News

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

Hello Santee!We are right in the middle of awards season in Hollywood and I feel full of glee as we are one and the same in Santee. Yesterday I was able to stop in and personally congratulate a few members of our Chamber who have made a difference in 2019. First was Curtis Anderson, Co-Owner of Salon Thrive. He will be receiving the Santee Young Professional of the Year award and we couldn’t be ...read more

Hello Santee!Welcome to 2020… I’ve been loving all the new year posts whether they are photos of how you all rung in the new year, motivation for fresh starts or even jokes about staying the same! Holidays and special occasions are really when social media shines and this past few days have been no exception. As I gear up for our annual retreat for our all-volunteer Board of Directors, I wanted to ...read more

Hello Santee!This evening was our 32nd Annual Taste of Santee. This event was a great start to the holidays and it was rewarding to see so many toys donated towards the Santee Santas. If you did not have a chance to attend the event but are still wanting to give please consider donating towards the Santee Santas here! I would like to personally thank the food vendors that participated and shared ...read more

Hello Santee!I often see people online who have mixed feelings about growth in Santee. Change is inevitable and I understand the sense of mourning that comes along with the loss of something nostalgic. Even as an adult with kids of my own, I still reminisce or about days at Santee School where the now-empty lot awaits development, or the hours upon hours I spent at Roller Skate Land where the ...read more

Hello Santee!These past few weeks have been BUSY for us. With two larger events back-to-back, I have been running myself ragged. This is not a complaint; I love staying busy. With work, volunteer roles and my family life all pulling me in different directions, it makes sense that many people ask me, “How do you do it all?” My answer is simple, because I have an amazing support system. From my ...read more

Hello Santee!Yesterday I was invited to celebrate “10 Years of Excellence” as Edgemoor Hospital celebrated the first decade in their new building. The ceremony was quite interesting for those who don’t know how deep the history is, rooting back to the 1920s when the County purchased land with a farm and used the buildings to care for the poor and elderly. Before Social Security, and long before ...read more

Hello Santee!This week I decided to look back through my social media and find an old photo… not too old, just from last year. I wanted to show an image of me with two of my dearest friends at the church where we all grew up together. Brian, Kimberly and I all met probably somewhere around first grade while attending catechism classes at Guardian Angels Church. We didn’t attend the same grade ...read more

Hello Santee!Here at the Santee Chamber, we love local businesses! Sounds obvious, but we do. We love that being part of a community provides us with experiences that are very similar to those of a family. In a family, it’s not uncommon to celebrate milestones for the ones you love. We at the Chamber get to treat each member as if they were our babies and mark those milestones in fun and unique ...read more

Hello Santee!On Tuesday the Santee Chamber partnered with 7 other local organizations to provide an East County Economic Crimes Forum at no cost to members of the public and regional businesses. We were happy to share ideas and resources as folks from all walks of like attended to learn about how scams and cyber-crime impact our businesses and communities at this first-ever event. At the event, ...read more

Hello Santee!Saturday we celebrated a special member of our Chamber, the Santee Coffee Corner. I was introduced to this business before my time with the Chamber began, as friend Clint August was a regular at their Carlton Hills location. I would often pop in on Friday mornings as he made himself available for friends and conversation, and even though he always had a crowd around him, he would ...read more

Hello Santee!Last night we held a business mixer at Sportsplex USA, right in the heart of Santee in Town Center Community Park. For those who remember, Sportsplex entered into a partnership with the City of Santee back in 2003 but finally opened their doors to the public in 2010. This 20-acre sports park still manages to impress me 9 years later. You can read all about their nearly 4 million ...read more

Hello Santee!Last Tuesday was such a great day. I started out my morning at City Hall to participate in a project working group for the Santee Active Plan. Some may not have heard about this yet as it is in the early phases but, the City of Santee is developing a Comprehensive Active Transportation Strategy, which will identify safe, healthy, and effective ways for residents, visitors, and ...read more

Hello Santee!Since working for the Chamber, we have continued a very common tradition of hosting monthly socials for our members. For most, we know them as “mixers” - a term which my husband now knows means I won’t be home for dinner! Last night, we hosted our monthly Business After 5 Mixer at Lloyd's Collision & Paint Center. The Lloyd family has been hosting a mixer annually for several years ...read more

Hello Santee!This version of our Weekly Update is coming in a tad early, due to tomorrow’s holiday. As a reminder, our office will be closed Thursday and Friday of this week as we take some time off to enjoy our independence! As I get geared up for Independence Day, I start to think about how we are so blessed with freedoms others will never know. I know it’s easy to get sucked into the political ...read more

Hello Santee!Before I became CEO of the Santee Chamber, I had several other job titles here. It took me a while to realize how unimportant these titles were, with no disrespect intended for my current position… it was just semantics. Our Chamber is advised by a Board of Directors who meet monthly but also host annual retreats. At a retreat over a year ago, I proposed an idea of focusing back on ...read more

Hello Santee!This past week has been busy despite me taking a long weekend off after the Santee Street Fair. Let’s start with the groundbreaking of the new labs and classrooms for Grossmont Union High School District’s Health Occupation Center located adjacent to West Hills’ campus. This project funded through the Construction Bond Program (supported by Proposition U and Measure BB) is a much ...read more

Hello Santee!A little over a week ago an old store received a new look in town… this store is known for its older things, in fact, it’s usually expected! That store is Goodwill in Santee on Mission Gorge Road (see image). For those who have been in Santee for a while, you might still slip up from time to time and refer to that location as Purple Heart (guilty!). Truth be told, when I go into a ...read more

Hello Santee!Tuesday night I did something for my very first time: I took a kickboxing class. This wasn’t just any class, it was an experience! Recently CKO Kickboxing Santee offered a promotion I couldn’t pass up ($19.99 for three classes and a pair of starter gloves). I came in about 20 minutes before the start of class so I could fill out the obligatory form and get a brief orientation. I was ...read more

Hello Santee!Tuesday was my first day back to work after a short Easter getaway and quite a busy day for the Santee Chamber! We started our morning over at Office Depot with tips to grow your business and learn more about their everyday services (some I didn’t know they offered!). I went downtown in the late morning as a guest of Barona Resort & Casino as we enjoyed the beautiful spring weather at ...read more

Hello Santee,  A few weeks ago I was invited to be part of a three-person panel for Office Depot managers from all around San Diego County. Local Store Manager for the Santee Office Depot, John Torrevillas, invited me to join their team-building for the afternoon down at Liberty Station and I had no clue what I was in for! I sat down for lunch then was quickly introduced to a group of people who I ...read more

Hello Santee, Some weeks I feel like I can fill an entire magazine with what's been going on and what's upcoming, and this month, we did :) Keep a lookout in your mailbox for the first of four issues of The Santee Magazine today as the Spring issue is set to arrive! This issue focuses on women in business and I feel like we barely tapped the surface of what Santee has to offer. For those who need ...read more

Hello Santee, On Tuesday our Chamber celebrated the Grand Opening of EBIS (Enhanced Benefits Insurance Solutions). For those who were paying attention, their office is in La Mesa. This was a fun surprise when we had a few folks ask why we were doing a ribbon cutting there or why they wouldn't just use La Mesa's Chamber for the task. First I'd like to note, all are welcome. The Santee Chamber is ...read more

Hello Santee, Last week we celebrated local businesses at our Annual Awards Night atBarona Casino & Resort. The night was full of high energy as we scaled back our regular program to focus on our members and showcase some standout stars in Santee. Thank you so much to all who attended, donated to our auction/raffle and helped with logistics for the evening. A special thanks to our amazing staff, ...read more