The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is looking for an outstanding woman in business and is asking for nominations to name a business woman of the year at the second annual Business Woman of the Year Award Luncheon, sponsored by SanTan Learning Center.

Nominations should highlight a business woman who is actively involved in the Gilbert Chamber and the community, has achieved excellence in her chosen field, and who has demonstrated leadership, resourcefulness and creativity in her career. Nominations will be reviewed and an honoree will be selected by the Chamber’s What Women Want…In Business event committee with final review by the Board of Directors.

The second annual Business Woman of the Year Award Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, January 24th at the Elegante Conference Center in Gilbert, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The special event will honor all nominees and award this year’s winner. In addition to title sponsor SanTan Learning Center, the event is supported by National Bank of Arizona and SRP.

The Business Woman of the Year nomination form can be found on the Chamber’s website, www.gilbertaz.com, or can be requested by e-mail to marty@gilbertchamber.com. For additional information, contact Marty at (480) 926-6003. All nominations must be received by Monday, November 28th.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations and representing more than 51,700 employees. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

“What we found is a fine slate of candidates running for Council this year,” said JW Rayhons, Chairman of the Board. “Each candidate brings their own unique strengths that would benefit our community; which makes it extremely difficult to endorse one over another. We are confident though that we could work with any of the candidates to strengthen the business community in Gilbert.”

After considerable evaluation and discussion, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce endorses the following candidates (in alphabetical order) for Town Council: Linda Abbott, Ben Cooper, Dave Crozier, and Les Presmyk.

In determining candidates for endorsement, the Chamber requested responses to a questionnaire from each candidate, participation in a formal candidate forum, and individual personal interviews. More than 100 members actively participated in the Chamber’s process which included an electronic survey regarding each of the candidates. All information was compiled by the public policy committee and Board of Directors to determine which candidates would bring the expertise in understanding business issues, provide long-term strategic visioning and implementation policies, as well as, support the growth and attraction of successful businesses in our community.

The Chamber’s website at www.gilbertaz.com (under business advocacy) provides all of the candidate’s questionnaires as well as video from the candidate forum.

Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

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The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce will again feature business referral strategist Victoria Trafton as she presents Referral Institute, a series to help businesses significantly increase their referrals and change their networking model.

“Chamber members have found a real value in Victoria’s teachings,” said Kathy Tilque, president and CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce. “It is becoming increasingly obvious which of our members are putting her strategies into practice as their networking tactics have really transformed.”

According to Tilque, the last two workshops have drawn more than 100 attendees.

This workshop will build on concepts to Strengthening a Referral Network and is sponsored by Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, Gilbert Insurance Group, Maddy’s Pool Supply & Service, MAX Solutions, PLLC, Rayhons Financial Solutions, and The I.T. Workshop.

Referral Institute will be held on Wednesday, January 19th at Val Vista Lakes Meeting & Banquet Facility, 1600 E. Lakeside Dr in Gilbert. Registration and networking will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the program will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Chamber member admission is $10 and includes breakfast. Non members must pre-register by calling (480) 926-6003.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations and representing more than 47,000 employees. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

Local businesses and members of the community will come together this month for A Chance To Give, a unique networking event organized by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce to benefit youth needing assistance with tuition for programs at the Gilbert Boys & Girls Club.

Sponsored by San Tan Ford, this special networking event will give attendees an opportunity to make monetary donations and learn more about how the Boys & Girls Club services our community.

“The children, teens, and ultimately the young adults that find joy, friendship, challenges, and opportunity for growth through their activities at the Boys and Girls Club of Gilbert will be the very same adults to give back to their community in the future,” said Jeff Mundt, fleet director at San Tan Ford. “Their fond memories of the gifts and benefits they receive from membership in the club will motivate them to care for and help the community of Gilbert grow will into its future.”

A Chance to Give will be held on Wednesday, December 15th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Gilbert Boys & Girls Club, 44 N. Oak Street, in Gilbert. General admission is $25; chamber member admission is $5. Register online at www.gilbertaz.com or by calling (480) 892-0056.

In addition to the event, San Tan Ford and the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce are selling raffle tickets to benefit the Boys & Girls Club and will raffle off a Vizio 47” LCD television.

“We want to sell as many raffle tickets as possible so we can make a very significant contribution to the operating fund of the club,” Mundt said. “Our proceeds will provide needed income to cover the expenses of membership for underprivileged children.”

Raffle tickets are available for purchase at San Tan Ford, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce and through Chamber Leads Clubs. Each ticket is $20 and the winning ticket will be announced at the event, although ticket holders need not be present to win. Cash or check only, no credit cards.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

Five tourism kiosks have been installed in locations including the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, the Gilbert Historical Museum, Hampton Inn, the SanTan Legado Hotel and the food court at SanTan Village. The touch-screen, paperless kiosks feature categories such as Where to Stay, Where to Eat, What to Do and Community Resources and can be updated by paid advertisers in real-time to promote current pricing and specials.

“With the installment of these kiosks, we are taking the visitors’ center into the community,” said Kathy Tilque, president and CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce. “We are hoping that the locations at which these are installed and the content that is available will serve as a convenient tool to communicate all the great things that Gilbert has to offer.”

This past year, the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce formed the town’s first official Tourism Committee. The group, which includes representation from three of Gilbert’s hotels, Big League Dreams, Higley Center for the Performing Arts, Banner Gateway and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers, San Tan Village, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and others, meets each month to identify a five-year strategic plan and set priorities for immediate action. The Committee also has included the town of Queen Creek in their efforts.

“Many members of the committee come from larger markets and can offer the experience we need to guide the direction we hope to go in and what we hope to avoid,” said Kristy Vargas, Director of Sales at Hyatt Place Phoenix/Gilbert. “We realize we won’t get there tomorrow but we’ve made a lot of progress in a short time with a limited budget.”

In addition to the installation of tourism kiosks, the Chamber has published and distributed its first tourism map highlighting different areas of interest and recently launched visitgilbertaz.com, Gilbert’s first tourism website. The Chamber also partnered with the Mesa Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Town of Queen Creek to launch visitgateway.com, a landing site that is marketed to different regions throughout the country.

“Just a few years ago, tourism was not much of a consideration,” said Tilque. “We offered a small visitors’ center but didn’t have much to offer in the way of lodging or shopping. That has changed and we are shifting our efforts from relocation to tourism rather quickly.”

The Chamber hired a part-time intern to support the committee’s efforts, manage the kiosk program and visitors’ center and conduct research to support the strategic plan.

“Gilbert has a lot of potential as a tourism destination, from tourists visiting family to professional conferences,” Tilque said. “We want to lay the ground work now for our future. We want to work closely with the town to shape Gilbert’s tourism industry.”

To learn more about the Chamber’s tourism efforts, including the tourism kiosks and website, contact the Chamber at (480) 892-0056.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is looking for professionals who are willing to serve as mentors to others by meeting with them regularly and helping to identify, develop and implement a plan of action.

The Chamber’s new mentoring program will pair members looking for guidance with other members who have the experience and dedication to lead them in areas including marketing, accounting, and more.

“The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for Chamber members with specific business issues to take advantage of the expertise available to them within the Chamber,” said Kari Cluff of SRP and Chairwoman of the Mentoring Committee. “I would expect the mentors to find just as much satisfaction and development during this process as those they are mentoring.”

This mentoring program will encourage both the mentor and the mentee to utilize their resources within the Chamber while also strengthening the business climate in Gilbert.

“I am eager to see our members participate in this new program. Not only will both the mentor and mentee gain from this experience, but it will also be remarkable for our members to connect and support each other while strengthening their businesses,” said Kathy Tilque, president/CEO of the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce.

To enroll as a mentor or mentee of the program, or for additional information, contact Grace Hodges by phone at (480) 926-6027 or by e-mail at grace@gilbertchamber.com.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce will hold an informational meeting on September 16th to share details of the community travel opportunity Tour Spain, an all-inclusive excursion with special pricing secured by the Chamber and organized by Collette Vacations.

Members of the community are invited to attend a meeting to learn more about the 2011 tour of Spain. Travel will take place February 5 – 12, 2011 and will include eight days touring the most scenic destinations of Barcelona and Madrid. The package includes round trip airfare from Phoenix, hotel accommodations, eight meals, tours, taxes, fees and transfers.

The informational meeting will be held on Thursday, September 16th from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, 119 N. Gilbert Rd., Ste. 101, in Gilbert. There is no cost to attend this meeting and no obligation to travel. A representative from Collette Vacations will present the trip’s itinerary and answer questions regarding the tour.

To register for the informational meeting or for more information about the Tour Spain community travel opportunity, contact the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce at (480) 892-0056, ext. 104, or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit, membership-based organization with more than 550 members ranging from home-based businesses to large corporations. The Chamber proactively serves as a business advocate to strengthen the business climate in Gilbert. To learn more about or join the Chamber, please contact (480) 892-0056 or visit www.gilbertaz.com.

The event is sponsored by APS, Arizona Bank & Trust, National Bank of Arizona, and SRP and will be held Friday, July 23 from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Rd., Gilbert. General Admission is $40. Chamber Member Admission is $25.