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Mission Statement

"To represent our membership by advocating a healthy economic climate through the effective use of our unique regional resources to enhance the quality of life in the greater Yuma area."

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Message from the Executive Director

Yuma County is a great place to live, work, raise a family, play, and have a successful business. There is a generosity of spirit that exists here in Yuma that can’t be found anywhere else. Our sense of community will make you feel welcome in a matter of seconds.

As I begin my fifth year as your Executive Director, I want to extend my appreciation and gratitude to my Board of Directors, our tireless team of Ambassador volunteers, staff and the over 700 members of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. We are doing everything we can to make this your Chamber of Commerce, based on your needs, your inspiration, your success and your goals. Based on your input, we have introduced three new customized training programs: Customer Service, the Communication of Sales, and Team Building. We have also developed a “Lunch & Learn” series of quarterly lunches that provide personal and professional development. Our other new initiatives include the S. June Pallack Excellence in Education Awards specifically designed for non-teaching personnel, and the Summer Works in Yuma program, designed to get summer jobs for teachers.

Of course, we will continue to advocate for you to keep taxes low, to keep government small and to keep government out of your businesses. We are vigilant at the local, state, regional and national level and work tirelessly to make sure that all of you are represented. We collaborate with our city, county, state and federal elected officials and the cooperation has been wonderful. We have had a few successes with a property tax moratorium, a slowing of water rate hikes, and stayed highly engaged in Education Funding Reform. Your Yuma County Chamber of Commerce has wonderful partnerships with the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, Visit Yuma, the City of Yuma, the Arizona Chamber Executives and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Additionally, we are members of the Yuma County Fair Board, BetterYuma.Org, the Yuma Southwest Contractors Association, the Yuma Area Agriculture Council, and we are associate members of the Yuma Association of Realtors. We at the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce will continue to represent you to help make your businesses better.

The cornerstone of our marketing efforts is our “Shop Locally” program. We focus daily on making businesses in Yuma County prosperous and shopping locally truly drives that success. It is my honor to serve the business people of Yuma County, Arizona. I welcome your thoughts, ideas, letters and most importantly your involvement with the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce.

Sincerely,

John Courtis
Executive Director, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce

Message from the Chairman

“Yuma will not let me fail”

Thanks to the networking opportunities provided to me by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, I was able to establish this mantra for myself.

Because of my professional relationships and network of Yuma friends that started or grew because of my engagement with the Chamber, I have never lacked job opportunities or resources. Even when offers came from outside of Yuma, I was able to confidently and respectively decline knowing that I would personally and professionally flourish in Yuma County.

As the 2018 Chairman of the Board, my desire is for all of our members to adopt a similar mantra because of their involvement with our chamber.

I would like to provide you with 3 suggestions for 2018 that I believe will enable you to do so or at least help you find greater fulfillment as chamber members:        

1. Get involved with your Chamber. With over 700 members, there is an enormous amount of opportunities and resources available to each and every one of you. By joining us at mixers, Good Morning Yuma, Quarterly Lunch & Learns, ribbon cuttings and a number of other chamber related events you will not only discover that your professional network will grow, but the number of people you call friends will also grow.  
2. Limit your online purchases and support our brick & mortar businesses. Online shopping is almost an unavoidable force, but help preserve our jobs, resources and tax revenues by making a conscious effort to shop in Yuma County businesses. The person on the other side of the counter will thank you and remember your name.     
3. Reach out to our youth. The skills and talents our youth have to offer our community are invaluable. Through internships, mentoring, awareness of what our local community college and universities offer, let’s work together on educating youth on the lifelong opportunities available to them in Yuma County. They should never leave because they believe no opportunities are available in Yuma County.

Thank you for supporting your Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. Remember, you not only have an Executive Director at the chamber, you also have a board of 12 Yuma County residents on the board here to support your business. Have a productive and amazing 2018.   

Sincerely,

Art Morales
Board Chairman, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce
Senior Director of Business Development, AEA

Chamber Staff

John Courtis
Executive Director
Email: john@yumachamber.org

Sheryl Hehe
Administrative Assistant
Email: sheryl@yumachamber.org

Tania Pavlak
Outreach & Events Coordinator
Email: tania@yumachamber.org

Chamber Board Of Directors

Chairman
Art Morales
AEA Senior Director of Business Development

Chair Elect
Anna Chaulk
APS

Past Chair
Matt Molenar
President, MGM Design

Secretary
Lisa Reilly
Yuma Sun

Treasurer
Jeff Byrd
1st Bank Yuma

Dr. Michael Sabath
NAU

Howard Blitz
The Freedom Library

Kathy Ahuactzin
24 Karat

Adrian Elder
Yuma Investment Group

Paul Brierley
Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture

Bill Regenhardt
Arizona@Work/YPIC

Steve Pallack
Caballeros de Yuma