City Council praises Chamber’s Vision efforts…
All five council members last night lauded the Chamber’s 20-month effort to revise its Economic Vision document. This third revision of the document, first created in 1992, was presented to the council yesterday. It recommends several new economic development initiatives, including a new business retention program, incentives for new green businesses, more linkage to Cal Poly innovation, and development of a new community brand to be used for both tourism and business development. The 20-page, color booklet is available free online and the hard copy is available free at the Chamber Visitor Center.

…and makes an important element of the Vision more likely to happen
In a historic decision nearly 12 years in the making, the City Council last night adopted the Orcutt Area Specific Plan. This multi-use, transit-friendly development plan could potentially – over the next 20 years – accommodate almost 1,000 new homes in a 230-acre area south of the city, bounded by Orcutt and Tank Farm roads. Next month, the process to annex the land will begin, a move the Chamber has long advocated due to the social, economic and environmental necessity of providing adequate workforce housing in the city. The council also agreed to find grant money to pay 50 percent of a controversial $1.7 million for a pedestrian/bicycle bridge to go over the railroad tracks.

Verdin Marketing gets county TBID contract
Local marketing and branding agency Verdin Marketing Ink has been awarded the coveted marketing contract for the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District that covers about 700 hotels, motels and vacation rentals in the county’s unincorporated areas. VMI is partnering with RIESTER, a national advertising agency with offices in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt Lake City, on the first phase of the SLOCTBID marketing efforts, which includes the branding and website development for the TBID. Carl Ribaudo of Strategic Marketing Group in South Lake Tahoe has been retained to develop the marketing plan.

SLO’s Savor event attracts Food Network star
Food Network chef Tyler Florence will charm his way into the hearts of local foodies this fall as the official celebrity chef for Sunset magazine’s Savor the Central Coast event. Florence is well-known for his best-selling cookbooks and highly rated Food Network shows “Food 911,” “How to Boil Water,” and “Tyler’s Ultimate.” Sunset’s food and wine extravaganza will span four days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 throughout San Luis Obispo County. Insiders say Florence will attend the Sunset Western Wine Awards Gala on Friday evening, provide cooking demonstrations and host book signings both Saturday and Sunday, and attend a winemaker dinner on Saturday night. The San Luis Obispo Visitors and Conference Bureau is co-presenting the event with Sunset Magazine. Click here for more event information.

How are you feeling today? Quarterly Business Sentiment Survey opens
Each quarter the Chamber asks members about their feelings regarding current business conditions and their expectations of future conditions. The results of these surveys provide valuable data on economic trends and are used by the Chamber in our economic development and public policy development work. The results are also shared with all members. Click here to take the quick 13-question survey.

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