Media Contact: Kristen Dare, ACE President/CEO Santee Chamber of Commerce 619.922.1031 dare@santeechamber.com Release Date: April 4, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Santee Chamber of Commerce Announces 2023 Person of the Year Santee, California - The Santee Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce the recipient of the prestigious Person of the Year award. This esteemed honor is bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to the Santee
Hello Santee! Each year the Santee Chamber gives an award for our “Person of the Year”. This award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community of Santee’s quality of life through their involvement in any variety of community activities. Such activities include charitable, service project, education, youth, civic, religious, or other comparable activities. The nominees may be made for current contributions or for those made over a period of time. It is with
Hello Santee! This week we have the public schools on spring break so you may see a jolt in your retail business with extra kiddos from GUHSD and Santee School District around town with parents. Personally, I took my kids out of the area for a few days but made sure to stop into one of our favorite brunch spots before heading out. If you find yourself running errands or shopping in Trolley Square, be sure to stop into Broken Yolk for some great service and delicious food. My favorite new refresher is
Hello Santee! Although we've already recapped our annual Business Awards Night, I believe it's important to once again highlight our 2023 Business of the Year, Sportsplex USA. Throughout 2023, Sportsplex USA Santee experienced unprecedented activity, hosting over 50 local, regional, national, and international tournaments. Weekly, they accommodate 750 children aged 3-15 in their soccer league, along with 230 adult softball teams and 130 adult soccer teams. Beyond sports, they generously contribute
March 12, 2024 Santee Chamber Hosts Annual Business Awards Night EL CAJON – The Santee Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business Awards Night last Thursday at Sycuan Casino Resort, as Sycuan was also the proud title sponsor of the event. Santee Chamber President/CEO, Kristen Dare, alongside past Board Chair, Eddie Vandiver, co-hosted onstage as the organization welcomed over 250 guests. Starting out with celebrating the top contributors to the Chamber of 2023, this elite group of just over two
Hello Santee! Last Thursday we hosted our annual Business Awards Night at Sycuan Casino Resort. Our MC for the night and Past Board Chair, Eddie Vandiver, got to double as best sidekick AND award recipient as Sportsplex USA took home the 2023 Business of the Year Award. We celebrated our Strategic Partners from last year and announced the much anticipated winners of the popular Santee's Favorites voting program. With over 250 guests in attendance, it was our highest attendance yet with an exciting
Hello Santee! Last week we hopped over to the neighboring city of La Mesa to join forces with their chamber and have some fun with a mutual member: Whissel Realty Group. Kyle Whissel had housed his office and his family in Santee for several years, getting deeply involved in our city and sharing much of his time and talents to the Chamber and several other (lucky) organizations. After Kyle and team moved over to La Mesa, we inherited the wonderful Bryan Koci from his team to step into a Director role on
Hello Santee! A few weeks ago, Vice Mayor Dustin Trotter hosted a new mini-event called Trotter Talk. This was a great way for constituents in District 4 to meet their elected representative and get a pulse for what is happening around our city. Also in attendance was Assembly hopeful for District 75, Andrew Hayes, as well as current Santee Fire Chief, Justin Matsushita who provided insight on the department’s future goals to keep Santee safe. For those who missed this event, Vice Mayor Trotter will
Hello Santee! This Wednesday night we were so appreciative to host a large crowd at our joint Chamber mixer at Sportsplex USA. We partnered with neighboring friends, the East County Chamber, to start our year with a bang. Many vibrant connections, meaningful conversations, and a palpable sense of community made for a perfect evening among local business leaders. A special acknowledgment goes to the Santee Sportsplex for their generosity in hosting. Their fantastic venue and warm hospitality provided
Hello Santee! Last month a 72-year-old man collapsed on a softball field at Sportsplex USA Santee. Bystanders initiated CPR and delivered 2 shocks with an AED. Santee Fire Department crews assumed care and placed the patient on the LUCAS mechanical CPR device, administered additional shocks, and gave Advanced Life Support medications. During transport to the hospital, the patient regained a pulse, and his care was transferred to emergency room staff. The patient was later discharged and was set to follow
Media Contact Collin McGlashen 619-248-7193 (cell)cmcglashen@guhsd.net January 19, 2024 Superintendent Mary Beth Kastan Announces RetirementAward-Winning 37-year East County Educator Will Leave Post on June 30 EL CAJON – Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Superintendent Mary Beth Kastan announced that she will retire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year after 37 years of service to GUHSD. In a video message shared with GUHSD staff, Mrs. Kastan expressed gratitude for “the opportunity to
Hello Santee! The new year is well underway and with that comes a slight change in the tide. Our chamber of commerce has a diverse and unique board of directors in which a leadership change has allowed for some new additions and a new face at the helm. I’d like to officially welcome new Chair of the Board, Susie Parks (Coffee Corner), along with returning Director, Tim Staump (Staump Music School) and new Directors Karl Burris (Live Life Physiotherapy) and Stephanie Wooding (Best Day Ever Weddings +
Hello Santee! This week was a special time in Santee as we saw longtime local non-profit, Santee Santas, crank out their annual delivery day, giving to those in need right here in town. They saw an increase in applicants this year which tells us how important it is to continue to pitch in when/where possible for this organization. The Santee Chamber staff jumped in for box building day and got together last week to help “shop” for families and prepare and wrap gifts that were taken to homes this week.
