. 
          IT'S NOT JUST FOR DONATIONS OR FOR, FOR FUNDRAISERS. 
          WE WANT TO HELP THAT ORGANIZATION, HELP OTHER BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITY TO PROSPER AND GROW. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT HAVING OUR, OUR MONEY GO TO FUNDRAISER AND FOR US TO BUY A TABLE, FOR US TO, TO SET THAT AN GOAL. 
          THAT'S SHOULDN'T BE PART OF THE, THE GOAL. 
          THE GOAL IS TO BUILD BUSINESS AND PROMOTE BUSINESS AND EXPAND BUSINESS, UH, ON, ON BOTH SIDES. 
          UM, I, I, I LIKE TO CHIME IN A LITTLE BIT ON THAT. 
          YOU KNOW, MAYOR , 
          [00:10:01]
UH, GOODMAN, EVERYTHING YOU JUST STATED IS ACTUALLY THE MISSION STATEMENT FOR EDC, NOT FOR THE CHAMBER. 
          UM, I COULD READ IT VERBATIM 'CAUSE IT ALMOST SOUNDS REALLY GOOD, . 
          UM, I, I THINK WE CAN WORK TOGETHER WITH THE CHAMBERS AND COLLABORATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          BUT ON YOUR POINT, UM, QUE TOO, YOU TALK ABOUT US GIVING MONEY AND WANTING TO SEE SOMETHING IN RETURN. 
          WE JUST GAVE OUT A MILLION DOLLARS AND DIDN'T EVEN SEE HALF OF OUR RETURN BACK. 
          AND WE COULD SIT HERE AND SAY THAT WE GOTTA SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY. 
          THAT'S NOT TRUE. 
          SO, AS POINT ON THAT, UNTIL WE SUPPORT, WE'VE ALREADY SEEN SOME OF IT FOR THEM SUPPORTING THE BUSINESSES. 
          WE SEE THAT ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          UM, I'VE GONE WITH THEM TO THE, I LOVE SB, THE RESTAURANTS THAT THEY DO, THEY SHOWCASE EVERY MONTH GO TO. 
          UM, AGAIN, IT IS UP TO US TO BE INVOLVED, COLLABORATE WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE MAYBE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE CHAMBER, IF YOU COULD, IF YOU HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT, COME UP AND SAY WHAT YOUR MISSION STATEMENT IS, UM, THAT WAY WE COULD KNOW WHERE WE GOT, WHERE WE'RE GOING FORWARD. 
          BECAUSE HERE WE'RE GONNA SAY, WELL, WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA GIVE YOU MONEY FOR FUNDRAISERS AND WHATNOT. 
          THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE. 
          I MEAN, THEY GET MEMBERSHIPS. 
          I, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT THEY'VE GROWN IN THE PAST, WHAT, THREE, FIVE YEARS. 
          THEIR MEMBERSHIPS. 
          UM, THEY DO EVENTS AT LEAST FOUR A YEAR. 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS DO TO HELP PROMOTE THE CITY. 
          I KNOW YOU DO. 
          YEAH. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE DO. 
          WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS WORKSHOP. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
          I WAS MORE COMFORTABLE HERE. 
          . 
          I CAN DRIVE IT OVER THERE IF YOU WANT. 
          NO, IT'S ALL RIGHT. 
          OH, TONY, ROLLING WITH THE SLEEVES. 
          LIKE I SAID, FIRST I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS WORKSHOP. 
          WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET TOGETHER WITH THE CITY AND THE EDC FOR QUITE SOME TIME TO COORDINATE SOME KIND OF A, A UNION SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. 
          AND THAT'S WHY YOU CAN SEE MY, I HAVE SEVERAL OF MY DIRECTORS HERE, AND OUR PURPOSE IS TO BE HERE TO SHOW YOU THAT WE DO WANNA WORK WITH EDC AND WITH THE CITY. 
          OKAY? THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE IN, IN TERMS OF OURS, UM, WORKING FOR THE CITY, WE DO A LOT. 
          I MEAN, I CAN SHOW YOU A LIST OF JUST WHAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR. 
          WE'VE ATTENDED SO MANY GROUNDBREAKINGS FOR THE CITY, SO MANY RIBBON CUTTINGS FOR THE CITY. 
          I CAN'T EVEN, I MEAN, LIST IT. 
          WE DO A LOT OF EVENTS THAT INVOLVES THE CITY. 
          WE ATTEND THE HOG WATER. 
          WE ATTEND AKA FEST. 
          WE, WE NOT ONLY, UH, PROMOTE THOSE, THOSE EVENTS THAT LIKE THE PARAGRAPHS, WE PROMOTE EVERYTHING FOR YOU. 
          WE ATTEND, WE PARTICIPATE. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO WITH THE EVENTS THAT WE, THAT YOU HAVE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT ALL THE STUFF THAT WE DO. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS JUST A LIST. 
          THERE'S LIKE THREE PAGES BACK AND FORTH OF ALL THE THINGS WE'VE DONE, JUST THE BEGINNING, BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MONEY. 
          YOU GIVING US MONEY. 
          WE DO A LOT FOR THAT MONEY BECAUSE WE PROMOTE YOU IN EVERYTHING. 
          WE ARE THERE FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO. 
          WE ATTEND AND WE BRING IN PEOPLE AS WELL. 
          AND WE'RE WILLING TO DO THAT. 
          I MEAN, WE'LL DO THAT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT OUR, OUR OUR, THAT'S WHAT THE CHAMBER DOES FOR THE CITY. 
          YOU KNOW, OUR WHOLE THING IS THAT THE CHAMBER'S SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE CITY AND PROMOTE THE CITY, WHICH WE THINK THAT WE DO. 
          YES, THERE IS MORE THAT WE CAN DO WITH YOU, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ON HOW WE CAN DO THIS TOGETHER. 
          BECAUSE I HAVE ONE EMPLOYEE, SHE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING. 
          WE HAVE A GREAT BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT REALLY, REALLY WORK HARD TO PROMOTE THE CITY BECAUSE WE ALL LOVE SAN DIEGO. 
          WE GREW UP HERE AND WE LIVE HERE, AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE THAN WE WANT TO SEE SAN BETO GROW AND PROSPER. 
          UH, SO WE ARE HERE FOR THAT. 
          UM, WE'RE WILLING TO SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS. 
          I HAVE REVIEWED WHAT MR. GOODMAN TALKS ABOUT HIS, HIS KPIS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, AT FIRST I WAS KIND OF HESITANT, BUT I HAD LOOKED INTO IT, AND IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT. 
          BUT I THINK, I THINK IT'LL HELP THE CHAMBER, IT'LL HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE WE NEED TO WORK MORE. 
          DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW TO HELP YOU, BUT I THINK IT'LL HELP US. 
          UM, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE. 
          WE'RE READY TO LISTEN TO YOU TO SEE WHAT WE NEED TO DO. 
          OF COURSE, I THINK THAT WITH THESE KPIS, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE MORE THAN ONE EMPLOYEE TO DO ALL THIS. 
          WE NEED MORE HELP, WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES FOR. 
          THAT'S WHERE WE, THAT'S WHERE WE STAND. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHERE WE, WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT. 
          AND, AND THAT'S BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE DO HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. 
          [00:15:01]
BUT, AND, AND, AND THERE ARE OTHER THINGS. 
          WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT IT, AND I KNOW FRIENDS TALKED ABOUT IT IN THE PAST, EVERYBODY IS, OKAY, YOU NEED MORE EMPLOYEES. 
          GREAT. 
          BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT THOSE EMPLOYEES WILL BE DOING. 
          AND THAT'S, AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE QUESTION BECOMES, IS HOW DOES THAT HELP YOU IN THIS? AND HOW, HOW DOES IT HELP US? WELL, I THINK IF WE GET ANOTHER EMPLOYEE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO ALL YOUR KEY KPIS YOU WANT, WHICH WILL HELP BOTH OF US. 
          PLUS IT'LL HELP, UH, HELP US WORK CLOSER WITH EDC CITY TO SEE WHAT OTHER THINGS WE CAN JOIN IN WORKSHOPS OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU, WE THINK NEED. 
          WELL, I, I'M SORRY IF IF MY DISCUSSION OF KPIS COME ACROSS OFFENSIVE, IT'S NOT INTENDED. 
          NO, IT'S NOT. 
          IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T AFFECT ME. 
          AND, AND IT IS JUST, I'M SIMPLY LOOKING AT MEASUREMENTS OF, OF GROWTH. 
          THAT'S ALL IT REALLY IS. 
          MEASUREMENTS OF HOW WE CAN, HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND WHAT IT IS THAT WE CAN DO, AND WHAT SHOWS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING WELL TOGETHER. 
          I MEAN, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY ENTITY OUT THERE. 
          I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THE CITY TOO, TO MEASURE, YOU KNOW, PROGRESS AND SUCCESSES. 
