This Is Why There Are No

Jobs in America

By Porter Stansberry

Saturday, August 21, 2010

I’d like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can’t

turn me down, as you’ll come to understand in a moment…

Here’s the deal. You’re going to start a business or expand

the one you’ve got now. It doesn’t really matter what you

do or what you’re going to do. I’ll partner with you no matter

what business you’re in – as long as it’s legal.

But I can’t give you any capital – you have to come up

with that on your own. I won’t give you any labor –

that’s definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is

demand you follow all sorts of rules about what

products and services you can offer, how much (and

how often) you pay your employees, and where and

when you’re allowed to operate your business. That’s

my role in the affair: to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I’m going to take roughly half

of whatever you make in the business each year. Half

seems fair, doesn’t it? I think so. Of course, that’s

half of your profits.

You’re also going to have to pay me about 12% of

whatever you decide to pay your employees because

you’ve got to cover my expenses for promulgating all of

the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and

how. Come on, you’re my partner. It’s only “fair.”

Now… after you’ve put your hard-earned savings at

risk to start this business, and after you’ve worked hard

at it for a few decades (paying me my 50% or a bit

more along the way each year), you might decide

you’d like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is “fair” – some people never can

afford to retire – is a different argument. As your

partner, I’m happy for you to sell whenever you’d like…

because our agreement says, if you sell, you have to

pay me an additional 20% of whatever the capitalized

value of the business is at that time.

I know… I know… you put up all the original capital.

You took all the risks. You put in all of the labor. That’s

all true. But I’ve done my part, too. I’ve collected 50%

of the profits each year. And I’ve always come up with

more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I

deserve another, final 20% slice of the business.

Oh… and one more thing…

Even after you’ve sold the business and paid all of my

fees… I’d recommend buying lots of life insurance. You

see, even after you’ve been retired for years, when you

die, you’ll have to pay me 50% of whatever your estate

is worth.

After all, I’ve got lots of partners and not all of them are

as successful as you and your family. We don’t think

it’s “fair” for your kids to have such a big advantage.

But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance

this expense for your children.

All in all, if you’re a very successful entrepreneur… if

you’re one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people

who can create a new company, employ lots of people,

and satisfy the public… you’ll end up paying me more

than 75% of your income over your life. Thanks so much.

I’m sure you’ll think my offer is reasonable and happily

partner with me… but it doesn’t really matter how you

feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or

cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I’ll break down

your door in the middle of the night, threaten you and

your family with heavy, automatic weapons, and throw

you in jail.

Economic stimulus, education, tourism, business advocacy – these issues are priorities for our community and priorities for the Chamber of Commerce. We have committees devoted to each of these topics and we are inviting local businesspeople to become engaged in these issues by joining a Chamber committee and making a difference in our community.

We cannot have a prosperous community filled with opportunities without a strong business climate. The Economic Stimulus Committee will build on the Chamber’s business development program in order to help businesses of all sizes find the resources they need to grow.

The Education Committee is focused on the CHOICES program which puts young businesspeople into SFPS classrooms to speak about making good decisions and the consequences of those decisions.

Tourism is our primary business sector and the Tourism Committee allows businesspeople from the industry together regularly to support ways to keep tourism strong and visitors to enjoy a positive experience in Santa Fe.

The Government Affairs Committee is the heart of the Chamber’s mission to be The Voice of Business in Santa Fe. The Committee works to create legislative priorities and be an effective advocate for business in the community.

If you have any interest in joining a committee please contact Marilyn Blessie at marilyn@santafechamber.com or 988-3279. Just come to meeting and see how you can help the community prosper while growing your business network.

Jun 2010

Minimum Wage Matters

Increasing the minimum wage may not help low-wage workers

Based on the Research of Ohad Kadan And Jeroen Swinkels

The impact of increases in the minimum wage has long caused controversy in political and management circles. Supporters of regular increases argue that those raises are necessary to keep working people from falling below the poverty line. Opponents contend that the increases actually prevent less qualified workers from entering the labor pool because employers can no longer afford to hire them.

