chamber of commerce

Local resident Brittani Curtis has joined the staff of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) as Communications and Marketing Coordinator.

My name is Tamara Wallace and I am a candidate for South Lake Tahoe City Council. To begin with, I have vowed to not accept the pay that comes from holding office.

In a letter to City Clerk Susie Alessi, it was officially stated that if elected I would not accept the recently doubled Council salary of almost $1,000 per month. Being a fiscal conservative, I feel being careful with taxpayer dollars should start with me.

Tamara Wallace’s campaign slogan is “it’s Time.”

I believes that the voters feel as I do.

Here is what I am not:

Veteran community advocate Steve Teshara has accepted the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Board Chair Mike McLaughlin announced the Board’s appointment of Teshara in a statement released July 21.

“Our Board is extremely pleased Steve has agreed to step in to support the Chamber’s mission, membership, and community engagement while we seek a new CEO to move the organization into 2017 and beyond,” said McLaughlin. “Steve adds a unique blend of experiences and accomplishments to our dedicated Chamber staff.”

Former South Lake Tahoe City Manager David Jinkens is headed south to the city of Avalon to take on the same position for that city on Santa Catalina Island, one that he held in the 1980s.

Jinkens was the SLT City Manager from August 2002 until August 2010 when he retired after 35 year of service as a City CEO. Now, he's headed back to where he and wife Terri lived and worked when they were first married.

The 5th annual Lake Tahoe Home and Garden Show will be held April 22 and 23 at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Complex on Rufus Allen Blvd. The show will begin on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and run until 7:30 p.m. Saturday hours will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission to the show is free, and each attendee will receive a small gift and be entered into a chance to win a door prize.

Spring forward, fall back.

But why?

The reason the United States and many other countries, mostly in the West, shift to daylight saving time is contentious and confusing, and some of the more popular explanations are not grounded in reality. (It isn’t for farmers, as you may have learned in school.)

The general concept is to move an hour of sunlight from the early morning, when many would sleep through it, to the evening, when you could most likely do more with the light.

The public is invited to the 4th annual Tahoe Chamber Community Breakfast hosted by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce on February 25, 2016 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Guests will enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast and hear from Tahoe Chamber’s President/CEO “B” Gorman, Chamber Board Members, Ambassadors, and staff.

The annual Tahoe Chamber Business Expo will be held at Harvey's Convention Center on April 1, but time is closing in on signing up for the last 20 available booth spaces.

The 2016 Expo is the South Shore’s largest business and networking experience produced by Tahoe Chamber and it showcases businesses and their products, programs and services to over 1,500 attendees.

Vendors are now being accepting for the annual Home and Garden Show held in South Lake Tahoe will be held April 22-23, 2016 at the Recreation Complex. For those that sign up before January 29, a large early bird discount is available.

Here is a list of the vendors signed up so far:

Sponsors
EverythingTahoe.com
Kadzoom.com
EverythingCarsonValley.com
South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce
Legal Shield, J. Conner, Ind. Assoc.

Vendors
Tahoe Bath and Candle Works
South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce

The bi-state Tahoe Chamber is reaching to their membership and offering them the opportunity to develop new business relationships through its Ambassador Program. Applications for the 2016 Chamber Ambassador Program are currently being accepted through January 15.

Ambassadors are a group of professionals that assist and interact with other chamber members on a variety of levels. There are now over 650 members in the organization.

What does a Prosperous Tahoe look like? What does prosperity mean? How can we measure it? The Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC) mission is uniting Tahoe's communities to strengthen regional prosperity. How do our governments, businesses and communities fit into that goal? What can we do to ensure Tahoe's residents are prosperous?

Shannon McIsaac has been hired as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe’s director of sales.

“I’m very excited to be part of a new team that is so committed to being a strong community partner,” said McIsaac. “I feel that the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe is poised to be an industry leader in our region, and the sales team looks forward to bringing groups and events to South Shore.”