          WE SEE CORE REPORTS. 
          AND SO WHAT, WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU GUYS, DO YOU NEED US TO TELL YOU WHAT IT IS WE WANT DONE? OR DO YOU HAVE THINGS YOU WANT TO, I MEAN, WHAT IS IT YOU SEE YOUR, WELL, I'D LIKE TO SEE, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU WANT FROM US. 
          SO FROM MY LINE OF WORK IS ANYTHING THAT'S MEASURABLE IN THIS CASE WOULD BE THE TAX REVENUE REVIEW AMOUNT OF BUSINESSES I HAVE BEEN REACHED OUT TO FOR AMOUNT OF NEW BUSINESS THAT HAVE BEEN OPEN WITHIN THE LAST SIX MONTHS. 
          OR AS EASY AS HOW MANY FOLLOWERS WE HAVE ON FACEBOOK. 
          SO I DO, I DON'T HAVE FACEBOOK. 
          I'M NOT BIG ON THAT, BUT I CAN HAVE A LITTLE BURN IN THERE TOO. 
          WE CAN LOOK AT, AT THE ACCOUNT. 
          SO I DO SEE THE POST BOOK FROM THE EDC AND THE THEN AND THE CHAMBER. 
          AND THERE'S GREAT ACTIVITY. 
          THERE'S GREAT COMMENTS. 
          THERE'S IT, IT IS THERE. 
          SO IF NOW WE'RE HERE IN A WORKSHOP, LET'S SET A KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR TO GET, OUR POPULATION IS ABOUT WHAT, 24,000. 
          THE FOLLOWERS OF THE CHAMBERS IS 7,000. 
          AND WE GET IT UP TO 10, THAT'S HALF THE POPULATION AND WE GET IT UP TO 11. 
          THAT'S MORE THAN HALF. 
          THAT'S OTHER PEOPLE FROM OTHER REGIONS LOOKING AT IT. 
          THAT'S MORE PEOPLE COMING TO US AS A CITY. 
          YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO, AS KPI, WE CAN START THERE. 
          SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT IS CRAZY. 
          THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE MOVING IN WITH ALL NEW, NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE GONNA BE EARLY THIRTIES, LATE TWENTIES. 
          I PERSONALLY LIVE IN A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, THERE BY BROADWAY. 
          IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND MY AGE, LATE TWENTIES COMING IN. 
          WE JUST HAVEN ONLY BEEN HERE THREE YEARS. 
          I LOVE IT. 
          PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HERE 35 YEARS. 
          PEOPLE LIVE IN HERE ALL THEIR LIVES. 
          IT'S GREAT COMMUNITY. 
          SO WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLE FROM INDICATORS, I WOULD LIKE TO SET THAT AS ONE FOR BOTH THE VC AND THE CHAMBER. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF I'M COMING OUT CORRECTLY OR IF YOU GUYS ARE UNDERSTANDING, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SEE AS BOARD MEMBER, AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY THAT'S GROWING. 
          AND IF WE, I LIKE TO ANALYZE, I'LL GET INTO IT, BUT ANALYZE THE POPULATION THAT WE DO HAVE. 
          HOW MANY ARE, YOU KNOW, 40 TO 60, 20 AND 30? AND HOW MANY ARE, ARE ARE YOUNGER? 'CAUSE THAT'S THE MORE, THE YOUNGER PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE, WE WANT 'EM TO STAY HERE, YOU KNOW, GO FIND DOGS, YOU KNOW, I'LL GET INTO IT. 
          BUT THAT'S BASICALLY IT. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. 
          YOU WANNA START WITH WHICH OBJECTIVE? UM, LET'S START WITH SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          OKAY. 
          INCREASE MAYBE 5% FROM HERE TO END THE YEAR. 
          2%. 
          AND ACTUALLY HOW MANY, HOW MANY VIEWERS DO WE HAVE IN SOCIAL MEDIA? SEVEN. 
          NO, WELL, THAT'S FOLLOWERS. 
          FOLLOWERS. 
          OH, 4,300. 
          SAY THAT LOUDER. 
          194,000. 
          WE HAD 194,000 VIEWERS OR HITS ON. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN MONITOR BOTH AS NBC, BECAUSE WE CAN MONITOR OUR C AS WELL TO SEE THE GROWTH OF HOW MANY, HOW, HOW MANY EYES DOES SOMEBODY HAVE IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD. 
          AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ACTIVITY WITH THE CHAMBER. 
          WE DO A LOT OF EVENTS. 
          YOU'LL SEE US EVERYWHERE. 
          AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SO MANY VIEWERS. 
          WE ALSO, IF I MAY SAY, SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT USED TO LIVE HERE THAT NOW LIVE EVERYWHERE ARE FOLLOWING US IN. 
          SOME COME DOWN MANY. 
          CAN YOU COME TO TOO FAR MY MOUTH? YEAH. 
          TOO FAR AWAY AND THAT'S RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          NO, I WAS GONNA SAY, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF FOLLOWERS THAT ARE FROM, SORRY, PEOPLE THAT WERE BORN AND WENT TO SCHOOL, RAISED IN SANTO, BUT NOW LIVE OUTSIDE OF SAN THAT DO COME TO, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, BAR DAYS DURING CHRISTMAS TIME, THEY'LL COME TO OUR CASINO NIGHT. 
          SO WE DO HAVE PEOPLE THAT WORK, YOU KNOW, SALMON MEETINGS THAT STILL COME DOWN OR WHEN BUY MERCHANDISE FROM SALMON NEEDLE, WHETHER IT'S A GREYHOUND T-SHIRT OR YOU KNOW, SALMON NEEDLE T-SHIRT, YOU KNOW, OR, UM, 
          [00:20:01]
YOU KNOW, SO WE DO, WE DO CATER TO ALL THAT. 
          AS FAR AS BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, OUR DIRECTOR HAS BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB IN GOING TO VISIT ALL THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, DOES A LITTLE VIDEO ON THEM, LET THEM SEE. 
          AND THEY GOTTEN REALLY GOOD RE UM, FEEDBACK ON THAT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY HAD PEOPLE TO TELL MY, ONE OF MY COUSIN WHO HAS A SHOP ON ROBERTSON STREET THAT THEY SAW THE, A VIDEO THAT WE MADE AND IT WERE FOR MCALLEN AND CAME DOWN TO SEE, TO GO TO MARKET DAYS. 
          SO IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE PROMOTE, THAT WE DO. 
          SO WE, I SAID, WE DO HAVE FOLLOWERS FROM ALL OVER THE VALLEY, ALL OVER TEXAS, EVEN THE US. 
          THAT WAS MY GOAL. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE WE DO TRY TO PROMOTE OUR CITY, PROMOTE OUR BUSINESS, MAKE SALMON BEAUTIFUL TO THE EYES OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE. 
          I GOT FRIENDS WITH DALLAS TO SAY, I WANT MOVE TO SANTO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS SEE EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE POSTING AND Y'ALL ARE HAVING TOO MUCH FUN. 
          SALMON, THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO IN SAN MIGUEL. 
          WE MAY NOT HAVE A FANCY SPORTS TEAM OR ANYTHING, BUT IT'S LIKE, WE DO HAVE A MUSIC FOR SAN DIEGO. 
          WE DO HAVE A LITTLE ADULT MUSEUM. 
          WE HAVE LITTLE, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE LITTLE MOVIE AT NIGHT OUT IN THE CITY HATS. 
          SO WE DO PROMOTE ALL THAT. 
          WE PROMOTE THAT SAM U IS A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE AND HAVE A BUSINESS. 
          AND WE, WE DO, UH, WHAT'S IT CALLED? THE ROUND TABLE WHERE WE MEET AT DIFFERENT RESTROOM, UH, MR. MAR MENTIONED. 
          AND WE SHOW A LITTLE LOVE TO THEM. 
          SO SHOW THE CHAMBERS THERE TO SUPPORT THEM. 
          AND WE GET CITIZENS TO FOLLOW US TO GO THERE. 
          WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTING TO JOIN THE GROUP TO PARTICIPATE IN THE IHEART SANTOS SO THEY CAN SHOW OFF THE RESTAURANTS AND SHOW WE'RE THERE. 
          BUT SANTO PEOPLE ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESSES. 
          I THINK YOU ALLALL MIGHT HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT I MEANT, UM, AS FAR AS PROMOTING THAT. 
          THAT'S, I KNOW YOU DO ALL THAT. 
          THAT'S, AND, AND THAT'S VISUAL PROMOTIONS ON, ON, ON, UH, SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          BUT A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES, UH, WE TRY TO HELP THEM. 
          WE HAVE GRANTS AND, AND, AND THINGS THAT WE CAN TRY TO HELP THEM WITH FINANCIALLY. 
          AND I'VE SEEN, I MEAN, I'VE WORKED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE. 
