FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

There are many reasons why we choose to live in Santa Fe—the weather, the mountains, the diversity, the natural beauty. But, more and more frequently, I have been hearing from Chamber members that they are reveling in the spirit of collaboration that our community exudes. So when a Chamber member recently asked me about what kind of trends I’ve noticed in Santa Fe’s business community, my immediate response was “collaboration.”

I have never seen as much collaboration in the Santa Fe business community as I have in the past year. The difficulties we faced together in Santa Fe—and globally—over the last two years have truly fostered a sense of unity among businesses. Those that previously viewed each other as competitors are now working together as team members to better our community and overcome the obstacles we’ve all been dealing with.

Though many struggled through the pandemic, this time normalized the use of technology that many of us had never used before, like Zoom. This period also installed remote work as a viable option for most businesses rather than a luxury available only to big corporations in metropolitan cities. Through this technology, we have begun to regularly check in on each other and share ideas, events and methods of dealing with the new found challenges in this post-pandemic world.

And one of the benefits of the pandemic that makes me proud to lead the Chamber is this sense of collaboration in our community. Whether we are working together to solve issues of child care, transportation, housing or other prevalent concerns in our community, there is beauty in coming together to work collectively on important issues. The old adage that “it takes a village” has never been truer. Santa Feans are both open-minded and open-hearted and want to improve our city so we can all live our best lives.

A great example of collaboration is the upcoming Southside Feria on Thursday, August 18 from 4 – 7 p.m. This event is only possible because of the involvement and leadership of the City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development, the Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Jairo Gutierrez of State Farm Insurance, Guadalupe Credit Union, well-known comedian, musician and actor Carlos Medina as well as the Mayor and City Councilors who have all been instrumental in shining a light on the southside. We invite you to join us for this celebration at the Fraternal Order of Police.

Working together ensures we will be stronger business leaders. And by working with businesses in Santa Fe, you are keeping dollars flowing in our community which has numerous benefits. If you are interested in collaborating with organizations or if you have an idea for a company or a city department, I encourage you to pick up the phone or send an email to introduce yourself and your idea.

The only way we can bring about change is to use our voice. While the Chamber is the voice of the business community, we each have a voice that matters and I encourage you to share the ideas that you think will make Santa Fe an even more magnificent city for us to call home and a place where businesses thrive by working together.