Hello Santee! Last Wednesday the Chamber hosted an inaugural event to compliment needs we are seeing with local employers: Party with a Purpose was a night of fundraising with efforts going to support bridging a gap between young adults and trade careers as we provide scholarships to high school students looking to enter vocational schools after graduation. Jimmy’s of Santee was such a delightful host for this private event (we highly recommend!). From their festive décor, amazing staff and tasty
Hello Santee! Earlier this month while we were hosting our annual Veterans Appreciation Golf Tournament, I was able to sneak in a visit while golfers were having their fun on the course. Nick Ortiz, Vice President of Small Business Advocacy for the California Chamber of Commerce, was in the San Diego area and making his rounds with a few local chambers. I was grateful to be one of them. Nick has an impressive resume and his experience is the perfect match for his role at CalChamber. I often credit our
Hello Santee! Recently, some of you may have noticed the newest addition to Trolley Square had opened their doors: Macy's small format department store welcomed a long line of first customers on Saturday November 11th. The guests were welcomed in with live music, a light breakfast, a chance to spin a prize wheel, and many happy employees who were ready to share their expertise on the array of merchandise available. The store is beautiful and boasts many favorite, well-known brands of clothing,
Hello Santee! Last Thursday was our 5thannual Veterans Appreciation Golf Tournament held at Carlton Oaks Golf Course. I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude from support and kind words, hearing from several people how good the event is and yet how it still “gets better each year”. I don’t say that to brag, but since I was able to work with such an amazing team, I will. Starting with my volunteer event Chair, Mike Aiken: Mike has an incredible work ethic and a drive to get things done. He is responsible
Hello Santee! With our community and surrounding region being rich in active military personnel, it’s no surprise that we also have a high population of veterans. Some of these vets are right here in our neighborhood and it’s our pleasure to learn about more of them in our chamber family. On this season’s opening night for the San Diego Gulls, local resident and Carlton Oaks Golf Tournament Director, Max Wiltz, was honored as their Military Hero of the Night. Max was a former Electronic Warfare Technician,
The City of Santee will be holding a City Council Meeting on Wednesday, November 8th, 2023 at 6:30pm. This hearing will be used to advise the public of a proposed change to the Santee Municipal Code that will allow vehicle storage yards in the Light Industrial Zone with a minor conditional use permit.