          I'VE SEEN CHAMBERS IN OTHER CITIES, OTHER SMALL TOWNS IN LARGER TOWNS THAT NOT JUST PROMOTE THE BUSINESS, BUT THEY, THEY GET WITH THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND THEY SAY, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU HAVING A PROBLEM WITH? OR WHAT DO YOU NEED? OR WHAT, WHAT ISSUES DO YOU HAVE? YOU KNOW? AND THEN THEY'LL BRING, UH, UH, PEOPLE IN EITHER FROM UNIVERSITIES OR FROM NONPROFIT GROUPS TO TEACH THEM OR, UM, JUST TRY TO ANYTHING FROM, UH, EVALUATE THEIR STORE AND SAY, HOW CAN YOU SET YOUR STORE UP SO THAT IT'S MORE APPEALING TO THE CUSTOMER? OR, YOU KNOW, UH, WHERE CAN YOU PUT YOUR CASH REGISTER SO THAT IT IS APPEALING BUT ALSO SAFE. 
          YOU KNOW, UH, THEY DID KIND OF EDUCATIONAL THING ON HOW TO RUN THEIR BUSINESS IN A BETTER WAY. 
          UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONE COFFEE WITH THE CHAMBER AND DO THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          WE ALSO HAVE JOINED WITH SBA, HE WITH THE EDC AND, AND GIVEN WORKSHOPS. 
          AND I THINK WE HAVE ONE SCHEDULED. 
          WHAT? OH, WE HAVEN'T SCHEDULED IT YET. 
          WE HAVEN'T SCHEDULED IT YET YET. 
          I DO WANNA SAY SOMETHING. 
          SURE. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UM, I DO WANT TO, I AGREE WITH YOU, THE WORKSHOPS OF BRINGING MIDDLE SEMINARS INTO HELP BUSINESS OWNERS, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ON. 
          WE DID HAVE THE BEST HERE AT THE ABC, JULY 31ST, WHERE WE INVITED, I BELIEVE WE HAD 22 BUSINESS OWNERS COME AND JOIN US. 
          AND IT WAS A GREAT SEMINAR. 
          THEY LEARNED AN INTRODUCTION TO HOW TO START A BUSINESS, HOW TO CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN. 
          SO IT IS LITTLE SEMINAR WE DO, WE'RE TRYING TO START, WE HAVE AN INTRO TO LENDERS COMING UP BY NATURAL LITERACY TO HELP OUR BUSINESS OWNERS THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE THE TIME BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING, DURING THE DAY WHEN BUSINESSES ARE TRYING TO WORK AND GET THEIR BUSINESS, I THINK WE DO NEED TO DO IT MAYBE AFTER HOURS SO THEY CAN JOIN, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, HAVE A LARGER GROUP ATTENDING AND ATTEND. 
          AND YOU CAN TAKE A POLL FROM YOUR, FROM THE BUSINESS OWNER, YOUR MEMBERS, AND ASK THEM WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO GET TOGETHER AND, AND, YOU KNOW, DO THIS AND, AND JUST KIND OF SET 'EM UP IN THAT WAY. 
          BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, THAT, THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN LACKING FOR SO MANY YEARS. 
          UH, BUT IF YOU'RE STARTING TO DO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS. 
          THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO WORK TOWARDS. 
          AND, AND AS FAR AS THE EDC, I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE GRANTS, YOU KNOW, TO FIX UP THE FRONT OF THE STORE, WHATEVER IT IS. 
          AND I KNOW THAT AT ONE TIME WE 
          [00:25:01]
REQUESTED THAT YOU PROVIDED THAT INFORMATION SO WE WOULD HAVE IT AVAILABLE TO GIVE TO PEOPLE. 
          SO WHEN THEY CAME TO THE CHAMBER AND ASKED, WELL, WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO THE, TO THE BUSINESSES, BUT WE'VE NEVER BEEN PROVIDED WITH ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED FOR THAT. 
          AND IF WE HAVE THAT, I THINK THAT'LL HELP THE EC AND, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT, YEAH. 
          SO WE CAN WORK ON, ON, ON BOTH OF THOSE ISSUES AND TRYING TO GET, WE JUST HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHEN WE'RE, UM, TALKING ABOUT PROGRAMS AND SO FORTH, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS CAN CHANGE, RIGHT? BUT THOSE THINGS TO DO IS JUST TO REFER THEM OVER TO EC2 MODULE. 
          MAYBE YOU CAN, MAYBE MARIO CAN SHARE SOME OF HIS BUSINESS CARDS, SO THAT WAY WHEN YOU DO GO OUT TO A VENDOR, YOU'RE ABLE TO GIVE HIM THAT INFORMATION. 
          MAYBE SOMETHING'S FINE. 
          I'M NOT SURE IF MARIO CAN CREATE SOMETHING. 
          BUT I, I HATE TO SAY AND GET INVOLVED WITH, UH, ANY TYPE OF PROGRAMS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE ONE THAT HANDLES THEM. 
          SOMETIMES THEY'RE ONGOING AND SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT. 
          SO WE NEED TO GIVE VENDORS STRONG INFORMATION AND THEN THEY CAN UPSET US. 
          I THINK AS LONG AS YOU STAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH US AND, AND, AND CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY AND TAKE THIS PROGRAM STILL ACTIVE, WE'RE HAS IT CHANGE. 
          YOU KNOW? AND IT IS JUST, THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT HERE IN SANTO, WE'VE JUST HAD SUCH A POOR, UH, WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER, WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, UH, AND, AND GROUPS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE CITY. 
          THE, THE COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO IMPROVE DRASTICALLY. 
          WELL, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR A, AN ACTIVITY SCHEDULE OF YOUR RIBBON CUTTINGS AND SO FORTH. 
          AND UP TO NOW, I DON'T THINK I'VE RECEIVED ONE. 
          SO I'M NOT SURE THAT'S A SIMPLE THING TO COMPLETE TASK, I THINK TO COMPLETE. 
          IF YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR CALENDAR, UM, YOU NEED TO GIVE US A COPY OF IT. 
          SO THAT'S MY, AND EITHER OR, UM, THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND GIVE US A COPY AND GIVE LESS STUPID SO THAT WE CAN, WE CAN BE BETTER PREPARED. 
          NOT THAT I'M BEING CALLED AT THE LAST MINUTE AND I HAVE THINGS TO DO AND I TRY TO GET, I TRY TO ATTEND THEM, BUT I NEED TO KNOW THAT AHEAD OF TIME. 
          IT DOES. 
          I WORK ON A SCHEDULE AND SO I NEED TO, TO DO THAT IF EVERYONE'S THERE IN ATTENDANCE. 
          UH, BUT YEAH, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I'VE BEEN NOTIFIED AN HOUR BEFORE AND I'M, I'M DOING SOMETHING ELSE, OR I'M SEEING IT ON FACEBOOK THAT IT'S HAPPENING. 
          SO IT'S VERY CONCERNING TO ME THAT WE'RE NOT TALKING OR COMMUNICATING. 
          IT'S VERY SIMPLE. 
          I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAN BE HANDLED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. 
          UH, IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A SCHEDULE OF YOUR ACTIVITIES, WHETHER IT'S THE CASINO OR WHATEVER, THAT YOU PROVIDE US A COPY OF ALL OF ALL THOSE ACTIVITIES, THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST THING, UM, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ALREADY HAD. 
          AND WE DON'T, I DON'T KNOW. 
          HAS ANYBODY ELSE RECEIVED THIS CALENDAR? I, I DON'T THINK, THOUGH YOU COULD ALREADY PUT UP SOME TYPE OF CALENDAR WITH GRAND OPENING. 
          THEY CHANGED DATES. 
          YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW. 
          THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW. 
          SOMETIMES. 
          SOMETIMES WE GET NUMBER FIVE AT THE LAST MINUTE AS WELL, AND IT'S DIFFICULT. 
          SO THAT'S KIND OF HARD TO DETERMINE. 
          YOU SCHEDULE YOUR RIBBON CUTTING. 
          THEY IS SCHEDULED WITH A WEEK BEFORE, OR TWO WEEKS, ONE WEEK INSTEAD OF AN HOUR OR 30 MINUTES. 
          IT'S WAY BETTER THAN WHAT WE'RE GETTING. 
          SOMETHING I'VE DONE IS I ADDED YOU GUYS TO OUR WEBSITE THAT WE USE. 
          SO YOU GUYS GET THOSE EMAILS TO THE BLUE UP. 
          SO ALL THOSE EMAILS ARE INCLUDED IN THE BLUE UP. 
          SO YOU WILL BE RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS. 
          OKAY. 
          OH, ARE WE SET UP FOR THAT? WHO KNOWS THAT? MR. ELLA? DO YOU KNOW THAT FOR WHAT SHE WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT, THE COMMUNICATION ON A, I MEAN, ON AN EMAIL KIND OF DEAL? YES, MA'AM. 
