SM Spotlight Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce
When you walk into Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce,
one of the first things you’ll notice is a letter from Richard M Nixon.
“(Most people) aren’t even aware that Richard Nixon was born here,” said Susan Wan-Ross, executive director of the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce.
“That’s part of our history here in Yorba Linda–that’s our claim to fame.”
Founded in 1913, the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to growing local business by cultivating relationships between members, residents and government, encouraging community involvement and fostering economic growth.
Wan-Ross started working at the chamber in 2015 and has since taken on the challenge of changing the way people view the chamber.
“People (typically) view chambers as a mom and pop type of shop, and to take our chamber to the next level I’m changing our look to feel more corporate,” Wan-Ross said.
Wan-Ross works along side two others, a member services employee and an executive assistant. It also has an newsletter editor who works remotely from Poland, after spending a summer interning for the chamber before returning to school.
The Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce is a member of the Chamber Business Alliance, which lets it collaborate with other chambers in the area.
“It allows us to support each other and help each other’s efforts, because if the next-door neighbor chamber is successful that makes us successful too,” she said.
The Yorba Linda Chamber has developed strong relationships with the local government which gives members the chance to truly be heard and address any issues that pop up.
“Our members can come to me anytime and let me know anything they’re concerned about or if they have a suggestion,” Wan-Ross said.
The Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce tries to be as involved as possible in the community. It hosts its signature event, Taste of Yorba Linda, an all-you-can-eat style event featuring more than 70 local restaurants and breweries and live music.
The Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce also hosts the Yorba Days Community Expo and Car Show in March.
“We’re celebrating our whole community … and bringing in the Placentia-Yorba Linda School District, where we will actually be showcasing the academic programs that all the high schools have,” she said.
Wan-Ross hopes Yorba Days will help create awareness and bridge the generational gap to bring young people to the workforce sooner.
According to Wan-Ross, membership is one of the biggest challenges the Yorba Linda Chamber of Commerce faces on a regular basis.
“We have a lot of competition out there with a lot of the free networking groups … I think what makes us special is that we, as a chamber of commerce, take an active interest in all of our members,” she said.
“We try to sit down and really listen to what potential members need and find out what they’re looking for.”
The Yorba Linda Chamber has an upcoming Friends Day this May which will allow members to invite a friend to the networking lunch who may be interested in joining the chamber.