Yesterday the County of San Diego recognized recently retired but longtime County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk, Ernest ”Ernie” J. Dronenburg, Jr. The Santee-based East County Office and Archives located on Mission Gorge Road (which opened to the public in 2019, replacing the El Cajon location and expanding into the County Archives) dedicated their reading room, renaming it after Ernie who has devoted his career towards the betterment of others and is often referred to as “Mr. Prop 13” for his notable
Hello Santee! Last week we had the pleasure of spending an evening with longtime members, Bob and Ailen Lloyd (and family), at their newest acquisition, Sparky’s Transmissions. This ribbon cutting ceremony was extra special, not just because we all know and love this community-centric family, but because they made who they are at their core part of the celebration. In partnership with some local businesses and non-profit, they were able to gift a well-deserving family a car after suffering a tragic
Hello Santee! Last week Senator Brian Jones hosted a grand opening and legislative open house of his new Scripps Ranch office. As some of us still get used to new district lines and the fact that we are now represented as District 40, it was a good reminder to see how vast the area is that he serves (which includes the Cities of Escondido, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, San Diego City communities of Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mira Mesa, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos, Scripps Ranch, Sorrento Valley, and
Hello Santee! This week the East County Economic Development Council hosted their annual manufacturing expo atGrossmont College. This yearly celebration of National Manufacturing Day hosts local manufacturers to showcase their industry to students and job seekers. The area was flooded with campus students as well as hundreds of local high school students bused in from around the region. Great job by James Sly and team and a special thank you to Terry from Handel's Ice Creamfor letting me sneak to the
Hello Santee! As autumn enters the air (briefly in the mornings if you are lucky to catch it), I am thankful for the turning of seasons and the excitement that comes along with holidays approaching. For our household, it also means competitive sports and light traveling. As we embrace this busier-than-usual time of year, it means we need to be proactive in our health. Some of this means getting the kids’ orthodontist appointments scheduled around other commitments, prepping meals in advance or menu
Hello Santee! Last week we had our long-awaited Business After Five mixer as we joined forces with the Alpine and La Mesa Chambers at Lantern Crest for a safari themed sunset mixer. We had a great turn out with an incredible spread of appetizers, desserts and drinks put on by Chef Mario and the amazing staff at Lantern Crest. Be sure to check out additional photos from the evening on our Facebook page (thank you, Lynda Marrokal!). We are so thankful for these gatherings for business connections at
Hello Santee! Last night an exciting City Council meeting was held with several exciting topics for Santee. My main area of interest fell on agenda item 9 when they hosted a public workshop on the Town Center Specific Plan Update maybe more commonly referred to in the public as the development of the "Arts and Entertainment District". This workshop provided input on preferred concepts (from public feedback), proposed boundary lines, land uses and more as the City staff sought direction of the project
For Immediate Release Contact: Melissa McChesney Communications Manager (619) 572-1490 (cell) mmcchesney@padre.org Padre Dam Board Appoints New Board Member to Division 4 September 13, 2023 - Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors has appointed Ivan Andujar to fill the Board vacancy in Division 4 as the result of the recent passing of August Caires. Mr. Andujar was sworn into office and officially seated on the Board of Directors immediately following the Board appointment at
Hello Santee! I hope you all were able to enjoy the long weekend celebrating Labor Day this past Monday. Observed each first Monday of September, this is an annual celebration of achievements made through social and economic advancements of American workers. We proudly celebrated, closing our office and giving our staff a well-deserved day off. However, before we stared our long weekend, we were sure to make our quarterly visit to the post office to bundle our most recent (Fall) issue of The Santee
Hello Santee! Our city is the best mix of "big and small" sometimes. We have that big city access with a small town feel. How many of you can't leave the house without seeing someone you know? It's secretly one of my favorite things about Santee. Many of us know each other and our lives overlap in several areas. This is so true for small business. Many of their vendors and clients are also their neighbors, their kids attend the same school, you belong to the same service organization, the list can go
Hello Santee! As our Santee School District students just started their school year yesterday, I had the opportunity to help distribute backpacks at Buddy’s Backpacks & School Supply Drive on Saturday. There was many other volunteers from the Santee-Lakeside Rotary, the Santee School District, City Council Members amongst many other community partners. This is one of my favorite feel good moments and has been since I started to help with this program back in 2017 during my Miss Santee reign. This