Unfortunately, little data existed to support either side, until now. Recently, a Kellogg professor helped to build a model that gives an unexpected answer to the question in one particular type of situation: the service sector that employs minimum-wage workers who depend on incentive payments as part of their earnings, such as servers who receive tips and retail employees and sales staff who work on commission. In these cases, the model strongly suggests that everyone—employers, customers, employees who lose their jobs, and even those who stay—ends up in a worse situation when the minimum wage increases.

“We show the increase will reduce the level of service, hurting customers,” says Jeroen Swinkels, a professor of Management and Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management, who developed the model in collaboration with Ohad Kadan, an associate professor at Washington University, St. Louis. “You end up with a smaller number of workers, and even those workers who keep their jobs are less happy, because they’re forced to work harder for less attractive incentive pay. The surprise is that it’s a lose-lose-lose situation—even for people who keep their jobs.”

The surprise is that raising the minimum wage is a lose-lose-lose situation—even for people who keep their jobs.

Swinkels is quick to point out that the result is not an excuse to ignore the plight of the working poor, but that raising the minimum wage may not be the best way to affect change. Swinkels suggests that individual incomes can be lifted by helping workers find new, higher paying jobs, not by legislating higher pay. There are several ways to accomplish this, he says, from improving employer demand, to creating job-training programs, to improving labor market mobility. All help workers advance while insulating them from adverse market changes. As workers climb the ladder, Swinkels’ model shows their movements can also help the well-being of those who remain in their current jobs.

Unanswered Questions
Swinkels developed the model intending to answer a few longstanding questions: How does a firm choose to change incentives in response to a change in the minimum wage? Do the resultant incentives lead workers to work harder than before? What happens to employment? And are workers, even if they keep their job, better off? “The power of the model,” Swinkels says, “is in the way it tells how it’s going to come out in the wash.”

Swinkels and Kadan base their model on the so-called “moral hazard issue,” which itself stems from the “principal-agent problem.” This deals with situations in which the worker who undertakes specific actions—such as selling items in a department store or serving customers in a restaurant—has incentives that are different from those of the employer. In addition, what the worker does is not directly observable. “As an employer, I can’t see whether you work hard as a salesperson,” Swinkels explains. “I can see the sales you make, but I can’t directly observe whether you are doing the right things at the right moments. So the problem is one of how to provide incentives in this world.”

The new model emerged as part of a project to understand incentive pay in the context of a lower limit on what an employer can pay. “We haven’t had a good model for thinking about this before,” Swinkels says. “The standard model doesn’t allow the latitude to answer the question of how many workers the employer should spread the work among.”

To expand on the standard model, the two theorists relied on a couple of technical advances and a different mathematical approach. They also included recognition of the risks that employees experience when they operate in an environment of high incentives, such as working very hard for a sale that can’t be made for various reasons unrelated to the employee’s effort and ability. “The model incorporates thinking through what these contacts look like in the case of the minimum wage, or limited liability, or legal constraints,” Swinkels notes. “Finally, the model incorporates the ability of the firm to decide not only how hard individuals are working, but also to adjust the number of employees.”

That factor recognizes that employers have some flexibility in the face of an increase in the minimum wage. While the increase inevitably causes employees’ total effort to fall, because the minimized cost of the effort rises with the minimum wage, employers can deal with that decrease in effort in more than one way. For example, they can fire some workers and require everyone who remains to work harder. Or, they can continue to employ all their workers but, in order to maintain minimum overall costs, reduce (costly) incentives for extra effort—in effect, asking the employees to put forth a little less effort. Whichever path they choose, the employers have one end in mind. “It does not matter whether the word processing pool of a firm is typing up the notes of auto body claims adjusters or medical researchers,” Swinkels and Kadan write. “The right thing to do is to minimize the cost per page typed accurately.”

