Gilroy Chamber … with Jane Howard: Chamber’s economic development team supports local businesses

Economic development creates wealth to benefit the community

By Jane Howard

Jane Howard

Greetings from the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development. I love this opportunity to share with readers the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce focus to support economic development in the community.

So often, someone hears various comments about what is economic development and why is it important to a community. Here at the GCOC we provide marketing and implement activities on behalf of the city of Gilroy to support economic development.

Before identifying a few of the activities we undertake as part of our strategic planning work plan, I want to first define the term.

Economic development is the creation of wealth from which community benefits are realized. It is an investment in growing the economy that creates economic opportunity for residents while increasing revenues for jurisdictions, such as the city of Gilroy, so they can provide services, amenities and a desirable quality of life for their residents — all in a way that aligns with the community’s vision and values.

The following are some activities and examples of what the GCOC now provides for the city of Gilroy to support and encourage economic development:

• Manage marketing and advertising programs in conjunction with strategic partners to enhance economic development inquiries and increase opportunities to increase businesses to Gilroy. GCOC partners with the city of Gilroy and Visit Gilroy in a 2023/’24 advertising campaign in the San Jose Mercury News and has developed a new website landing page to track results from the campaign.
• Attend industry tradeshows with the city of Gilroy Economic Development Manager to promote Gilroy as a business destination. GCOC and the city’s economic manager are attending the International Conference of Shopping Centers show in Monterey March 25 – 27 in partnership with our consultant, The Retail Coach. During this show, Gilroy representatives will meet brokers and individuals to discuss potential businesses considering Gilroy as a future location.
• Track existing inventory of available buildings and business sites within the community including public and private buildings and land areas. The GCOC website www.gilroy.org has a menu section dedicated to economic development that includes listings of available properties and land areas.
• Create a collaborative workforce development program between education and industry to give middle school, high school, and college students an opportunity to gain insights into career pathways. GCOC co-hosted “Associate for a Day” in partnership with Gilroy Gardens with about 200 incoming freshmen from various Gilroy schools. Students visited various departments and learned about jobs and careers available through Gilroy Gardens, which is the largest youth employer in the community.

These activities are a few examples of the economic development team’s effort to contribute to a thriving economy and workplace in the community. Achieving measurable change depends on having a clear understanding of the community’s status and the metrics that define what to strive for in pursuing a preferred future.

As we continue evaluating the economic data and community demographic profiles compiled recently by The Retail Coach, we strive to fully understand Gilroy’s competitive advantages and disadvantages so that as a community we can make strategic, informed decisions based in reality — not rhetoric.

The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce is a proud member of the Economic Development team in our community and we remain focused on our mission to make Gilroy the best place to live, work and play.

Jane Howard is the interim president/CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development.