Hello Santee! Thank you so much to everyone who came out to West Hills on Saturday for our first Santee Children’s Business Fair. We were invited to partner with teams from Momentum Tutoring and the Santee Kiwanis Club to host this awesome display of youth entrepreneurship. With over 40 vendors, kids from age 7 to 17 showed off their creative skillsets offering items from handmade jewelry, crocheted hats, sewn purses, miniature aquariums to original art and more. This was such a joy to watch come to
Hello Santee! Last week our community was able to Join the San Diego County Sheriff's Departmentfor National Night Out. National Night Out is an annual event that promotes law enforcement-community partnership and neighborhood camaraderie. You had the opportunity to meet your local Sheriff's Deputies and receive public safety resources. Crime Prevention Specialists shared tips on how to keep your families safe. You also got to meet members of their Sheriff's specialized and volunteer units such as
For Immediate Release Contact: Emma Shea Communications Coordinator (619) 599-6774 (cell) eshea@padre.org Padre Dam Board Vice President August A. Caires Passes AwayAugust 4, 2023 – Padre Dam Municipal Water District’s Board Vice President and former General Manager August Caires passed away on August 2. Board President Bill Pommering shares, “Augie served this District and his community with outstanding distinction for nearly 30 years. He was a good friend and colleague to many of us. He will
Hello Santee! I feel as though I catch myself bragging often about our community partners and leaders, so in true Kristen-fashion, I’ll continue that trend. I wanted to thank Cox Communications for hosting me and several guests at a Padres game last week. We have a dedicated representative (hey Allen Young!) who serves on our Government Affairs Committee and who regularly offers their support and insight for telecommunications solutions for our businesses and community at large. Of course, this leads
Hello Santee! Last Wednesday the Padre Dam Municipal Water District held their regular meeting of the board of directors at their customer service center on Fanita Parkway. However, this was far from “regular” as they also held a dedication ceremony for the August A. Caires Customer Service Center, honoring and commending Director Caires for his many accomplishments and dedicating the building as the “August A. Caires Customer Service Center" in appreciation for his 29 years of outstanding public
Hello Santee! Tuesday night was a special evening at the local American Legion and VFW Post. Naturally, most of us think we need to be a Veteran to belong to the post, but they offer memberships within their auxiliary groups and often times hosts events open to the public. This week was one of those times as they held their repeating Liberty & Libations from 6-9pm. They had several guest bartenders that were Santee favorites (Dean Velasco, Kristine Costa and Andy Lloyd) but my favorite of the evening
Hello Santee! It's pretty often we get to brag about our first responders and city leaders in town, but I don't mind doing it once more. Santee has some seriously caring, involved staff from city employees, elected officials, to safety personnel and beyond. The Santee Sheriff's Department hosted another community coffee this week at Coffee Corner and to no surprise, had great support from our community. If you missed this week's gathering but want to still get connected to local law enforcement,
Hello Santee! I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July this week. Thanks to the City of Santee and Waste Management for the presentation of the fireworks many of us enjoyed from various parts of town – what a show! Prior to the holiday, we were able to celebrate a past board member, Kyle Whissel, as he officially showcased his new office opening for Whissel Realty in La Mesa. Much like Kyle, this building was designed with intention and style to provide a space for professional growth,
Hello Santee! Last week I attended the annual membership meeting for the East County Economic Development Council, hosted at Grossmont College. The ECEDC’s mission is to empower East County to create a thriving economic environment where education, business, government, and community can convene, collaborate, and compete. These ideals are a perfect partnership with any neighboring chamber of commerce as we are actively seeking out ways to fill the needs of businesses from the bottom up. It was my
For Immediate Release June 26, 2023 Nathan Schmidt EVP, Chief Experience Officer & Digital Channels San Diego County Credit Union PO Box 261209, San Diego, CA 92196-1209 P: (858) 597-2504 nschmidt@sdccu.com SDCCU Stuff the Bus is Collecting Monetary Donations for Back-to-School Supplies for the More Than 20,000 Students Experiencing Homelessness in San Diego County From June 26 to July 31, donate online or at any Jersey Mike’s store location in San Diego County SAN DIEGO,
