News

The Santee Chamber of Commerce will be postponing all events and programs effective immediately. Due to information obtained regarding COVID-19, we feel it is in the best interest of our community to be cautious during this sensitive time. Experts say that suspending large-gathering events for the next few weeks will provide a gap that may help curtail the expansion of the virus. We will continue ...read more

Hello Santee!It’s that time of year again where winter is coming to an end (if we can even call it that here!) and spring is nipping at our feet. With that comes a lot of activity around town… hopefully you all just voted on Tuesday in the primary elections, we have our Santee Heroes Luncheon approaching soon and kids will be on their two week hiatus from schools before we know it. The Chamber has ...read more

On February 20th, we held our Annual Awards Night and below is a list of the winners we celebrated! Santee Young Professional of the Year: Curtis Anderson, Salon Thrive SanteeBusiness of the Year: Chick-fil-A SanteeAutomotive: Lloyd's Collision & Paint CenterBanking Institution: Navy Federal Credit UnionBeauty & Salon Services: Raymond's BarbershopBrewing & Distilling: Pacific Islander Beer ...read more

Kristen Dare, the CEO at the Santee Chamber of Commerce, was among the 28 chamber executives to graduate last Friday from Academy, a professional development program presented by the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.).   Academy is an interactive 3-day (three year) training program on chamber management essentials designed for today’s chamber executives and staff ...read more

Last Thursday the City of Santee kicked off a series of events starting with a relay around town, to hosting Olympic trials and ending with a 5K run under the beautiful Santee sunset. I want to personally thank Bree Humphrey who has been with the City’s staff for many years and made a name for herself with her strong work ethic and high standard for producing impactful events for our community. ...read more

Hello Santee!Today was our Annual Board of Directors Retreat. This Annual Retreat serves as an opportunity to plan out what goals need to be accomplished and how those goals will be met. Our directors that sit on the board are completely on a volunteer basis. We appreciate how much time and effort they put in with us throughout the year and without them it would be too much to handle for Jennae ...read more

Hello Santee!On Monday night I was able to join the local Santee Kiwanis Club for their bi-monthly meeting at Mimi’s Café. Guest speaking in groups can sometimes be intimidating but I am glad to report, I was greeted kindly, offered a chair at their table, and instantly felt like one of their own. The group is small but mighty, offering annual activities for kids you may already be familiar with ...read more

Hello Santee!Thanksgiving is tomorrow and the holiday rush is now here (just go to any grocery store to verify)! I am always thankful for my family first, of course, who give me purpose in life and reason to work hard at the Chamber. I am grateful for my hardworking husband who gives me the “yes” answers more than the “no” when I am wanting (which is often). Case in point, he is taking me and our ...read more

Hello Santee!I love our big, little town, I also love the beauty surrounding it and the fact that we live in an amazing county with so much diversity and unique culture which shapes who we all are and how we live. Last night I spent a little bit of time out of Santee as I celebrated my dad‘s birthday with my mom and brother at a San Diego Gulls game down at the Sports Arena. For me, it was the ...read more

Read the full article from SD Voyager Magazine here:http://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-chris-vertrees-sportsplex-usa-poway-santee/

Hello Santee!Many of us have had the pleasure of purchasing a home in town, some of you, several times! For my husband and I, we are still in our “starter” home, totally loving the neighborhood we inherited and the amazing friends we’ve made, a stone’s throw away. We have an unofficial neighborhood watch when we leave town, a safe environment for our kids to play in the street, and caring people ...read more

Hello Santee!Tuesday morning I was given a VIP tour of our two local high school campuses: West Hills and Santana. (Mind you, my husband and I have a son currently attending WHHS and we are graduates of SHS, so I am quite familiar with the campuses!) With fellow guest, City Manager Marlene Best, the District Superintendent, Dr. Tim Glover, and other key staff, this tour opened my eyes to the ...read more