          WE ARE. 
          UH, MADAM PRESIDENT. 
          AND JUST A FEW THOUGHTS. 
          I MEAN, UM, I THINK, AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FORMAT. 
          I'M TRYING TO GET A FEW THINGS DONE AT THE SAME TIME, TRYING TO GET YOU ALL YOUR MONEY. 
          SO THERE'S SOME THINGS AND CONDITIONS THAT WERE PUT BEFORE THIS BOARD AND MYSELF IN ORDER TO GET YOU THAT SPONSORSHIP. 
          I THINK WE'RE A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR DOWN THE ROAD TO TRY TO REINVENT YOUR, YOUR WHEEL AT THIS POINT, RIGHT. 
          FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY TO DESCRIBE IT. 
          BUT GOING FORWARD, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND A COUPLE THINGS. 
          UM, I'VE DEALT WITH THE CHAMBERS ALL MY CAREER. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE ARE, ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THEIR, THEIR BUSINESS MODEL IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN OURS. 
          THEY WORK ON THE MEMBERSHIPS. 
          OKAY? THEY ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THE AMOUNT MEMBERS THEY GET. 
          I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR CENSUS IS. 
          I GUESS WE COULD GET THAT LATER FROM . 
          BUT THE POINT IS, IS THAT WE NEED TO HELP THEM, HELP US HELP THEM, RIGHT? AND THEN IT COULD BE REVERSED AS WELL. 
          THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN HELP US, HELP THEM HELP US, RIGHT? SO THE, THE KEY HERE IS UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO KEEP AFLOAT. 
          AND THEN, AND UNFORTUNATELY, I KNOW, AND I, AND I'M THE ONE THAT DID IT, SO I'M GONNA TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. 
          WHEN 
          [00:30:01]
I WENT TO MY FIRST CHAMBER MEETING, YOUR HONOR, I'M SORRY. 
          I'M GLAD YOU'RE DETECTIVE FLOOR RESPONSIBLE. 
          I'LL, I'LL ALWAYS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. 
          UM, I WAS THE ONE THAT ATTENDED MY, MY FIRST AND ONLY CHAMBER MEETING AND THE PREVIOUS DIRECTOR THAT WAS THERE THAT TALKED TO ME ABOUT SPONSORSHIPS. 
          AND, AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT WAS, I APOLOGIZE 'CAUSE IT WAS, I'D ONLY BEEN HERE ABOUT THREE MONTHS WHEN THAT HAPPENED. 
          BUT, UM, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION AT THAT POINT THAT WE HAD SOME SORT OF SUBSIDY FOR THE E FOR THE CHAMBER, EITHER THROUGH THE CITY OR THE EDC OR BOTH. 
          UM, COME TO FIND OUT, YOU ALL WORK FROM OUR END JUST ON SPONSORSHIPS. 
          OKAY? SO I'M THE ONE THAT TOLD 'EM, WELL JUST COME UP WITH A NUMBER SO WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP GOING BACK AND TAKING IT BACK TO THE BOARD AND TAKING IT BACK TO THE EDC BOARD. 
          AND WE CAME UP WITH A NUMBER AND THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT, THAT'S WHAT BRINGS US WHERE WE ARE TODAY. 
          SO GOING FORWARD, I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS WE CAN DO. 
          I, UH, MAYOR PRO TIM GOODMAN IS VERY, VERY, UH, HE'S ON POINT WITH KPIS, BUT I MEAN, WE ALL LIVE AT, UM, WE'RE DOING IT AT THE CITY, WE'RE DOING IT AT THE C UM, YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW, AND I REALIZE IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO IMPOSE THOSE ON Y'ALL AT THIS POINT, UH, GOING FORWARD WHEN YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY IN, IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL YOUR PROGRAMMING AND, AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          BUT I WANT TO, I WANT TO, I WANT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ALL DO, WHAT YOUR REAL PRESSURE POINTS ARE. 
          OKAY? IS IT MEMBERSHIP? IS IT LACK OF MEMBERSHIP? IS IT LACK OF SUPPORT? ARE WE NOT DOING ENOUGH TO HELP YOU? UM, IS IT THE MAYOR OF THE COMMISSION? IS IT THE EDC BOARD? IS IT THE STAFF? WHAT CAN WE DO TO BETTER HELP YOU ALL ACCOMPLISH YOUR MISSION? RIGHT? AND IT'S NOT JUST MONEY, IT'S SUPPORT. 
          IT IS STAFF TIME. 
          IT IS, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE CAN SIT HERE AND THROW AROUND ALL KINDS OF, OF, OF, OF, YOU KNOW, PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
          BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL OF THOSE WILL COME AS LONG AS ANYBODY. 
          WE, AND REALLY THE PURPOSE TODAY WAS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT FROM MY END. 
          'CAUSE I WANT TO HELP YOU ALL. 
          OKAY? I REALIZE YOU ALL HAVE A MISSION. 
          UH, IT'S AN IMPORTANT MISSION. 
          UH, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH WE SPEND IN THE SUMMER OR, OR ANYTHING ELSE. 
          IT'S ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP YOU ALL DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. 
          AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, I MEAN, I'D LIKE THE MAYOR, THE COMMISSION, THE EDC BOARD. 
          I'D LIKE THEM TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL. 
          I MEAN, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST HURDLES RIGHT NOW? GIMME YOUR TOP THREE. 
          I MEAN, JUST GIMME ONE. 
          WHAT WHAT'S YOUR BIG STAFFING? STAFFING, OKAY. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT GOES BACK TO BUDGET. 
          AND THAT GOES BACK TO AVAILABLE, UH, DOLLARS, RIGHT? SO WHAT CAN WE DO TO BETTER HELP YOU ALL EITHER GET MORE MEMBERSHIP SO YOU CAN CREATE MORE DOLLARS? OR IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO FROM THE CITY AND THE EEC STANDPOINT WHERE WE CAN GET AWAY FROM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UH, AND WE CAN STILL DO SPONSORSHIPS. 
          THAT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. 
          WE'RE A LITTLE BIT LIMITED ON, YOU KNOW, STATUTORILY WHAT WE CAN DO ON SPONSORSHIPS. 
          WE'RE OKAY THERE, BUT WHAT COULD WE DO? AND AND MAYBE THE PROPOSAL WOULD, WOULD, WOULD BE BETTER SUITED COMING FROM YOU ALL TO COME TO US TO SAY, OKAY, WELL WHAT CAN WE DO TO, TO MAKE YOU A PART OF OUR BUDGET? AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE A LITTLE BIT TOO FAR DOWN THE ROAD. 
          OUR BUDGET STARTS, YOU KNOW, NEXT WEEK ON THE FIRST. 
          SO, UH, BUT, BUT GOING FORWARD, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY INCORPORATE OR LOOK AT INCORPORATING SO THAT YOU ALL HAVE A LITTLE LESS PRESSURE. 
          YOU CAN ACTUALLY COUNT ON SOME STAFF TO DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. 
          AND I THINK THAT WOULD REALLY FREE YOU ALL UP, FREE OUT MY, UP, FREE SOME OF YOUR MEMBERS UP FROM HAVING TO GO OUT AND JUST FUNDRAISE ALL DAY LONG AND DO WHAT YOU DO BEST, WHICH IS MINGLE AND TALK TO PEOPLE. 
          AND, AND, AND AGAIN, THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT TOO, WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY PAY THESE MEMBERSHIPS, UM, AND WE'VE ALL DONE IT, WHEN YOU PAY A MEMBERSHIP FOR SOMETHING, YOU EXPECT SOMETHING IN RETURN. 
          EXACTLY. 
          SO THESE FOLKS HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THAT. 
          I MEAN, THEY HAVE TO CATER TO THEIR MEMBERS, WHOEVER THEY ARE, WHETHER THEY'RE HERE OR THEY'RE IN ARGEN OR I'M SURE YOU HAVE MEMBERS FROM OUTSIDE THE CITY AS WELL. 
          SO THEY HAVE TO, THEY HAVE TO CATER TO THOSE FOLKS TOO. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE EVENTS. 
          OBVIOUSLY THE EVENTS ARE FUN. 
          Y'ALL PUT ON SOME GREAT EVENTS, BUT IT IS ABOUT HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY CATER TO YOUR MEMBERS AND THE PAYING MEMBERS TO KEEP THEM HAPPY AND ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WORD OF MOUTH GETS OUT, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GETTING SOMETHING FOR WHAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE PAYING YOU ALL FOR. 
          AND SO, I MEAN, THAT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE. 
          I, I SEE THAT AND I FEEL FOR Y'ALL. 
          UH, BUT YOU KNOW, THE REAL PURPOSE HERE FROM MY END IS HOW CAN I UNDERSTAND WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING? UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE WITH THE COUNCIL AND THE EDC BOARD SO THAT WE CAN, UM, SO WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THIS CAN, CAN, YOU KNOW, CAN BE FUNDED. 