Hello Santee! Last week the City kicked off their Summer Concert Series. Although there was quite the excitement towards the end of the evening, the Santee Chamber was pleased to be a small part of the opening ceremony as we joined Mission Realty Group agent and Miss Santee Program Director, Lauren Gaines. We said goodbye and thank you to the titleholders of 2022 Miss Santee Heather Cantin, Miss Teen Santee Julianna Abrajan and Junior Miss Santee Ezrah Collier; their immense amount of community
Hello Santee! Last Friday ended the City’s preamble to the summer as they hosted entertainment the past four Friday nights at Santee Trolley Square’s amphitheater. The weather was perfect as Staump Music School took on the big crowd with live performances by their youth student rock group classes. The audience was captivated and gathered several others who were just in the area for Friday night dining and shopping. It was great to see students with so much confidence to play in a public setting that
Hello Santee! Our staff became so consumed with the Santee Street Fair last month, I almost forgot to share about a night out with chamber member Ryan Purdy. Ryan is the Community Relations and Senior Resource Center Manager at Sharp Grossmont Hospital and an active participant on our Government Affairs Committee. He is as kind as he is intelligent, offering Sharp a perfect fit for his role. He was generous enough to open the invitation for me to join him at Sharp Grossmont's table at Fostering Futures'
Hello Santee! On Saturday the Santee Chamber hosted our annual Santee Street Fair on Riverview Parkway behind Trolley Square. This event is such a massive undertaking for our small staff and board members. I really appreciate every single volunteer (especially Mr. Volunteer, Charli Plavi who is pictured with our staff)… there is no way this event would be possible without the unwavering support of the community and those who help to pull it off with our team. Our staff gals work insane hours leading
The Roadrunners of Rio Seco School won top honors at the Santee Kiwanis Junior Olympic Track and Field meet held on April 29th this year. This annual event showcases both the fitness and competitive spirit of our 4th-8th grade student athletes and their schools. This year, the stands were filled with parents/grandparents cheering on their students as Rio Seco’s athletes won the 6th—8th grade school competition for the second year in a row. Well done to all the schools, their teachers and students who
Hello Santee! Last week I had the pleasure of attending CalChamber’s Capitol Summit in Sacramento. As a first-time attendee, I was so excited to finally make it to this event as the only East County Chamber represented onsite. The program opened with remarks from veteran journalist Dan Walters, columnist for CalMatters, followed by a panel session which focused on housing/homelessness. The keynote speaker was ever-impressive Dee Dee Myers, senior advisor to the Governor, director of the Governor’s Office
It’s almost that time of year the 2023 East County Boys & Girls Golf Event is around the corner. I've been working with the East County Boys & Girls Club for the past nine years helping create one of the best golf experiences in San Diego. This event wouldn’t be possible without your help. This annual event will be held on Friday, June 2th at Sycuan Golf Resorton the newly renovated Oaks Glen Course. I ask you to consider a foursome, sponsorship, on course participation or giveaway for our opportunity
Hello Santee! We are still buzzing off the good energy that came from our Santee Heroes Celebration at the end of April. Carlton Oaks Golf hosted a beautiful evening of Santee Service Organizations, Local Educators, First Responders, Healthcare Workers, Community Leaders, and Elected Officials to receive recognition for their personal and group impact in our region and honor their contributions over the past year. It was a huge pleasure to honor our past Board Director, Jim Peasley, as his family
Hello Santee! Last week was busy with the Chamber having events back-to-back at Carlton Oaks Golf Course so let me start by saying thank you to our staff and volunteers for the extra work, it didn’t go unnoticed. Additionally, I’d like to thank San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson for taking the time to get Santee on his schedule as we co-hosted a community coffee last Wednesday. His impressive staff and team of interns put together an organized evening of resources and Supervisor Anderson stayed
Hello Santee! One week from today we will be hosting our Santee Heroes Celebration at Carlton Oaks Golf Club, at 5pm in their Crest Room. This gathering of Santee Service Organizations, Local Educators, First Responders, Healthcare Workers, Community Leaders, and Elected Officials is designed for them to receive recognition for their personal and group impact in our region and honor their contributions over the past year. It’s also a special night for us as we celebrate the Santee Chamber’s Person of the
When people experience a traumatic event, the date of that event can sometimes live on with them, even plaguing them with anxiety as that date nears. For years, I have watched calendars end out the month of February and I immediately felt uneasy as we knowingly entered into the month of March. This year, that anxiety struck me a tad early as I sat in early February realizing that next month, March 5th marks the 20-year anniversary of the shooting at Santana High School. I'm not alone in the acknowledgement