State of the Chamber
Director reflects on past year, looks to future
Kimberly Kahl took on the role of executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce in the middle of a pandemic. “A challenge to say the least,” she quipped.
Kahl, who stepped into the position six months ago, reflected on the past year and shared changes expected in the coming months as she addressed the “state of the chamber” during a virtual “Good Morning, Yuma!” held March 11.
“Who could have anticipated a year ago how our lives would be changed?” she asked. “At the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, like many organizations,
we have seen many changes.”
The chamber switched to virtual events. “We’ve all learned to use online platforms like Zoom and came to expect phrases like ‘you have to unmute yourself’ or ‘Oh! I forgot to unmute myself’ as we realized we were speaking but no one could hear us,”
she recalled.
Ribbon cuttings and groundbreaking events still happened, just with fewer people. The chamber even added new events, the Driving Business in Yuma Golf Tournament and Expo in December, and an educational series for retail establishments through a partnership with Arizona Retail Works.
One thing didn’t change, as Kahl noted. “There was still an amazing team at the chamber. Sheryl Hehe, Diana Wise and Tania Pavlak have continued to work tirelessly to serve local businesses in our community under new constraints.”
Another thing that did not change were the relationships the chamber has with local state and federal government agencies and elected officials. “In Yuma County, we are fortunate to have elected officials who are willing to assist and listen to our collective voices,” Kahl said.
As a recent example, she explained to the time when Gov. Ducey announced that grants would be available for restaurants to expand their premises. Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls and City Administrator Phil Rodriguez knew about this early in the process and also knew the grants were first-come, firstserved. They immediately contacted Kahl to coordinate efforts ensuring local restaurants could apply for the grants as soon as the application window opened.
“Through this process, I discovered there was a piece missing for restaurants in unincorporated areas in Yuma County to apply, so I immediately reached out to the county administrator’s office. They were extremely responsive and the issue was resolved in plenty of time for those restaurants also to apply when
the application window opened,” Kahl said.
Kahl meets with elected officials at least monthly and sometimes weekly to ensure these partnerships are maintained for the benefit of businesses in Yuma County.
Earlier this month, the chamber officers and Kahl met to discuss the 20-plus bills currently being considered by the Arizona Legislature and four pieces of legislation on the national level that could affect businesses in Yuma County.
“I will be drafting letters and reaching out to the appropriate elected officials to ensure our voices are heard to prevent anything that would make business harder for you
and to promote anything that will assist with Yuma County business success,” Kahl said.
A “big thing” that did not change is the volunteer base. “From our committee members to our ambassadors to our board members, we have an amazing team of volunteers always willing to lend a helping hand. We could not do what we do without them.”
In 2021, members will notice a few changes. In-person events will resume “as soon as it’s safe,” with in-person mixers perhaps resuming at the end of summer. It’s also considering a new in-person event in June, planning a mega mixer expo for mid-September, and will once again host the Driving Business in Yuma Golf Tournament in December.
“Events that include a meal like Good Morning Yuma and Lunch and Learns are a little more tricky, so no dates have been set for them to resume,” Kahl explained.
Another change centered on the organization’s vision and mission. Board members recently met to discuss a strategic plan to give the chamber “more focus” for the remainder of 2021. The “more focused and