A Series of Trade-offs
For many positions, such as rental car clerks or restaurant servers, firms face the issue of finding enough qualified employees for the total pay package of wages and incentive pay that they offer. Raising the minimum wage would make it a little easier for those firms to recruit the right people. But then, Swinkels and Kadan observe, the firms would reshuffle their incentive pay because they are no longer as worried about recruitment.

This is just one of the possible outcomes of the new model. Overall, Swinkels continues, “We show increases in the minimum wage will reduce the level of service, hurting customers. The surprise is that you end up with a smaller number of workers, and even those workers who keep their jobs are less happy, because they’re forced to work harder for lower incentives. Once the firm has adjusted the number of workers and the market in which it operates has balanced, you end up with harder working, more miserable workers.”

Swinkels emphasizes that the model’s results have implications beyond service area firms and their employees. “Many of these factors will apply to relationships between a firm and its suppliers, involving penalties for suppliers’ poor performance,” he explains. “It can also apply to boards of directors’ treatment of CEOs. And the same piece of mathematics says how a firm will adjust when its employees have more attractive outside options.”

So far, the model remains a theoretical pursuit. “It screams for empirical testing,” Swinkels says. “We hope that it will excite empirical activity by people better qualified at that than ourselves.” Nevertheless, he continues, the project carries a strong message. “The implication is that if you want to help the working poor, this is not the way. There are smarter ways of doing so than by raising wages in the service sector.”

Tour of 4 cities – Beijing , Shanghai , Hangzhou and Suzhou & Xian (optional)

The Santa Fe Chamber, in collaboration with Citslinc International Inc, presents the third trade mission to China . The tour will visit historic and modern sites in four different cities and will offer an optional tour to Xian for anyone who wishes to see the Terracotta Warriors. The tour will provide exposure to many points of interests in China and will be an opportunity to gain insight into how the Chinese business and tourist system operates.

The cost is $1899 and includes:

• Round trip airfare from Los Angeles International Airport
• 5-star and 4-star hotel accommodations
• Three full meals daily
• Deluxe tour bus
• Knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide in each city
• Fees for all attractions (based on double occupancy).

With 331 past travelers in 2009 and 100 seats on the new trip, the Chamber hopes that this outreach will potentially encourage entrepreneurs to think of business possibilities locally as well as internationally.

“There is a great deal of enthusiasm from our travelers about the opportunity to see China first-hand and be able to witness the enormous economic growth that is happening in Asia . Another of the opportunities afforded our travelers to China is the chance to network and develop personal and professional relationships with fellow travelers,” Simon Brackley, President and CEO of the SFCOC.

*There is an additional $160 Visa fee that the Chamber will be able to process through Citslinc.

*A $200 deposit is required to book a spot.

988-3279 or kathy@santafechamber.com for more information

Nine Days

Including hotel, meals, day trips, and airfare from Albuquerque

October 5-13, 2010

Buenos Aires , Argentina ‘s largest city is a seductive world capital located on the banks of the Rio de la Plata . Built by European immigrants, Buenos Aires often surprises visitors with its resemblance to the majestic cities of Europe . Locals in outdoor cafés, dancers in tango bars, and passionate citizens discussing government and soccer on the street-corners are all part of the essence of Buenos Aires . The city has one of the greatest entertainment and nightlife scenes in the world. Theaters, tango shows, bars, and clubs all exhibit the great South American flair. Outside the city you will find a land of diversity in the endless grassy horizons of The Pampas. This is Argentina ‘s breadbasket of fertile land where thousands of cattle are raised each year by pampas gauchos, also known as cowboys. Come with us, share the adventure, join in on the fun!

For More Details and Reservations Contact Kathi Odell

at the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce

E-mail: Kathy@santafechamber.com

Telephone: (505) 988-3279 ext. 18

CST # 2097125-40

From $2549 p.p double occupancy including air from ABQ.

