I miss having a great, active chamber.”

Chris Judd | Surprise city councilmember

By Jason Stone
Mail | X: @thestonecave

A few years after breaking up with its local chamber of commerce, Surprise is eying another one to the south of the city.

The Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce wants Surprise to join its list of five cities and possibly change its name to a more regional West Valley Chamber of Commerce or something similar.

The SVCC currently has partnerships with Avondale, Goodyear, Litchfield Park, El Mirage and Tolleson.

Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Jeffrey Campos pitched the Surprise City Council on the possible alignment during the Oct. 1 meeting.

Campos said his group is focused on small businesses, which is something Surprise Mayor Skip Hall said he is looking for.

SVCC has more than 750 business members, which represents up to 3,000 people.

Campus said the group has been pulling in 200 new members each year, and it has a 90% retention rate.

“It means we must be giving value,” Campos told the Surprise Council.

The possible joining of forces comes a few years after the former Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce (now Northwest Valley Chamber of Commerce) stopped hosting traditional chamber networking events.

Instead of ribbon cuttings, the Surprise Chamber moved to an advocacy model, which meant Surprise’s Economic Development Department had to take over with welcoming businesses to the city.

With little value, the city revoked the $25,000 annual payment it was giving to the Surprise Chamber and kicked it out of free space it was giving it next to City Hall just before COVID hit.

The Surprise Chamber last year rebranded with the new regional name, which it originally had when it first formed decades ago.

Campos said SVCC runs programs the Surprise area chamber used to run. Those include an empowering women in business program, which fills up fast, Campos said.

The group hosts an annual awards gala at the Wigwam, which has typically 500 people in attendance.

“I miss having a great active chamber,” Councilmember Chris Judd said. “The chamber we used to have was a fantastic force for good here in the Surprise area.

“I want a vibrant chamber again and I don’t think the group that represents the northwest Valley will ever fill that role.”

Campos said his chamber has a plan for businesses launches, which is something not happening in Surprise right now, outside of the city’s Economic Development Department.

Hall suggested the name change to Campos, who said his board of directors have already discussed it.

“I think ‘West Valley’ gives you more presence, too,” Hall told Campos. “You’re going from Surprise, all the way down to Goodyear, over to Avondale and up to El Mirage.”

The council did not take any action on the matter.

“With the past we have we want to be especially careful,” Councilmember Jack Hastings said.

Councilmember Ken Remley fondly remembered starting his accounting practice 50 years ago and how beneficial his local chamber of commerce was to getting it off the ground.

“Our chamber forgot about that: That socializing was important to us as businesspeople,” Remley said. “And getting to know the other people and network with those folks was important to us.”

Jason Stone can be reached at jstone@iniusa.org. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.

Jason Stone
Senior News Editor | Surprise

jstone@iniusa.com

Meet Jason
Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.

Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley's original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.

Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.

Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.

Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren't afraid to cry.