gmhTODAY 19 gmhToday April May 2018 | Page 32

ABOVE: Chamber Board of Directors, see page 82. LEFT: Gilroy Chamber Staff Chris Bevilacqua, Administrative Assistant Jude Miranda, Administrative Assistant Mark Turner, President/CEO Candace van Sambeek, Membership Support Eric Howard, Business Relations Manager INSET: Michelle Campbell, Board Chairperson (inset photo below) Written By Robin Shepherd his year the Gilroy Chamber of Com- merce celebrates the 65th anniversary of its incorporation. Chamber President Mark Turner leads a staff of three full- time and two part-time staffers working together on behalf of the chamber’s 700 members. It’s a welcoming place where you’re greeted by smiling faces and surrounded by racks of colorful brochures beckoning you to local area attractions. If you spend any time in Gilroy, you get a sense of “Gilroy Pride” in the 32 collaborative relationships that connect the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce with the Gilroy Economic Development Corporation, the Gilroy Welcome Center, the Gilroy Downtown Business Association, and the City of Gilroy. It goes a lot deeper than garlic. Role and Relevance So, what does the Chamber do, and what makes it a relevant force in the community? According to Mark Turner, a former pastor, gifted photographer, and current GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN APRIL/MAY 2018 President and CEO of the Chamber, it’s a mission-driven organization. “We are focused on critical topics. Homelessness, housing, transportation and roads, attracting new business and local investment, workforce develop- ment, and crime prevention. We are in a unique position to bring business, government and community members together on these issues to work out how to move forward to solutions.” “Everything we do is tied to five core principles that make our work relevant,” Turner said. “Building gmhtoday.com T Gilroy Chamber of Commerce