State of the chamber
Executive Director John Courtis shares agency accomplishments
SUN STAFF WRITER ‘T he respect the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce has with our six local legislators, folks at the state level, and with the Governor’s Office is amazing.” -- Jeff Bryd, chamber board chair
“The chamber’s partnership with the two military bases is like none other that I’ve ever witnessed.” -- Col. David Suggs, commanding officer, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma
“The chamber’s finances are on solid ground.” -- Lisa Reilly, treasurer and incoming chair of the board
“The chamber’s relationship with education is terrific.” -- Tom Tyree, county school superintendent
With quotes like these, it’s obvious that “the state of the chamber ... is strong,” as John Courtis states in his written State of the Chamber address.
“As the executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, I have worked hard to ‘connect partners and foster opportunity’ because we are better, stronger and smarter together,” Courtis said. “We sometimes agree to disagree, but we do it without being disagreeable, and we have some pointed conversations, but we continue to ‘communicate, collaborate, and cooperate’ with our civic partners at the city and county of Yuma.”
Yet, even though fully funded by local businesses, the chamber does not compete for members with other membership organizations, such as Visit Yuma, Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp., Better Business Bureau, Yuma Association of Realtors and Yuma Southwest Contractors Association. In fact, these organizations are the chamber’s strongest allies and partners.
“We are getting better at what people in the chamber world call, a ‘3-C chamber.’ We are a champion for a stronger community, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a catalyst for business growth,”
Courtis said.
“The road map is in place for a bright future in this area, and to get there, we had to stop being all things to all people and had to stop being an advertising outlet. Of course we are marketers, as half of our income comes from non-dues revenue, as we are leaving transactional advertising for the traditional media outlets,” he explained.
“We have become essential, as we disseminate information daily to our members. We engage with policies affecting local commerce and facilitating information we deem critical for the success of our community,” Courtis added.
The chamber has also implemented a succession plan, and all board members are chosen by the membership so as to be as representative of the market
as possible.
“Our board consists of all political parties, as is the composition of Yuma County, and as the executive director, politically, my favorite color is plaid,” he quipped.
“But, make no mistake, this Chamber supports capitalism, smaller government, and less government intrusion into your business,” Courtis added.
The chamber has rewritten the bylaws and aims for better board-driven decisions. It now has an office in San Luis and, with its partners at GYEDC, Arizona Western College Small Business Development Center and Arizona@Work, created the South County Business Resource Center.
Courtis created and facilitated countless training sessions at no charge to chamber members on four subjects: Customer Service, Team Building, Communication of Sales and Marketing Strategies.
“Maybe in retirement I can continue to present these modules for golf money,” he joked. (More on his retirement below.)
The chamber now has a weekly one-hour radio show called Chamber Chatter that provides “nothing but the good stuff from the chamber,” along with countless “Lunch & Learn” events with the goal of keeping members and nonmembers alike informed and educated.
The organization’s Member Management System, Chamber Master, has allowed it to keep impeccable records, control receivables, have a true count of membership numbers, and given members a platform to market themselves professionally.
This Patriot’s Day, Sept. 11, will be the chamber’s sixth annual Mega Mixer, with the Community Expo event the very next day at the Civic Center. The chamber instituted the S. June Pallack Awards to honor the non-teaching professionals that have a key role in molding local students into great citizens (this year the presentation
has been pushed back to October), and the Summer Works in Yuma program for teachers will be relaunched in March 2021.
Members of the second Chamber Leadership Class will have their retreat this August as the chamber helps to develop the next generation of policymakers and civic leaders.
This past week Courtis announced his retirement for later this year. He will stay on full time until Aug. 28, when he will transition to part time to help his successor transition, at the request of the board.
The Yuma Sun first announced Courtis’ upcoming retirement in Wednesday’s edition. In the story, Courtis said, “It is my hope that I have left the chamber in a better position for the future ... We have a team that cares deeply about the success of our members, the business community and the image of Yuma County.”
“However, I had two projects I fell short on during my tenure. I did not complete my mission of making sure we have fully funded the widening of Highway 95 to Aberdeen Road, but maybe in retirement, I can still be a part of the Yuma 50 to stay close to my friends and partners on
that project.”
“I hope the Armed Forces Park, owned by the city and managed by the chamber, is able to be expanded to handle more plaques for the next generation of veterans,” he added.
“This is important work, and I am so honored that I have been able to serve our community in this capacity for almost six years. It is a privilege to support the many local businesses and to be able to advocate on their behalf while they are busy taking care of their own customers and suppliers. I will truly miss being of service to the many great partners and organizations that make Yuma County a great place to live, work, play, make a living and run a profitable business ...”
“I will miss my team, and all the dedicated Ambassadors that really make this organization go. And I will miss seeing the passion, the energy and the joy from every member that puts themselves on the line everyday for the greater good. There is no more generous place in the world than Yuma.”
“My wife Deb, gave me over 20 great years here in Yuma. It’s time to move back to the Prescott area and give us as many great years as possible with family up there,” Courtis said in conclusion.