Hello Santee!This past Saturday evening it seemed like we saw every adult in town at the annual Santee Bluegrass Festival. The night went by in a flash as a few good conversations can take up a chunk of the evening which traditionally flies by regardless. I think this was the year where I spoke to the least amount of people, ate only two samples of food provided and took only one picture while ...read more

Hello Santee!This past week was such a nice break from the norm. For some, the long holiday weekend meant more work, extra sales and promotions and extended hours. But for most, it was an extra day off from work or school and an opportunity to spend time any which way they chose. For me, I chose family. I took a step away from work and enjoyed a couple of days up in Mammoth Lakes celebrating my ...read more

Public Invited to First-of-its-Kind Economic Crimes Forum in East County  Seven Chambers of Commerce Coming Together to Host the Event   Members of the public are welcome to attend the first-ever Economic Crimes Forum in East County hosted by seven chambers of commerce to learn how scams and cyber-crimes impact businesses and the community. At the event, experts from the District Attorney’s ...read more

Hello Santee!Last week was leadership overload for me, in all the right ways! I was invited as a guest of Todd Tolson from Riverview Community Church, to attend a two day summit which is held in Chicago but globally broadcasted allowing us to attend a local viewing in East County. Maybe some of you have heard of it, participated in a viewing venue or even attended in Chicago for this annual Global ...read more

Hello Santee! Last week I received an invitation for myself and a guest to the attend the soft opening of California Fish Grill in El Cajon's Fletcher Marketplace (thanks to member Rachel Lynch of Courtyard Marriott El Cajon for passing along the opportunity!) Most of you know the site as the former home of the El Cajon Police Station but it is now housing the recently moved In-N-Out, Urbane ...read more

Hello Santee!I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday with friends, family and fireworks last week. Congratulations to the City of Santee on another successful Santee Salutes and to Riverwalk Grill for holding down their fort for the second year in Town Center Community Park. So much work goes into these large scale events and I really would like to take a moment to say “thank you” to everyone behind ...read more

Hello Santee!Saturday morning the Santee Chamber of Commerce hosted interviews for the final portion of this year’s Miss Santee and Miss Teen Santee Pageant. Although the format was changed this year to not include a stage portion, I was so impressed with the quality of the production. Former title holders Alex Kuty (now Marketing Manager at Santee’s Chick-fil-A!) and Sierra Carruth were prime ...read more

Hello Santee!Summer is here! Well, at least in our house with both Grossmont Union High School District and the Santee School District now both done with their 2018-2019 school year. This is such an exciting time of year. I love watching families around town jumping into new activities, less dictated by their normal schedules. Santee is full of these opportunities… I thought I would take a moment ...read more

Hello Santee!This past weekend, the Santee Chamber of Commerce held it's 11th annual Santee Street Fair. This fair is the most work our Chamber puts into a single day event, the highest revenue generator for our organization and the largest public event in town. WE ARE PROUD of this fair! Like anyone who has organized a large scale event, you can probably relate to the exhaustion felt once those ...read more

Hello Santee!This week, I had the privilege of being among the guests invited to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for a much anticipated addition to Santana High School. This addition is a well-needed, state of the art events and physical education building, long overdue for the students and faculty. This building boasts over 21,000 square feet that brings together the performing arts ...read more

Hello Santee!Yesterday was an anniversary for two of our members. We would like to take a moment, digest our food, and congratulate The WrapShack for their two year anniversary and Raising Cane’s for their first anniversary in Santee! It was hard to resist the deal at WrapShack which they offered (and also did on their first anniversary) any entrée for just $5.01 – get it? Their anniversary is ...read more

Hello Santee!We had a wonderful night last Thursday at Lantern Crest as we hosted a multi-chamber networking event. It actually feels selfish to say “we” hosted because Lantern Crest did all the hard work. From their creative parking solutions, to amazing catering and friendly staff, they really make us feel as if we are an extension of their pool of residents. In fact, if I were 55 years old, I ...read more