Roundtrip Air Transportation – From Albuquerque on the scheduled services of Delta Airlines or Similar

First-Class Accommodations – One hotel throughout the program for a relaxing seven nights stay at the four star  562             Nogaro Hotel or similar.

Superb Cuisine – Your special rate includes daily breakfasts, two lunches and five dinners (including a farewell dinner with a     Tango show).

Sightseeing/Entertainment Program – City tour of Buenos Aires , Gaucho Ranch and Pampas tour, Eva Peron tour and a Tango lesson. Optional tours available.

Deluxe Motor Coaches – Deluxe motor coaches and experienced drivers escort you for all transfers, tours, and guided         excursions.

Baggage Handling and Transfers – ABC handles your baggage outside of the airport for your arrival and departure,             based on one checked bag per person.

Professional Program Hosts – An experienced professional local host will assist you on the tour upon arrival in Buenos         Aires .

Local Taxes and Service Charges - On all included features.

*contact Chamber for information on pricing and other fees

The Hotel 562 Nogaró (or similar)

The Hotel 562 Nogaró first appeared in Buenos Aires in the 1930’s. Although recently renovated it still keeps its warmth and traditional French   style. This luxury hotel is equipped with staff that is ready to help make Buenos Aires feel like home. The double superior rooms have either one king or twin beds, air conditioning, cable TV, radio, mini bar, safety security box, voice mail and Wi-Fi internet. With only a ten minute walk from the Plaza del Mayo there is always something to do. It is the main plaza in Buenos     Aires , not only does it have great political and historical value but it brings guests many entertainment venues. Here you find, within the Plaza on the east side, la Casa Rosada, which is the official seat of the executive branch of the government in Argentina . Only 200 meters you find yourself in Buenos Aires ’ Financial district. Within the city you also find Puerto Maderos, a trendy spot, which represents the largest wide-scale urban project for the city of Buenos Aires . Nogaró is situated in the center of the hot spots of Buenos Aires .

Please note: Though rare, it may be necessary to substitute hotels and adjust itineraries due to local conditions.

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Depart the U.S: from Albuquerque airport via Delta Airlines (or similar) for Argentina .

Day 2 – Buenos Aires , Argentina : Upon arrival in Buenos Aires , proceed to baggage claim and after clearing customs, meet your local ABC Destinations host, continue to the hotel for check-in. The balance of the day is at leisure to explore the city on your own. Tonight you will have a welcome dinner at the hotel. (D)

Day 3 – Buenos Aires : Today you will get acquainted with Buenos Aires during a tour highlighting the city’s major neighborhoods and attractions. Buenos Aires , popularly known as “Paris of South America”, has a distinctive European flavour of wide boulevards and stunning architecture; this complex, energetic and seductive port city has been the gateway to Argentina for centuries. In the 19^th century, the port was the arrival point for Europeans including Spanish; Italian, Syrian-Lebanese, Polish and Russian immigrants who provided Buenos Aires with the cultural eclecticism that define the city today. We will stop for lunch at a typical local restaurant. After lunch we will visit the Museum of Evita Peron . The museum was inaugurated on the 50th anniversary of Eva’s death, and is located in the building that housed the ‘Fundación Ayuda Social’ of Eva Peron. The museum’s collection tells of the life and work of one of the most important women in Argentina ’s history. The museum has a modern format, using technology to bring history to the present day. Throughout the thirteen rooms of the permanent collection and one of temporary exhibitions, the museum reviews the history of Eva Duarte from childhood, through her youth as an actress, later her life as the First Lady alongside Juan Perón, her fight for women’s civil rights, her social welfare work developed in the Fundacion, until her retirement and death. Return to the hotel for the remainder of the day. Tonight Dinner is at the hotel. (B, L, D)