          'CAUSE I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO, RIGHT? WELL, IF WE HAD MORE MEMBERSHIP, THAT WOULD HELP US. 
          BUT DEFINITELY WE NEED STAFFING MEMBERSHIP. 
          I MEAN, LIKE 
          [00:35:01]
THE CITY, YOU KNOW, WHO COMES IN EVERY NEW BUSINESS THAT COMES IN, IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION, WE COULD APPROACH THEM BY JOINING THE CHAMBER AND DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO PROMOTE THAT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          BUT WE SOMETIMES WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU BUSINESSES ARE IN TOWN BECAUSE WE DON'T GET ANY INFORMATION FROM ANYONE. 
          CHICK-FIL-A. 
          OH, I KNOW THAT ONE. 
          OKAY. 
          I KNOW CHICK-FIL-A ALREADY CONTACTED THEM. 
          YEAH, WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THEM. 
          THIS IS WHY, UM, WE WERE TRYING TO HELP YOU TALKING TO WHAT MR. SAN WAS, WAS SAYING, UH, WITH, UH, WITH OUR EVENT PERSON. 
          THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SO THAT HE COULD HELP YOU. 
          HOW INSTRU, I DON'T KNOW HOW INSTRUMENTAL HE WOULD BE, BUT I THINK THAT HE WOULD BE A BIG HELP TOWARD YOU. 
          AND THAT'S ALL WE WANNA DO. 
          LIKE MR. SAYING TO HOW ARE WE GOING TO HELP YOU? HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER TO HELP YOU NOT TO TAKE OVER, NOT TO DO ANY OF THAT, BUT TO HELP YOU GROW MORE. 
          PROBABLY GIVE SOME OF THESE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. 
          UH, I I, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. 
          I, I WISH, THIS IS NOT THE SETTING THAT I, THAT I LIKED AND, AND I APOLOGIZE. 
          IT'S NOT A SETTING THAT I LIKE, LET, LET ME JUST FINISH. 
          YES MA'AM. 
          THIS IS NOT A SETTING THAT I LIKE, I WOULD'VE PREFERRED THAT WE SAT DOWN JUST YOU ALL IN OURSELVES OR WHATEVER, AND HAD A MORE DOWN TO EARTH KIND CONVERSATION. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I AGREE. 
          BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PUBLIC SO FORTH. 
          AND SOMETIMES WE NEED TO LET OUR HAIR DOWN AND REALLY TALK VERY HONESTLY OF, OF WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. 
          UH, I LOVE THE CHAMBER. 
          I LOVE Y'ALL. 
          Y'ALL ARE DOING A WONDERFUL JOB. 
          I THINK IT'S JUST A LACK OF COMMUNICATION THAT WE NEED. 
          AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PARTNER UP TO MOVE US FORWARD? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO. 
          WE, STEPHANIE WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          OKAY. 
          AND, AND WE WANT TO GROW, UH, IN A HEALTHY WAY. 
          UM, THERE'S, I MEAN WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA GET CRITICIZED FOR A LOT OF THINGS, BUT THIS IS ONE THING I DON'T WANNA GET CRITICIZED ABOUT IS THAT WE'RE NOT WORKING TOGETHER. 
          OKAY. 
          AND I, I AGREE WITH THAT. 
          I THINK THAT IF WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND GET ALONG, THAT THINGS WILL GO BETTER WITHIN THE CITY WITH ALL OF US. 
          NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE OVER ANY MONEY. 
          , YOU HAD A COMMENT IF YOU GO IN YOUR BATHROOM BEFORE SHE SAID THAT, I DID WANNA MENTION WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW CAN YOU HELP, YEARS AGO, UH, THE CHAMBER WAS SUBSIDIZED BY THE CITY. 
          AND I'M TALKING, I THINK THEY WERE GETTING LIKE 60,000 A YEAR. 
          I BELIEVE FOR SOME REASON THE CHAMBER AS CEASED TO EXIST IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS. 
          BECAUSE LIONEL BEN COURT, MYSELF AND SHIRLEY BAKER STARTED THIS UP BACK IN 2013. 
          AND WE HAD GOTTEN, I MEAN, WE STARTED WITH OUR OWN MONEY. 
          AND THEN AT THAT TIME, THE, THAT SITTING THERE WAS CELESTE SANCHEZ AND SHE WAS ABLE TO GET 25,000 FROM THE CITY TO HELP US FIND AN EMPLOYEE AND PAY SOME BILLS. 
          YOU KNOW? BUT IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT FOR US BECAUSE WE'VE ONLY ALWAYS HAD ONE EMPLOYEE AND WE CAN'T GET A LOT DONE WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY. 
          IF WE COULD HAVE MORE MONEY FOR STAFFING, THAT WOULD HELP PROMOTE MORE BUSINESSES, IT WOULD HELP. 
          I WOULD HELP US WITH ALL THE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE TO DO, WOULD HELP US GET OUT AT THE CITY EVENTS THAT WE NEED TO HELP WITH. 
          YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY NEED MORE STAFFING, BUT TO GET MORE STAFFING, WE NEED MORE MONEY TO HELP US SUPPORT THAT. 
          AND THAT'S WHERE WE STAND. 
          UM, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT BECAUSE WE REALLY HAVE NEVER HAD THE MONEY THAT WE NEED TO GET A BUSINESS UP AND GOING LIKE WE WANTED TO. 
          AND, AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S SAYING. 
          AND, AND WE IS FIGURING OUT PROBABLY WHERE YOUR RESOURCES ARE GOING THROUGH OR WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO. 
          UH, AND, AND THIS IS WHY I WANTED MORE OF A DIFFERENT TYPE OF A, OF A GATHERING RATHER THAN THIS OPEN KIND OF DEAL. 
          YEAH. 
          UM, SO ANYWAY, WE'RE HERE NOW. 
          UM, LISTEN FORWARD, I THINK. 
          ANYBODY ELSE? ANY MORE QUESTIONS? I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING JUST PIGGY, I JUST WANNA PIGGY BACK ON LITTLE BIT WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT. 
          'CAUSE I CAN TALK TO, UM,  OFFICE. 
          THERE'S KNOW, BUT, UM, I WORKED, I WORKED FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE 1980S. 
          AND WHEN I WORKED FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, I ACTUALLY SAW THE CHECK THAT CAME IN EVERY MONTH. 
          WE GOT $5,623 AND 16 CENTS EVERY MONTH. 
          WE ALSO, WHICH YOU DIDN'T TOUCH ON YET, BUT THE OTHER THING IS THAT WE WERE AT THE TIME AT THE COMMUNITY BUILDING. 
          AND AT THAT TIME WE NOT ONLY HAD THAT, BUT JANITOR, OUR UTILITIES WERE PAID FOR. 
          WE HAD THE JANITOR THAT WOULD COME ONCE A NOT EVERY DAY, BUT ONCE A WEEK TO CLEAN UP ALL OF THAT. 
          TODAY WHAT HAPPENS IS WE HAVE, WHEN I CAME ON THEIR BOARD, AND I WAS ON THIS BOARD MANY YEARS AGO, MAYBE IN THE 1990S, BUT THEY KNOW THEY DIDN'T HAVE A HOME. 
          SO WE HAVE TO RENT A HOME, A PLACE TO HAVE A BUSINESS. 
          WE PAY OUR OWN UTILITIES. 
          WE HAVE TO, UH, PAY RENT. 
          WE PAY RENT. 
          AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO PAY 
          [00:40:01]
THE CLEAN. 
          AND SOMETIMES TONY, EVEN THEY'RE CLEAN UP THERE. 
          THEY'RE THE JANITORS MANAGERS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. 
          AND THAT'S FINE. 
          WE'RE NOT COMPLAINING. 
          WE'RE VOLUNTEERS AND WE DO THAT. 
          BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW WE DID THAT WITH THREE PEOPLE ON STAFF? WE DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR A BUILDING UTILITY. 
          AND THERE'S BUILDINGS THAT ARE SITTING EMPTY AND WE'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE IN THE PASSED OUT. 
          MAYBE THAT BEING A POSSIBILITY BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, YES, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR MONEY? AND THAT'S LIKE, WE'RE JUST THROWING IT AROUND. 
          WE'RE NOT, WE SIT THERE AND OUR MEMBERSHIP GOES TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A PLACE TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON. 
          Y'ALL HAVE BUILDINGS THAT MAYBE IF YOU DON'T PROVIDE A BUILDING FIRST, BUT IF YOU PROVIDE AN AREA WHERE WE CAN, YOU WANT US TO SPONSOR THINGS, UH, DANNY YOU WANT US TO PUT THOSE THINGS TOGETHER? HAVE YOU BEEN IN OUR OFFICE? IT'S CUTE AS IT CAN BE, BUT UH, WE WOULD NOT, ALL OF US WOULD NOT FIT IN THERE. 
