Chamber eyes greater growth, influence Chamber eyes greater growth, influence (February 10, 2006)

by Jeb Bing

A ttorney Don Odell, who was installed last week as the 2006 chairman of the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce, urged members to push even harder to strengthen the city's business environment and the organization's membership.

Speaking at an installation luncheon at Ruby hill Golf Club, Odell looked back to 1945 when the chamber was organized, pointing out that Pleasanton was a small, agriculturally-focused community then with no significant businesses. With soldiers coming back from World War II, many settled here, bringing with them a worldly perspective that changed both Pleasanton and the nation. That global outlook and drive to bring commerce and industry to Pleasanton continues today.

The chamber now has just under 1,000 members, with a leadership base that, from the organization's start through today, has influenced and contributed directly to the development of the community. Board members at the chamber have included many who have served on city commissions and committees, and on nonprofits and civic organizations, ranging from the Tri-Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau to regional associations. These have included members of the school board, City Council, Alameda County Fairgrounds and numerous small and medium-sized businesses. Former Councilwoman Sharrell Michelotti is now the chamber's Vice President of Economic Affairs; former City Manager Deborah McKeehan, now president of the East Bay Division of Embarcadero Publishing, which publishes the Pleasanton Weekly and Danville Weekly, has just become Vice Chair of Communications for the organization. So many have taken key positions at the chamber after stepping down from the council and top positions that Odell quipped that the City Council has become a good training ground for chamber leaders.

Odell urged the 350 at the installation luncheon to become ever more active in protecting the business interests in Pleasanton to help strengthen the chamber's position as a driving force for the private sector. That includes working to make sure that the proposed extension of Stoneridge Drive to Livermore is kept in the General Plan now being updated, even if it's not built now. The City Council and Planning Commission have said they want it struck from the plan so that it could never be built, making the dedicated roadway land available for other developments that would then stand in the way of a future extension, even if a new council and planning commission choose to build it. There are those in Pleasanton who like Pleasanton just as it is and want no further changes, whether it's more streets and thoroughfares or more large homes.

All this is not new for the chamber which, as Odell pointed out, has long accounted for a strong tax base in Pleasanton that helped build the roads, community parks, schools and police and fire department. Chamber members and the businesses they represent contribute about 60 percent of the city's tax base and have long supported major projects and events from business-building programs, such as Leadership Pleasanton, to public speakers on local, state and federal issues. The chamber's Political Action Committee, launched three years ago, has become a recognized force by candidates who have found the chamber's endorsement helps them win elections.

Still, some businesses don't see the value in chamber participation or even membership. While large companies such as Lockheed are major sponsors of chamber events and programs in Sunnyvale, there's little participation in Pleasanton by Safeway, Oracle and others. That's a challenge Odell has to confront if he wants his organization to truly represent all Pleasanton businesses and stay a driving force in economic development and the political process in Pleasanton.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.