Day 4 Buenos Aires : After breakfast enjoy a full day of leisure full free day to explore or depart on an optional tour to Sale de Rio de La Plata River for a 45 minute high speed boat ride via hydrofoil to Colonia ( Uruguay ). Colonia is a small city founded by the Portuguese in 1680, at a time when Spain and Portugal were in the midst of confrontations. For over a hundred years both Empires fought over it, until finally the Treaty of Saint Ildefonso awarded it to Spain . Today the Old City has a lot to say about its Colonial past. Visit the picturesque streets of Colonia del Sacramento, the eldest city in the country, recently declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The streets of Santa Rita, San Gabriel, the Matriz  Church, San Pedro road, the Bastion del Carmen, the famous “ Calle de los Suspiros “ ( Street of Sighs) used so often as a scenery for historical films, Puerta del Campo, Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo. The past can still be felt, in the city’s cobblestone streets and stone walls. Colonia complements its archaeological values with natural beauty, the permanent company of the Uruguay River and the emblematic monuments that stand out on the horizon, such as the cathedral and the lighthouse, and very nearby, the Real de San Carlos bullring. (B)

Day 5 Buenos Aires : After breakfast enjoy free time or take an optional tour to the El Tigre Delta and rural Argentina . Tigre is one of the biggest Deltas in the world. We will see Tigre Town one of the most beautiful accesses downtown, passing by residential suburban neighborhoods with their calm narrow roads, yacht clubs, and mansions. Departing from Tigre ’s pier, on board of a typical island launch, the green labyrinth of channels and streams will open its doors to let you explore the nature of its islands, enjoying the views of beautiful riverside villas, Victorian docks, English gardens, and traditional rowing and boating clubs. (B, D)

Day 6 Buenos Aires :Today after breakfast meet your guide and driver for a full day tour at a Gaucho Ranch.This tour offers the perfect overview of Argentina ‘s original gaucho, (cowboy) and culture. Visit a beautiful cattle ranch in the pasturelands where you will enjoy an authentic meal and show. Then visit the small charismatic gaucho town of San Antonio del Areco, known as a slice of old Argentina . (B, L)

Day 7 Buenos Aires : After breakfast, enjoy your morning at leisure, you can do some shopping, or just relax. In the afternoon it’s time to kick off our shoes and take Tango lessons at Mansion Dandi Royal. The Tango is part of the typical music of Buenos Aires .  Enjoy two hours of Tango lessons with a top rate instructor.  The La Ventana Academy located in one of the principal streets of the traditional San Telmo, at the historic centre of Buenos Aires city, just minutes away from the colourful La Boca and the famous pedestrian Caminito. (B, D)

Day 8 Buenos Aires : After breakfast today is yours to do as you please. You can explore the city, do some shopping and maybe stop for coffee at Café Tortoni. Cafe Tortoni is one of the city’s most traditional cafes, located on the famous Avenida de Mayo, with its original decoration. Here you could try a traditional “Chocolate con Churros” or coffee or tea with pastry. Tonight visit one of the many restaurants Buenos Aires has to offer. This evening we hit the town to see how the professional do it as we head out for farewell dinner and Tango show at La Ventana. This Tango House, located in San Telmo, offers the possibility of admiring all qualities of tango in its different expressions. Tango dancers and singers as well as tango orchestras, will let you enjoy and feel this particular Buenos Aires music at its utmost while having a drink or a wonderful dinner. Andean music, as well as typical Argentine folk music, will also be performed to fulfill your expectations. (B, D)

Day 9 Buenos Aires / USA After breakfast depart transfer to the airport for your return flight home, taking all of your wonderful memories of the past week with you. (B)

On Thursday, April 22 the Chamber will host the Annual Business Expo that will draw the best of local business to De Vargas Center. Each year hundreds of local businesspeople gather to connect with customers and resources to help start or grow their business.

This year’s event will showcase local young professionals who are seeking creative ways to start enterprises and make a living in Santa Fe. A seminar series will provide free information about resumes, tax preparation, business financing, job seeking and health insurance options. Mayor David Coss and City Manager Robert Romero will take questions from attendees.