          AND WE CAN'T DO THAT. 
          'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANYMORE TO DO IT. 
          I HAVE TO SAY THAT MR.  HAS BEEN VERY GOOD. 
          UH, I'M THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR. 
          AND THEY HAD NOT, UM, THEY HAD NOT HAD A MEMBERSHIP EXTERNAL PLAN FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. 
          COVID CAME AND EVERYTHING STOPPED. 
          SO WE STARTED DOING THEM AGAIN. 
          AND I SAID, WHEN WERE WE GONNA DO THIS? I'M LOOKING AROUND SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA STAND UP HERE SIDE BY SIDE SANDWICH TOGETHER. 
          SO I ASKED HIM, DO YOU HAVE A BUILDING THAT POSSIBLY WE COULD USE? AND HE INTRODUCED ME TO THE CULTURAL ARTS DEPARTMENT AND SAID, THIS IS, TALK TO HER AND SEE, SEE WHAT Y'ALL CAN DO. 
          WE'VE HAD THREE EVENTS THERE. 
          THE LAST ONE WAS BEAUTIFUL. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, IT GETS BIGGER, IT GETS BETTER EVERY TIME. 
          BUT NOW WE, THE COLLABORATIONS WITH THEM, NOT ONLY BECAUSE THEY ALLOW US A SPACE, BUT WE BRING PEOPLE INTO THAT BUILDING THAT STILL DON'T REALIZE THAT IT'S THERE. 
          DON'T REALIZE THAT THIS PLACE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO COORDINATE THEM WITH THE EVENTS THAT Y'ALL, AS Y'ALL ARE CHANGING THINGS. 
          WE'D LIKE TO TRY TO DO THINGS WITH HIM. 
          SO WE SHARE THE EXPENSE, NOT JUST THE BUILDING TO DO THAT, BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THAT MANNER TOO. 
          AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE, BUT WE HAVE ONE PERSON, STAFF, ALL VOLUNTEERS. 
          WE PAY FOR RENT THE UTILITIES, UH, AND WE DO EVERYTHING OURSELVES. 
          AND, AND WE HAVE, AND I'M NOT GONNA SAY MYSELF, I DON'T DO A WHOLE HECK OF A, BUT I TRY, BUT I RUN THE BUSINESS. 
          NOT ALL OF US, UM, ARE, ARE RETIRED. 
          AND MOST EVERYBODY, INCLUDING TONY WORK, SO THEY'RE THERE. 
          AND IF YOU SEE THE LIGHTS ON WINDOW, WHAT EVERYBODY'S DOING AT EIGHT O'CLOCK AT NIGHT, THEY'RE EITHER PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER FROM THE EVENT AND THE EVENTS. 
          YOU HAVE TO KNOW, DON'T JUST COME TO, THEY DO HELP US OR THEY DO THIS, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE MONEY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          BUT YOU, OUR HANDS ARE TIED. 
          AND WE'RE IN A POSITION WHERE WE'RE BOBBING AROUND AND WE'RE PAYING FOR EVERYTHING THAT WE NEVER PAID FOR WITH ONLY THE SUPPORT OF THE EVENTS. 
          AND WE CREATED THESE EVENTS. 
          'CAUSE WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY BECAUSE MEMBERSHIP IS HARD. 
          WE USED TO HAVE A PERSON ON STAFF THAT DID ONLY MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTS. 
          THAT'S ALL THAT PERSON DID. 
          YOU HAD ANOTHER PERSON THAT RAN ALL THE BUSINESS PART OF THE OFFICE, AND THEN THE THIRD PERSON WAS THE EDC PERSON BECAUSE IT WASN'T A SEPARATE EDC. 
          SO I, I JUST, I WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU'ALL. 
          IT'S NOT TO BE BAD. 
          AGAIN, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT SOMEBODY DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY. 
          BECAUSE I WAS A STAFF MEMBER IN THE EIGHTIES. 
          I WAS ON THE BOARD IN THE NINETIES. 
          I'VE BEEN BACK WITH 'EM A COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S THE, THAT'S A PLACE THAT WE NEED HELP. 
          BECAUSE IF YOU ASK FOR OUR MONEY GOING, SHE CAN SHOW YOU THE BUDGET, HOW MUCH WE SPEND JUST TO OPEN THE DOORS AND SAY HELLO AND NOT ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO DO. 
          AND I HAVE TO COMMEND OUR PRESIDENT AND, AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE HIRED IN THE PAST. 
          BUT IT'S HARD FOR ONE PERSON TO DO EVERYTHING AND THEN REPORT INSIDE MATTER, NOT WANTING TO REPORT. 
          IT'S A MATTER OF HOW MANY THINGS CAN YOU DO SIMULTANEOUSLY. 
          SO I THINK THAT MIGHT BE A WAY THAT Y'ALL CAN HELP US AND GIVING US EITHER A PLACE TO BE, HELP SUPPLEMENT US IN SOME WAY BECAUSE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND YOU'RE SUPPORTING THE EVENTS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF THE HISTORY SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT OTHER CHANGES. 
          LIKE HE SAID, HE'S WORKED THE CHAMBERS ALL LOOKING DOWN THE VALLEY. 
          WELL, THEY ALSO HAVE DIFFERENT BUDGETS AND THEY ALSO HAVE DIFFERENT FUNDING FROM THE CITIES THAT WE DON'T GET ANYMORE. 
          AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT SOMEWHERE GOT DROPPED BETWEEN THE 1990S AND NOW. 
          AND EVEN WHEN THEY GOT THE 25,000, SHE THOUGHT IT WAS AMAZING. 
          I SAID, WE USED TO GET $56,000 IN ISAAC IN THE EIGHTIES AND SAID, SO SOMETHING WE'RE, WE'RE MISSING SOMETHING THAT, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE. 
          BUT I HOPE THOSE ARE THINGS WE CAN DISCUSS IN THE FUTURE THAT MIGHT HELP US ALL. 
          AND SOME OF IT MIGHT BE IN KIND, IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE MONEY, IT MIGHT BE A HOME. 
          HOW LONG IS YOUR LEASE OVER THERE? WELL, I WAS, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, JUST FOR THE RECORD, THAT TWO MONTHS AGO, MAYBE THREE MONTHS AGO,  I DID, I DID GO VISIT THE CHAMBER AND WE HAD A VERY NICE CONVERSATION, A SIT DOWN CONVERSATION, AND THERE WAS A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, THAT WE HAD DISCUSSED, UH, IN REFERENCE TO THAT. 
          UH, SO I HAVE, I HAVE OPENED UP AND I DID SPEAK TO, UM, MR.  AT THE TIME. 
          WE HAD A CONVERSATION IN REFERENCE TO THAT. 
          WHETHER IT WAS PASSED ON OR NOT, I'M NOT SURE, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE ON THE RECORD THAT, ABOUT THAT TIME, I DID OFFER AT THAT TIME FOR US TO HAVE A CONVERSATION IN REFERENCE TO THAT, TO YOUR OVERHEAD COST. 
          AND SO I, I KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED, WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS FOR SEVERAL YEARS 
          [00:45:01]
WITH THE CITY ABOUT FINDING THIS A PLACE. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEY, AND THEY TRIED, BUT I KNOW IT HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO HAPPEN, BUT WE HAVE DISCUSSED IT AND IT'S BEEN SEVERAL YEARS. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO TRY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. 
          THIS YEAR WE GAVE UP SIX SCHOLARSHIPS OF SEVEN $50 EACH TO, TO SEND TO THE STUDENTS. 
          AND WE, WE TRY TO GIVE MORE EACH YEAR DEPENDING ON WHAT INCOME WE GET IN. 
          SO WE DO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY, UH, IN EVERY WAY WE CAN. 
          UH, BUT GO AHEAD. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. 
          UH, MY NAME IS LISA GONZALEZ AND SOME OF YOU I KNOW FOR A VERY LONG TIME. 
          AND, UM, I'M ONE OF THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          AND SO, UM, AND SOME OF YOU KNOW THAT I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC LEGENDS FOR THIS, FOR THE SAN DIEGO SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH WHEN I BECAME A, A BOARD, UH, MEMBER OF THE CHAMBER WAS ENSURING THAT WE HAD A PARTNERSHIP AND WE HAD A BRIDGE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE DISTRICT. 
          AS YOU KNOW, THE DISTRICT IS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE, UH, CITY OF SAN VITO. 
          AND WE PROBABLY SPEND MORE MONEY THAN ANY OTHER ENTITY IN THE CITY OF SAN VITO. 
          SO IT ONLY MAKES SENSE THAT WE WOULD PARTNER UP. 
          AGAIN, I'M NOT SPEAKING HERE ON BEHALF OF THE, OF THE DISTRICT. 
