The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce marked its 150th anniversary on Thursday with Mayor Todd Gloria officially appointing the organization’s 2021 board in a virtual ceremony.
Gloria praised the chamber and its members for “representing the best interest of our regional business community” and called for its continued success.
Incoming board chair Neil Mohr, the general manager of Republic Services, said the chamber’s role is more important than ever because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“As we come out of this pandemic and continue our economic recovery, businesses need to know where to turn for guidance and leadership, and especially connection with fellow business owners,” said Mohr, whose company provides waste collection and recycling services.
The program on Thursday highlighted the chamber’s leadership over the decades, from raising funds to purchase land for the Naval Training Center in 1918, leading bond drives in the 1950s to develop Mission Bay Park and UC San Diego, to more recently supporting the SDSU West initiative in 2018.
“The work the Chamber does is possible because of our members,” said Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the chamber. “That was true at our organization’s founding in 1870, and we felt it even more so over the last year as we were presented with unforeseen challenges both professional and personal, our members served as our guide to navigate an unpredictable year,,”
During the event, state Senate President Toni Atkins and Sen. Brian Jones presented a resolution honoring the chamber’s milestone anniversary.
The chamber presented three awards during the event in recognition of those who have made a difference in the community. This year’s recipients are:
- Lidia S. Martinez, a retired community affairs manager for Southwest Airlines, received the “Herb Klein Spirit of San Diego Award” for her work over 30 years.
- TOOTRiS On-Demand Child Care received the “Moving San Diego Forward Award” for its use of technology to improve child care.
- UC San Diego received the “Innovation in Crisis Award” for its pioneering work on large-scale virus testing, vaccine trials and the first vaccine super station.
The chamber is the largest organization of its type on the West Coast, representing more than 2,000 businesses and an estimated 300,000 jobs.
