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
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Gilroy
Chamber of Commerce