The Business Expo is the largest business showcase in Northern New Mexico and is a great way to get exposure for your business to a prestigious audience of community leaders.

All local businesses are invited to participate – call the Chamber today at 988-3279 to sign up for a table space or get more information about the Expo by Clicking Here.

• Free Admission
• Seminar Series
• “Ask The Mayor”
• Business Resources
• Tax Assistance
• Live Broadcasts on KBAC 98.1
• Giveaways
• Networking
• Video Resumes
• Resume and Interview advice

The Chamber is committed to grow the local economy, provide networking and marketing opportunities for our members, working with government and promoting Santa Fe as a business destination.

See you at the Expo!

Simon Brackley

President and CEO

Chamber Rap

The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) today announced the publication of a new study detailing the credit scores and payment behavior of ten local chambers of commerce across the United States, comparing their member businesses with other regional, state and national business averages.  Produced by Cortera™, a community-driven business credit bureau, on behalf of ACCE, the study includes the Bowling Green (KY) Area Chamber of Commerce, Greater Boca Raton (FL) Chamber of Commerce, Greater Durham (NC) Chamber of Commerce, Greater Omaha (NE) Chamber of Commerce, Helena (MT) Area Chamber of Commerce, Lake Champlain (VT) Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lubbock (TX) Chamber of Commerce, Salem (OR) Area Chamber of Commerce, San Diego (CA) Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Tulsa (OK) Metro Chamber.  According to the study, chamber of commerce members possess an average credit score of 629, compared to a 557 average score for businesses at large.  Such scores – the payment behavior from which they are derived — play a significant role in attracting lines of credit and securing favorable terms from lenders and suppliers.

A complete copy of the study, which includes both the aggregate findings, as well as the individual commercial credit scores for each of the ten local chambers, is available on the ACCE and Cortera sites.  The study was contracted by ACCE and performed by Cortera, which reviewed payment behavior for chamber member businesses.

“Chamber members have long been seen as responsible and reliable members of their community,” said Mick Fleming, president and CEO of ACCE.  “What this study indicates is that the perception is right.  From a credit standpoint, chamber members on average are better businesses, and as a result they have significant advantages in obtaining the funds they need.  In this economy and the tight credit environment we are experiencing, that’s especially important.”

“The economic health of the entire supply chain is dependent on the payment behavior of each of its stakeholders,” said Jim Swift, president and CEO of Cortera. “This study suggests that chamber members are among the most dependable participants in this ecosystem.”

About the American Chamber of Commerce Executives

Established in 1914, ACCE is the only national association serving the professional development needs of chamber professionals throughout the United States and Canada. Representing more than 7,300 individuals, ACCE enhances the knowledge, leadership skills, and management effectiveness of chamber executives and their staff through education, benefits programs, trend analysis, benchmarking, and network development. ACCE promotes the highest standards of professional excellence and integrity within the chamber profession.

About Cortera

In a sea of business information providers, Cortera is different. With over 15 years of experience serving finance professionals, Cortera combines premium business information and innovative tools with a fresh community approach to commercial credit.  It represents the first community for small business credit reporting and a fundamentally new way to capture the collective insight of millions of financial transactions. As a result, small businesses can make smarter, informed decisions to ensure optimal cash flow while attracting more favorable payment terms from existing and potential business partners. Free credit reports on millions of businesses are available at http://start.cortera.com.

A new study reveals that membership in a local chamber of commerce can significantly boost a business’s image among consumers, as well as among other businesses.  In a scientific survey of 2000 U.S. adults, The Schapiro Group, an Atlanta-based strategic consulting firm, found positive perceptions of chamber members in a number of areas, including overall favorability, consumer awareness and reputation, and likelihood of future patronage.

“We discovered that informing someone about a company’s chamber membership opens the door to substantial increases positive perceptions of that business,” said Alex Trouteaud, Ph.D., senior strategist for The Schapiro Group. “There clearly is a feeling by our respondents that chamber membership is synonymous with quality and desirability.”