          I'M HERE, I'M SPEAKING AS A, A MEMBER OF THE BOARD. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE SHOWCASED OUR STUDENTS. 
          AND THAT BRINGS A LOT OF PARENTS AND A LOT OF ATTENTION TO OUR STUDENTS. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE A PART OF LAST YEAR WAS THE, UM, CASINO NIGHT. 
          AND SO THIS YEAR WE'RE GONNA BE THROUGH OUR STUDENTS DURING THE CASINO NIGHT, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE, INSTEAD OF HIRING A DJ, WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUR STUDENTS, UH, PROVIDE THE DJ UH, UH, ENTERTAINED. 
          UH, INSTEAD OF HIRING ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE CASINO NIGHT, WE'RE GONNA FEATURE OUR STUDENTS ON THERE. 
          SO IT IS A WIN-WIN SITUATION BECAUSE WE GET TO SHOWCASE THE TALENTS OF OUR STUDENTS, AND WE ALSO GET TO SAVE SOME MONEY ON THE EXPENSES OF AN EVENT SUCH AS THAT BECAUSE IT, IT IS A VERY EXPENSIVE EVENT TO PUT ON. 
          AND, UH, WE'VE, WE'VE ALSO, UH, PARTNERED WITH THE  , WHICH WAS A SELLOUT, AND WE FEATURED OUR STUDENTS THERE. 
          AGAIN, THAT HELPED WITH NOT HAVING TO HAVE A DJ, NOT HAVING TO HAVE ENTERTAINMENT. 
          SO IT IS A WIN SITUATION THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GONNA DO, I KNOW WITH THE EDC AND WITH THE CITY, WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, SHOWCASING OUR STUDENTS DURING THE FALL, REMOVING OUR FALL EVENTS, UH, FALL, UH, VEST THAT WE HAVE EVERY YEAR. 
          IN SANTO, LAST YEAR WE HAD OVER 5,000 PEOPLE AT BOBBY MORRIS STADIUM REMOVING THAT IN, IN COOPERATION WITH THE, UH, EDC AND THE CITY. 
          AND AGAIN, IT IS TWO PARTNERSHIPS LIKE THIS, WHAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT MADE THE CITY GREAT. 
          AND SO I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS, AND I, I'VE BEEN A PART OF THE DIFFERENT NON-PROFITS. 
          I WAS A MEMBER, UH, OF THE, UH, BOARD OF THE UNITED WAY OF, OF NORTHERN CAMERON COUNTY. 
          SO I KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT S MONEYS AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT HAVING TO KNOCK ON DOORS AND HAVE DOORS SHUT ON US, UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THAT'S FINE. 
          AND SO IT IS A CONSTANT, UM, FUNDRAISING THAT WE HAVE TO DO. 
          SO A LOT OF WHAT THEY DO IS A LABOR OF LOVE CONSTANTLY. 
          THIS WEEK IN THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS, WE'VE BEEN GETTING TEXTS, SHARING INFORMATION. 
          WE'VE GOT THIS, YOU KNOW, $500 SPONSORSHIP. 
          WE'VE GOT THIS $750 SPONSORSHIP. 
          THAT MAY NOT BE A LOT, UH, TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT THAT'S A LOT TO US BECAUSE THAT BRINGS IN THE PARTNERSHIPS OF THOSE BUSINESSES, SPONSORS AND SO FORTH. 
          SO I HAVE TO CONGRATULATE EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED HARD WITH SETTING UP THIS CASINO NIGHT, UH, BECAUSE WE'RE CONSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND ROOTING FOR EACH OTHER AND CONGRATULATING EACH OTHER BECAUSE GETTING THAT 200 $5,500 DONATION, 1,200 DONATION IS VERY IMPORTANT. 
          AGAIN, AND THIS IS GONNA BE ANOTHER SELL OUT EVENT THAT WE HAVE IN SANTO. 
          WE, WE HOST IT HERE IN SANTO. 
          EVERY EVENT THAT WE DO WITH THE CHAMBER IS WITHIN THE CITY OF SANTO, AND IT'S ALWAYS WITH BUSINESSES. 
          WHO ARE WE USING AS OUR CATERERS? WHO ARE WE USING AS OUR, UH, DECORATORS, UH, PEOPLE WHO ATTRIBUTE. 
          SO IT'S A WIN SITUATION FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WHEN WE DO THAT. 
          SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE, JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT NOTE THAT THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE. 
          AND SO DO WE NEED TO GROW EXACTLY. 
          DO WE NEED TO HAVE MEASUREMENTS, UH, UH, FEEDBACK, YES. 
          BECAUSE THAT HELPS US AS A CHAMBER, BUT IT ALSO HELPS THE, UH, OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS SO THAT THAT WAY WE CAN USE THAT, THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN WRITE GRANTS, WE CAN PURSUE GRANTS, WE CAN GET OTHER CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS. 
          SO IT IS A WIN SITUATION. 
          AND I THINK, UH, AGAIN, I AGREE WITH, UH, MS. ES IN THAT I THINK THE FORUM WOULD'VE BEEN KIND OF LIKE A MIXER WHERE WE COULD HAVE JUST EXCHANGED INFORMATION ON THAT. 
          SO AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK, UH, 
          [00:50:01]
EVERYONE FOR, FOR SUPPORTING US BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO ESTABLISH THESE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, AS A FOR EACH OTHER AS WELL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE A GREAT HARDWORKING BOARD AND QUITE INTELLIGENT AS WELL. 
          AND THAT HELPS RUN THIS CHAMBER. 
          LEMME ASK YOU THIS, I DO AGREE WITH YOU. 
          I'M SORRY, I DO AGREE WITH DANNY AND ALL OF YOU ABOUT DOING MORE FOR THE MEMBERS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS, OF COURSE, STAFFING 10 MONTHS, IF WE HAD THAT, WE COULD DO A LOT MORE FOR OUR MEMBERS. 
          AND MS. UM, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE LEVEL, LIKE, THE LEVEL THAT YOU HAVE FOR THE, UH, BILL COME IN? SPONSORSHIP? UH, THE SMALLEST ONE IS THE, UH, THE SLOT MACHINE, WHICH IS THE TWO $50 MEMBERSHIP, INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP FOR $50 INDIVIDUAL. 
          50 INDIVIDUAL, INDIVIDUAL IS 50. 
          SO AS YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL WANNA BE PART OF THE CHAMBER TO HELP, IT'S $50 A YEAR AND THE BUSINESS SMALL BUSINESSES ARE HUNDRED $50. 
          SO, COUPLE THINGS MADAM PRESIDENT, IF I COULD. 
          YES, SIR. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT JUST COME TO MIND AS Y'ALL ARE SPEAKING, UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY TALK ABOUT SCHEDULING. 
          SO LUNCH AND LEARNS ARE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT ANTIQUATED, BUT THERE'S STILL GOOD, THERE'S SOME VALUE THERE. 
          UM, MEMBERSHIP DRIVES, I, I, WE, WE DID A BUNCH OF THOSE AND I WAS A PART OF THEM WHERE YOU GET A BUNCH OF FOLKS TOGETHER AND A LOT OF THESE FOLKS THAT KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND WE HAVE A NICE LITTLE PICNIC BASKET SET UP AND SAY A BUNCH OF, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, WE PHONE BANK AND WE PICK A DAY AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT A, MAKE IT AN EVENT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GO FACEBOOK LIVE NOWADAYS. 
          'CAUSE IT DIDN'T, THEY DIDN'T HAVE IT BACK THEN WHEN I WAS DOING IT, BUT, UH, AND EVERYBODY JUST, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE THAT EITHER COULD DO INDIVIDUALS, COULD DO, UH, YOU KNOW, BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS. 
          WE DO BUSINESS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT ENTITIES. 
          YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT REALLY, YOU KNOW, POP, YOU KNOW, POP INTO MY HEAD. 
          AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CHAMBER AS AN ORGANIZATION, AGAIN, I'M GONNA BE REAL CAREFUL HOW I, HOW I, HOW I SAY THIS BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, BECAUSE OF OTHER AVENUES FOR PROMOTION AND, UH, NETWORKING. 
          'CAUSE AGAIN, BEEN TO THE SEMINARS, MET WITH, MET WITH A GUY THAT ACTUALLY WROTE THE BOOK ON CHAMBERS, AND THAT'S THEIR NUMBER ONE REASON FOR JOINING THE CHAMBER IS TO NETWORK. 
          WELL THAT HAS KIND OF GONE AWAY A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE OF FACEBOOK, BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, TIKTOK, BECAUSE OF ALL THESE OTHER, UH, THINGS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT FOLKS ARE, AND THE YOUNGER FOLKS ARE, ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS. 
          SO I MEAN, THE CHAMBER ITSELF AS AN ENTITY OR AS AN ORGANIZATION, I'M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT YOU, I'M JUST TALKING IN GENERAL, UM, YOU KNOW, IS A LITTLE ANTIQUATE. 
