July 17, 2008

Chamber of Commerce CEO addresses AVCA

By Shana McLean Moore
Staff Writer

The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce is the oldest chamber in the state, according to President and CEO Pat Dando, and it’s been working to make Silicon Valley a good place to do business for the past 122 years.

Dando was the guest speaker at the Almaden Valley Community Association’s (AVCA) monthly meeting on Monday, informing the audience about the history of the chamber, detailing the organization’s involvement in the community, and answering questions from the audience.

Pat Dando, President/CEO, San Jose Chamber of Commerce

Dando began by stating the chamber’s earliest attempt to make Silicon Valley a good place to do business when local merchants pooled their resources to pave Santa Clara Street. After this venture’s success, the chamber’s members realized that many travelers from around the country and the world were entering California through Los Angeles. They planned to court travelers to the area by combining resources to construct the area’s first hotel, located near the current De Anza Hotel. When it was completed, they then sent delegates to Los Angeles to invite visitors north.

Many of the organization’s latest attempts to make business easier in San Jose and Silicon Valley have focused on infrastructure. The chamber’s efforts to expand San Jose’s airport stem from its members’ belief that as the third largest city in California, and one that continues to grow, is important to provide travelers adequate gateways instead of boarding and deplaning via stairs. Equally important was the successful efforts of the chamber, City Council members and local businesses to ensure the concessions at the newly remodeled airport reflect the local “flavor” that will help make it a destination.

While lobbying the airlines to expand the amount of long-haul flights that come in and out of SJC, the chamber remains closely involved in the attempt to allow the construction of taller buildings downtown. While the airline industry is opposed to the effort for the sake of take offs and landings, higher density buildings downtown promise to help keep hotels and restaurants at capacity. Height restrictions, says Dando, do not make it easier to do business in San Jose.

As more outside venues look to San Jose for conferences and events, Dando explain-ed why supporting the expansion of the San Jose Convention Center is critical to the future growth of the city. Because of its current size limitations, the Convention Center is a venue appropriate only for small size conventions. Dando said the goal is to have it serve both small- and medium-size conventions that will continue to fill our hotels and restaurants, and encourage more retailers to move to the downtown area.

She noted that there is a whole different feel downtown when conventions are in town. If the city is able to fill the convention calendar, downtown sales are estimated to increase 10-fold.

Another of the chamber’s long-standing goals lies with streamlining the permitting process for things like building construction and to help start new businesses.

In addition, the chamber works closely with local business associations, like the Almaden Business Association, helping to get them started and supporting them for the first three years, after which they are expected to be self-sustaining.

Because the chamber’s members range from the valley’s largest employers, like Lockheed Martin, to the smallest mom and pop businesses, the chamber must offer a range of service to meet the needs of all members. With a salaried staff of 18 and an active volunteer board of 60 that meets monthly, the chamber is a dynamic organization that represents over 2000 Silicon Valley businesses. To that end, the organization offers weekly classes that include marketing and starting a new business, as well as regular business-to-business mixers that help with networking.

After presenting an overview of the services provided by the chamber, Dando invited questions from AVCA members and other residents in attendance. In addition to fielding the follow-up questions regarding the chamber’s involvement with the airport and other city development, Dando was asked about development of Coyote Valley. Although the chamber never took a vote on the development of this area, Dando said it acknowledges that it is inevitable that the area will be developed.

She supports a comprehensive plan so that the infrastructure is designed to best serve the residents of Almaden and the surrounding areas. “Without a comprehensive plan, it will become a piecemeal job,” said Dando. “The area will be built—it is simply a matter of time. Because the farmers who own the land are no longer farming, they want to sell the land. We can’t stop them from doing so. We do need to be sure, however, that the development doesn’t become a drain on San Jose.”

Another resident inquired as to what the chamber can do to help the city become more reliant on solar energy. Dando said that this is a cause that is important to Mayor Chuck Reed. As evidence to this fact, she announced that UL Laboratories opened a facility in San Jose on July 14. Because Mayor Chuck Reed pursued the company and helped find a location in just three months, San Jose is on its way to becoming a leader in solar energy. With 20-25 employees on site, UL Laboratories can help reduce the testing/approval process by 25 percent when new solar widgets are developed.

Dando was met with warm applause as the meeting concluded because of her reputation as a 30-year devoted public servant to the Almaden Valley community. Prior to her role at the chamber, she served two terms as District 10’s City Council member, including a term as vice mayor. In addition to her service to Almaden, Dando has served in state government as director of Local Government Affairs for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. She continues her public service through participation on numerous professional, policy and community boards and committees.

At a recent Downtown Forum, the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce put business owners together with city staff and officials from several departments to help improve the permitting process, which was driving some potential business owners to bankruptcy. The meeting helped the city streamline its permitting and allows much quicker turnaround today. Photo courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce