Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Chamber is forum for exchange of ideas

By Robin Tole

A typical day in the life of a Los Gatos resident is likely to contain at least a dozen interactions with the business community.You stop for gas and a latte on the way to your dentist appointment. You pick up a prescription and groceries on the way home. You work out at a local gym, make a photocopy at the stationery store, drop your daughter off at the dance studio, use the telephone, make a bank deposit, read the weekly newspaper, order a pizza delivery.

Far more often than we realize it, businesses play an integral role in our daily routine.

There are about 2,500 licensed businesses in the town of Los Gatos, representing employment for thousands of residents and millions of dollars of revenues to the town coffers. Business contributes significantly to a community's quality of life.

Sometimes residents assume that "business" represents a unified way of thinking, and that this viewpoint is in direct opposition to the opinions of residents. That rarely is the case.

Residents and businesses are concerned about the same issues--traffic congestion, air and water quality, vandalism, parking, litter, taxes, property values, graffiti, maintenance of streets and sidewalks, economic health, architectural aesthetics.

What makes the town of Los Gatos a wonderful place to live also makes it a great place to do business. Business owners, like home buyers and renters, choose to locate in this community for many of the same reasons--a beautiful setting, a friendly population, easy access to the highway, little crime, a promising future. And business owners also contend with the same downside factors as residents-- higher real estate costs, summer smog, and beach traffic gridlock on Highway 17.

Local businesses and residents have far more in common than they have differences.

If that is a true statement, why do businesses need a special organization to represent their interests? Why a Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce?

In many minds, a Chamber of Commerce is where you go to pick up a map or borrow giant scissors for a grand opening ceremony. It's a cheerleader, a salesman, a marketing arm for local businesses.

It can serve this function, but the more important value of a Chamber of Commerce goes far beyond promotion. It is a venue where business owners and managers can study issues, debate conflicting viewpoints, and develop a well-thought-out, well-researched position to present to elected officials. That was our goal when we organized the new Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the San Jose Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce about a year ago.

Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, owned by individuals, partnerships and corporations who often have widely divergent philosophies and, sometimes, conflicting priorities among themselves. Not every member of the Chamber may agree on every issue, just as all residents in the town won't be in sync on every topic. But when decision-makers consider an issue that has received Chamber scrutiny, they can be assured of two things: 1. the Chamber has carefully done its homework; and 2. business owners and managers have been alerted to the implications of an upcoming decision.

Just as residents ask "How will this affect my life?" businesses need to consider "How will this affect my business?" The answers to either question are not always obvious or easy to discern. Open-forum discussion and debate within the Chamber of Commerce allows business leaders to get the facts and weigh short-term and long-range impacts and outcomes.

If businesses have conflicting interests, the Chamber provides a neutral zone to sort out their differences. If businesses have problems in common, the Chamber acts as a catalyst to help them find solutions collectively. If businesses and residents are at loggerheads over a specific issue, the Chamber is the conduit of communication through which each side can learn and understand the opposing point of view.

There is a common denominator among business owners, residents and the Chamber of Commerce. Even though we each have a different role and perspective, all of us take pride in our community and want the town of Los Gatos to continue to thrive.

Together we can preserve and improve the unique characteristics and quality of life in this community. Like you, we're glad to be here.

Robin Tole is president of the board of directors of the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.