As we near the end of our fiscal year, I am feeling encouraged by the progress that we have made over the last year. The Chamber brought back The LEADership Yuba Sutter program with the help of Sutter Medical Foundation’s generous sponsorship. The program is going strong, with 18 participants who are incredibly engaged and thinking about what legacy they want to create that will benefit our community.

 

This year we have also been able to add staff. We are pleased to welcome Michelle Downing, Membership and Marketing Director, who brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will be certain to help advance the Chamber. And as a small business owner herself, she has a deep passion and commitment to seeing our member businesses thrive.

 

The Chamber has also created the Champion Circle, which is a partner group of businesses invested in helping the Chamber to be a stronger presence and voice for business. I am so very grateful to our partners and their commitment to supporting the growth and success of the business community.

 

All in all, it has been an incredible year! And now, we are setting our direction for 2020! Some of our key focuses will be in the areas of business development workshops and training, as well as advocacy.

 

In 2020, we will be working to create a robust program that will bring relevant training and workshops to assist businesses in their goals for success. Our workshops and training will cater to what businesses need help with the most.

 

We will also be building engagement with lawmakers. I am excited to announce we will be joining the United Chamber Advocacy Network (UCAN) on January 1, 2020. Advocacy is a top priority for our Chamber and a priority concern of our members. And our members are especially concerned about impacts to their businesses by the policies, taxes, and regulations imposed on them by the state of California. That is why we are teaming up with several other local chambers of commerce in the Sacramento Region through the UCAN network, where you can make a difference for business in California!

 

The UCAN Chambers are developing a policy agenda for 2020 based on direct feedback from their members. In December, you will receive a survey asking about your concerns related to running your business.

 

The focus is related to concerns about Taxes, Regulatory/Environmental Compliance, HR/Labor Compliance, California's Overall Business Climate, Affordable Housing, Wage Mandates, and the Dynamex decision.

 

Through UCAN, our Chamber has our lobbyist, working with our legislators and their colleagues to advance your priorities at the State Capitol. We are eager to get started and look forward to getting your feedback when we send out the survey.

 

I want to thank our members, partners, ambassadors, board, and volunteers for helping to steward the Chamber over the last year to be poised for more growth and more success. Our number one goal in everything we do is to support and help our business community to thrive here in the Yuba Sutter area.

 

Marni

5 Underrated Places for Business Advice

 

None of us are born knowing exactly how to run a business. Some of us learn in school and some of us in the school of life. Some of us have better natural instincts than others but even those who do will eventually get to a point in their business when, if they want to continue to grow, they need outside help. Everyone does.

 

Sure, there are very expensive consultants who can help you become "public-facing" if you're ready for that step. But what about the smaller businesses? Those steps, like hiring the first non-family employee or creating additional revenue streams, can be just as daunting as a public offering. Here are a few places you can turn for help that you might not have thought of.

 

The Chamber of Commerce

Chambers can help in a lot of different ways. From direct suggestions to referring you to the right business coach to inviting you to a mentor program or a mastermind group, the chamber has solutions for all sizes of businesses in every step of the business lifecycle. Share your growth dilemma with them and they'll likely have a list of resources for you.

 

Social Media

There are countless resources on social media. You can strike up a conversation with a business owner on Twitter from any area of the world. You can also join a Facebook or LinkedIn group that focuses on your industry or business size. Do a search for resources. The best thing about social media is that you can build relationships at a time that works for you.

 

Conferences

Just as there are social media groups for most types of businesses or industries, there are likely also conferences. Search (your) industry conference to start. Often by doing that you'll find other leads you hadn't thought of. Don't ignore sponsored posts. These have targeted you because something you searched for appeared to make you a good fit. Ads can be valuable too so don't discount them.

 

Books and Blogs

Books are an incredible resource full of stories from people who have "been there, done that." Many books also have online resources these days. So, while you might start out at your local library, it may lead you to a special online group created by the author. If you are a smaller business, check out Michael Port's book, "Book Yourself Solid" for good advice on getting more clients.

Blogs are also a helpful place for information. Often, it's easy to connect with the writer of the blog (assuming the person isn't a blog celebrity who no longer writes their own material) by leaving a comment or filling out a contact form. Blogs have become much meatier these days than simple opinion posts of the past. Start following business people you respect. Don't forget local bloggers as well.

 

Online Business Courses and Videos

 

There are a number of free business courses out there as well as paid sites like Udemy and Lynda. Many entrepreneurs share their secrets on daily video blog posts and other video resources where they can address issues as they happen. In some cases, you may even be able to pass along an area of interest to the video blogger and the business person may just record a special video about it.

 

Don't let a lack of knowledge hold you and your business back from immense growth. You don't need an Ivy League degree to expand your operations or go to the next level. You just have to be resourceful and thankfully there are many resources out there for the choosing.

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS

ADVOCACY

The Chamber to join United Chamber Advocacy Network

 

Starting in 2020, the Yuba-Sutter Chamber will join UCAN – the United Chamber Advocacy Network.

 

The Yuba Sutter chamber will join seven other local chambers in the greater Sacramento region who are already part of UCAN, which was established in 2018 to enable local chambers to more effectively represent their members before the State Legislature.

