Sept. 27 will be a special day for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce.
That's when the Chamber will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its headquarters at 5934 Priestly Drive. It's not just the celebration of a building, though. The flat-topped, rust-colored home, with its airy, modernistic interior design, is more than offices for Chamber staff and a hub for Chamber members to gather for workshops and events, it's an integral part of the identity of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, which next year will celebrate its 90th anniversary.
It's purchase is a testament to the steady leadership that had guided this organization, the second-largest of its kind in San Diego County and 10th-largest in the state, through nearly nine decades of leadership and excellence. In short, the Chamber would not be what it is today without this, its home. It is in this place that the Chamber as been able to solidify its commitment to excellence and strive to be a true reflection of its members.
Though some might find it hard to believe, this is the first building the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce has owned.
Since it's inception in 1923, the Chamber went through a series of homes. Up until the early '60s, the Chamber was housed in the old train depot. In the last 20 years, the Chamber has moved three times. There used to be the office space on Avenida Encinas where staff meetings had to be held in a hallway. Then there was the storefront in what is now the Carlsbad Premium Outlets, occupying a space that is now a Rubio's.
"We had very limited space, and it was in a commercial area so we always had to vie with the out-of-town shoppers," said Jeff Segall of Tri-City Medical Center, who at the time was employed by Wells Fargo and served as vice chairman of governmental affairs on the Chamber's Board of Directors. "I really think moving out of the commercial space and coming into the business park was the right decision."
Toni Padron, currently the Chamber's executive vice president and COO, experienced the last three offices. The process of securing a building started in 2000, following a retreat of the board of directors in which they discussed the impending expiration of their lease in what was then the Carlsbad Company Stores Center, and faced the prospect of a steep rent increase.
"It was then decided that since we had money in reserves, it was time to invest that money," Padron said. "It was less expensive to purchase a building and pay the mortgage than it would have been to continue paying a lease."
The way the Chamber went about the process was made easy because the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce had always been fiscally responsible, Padron said.
"It's really a symbol of how well-run the organization has been in managing the resources of our members."
Very early on, it was decided that the Chamber would have to move into a new building where the layout could be determined from scratch, instead of moving into a place where space was already laid out.
"We wanted the building to reflect the members, the staff and all of the organization," Padron said. "In researching for a building, we realized that nothing said, 'This is your chamber of commerce.' Everything else said, 'These are offices.'"
Padron said the general consensus is that the goal was accomplished.
"Every time someone walks in here, they're wowed," Padron said. "It's vibrant and exudes great energy, and it is representative of our members."
With a stable home, the Chamber was able to grow. The ample conference room has allowed the Chamber to form more committees and workshops. That regularity has allowed the committees to thrive, Padron said.
"Before, all of our workshops and committees had to be held outside of the office," she said. "But there was no continuity and we were constantly moving around because we didn't know where we would be every month."
Segall, who served as board chairman in 2004, noted that the large conference room with a partition allowed the Chamber to expand its Board of Directors to bring in representatives from the City of Carlsbad, Camp Pendelton, the Carlsbad Unified School District, tourism and the Village of Carlsbad, and the added representation has shaped the direction of the board, and helped the Chamber bring the community together.
"I always thought that the size of our board shouldn't be dictated by the size of the room" Segall said. "Because we have the right building and the right space, we're able to open up the board to more businesses and have them participate than we could ever have done in the past."
Wisely, Chamber leadership left room for growth. In these past 10 year, the Chamber has welcomed the Small Business Success Center and created several offices and a communications center.
In 2009, the building became more sustainable with the addition of a Solatube daylight system, which decreased the Chamber's energy consumption.
And so, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce looks forward to its next 10 years, which will coincide with its 100th anniversary.
That's when the Chamber will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of its headquarters at 5934 Priestly Drive. It's not just the celebration of a building, though. The flat-topped, rust-colored home, with its airy, modernistic interior design, is more than offices for Chamber staff and a hub for Chamber members to gather for workshops and events, it's an integral part of the identity of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, which next year will celebrate its 90th anniversary.
It's purchase is a testament to the steady leadership that had guided this organization, the second-largest of its kind in San Diego County and 10th-largest in the state, through nearly nine decades of leadership and excellence. In short, the Chamber would not be what it is today without this, its home. It is in this place that the Chamber as been able to solidify its commitment to excellence and strive to be a true reflection of its members.
Though some might find it hard to believe, this is the first building the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce has owned.
Since it's inception in 1923, the Chamber went through a series of homes. Up until the early '60s, the Chamber was housed in the old train depot. In the last 20 years, the Chamber has moved three times. There used to be the office space on Avenida Encinas where staff meetings had to be held in a hallway. Then there was the storefront in what is now the Carlsbad Premium Outlets, occupying a space that is now a Rubio's.
"We had very limited space, and it was in a commercial area so we always had to vie with the out-of-town shoppers," said Jeff Segall of Tri-City Medical Center, who at the time was employed by Wells Fargo and served as vice chairman of governmental affairs on the Chamber's Board of Directors. "I really think moving out of the commercial space and coming into the business park was the right decision."
Toni Padron, currently the Chamber's executive vice president and COO, experienced the last three offices. The process of securing a building started in 2000, following a retreat of the board of directors in which they discussed the impending expiration of their lease in what was then the Carlsbad Company Stores Center, and faced the prospect of a steep rent increase.
"It was then decided that since we had money in reserves, it was time to invest that money," Padron said. "It was less expensive to purchase a building and pay the mortgage than it would have been to continue paying a lease."
The way the Chamber went about the process was made easy because the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce had always been fiscally responsible, Padron said.
"It's really a symbol of how well-run the organization has been in managing the resources of our members."
Very early on, it was decided that the Chamber would have to move into a new building where the layout could be determined from scratch, instead of moving into a place where space was already laid out.
"We wanted the building to reflect the members, the staff and all of the organization," Padron said. "In researching for a building, we realized that nothing said, 'This is your chamber of commerce.' Everything else said, 'These are offices.'"
Padron said the general consensus is that the goal was accomplished.
"Every time someone walks in here, they're wowed," Padron said. "It's vibrant and exudes great energy, and it is representative of our members."
With a stable home, the Chamber was able to grow. The ample conference room has allowed the Chamber to form more committees and workshops. That regularity has allowed the committees to thrive, Padron said.
"Before, all of our workshops and committees had to be held outside of the office," she said. "But there was no continuity and we were constantly moving around because we didn't know where we would be every month."
Segall, who served as board chairman in 2004, noted that the large conference room with a partition allowed the Chamber to expand its Board of Directors to bring in representatives from the City of Carlsbad, Camp Pendelton, the Carlsbad Unified School District, tourism and the Village of Carlsbad, and the added representation has shaped the direction of the board, and helped the Chamber bring the community together.
"I always thought that the size of our board shouldn't be dictated by the size of the room" Segall said. "Because we have the right building and the right space, we're able to open up the board to more businesses and have them participate than we could ever have done in the past."
Wisely, Chamber leadership left room for growth. In these past 10 year, the Chamber has welcomed the Small Business Success Center and created several offices and a communications center.
In 2009, the building became more sustainable with the addition of a Solatube daylight system, which decreased the Chamber's energy consumption.
And so, the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce looks forward to its next 10 years, which will coincide with its 100th anniversary.