chamber of commerce

Tahoe Chamber thanks the community for supporting local food banks at the Annual BAHM! for Charity at Riva Grill on Thursday, January 15. Over 100 people attended and together we raised $3,650 for charities Christmas Cheer All Year and Bread and Broth. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the turnout and the amount of donations we received. We’d like to thank Riva Grill for hosting the event and providing the generous spread.

The South Lake Tahoe area of El Dorado County now has a new supervisor, officially. Sue Novasel won the election for Area 5 County Supervisor back in November and has jumped right into the job of representing her constituents which cover the area from Pollock Pines to Tahoma to South Lake Tahoe.

She was officially sworn in on Monday in Placerville, then again at their first Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, then again in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday.

Tahoe Chamber is currently offering discounted rates for booths at the 2015 Business EXPO: Innovation in the Basin.

Member businesses that reserve booth space prior to January 1, 2015 will receive $50 off their booth registration.

The Business EXPO is the South Shore's premier business event with approximately 100 participating local businesses and over 1,500 attendees annually. This year's theme will focus on the innovative businesses and programs unique to the Tahoe Basin.

Tahoe Chamber, in partnership with the City of South Lake Tahoe, is offering the Overcoming Your Business Roadblocks: Planning to Propel Your Business to New Heights workshop for business owners on December 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The 7th Annual Blue Ribbon Awards ceremony was the biggest yet, with 300 people at Thursday's banquet and 175 nominations of local businesses, employees and experiences.

Here is the list of winners:

Experience Award – Sponsored by Marriott Grand Residence & Vacation Club

The campaign posters on Measures M, N and O that have plastered the west slope for a few months have now made their way to South Lake Tahoe. But, what are they all about?

Growth, to put it in one word.

On one side you have people who want to have control of growth in the county and not let it go to Sacramento. On the other side there is a grass roots movement to keep all growth out of the county unless Cal Trans says its okay.

Most of us moved to Meyers because it's a rural community, away from the City & tourist congestion. I am pro-growth, most locals are, as long as it's appropriately sized growth for our community. The proposed Meyer's Plan however, opens the door to a Mega Resort, with incentives for large development and in my mind, lacks long range planning.

I started going to planning meetings last summer, just to listen, but it wasn't until December that I got really concerned. Here's a timeline of events, from my perspective:

If the success of Thursday night's merging of South Lake Tahoe politics with speed dating is any indication, we should see many more forums done in the same format in the future. A much more educated and knowledgeable voter emerged from the evening's event at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Be an informed voter this November! An educational forum featuring all the candidates on the ballot running unopposed will be held at Lake Tahoe Community College on Thursday, October 9.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, KTHO Radio and Lake Tahoe Community College are jointly sponsoring the Candidate's Forum in the Aspen Room, which is in the college's library building, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Tahoe Chamber has a long history of Representing Business to Government via advocating for policies that provide a fair and predictable process for businesses of any size. This process is guided by our Government Affairs Committee (GAC), the
board, the Chamber CEO and our Government Affairs Liaison.

The public and media are welcome to attend two forums this September to get educated about LTCC's bond measure, Measure F, which will be on the ballot November 4.

The Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Measure F workshop on Thursday, Sept. 18 @ 5:30 p.m. in the Aspen/Board room at LTCC.

The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce hosts another informational forum on Measure F Wed. Sept. 24, also at 5:30 p.m. in the Aspen/Board room at LTCC.

Tahoe Tactical Team, the popular business coaching program, is returning due to a federal grant received by the City of South Lake Tahoe. They have joined a partnership with the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce to bring back the program which helps new business owners start up an enterprise or existing business owners take their businesses to the next level.

Thank you to all of those who joined us to kick start the summer season. A big thank you to Zephyr Cove Resort for hosting the Music on the Beach BAHM! this past Tuesday evening. As always, we had a great time at the resort. Offering picturesque lakefront entertainment, food and lodging, Zephyr Cove has something for everyone. We’d like to also thank local band Ike and Martin for providing the exceptional entertainment. A special thanks goes to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe for providing two Sarah McLachlan tickets that were included in the evening’s raffle. Thank you again to everyone who came out.

After lengthy debate during Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting, a 3-2 vote changed the direction of the second phase of the plastic bag ban.

In January, 2014, a ban on single use bags was implemented for all grocery stores and food vendors in the city limits. That portion of the ban has not changed. What has changed is the second phase which was going to expand the ban to retail stores starting on October 15, 2014.

Artemis Mediterranean Grill has expanded its business to include a second restaurant, Artemis Lakefront Café, in the Ski Run Marina. Owners Angela and Brian Luke will celebrate the opening of this new location with a grand opening party and ribbon cutting officiated by TahoeChamber on June 17.

The Board of Directors of California’s South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce and myself want to thank South Shore residents for voting in the June 3rd primary. Voting is the opportunity for government to be brought into alignment with the wishes of its citizens. Voting is that precious American right to elect candidates to public office who will govern and shape the future of the community.

South Tahoe Now sent a questionnaire out to all of the candidates for Douglas County Sheriff. We will be posting them in the order received.

1) What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department?

A coalition of all counties present at the lake along with residents, environmental groups, legislators and business groups were behind the Tahoe Regional Plan and urged its adoption in 2012. Since that time, the Sierra Club and "Friends of the West Shore" have sued (in February 2013) to oppose the plan, lost their motion (April 2014) and now, as of May 7, have filed an appeal to the court's decision to uphold the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan.

Community Reporter Jack Durst highlights the Annual South Lake Tahoe Business Expo.

TahoeChamber is partnering with Constant Contact to offer a special three-part series as part of the ongoing Tech Tuesday program. This three-part series begins with “Grow Your Business Email Marketing” on March 18 at 5pm at the TahoeChamber Conference Room. Constant Contact representatives will demonstrate how small businesses can utilize email marketing to engage and grow their customer base. Attendees will discover new marketing strategies and discover the elements necessary for a successful email marketing campaign.

A new delivery service in town debuted their company at a ribbon cutting ceremony on February 11 at the TahoeChamber conference room. Tahoe Restaurant Delivery & More invited guests to try their vendor's various menu items during a buffet style luncheon which included sushi, sandwiches, cookies and noodle dishes and more.

Youth Sports and Recreation celebrated a ribbon cutting on January 31
with Tahoe Chamber on hand to officiate. Owner Tim Wesley invited guests
to tour his facility and learn more about the business, which operates to promote physical activity and provide nutritional education to children ages 5 to 17.

Youth Sports and Recreation also provides a tutoring center for after school care. Instructors demonstrated martial arts while children tried
the various machines available, including stationary bikes that allowed riders to play video games as they cycled.

Over 100 members of the South Lake Tahoe community attended the 3rd Annual Tahoe Chamber Community breakfast on Tuesday where they shared their visions of what was needed for success.

Those attending broke up into group discussions on a few topics including what they felt small businesses in the area need in order to be better prepared. Since the event was put on the by chamber, there was also discussion was about what the TahoeChamber.org could provide to improve their member's experiences.

There are a few upcoming Chamber events to highlight:

Tahoe Chamber invites all members of the community to attend their 3rd Annual Chamber Community Breakfast on Tuesday, January 28 from 8:30-­‐10am
at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel is located at 4130
Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe, CA.

Guests will receive a complimentary continental breakfast with the opportunity to participate in an informative and interactive white water round table session with the Chamber staff.