These are challenging times for businesses and many entrepreneurs are left without the guidance necessary to build sustainable businesses. Fortunately, the Tahoe Tactical Team is available to assist current and prospective business owners in their entrepreneurial journey. This past week, the Tahoe Tactical Team expanded its business coaching program to include businesses and entrepreneurs in Douglas County due to a grant from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.

Two local non-profits, Tahoe Regional Young Professionals (TRYP) and Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber), are teaming up for the "Mixed Up Mixer" on Wednesday, October 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Set at the new Conference Center at Beach Retreat and Lodge at Tahoe, the Mixed Up Mixer allows both TRYP and Tahoe Chamber memberships to mingle with one another while learning how these organizations are benefiting the South Shore community.

In just over one year, America will be selecting a new President along with new senators and local officials. To help make a dent in the number of unregistered citizens across the country, Employee Voter Registration Week was created.

The vendor pairings for the 6th Annual Sample the Sierra have been announced. Approximately 54 local restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries, farmers and producers will participate in the one-day farm-to-fork festival on Sunday, September 6 at Bijou Community Park in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

The pairings for this year’s Sample the Sierra are as follows:

· Beach Hut Deli with Loomis Basin Brewing Co.
· Bear Moon Bar & Grill with Auriga Wine Cellars
· Blue Angel Café with Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
· Boathouse on the Pier with Andis Wines

The early bird catches the worm – and in this case, the early bird gets special pricing for tickets to Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival Sample the Sierra! Early bird tickets for Sample the Sierra are available until August 1 and allow you to attend the festival for just $30 to fully experience dozens of restaurants, wineries, distilleries and breweries. Tickets will be priced at $40 per person from August 1 until the festival on September 6.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of South Lake Tahoe, is offering a Create Your Business Plan workshop on Wednesday, July 22. By the end of the workshop participants will have a completed draft of a business plan.

Since 2003 there has been Leadership Lake Tahoe and a few hundred people can now say they've graduated from this worthwhile program. What started as an annual joint venture between the two Chambers of Commerce that served the South Shore is now a biennial leadership experience.

I was a member of Leadership Lake Tahoe in 2006 and I can say that it changed my life.

Biking and walking positively contribute to Lake Tahoe's economy, but by how much? This subject will be discussed during May's Tahoe Talks Brown Bag speaker series on May 20, 2015. This will feature a panel discussion on what is currently known about how biking and walking impact Tahoe's economy, and how we can find out more.

The annual Harrah's/Harvey's Hike for the Humane Society has teamed up with the Action Adventure Expo! Join us Saturday, May 16th, in the back parking lot of Harrah's from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Admission to the event is free, and a low cost lunch will be offered to benefit the Humane Society.

There will be an opportunity to meet Brandon Nelson and Cara Maria Sorobello of "The Challenge" series, and have your picture taken with your pet. You can also join the guided hike, which starts at 9:30, for just $10 for the hike and lunch! Pets are welcome, but they must be on leash at all times.

Long awaited BevMo! opened with much fanfare Friday morning to a large crowd in South Lake Tahoe. A line of an estimated 225 people formed in front of the store prior to the 9 a.m. ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony.

First in line was local resident Dayton Hirsch. "I didn't think I'd be first when I got here at 7:15 a.m.," Hirsch said. As he walked in the door he, and the next 499 people, all received a mini-soft sided cooler complete with a martini shaker, drink recipe book, cup and assorted BevMo! and vendor gifts.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) Board of Directors named Roberta Mason and Sherm McKissock honorary lifetime members of Tahoe Chamber for their contributions to the South Shore community. Patrick Atherton was awarded an honorary annual membership. Mason, McKissock and Atherton were presented with honorary memberships at the Tahoe Chamber Board of Directors meeting on March 19, 2015.

Just over a dozen members of the community turned out for Thursday night's meeting about the pending Caltrans project that with either replace or restore the bridge over Echo Summit.

The Echo Summit Bridge Replacement/Rehabilitation Project was created because of cracks, rusting reinforcing steel and concrete spalling on the existing bridge which was built in 1939.