To tap into this reservoir of goodwill, a small business should not only join the local chamber of commerce and participate, but also make sure consumers and other businesses are aware of that chamber affiliation.

The positive impact of perceived chamber membership is felt by big businesses, too.  For example, when consumers believed that a restaurant chain was a member of the local chamber of commerce, they were 40 percent more likely to eat at the franchise in the future.  And if a consumer believed that one of the major automobile manufacturers was a member of its local chamber, that consumer was 9 percent more likely to consider purchasing his or her next car from that automaker.

“This study reinforces research done in 2005 about the perceived capacity of chambers to lead businesses and lead communities,” said Mick Fleming, president of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE).  “These new national findings point to even more direct benefits for companies willing to be stakeholders in their local chamber.”

The study results had good news for chambers themselves, where 82 percent of respondents indicated that a local chamber of commerce “creates jobs and promotes economic development.”

“The message from this national study is as simple as it is ground-breaking,” said Jim Blasingame, small business expert and president of Small Business Network, Inc. “Join your local chamber, be an active participant in your chamber’s programs and be sure to let your customers and prospects know you’re a proud chamber supporter when they come in your business and when they see your marketing material.”

J. Mac Holladay, CEO of Market Street Services, an economic development consulting firm based in Atlanta that helped create the study, said, “It is refreshing to learn what we have suspected for years — that chamber membership and community involvement are good investments.”

Click here to view the Chamber Study

From the President’s Desk

A very Happy and Prosperous 2010 from all of us at the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce to you, your friends and family. This year will undoubtedly be challenging and the Chamber is committed to strong leadership of the business community and continuing to endorse and promote issues that affect your business.

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers, sponsors and supporters who give so much time, resources and energy to the Chamber and local business.

Immediately upcoming we will be hosting the 2010 Legislative Reception at the Convention Center on January 25. Tickets are now available.

We are now preparing the 2010 calendar of Chamber events. If you would like to host, sponsor or partner with the Chamber, please email Lacie for information.

The Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee is working on the 2010 Legislative Agenda. Read a draft here.

The Committee is also hosting a Candidates Forum in preparation for the March 4 City mayoral and council election. The Forum will be held at Collected Works Bookstore on February 18^th at 5:30pm. All are welcome

If you would like to learn more about Chamber committees and their programs, please contact Marilyn Blessie.

Read the Chamber’s blog here. Also please friend the Chamber on Facebook.

Listen to business issues and member businesses on Business Matters the Chamber’s radio show on Talk 1260 KTRC every Sunday morning at 10 am.

We have a few spaces still available for the April 23 – May 6, 2010 Chamber Trade Mission to Thailand. Contact Kathi Odell for information.

Confidential business assistance is available free to all Santa Fe businesses from Val Alonzo, the Chamber Business Development Director.

The Chamber is pleased to welcome air travelers to Santa Fe (SAF) on American Eagle Airlines from Dallas (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX). We are also advocating for direct daily air service to Denver (DIA).

The Class of 2010 of Leadership Santa Fe is already half way through the program and the participants are doing great work learning about personal skills, community issues and preparing to lead us into the future.

Remember to read the Chamber’s Business Advocate newsletter on the first Tuesday of each month in the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Read an opinion piece from the Chamber about job creation HERE.

Keeping your purchases in Santa Fe helps to create jobs and taxes and prosperity for all Santa Feans. Santa Fe – Buy Into It!

The Chamber’s website has a complete list of local business resources.

To help the Chamber and local businesspeople mentor local students contact Lacie Mackey for more information.

Mark your calendars for Santa Fe Restaurant Week from February 28th to March 6th, 2010.

Partnering with the Chamber is the best way that you can invest in the local business community Please contact me at any time with questions, suggestions or observations.

Best wishes for a great 2010.

Simon Brackley

President and CEO

Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce

505-988-3279