 

As a member of UCAN, we will have our own lobbyist in Sacramento representing the UCAN Chambers' shared priorities – which in 2019 included Taxes, Regulations, HR Policy, California's Business Climate, Affordable Housing and adverse impacts of the CA Supreme Court's recent Dynamex decision.

Also, as a member of UCAN, our Chamber will have access to and relevance with multiple state legislators – Republican and Democrat – in the Senate and the Assembly.

 

Of the 30 bills, UCAN took positions on this session – only five "oppose" bills were signed into law by the Governor….and four were vetoed. Members can review the complete UCAN bill list at www.amgroup.us/UCAN

 

A few highlights:

 

UCAN joined the Association of California Water Agencies in supporting SB 200 - a final compromise bill – which avoided a statewide water tax on residential and commercial customers.

 

UCAN joined the CA Retailers Association in opposing AB 161, which would have prohibited paper receipts at the point of purchase. The bill was held in Senate Appropriations.

 

UCAN joined the National Federal of Independent Business in opposing AB 5, which sought to restrict the definition of Independent Contractors. With leadership from Sen. Brian Dahle, UCAN and NFIB partnered to host a meeting at the State Capitol with 40 UCAN chamber members and a bipartisan group of Senators. While AB 5 ultimately passed, it did include exemptions for business to business relationships and exemptions for several small business professions. Most notably, the final bill struck out the three-year "claw-back" provision of the Dynamex Decision. The next session of the legislature will no doubt include several bills intended to "clean up" AB 5….so stay tuned.

 

UCAN joined the California Chamber in opposing SB 1, which Governor Newsom vetoed. SB 1 would have enacted even greater environmental and labor regulations under the guise of "protecting California from deregulation by the Trump administration." SB 1 would have endangered local, state, and federal agreements that have been made to protect and secure northern California's water supply.

 

Next Steps:

 

UCAN will issue an "end of session report" in November. In mid-November and December, the UCAN Chambers will distribute a survey to individual chamber members to identify your top priorities for next year. These survey results will form the basis of the 2020 UCAN Policy Agenda, which will be presented to Assembly Gallagher and the other UCAN legislators at a meeting with UCAN chamber leaders in Sacramento in late February.

 

State of Adventist Health at Rideout 

Friday, October 25, 2019

Hillcrest Catering, 210 Julie Dr, Yuba City

 

 

Rick Rawson is currently the President of Adventist Health and Rideout and lives in Yuba City, CA.   He has an appointment as Associate Clinical Professor and serves as the Executive in Residence for the Loma Linda University School of Public Health.  In 2015,  he co-founded HC2 Strategies, Inc., a strategy consulting company dedicated to helping clients and communities develop and implement transformational strategies in the healthcare industry and beyond.

 

Rick has spent over 35 years in the healthcare industry with over 16 years as a CEO.  From 2012 – 2015 he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta and the Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning for Loma Linda University Health. 

 

Rick holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Loma Linda University and a Masters of Business Administration from California State University-Bakersfield.   He has been married to his wife, Sandee, for 35 years, has one daughter, and two grandsons. 

Place a business card size ad on the 2020 placemat for $125

Leadership Yuba Sutter, a Chamber program learned about agriculture

LEADership Yuba-Sutter is a program dedicated to creating tomorrow’s leaders by inspiring and motivating individuals from our community to attain higher levels of leadership.

 

Formed through the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Sutter Health Medical Foundation the educational sessions, presentations, interviews with local leaders, and non-profit projects make an immense impact on the Yuba-Sutter community as a whole.

 

During the course of LEADership Yuba-Sutter, participants go through nine all-day meetings with different facets of the community. The mission for this month was to introduce the LEADership Yuba-Sutter 2020 to agriculture in the Yuba-Sutter area.

The class spent one day exploring the local agricultural scene, which was organized, coordinated and lead by Cherie Stephens, owner of Stephens Farmhouse. The informative day began at the Yuba Sutter Farm Bureau with Justine Dutra, Executive Director who explained the work of the Farm Bureau followed by a presentation from the Yuba and Sutter County Agricultural Commissioners, Stephen Scheer and Lisa Herbert. From there, the group made their way to Stephens Dryer where they witnessed the hustle and bustle of the facility during the walnut season and learned as they followed the walnuts through the dryer process.

The next stop of Agriculture Experience Day was at the Sacramento Valley Walnut Growers for a tour of the processor and marketer facility. This is a premier walnut processing facility. It’s state of the art technology and equipment ensures that customers receive the highest quality walnuts available. The group next stopped was to Stephens Farmhouse for lunch and they listened to presenter Justin Lamb, first generation HEMP farmer.

Following lunch, the group visited Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm where owner Wayne Bishop and his daughter Meghan Sanderson educated the group about the history of the farm. Wayne and Meghan sent the group on their way with a delicious apple cider slushy and a homemade pie.
Leadership Yuba-Sutter was submerged into the rich landscape of agriculture right in our local backyard. The group ended the day back at the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau with Dan and Marian Lucero owners of Lucero Vineyards and Winery where they hosted a wine tasting and provided information about their winery business.

The transportation was generously provided by The City of Yuba City.

To find out more about LEADership Yuba-Sutter visit https://www.yubasutterchamber.com/leadership-yuba-sutter

 

 

Swan Sponsor Reception Sponsored By Yuba Water Agency & Yuba Sutter Arts

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1300 Franklin Rd., Yuba City, CA. 95993

530-743-6501

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