The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce is now seeking qualified applicants for Chamber President/CEO. Job responsibilities include effective organization, operation, promotion and administration of the Chamber. The position reports to a Board of Directors. The President/CEO is accountable for the achievement of Chamber objectives and other responsibilities as set forth in the Bylaws. For full job and application details, click here.
Kiel Hoffman, chair of the Board of Directors for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, announced today the retirement of current President/CEO Jim Berry on Aug. 31, 2010. Berry has served as the President/CEO for the past six years.
Berry announced that his decision to retire was finalized after careful consideration and added that he is proud of the accomplishments the Chamber has experienced under his leadership. Specifically, the chamber has had tremendous successes, including doubling membership, increasing revenues to all-time highs, providing reserve funds for the future and introducing the very successful Sky’s the Limit fundraising program.
“I feel that a change will be beneficial to my personal goals and objectives. I want to express my gratitude to the board for the support they have provided to me over the last six years,” Berry said. “Again, it has been a positive experience working as part of the team, and I wish continued success for the Chamber.”
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Chamber membership and the people of Las Cruces we would like to thank Jim for his service and leadership to the Chamber and our community,” Hoffman said. “We want to wish Jim luck in his retirement. In August we will hold an event to thank and honor Jim for his service to the community.”
The Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors’ voted unanimously to re-confirm its prior position on SB 1689 (available here); especially as it pertains to homeland security. A review of the legislation, by the Chamber Board, was conducted following Senator Bingaman’s recent modifications to the legislation. His modifications were made after a field hearing of the United States Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee was held in Las Cruces this past February.
Kiel Hoffman, Chairman, states, “While the Chamber commends the Senator for listening to concerns raised by the public and making modifications, we remain concerned that complete border security and law enforcement access are being denied unencumbered access by this legislation.”
We commend the Las Cruces Sun News Editorial Board, which stated, on June 27th, the following: “We urge Senator Bingaman to go as far as necessary to ensure that the Border Patrol will have complete and unfettered access to all areas along the border before putting the bill (SB 1689) up for final action.” Complete and unfettered access means zero conditions. Unfortunately, SB 1689 still has conditions placed upon border security.
We strongly encourage the Senator to further modify the language that removes any and all barriers to entry, in all protected lands in Doña Ana County, for routine surveillance by our United States Border Patrol, United States Armed Forces and any local, state or federal law enforcement agency. Anything short of removing all conditions and barriers only serves to increase risks to our citizens and further create a negative image for those considering relocation to Doña Ana County to live, work and/or retire.
We further encourage the consideration of designating the Potrillos Mountain Complex as a National Conservation Area, still prohibiting development, versus Wilderness Designation. Attached is copy of stated position on all other aspects of SB 1689.
We know that other organizations in our community have taken an opposite view. We respect all viewpoints; however, we are deeply troubled by one local organization’s apparent acceptance of significant funds from special interests groups to promote their position without full disclosure of doing so to its members. For the record, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce has not taken any money from any special interest groups to promote our position.
Sky's the Limit Victory Trip winners
For the second consecutive year, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce has held a successful Sky’s the Limit fundraising campaign. On Thursday, July 1, 2010, the Chamber celebrated the achievement of the $180,000 income goal for the year.
“I am extremely proud of the work our Chamber’s volunteers put forth to help us accomplish the Sky’s The Limit goal. When we gathered in November, we set the $180,000 as a stretch goal,” said Bill Connor, Sky’s the Limit campaign chair. “To accomplish this says a lot about the support the business community has for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce.”
Led by Connor and campaign vice-chairs Margie Huerta, Ann Reed, Leslie Cervantes and Nikki MacDonald, more than 70 volunteers on 11 different teams have worked over the past four months to support the Sky’s the Limit campaign. The volunteers have sold sponsorships, recruited new members and set up trades for building maintenance, advertisements and giveaways for Chamber members that will help reduce the strain of such costs on the Chamber budget.
“Having over 70 volunteers working on this campaign means that we have members who have a better understanding of the value the Chamber brings to our community. With the successful conclusion of campaign, the Chamber staff and leadership have a good handle on how our programs will be funded and also where the support for those programs are coming from,” Connor said.
Volunteers earned cash incentives for their contributions to the campaign as well as exclusive invitations to campaign reward sessions at popular sites throughout the Mesilla Valley. Reward sessions included the Preston Contemporary Art Center, Amaro Winery, Las Cruces Railroad Museum and Allen Theaters Cineport 10.
“Obviously, the money raised will help ensure that the events, programs and programs can continue and grow. I think the grow part is the important part. Over the past few years, the leadership at the Chamber of Commerce has been able to add more opportunities and chances for our business community to get the word out that “Business is good in Las Cruces,” Connor said.
“This marks the second year in a row that we have made our Sky’s the Limit fundraising goal,” said Jim Berry, Chamber president/CEO. “This success justifies the Chamber’s decision to pursue the Total Resource Campaign and makes the Chamber optimistic about securing future funding.”
Every volunteer was an essential member of the team ensuring the future success of the Chamber, though several teams and individuals went above and beyond in their funds raised. The top producing teams were the Las Cruces Bulletin, Las Cruces Sun-News, The Winners, Power Pink and the Conquistadore Red Team. The top individual producers were John Hummer, Kiel Hoffman, Jaylene Watkins, Leslie Cervantes, Richard Haas, Jaki McCollum and Dawson Dinsmore, all of whom have won a two-day trip to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
The Chamber held the first Total Resource Campaign with the assistance of Fremont Development Group, which is led by Chairman Jerry Bartles, former director of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the largest in the United States. Bartles developed the program during his time with the Atlanta Chamber and has successfully used the campaign style to raise incremental money for more than 70 chambers around the country.
Although the fundraising campaign has ended, there are still numerous opportunities for members to market their businesses through the Chamber, including sponsorships and advertisements. For more information, visit http://lascruces2010.fremontdevelopment.com. The 2010 campaign has officially ended, but planning is now beginning for the 2011 Sky’s the Limit. Any members interested in participating in the 2011 campaign, contact Chamber Revenue Development Director Alesia Dutton at 524-1968 or adutton@lascruces.org.