          OKAY? AND I, AND I MEAN THAT WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, WHAT I'M SAYING IS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE GET YOU ALL OR HOW CAN WE GET THE CHAMBER? 'CAUSE AS YOU GO, WE GO, RIGHT? SO HOW CAN WE GET YOU ALL A LITTLE MORE, UH, RELATIVE, UM, SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME MAYBE WITH A VIRTUAL MEMBERSHIP. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU ALL, MAYBE TO MORPH A LITTLE BIT, HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH THE MAYOR PROM, UH, IN DESTINATION, A MARKETING ORGANIZATION THAT OPENS YOU ALL UP FOR HOTEL MOTEL TAX DOLLARS. 
          AND THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A BIG HELP TO US. 
          OKAY. 
          SO THOSE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS THAT I'M, AGAIN, APOLOGIZE FOR THE FORMAT. 
          I GOTTA WORK WITHIN MY CONFINES, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD TAKE BACK TO YOUR BOARD. 
          I'D BE MORE THAN WILLING TO GO AND SIT WITH YOU ALL IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A MORE PRIVATE OR A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, INTIMATE TYPE OF DISCUSSION, THAT'S FINE. 
          I CAN START OFF WITH, WITH, WITH ALMA AND, AND THEN BRING THAT BACK TO MY BOARD. 
          BUT JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE YOU SOME, GIVE YOU SOME SEEDS FOR THOUGHT THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW THE CHAMBER CAN, YOU KNOW, EVOLVE, BE A LITTLE MORE SUCCESSFUL AND BE A LITTLE BIT MORE RELATIVE. 
          I THINK THAT'S THE ISSUE TOO, BECAUSE I THINK YOU SEE THAT A LOT. 
          AND I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT FOLKS. 
          I DEAL WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT BUSINESS PEOPLE AND YOU KNOW, AND, AND JUST TO BE PERFECTLY FRANK, I MEAN THEY, THEY JUST, IT'S VERY HARD FOR THEM TO SEE THE VALUE IN JOINING THE CHAMBER. 
          I KNOW THE VALUE, YOU KNOW THE VALUE, BUT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT VALUE. 
          AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT FORCING 'EM TO GET A MEMBERSHIP. 
          I MEAN, IT'S ABOUT WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO AS A GROUP COLLECTIVELY TO HELP THEM DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO SURVIVE AS BUSINESS OWNERS, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY WITH WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING LATELY. 
          WHAT HAPPENED DURING COVID, FOLKS ARE A LITTLE SHELL SHOCKED, YOU KNOW, UM, A LOT OF BUSINESSES CLOSED, A LOT OF BUSINESSES WENT UNDER, UH, SOME FOLKS ARE COMING BACK INTO IT AND THEY'RE INVESTING IN DOWNTOWN. 
          THEY'RE 
          [00:55:01]
INVESTING IN SOME AREAS HERE. 
          AND THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S BIG FOR A LOT OF FOLKS AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT, AGAIN, COLLECTIVELY HOW WE CAN WORK AS A GROUP, NOT JUST WITH MY STAFF, BUT WITH THE EDC AND YOU ALL TO HELP WITH THESE FOLKS IN THE GROUND AND MAKE SURE THEY GO VERTICAL AND STAY THERE. 
          WELL, I AGREE WITH THAT. 
          I THINK THAT IF THE CITY AND EDC AND THE CHAMBER CAN GET TOGETHER AND WORK ON HOW WE CAN PROMOTE THE BUSINESSES OR GET THEM TO GROW AND MAKE THEM PROSPER, I THINK THAT THE BUSINESS WILL BE MORE APT TO JOIN THE CHAMBER. 
          SURE. 
          IN AND FOOD AND ALL THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN THAT WE HAVE, AND THIS IS KIND OF WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO HERE, AND THIS IS WHERE WE NEED WE NEED TO GO, IS THAT WE ALL, THIS BECOMES IMPORTANT. 
          WE'VE BEEN TOO INDEPENDENT AND TO KIND OF NOT COMMUNICATE. 
          I'M, I'M, I'M SURPRISED AT THE FACT THAT YOU, THERE'S, I WATCH YOU GUYS TALK TO YOU GUYS DONE. 
          YOU GUYS ARE STILL A LOT OF THINGS. 
          I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING, GOING ON. 
          SO, AND I, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND I STILL, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BLOWING VETERAN. 
          SO I REALLY APPRECIATE HEARING WHAT'S GOING ON. 
          AND JUST FROM THE INFORMATION YOU HEARING, THERE'S A LOT OF INDICATORS OF, OF GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND, AND COULD HAPPEN. 
          WE'VE GOTTA BRING THIS ALL TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY. 
          TOTALLY. 
          AND WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT. 
          FRED, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE SOMETHING SPACE FOR THEM THAT WE CAN GIVE THEM? I MEAN THIS HERE I THINK IMPROVES YOUR COMMUNICATION A LOT. 
          THIS WOULD BE GOOD FOR PROBABLY ANOTHER, ANOTHER WEEK. 
          I MEAN, THESE ARE JUST POINTS THAT WE CAN, WE CAN, SORRY. 
          COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS. 
          THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A, THAT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO. 
          IT'S ON MY, IT'S IN MY NOTES. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THOUGH, I THINK IT WAS LAST WEEK. 
          ANGEL MARIO, STAND UP PLEASE. 
          NO, ACTUALLY IT'S A GOOD THING. 
          THEY WERE ACTUALLY, I WAS IN THE OF HOUSTON, THEY WILL WALK IN THE STREET TALKING TO BUSINESSES. 
          SO IMA WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING YOU'D BE, YOU KNOW, INTERESTED IN DOING, WALKING THE STREETS WITH THEM, TALKING TO THE BUSINESSES THAT WAY THEY SEE THAT THE EDC AND THE CHAMBER ARE WORKING TOGETHER OUT THERE TALKING TO THE BUSINESSES AND SOME MAYBE MEMBERS MAYBE NOT COULD TALK AT THE SAME TIME WITH OUR EDC BECAUSE I SEEN THEM WALKING THE STREETS AND HEY, I STOPPED WAITING AND I EVEN PUT IT ON FACEBOOK BECAUSE I WAS SO PROUD TO SEE THAT OUR EV WAS OUT THERE ENGAGING WITH OUR BUSINESSES. 
          YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, I APPLAUD BOTH Y'ALL. 
          THANK YOU. 
          BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, ALMA, EVEN MAYBE SOME OF THE VOLUNTEERS, I KNOW Y'ALL REAL BUSY. 
          UM, BUT WHAT I LIKE TO DO, YOU KNOW, WITH THEM IS TO COINCIDE THAT WAY THE COMMUNITY STARTS TO SEE IT. 
          THEY SOMEWHERE PEOPLE, THEY HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD IMPRESS THE BUSINESS THAT EVERYBODY'S ACTUALLY OUT THERE TO, TO TALK TO THESE PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY AND SEE WHAT WE CAN HELP WITH. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA. 
          ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY? NOT LOCAL. 
          CLOSE THIS DISCUSSION. 
          ANYBODY ELSE? GUILTY? THANK YOU GUYS FOR WHAT Y'ALL DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          VOLUNTEERS. 
          THANK YOU FOR COMING BY. 
          I THINK YOU'LL, OH, DID YOU WANNA TAKE SOMETHING? I'VE BEEN ON BOTH SIDES. 
          I'VE BEEN A COMMISSIONER OR MAYOR NOW I'M IN CHAMBER AND WHEN I MAYOR, COMMISSIONER, I'M NOT TRYING TO PUT ANYBODY DOWN, BUT THE CITY HELPS THE CHAMBER A LOT. 
          YOU KNOW, THE RENT, THE BILLS AND ALL THAT. 
          AND MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP US TO DO MORE AND MORE WORKSHOPS. 
          SO SOMEBODY, LET ME TELL YOU, I JUST GOT BACK FROM ALASKA AND IN ALASKA THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THE RIBBON CUTTING AND CHICK-FIL-A AND EVERYTHING SANTOS DOING. 
          PEOPLE ARE PROUD OF SALMON BENITO. 
          AND I'M EXCITED BECAUSE I SAID I'M IN ALASKA. 
          WHERE ARE THEY ASKING ME? BUT THEY CARE ABOUT THAT. 
          YOU ARE RIGHT BECAUSE WHEN I WENT TO ALASKA, I ACTUALLY RAN INTO SOME PEOPLE THAT FROM SAN BUT NEW FREDDIE FE. 
          YES. 
          SO WE ARE DOING GOOD. 
          WE JUST NEED TO WORK TOGETHER MORE, HELP EACH OTHER AND ATE US. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU GUYS. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          YES, SIR. 
          UM, ADJOURN ON THIS ONE. 
          YES, SIR.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.