By Gina Fitzpatrick
President and CEO, Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce

I recently read a quote by T.S. Eliot that embodies my feelings of hope as we watch 2021 roll into our lives. “Every moment is a fresh beginning.”  While we all acknowledge that 2020 was not what we expected, with the coming new year, we have a chance to start fresh and redefine our own personal or business normal, not just stand by and watch things unfold.

During the last several months, the Chamber staff has reevaluated many of our programs to further achieve our primary priority, which has always been the prosperity of Paso Roblans, their businesses, and livelihoods. We are excited to share some of the things we have been working on behind the scenes and from the safety of our homes.

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As many of our members may have already noticed, we recently launched our redesigned website at pasorobleschamber.com. We have taken several individually established sites and combined them into one easy-to-use location, including VisitPaso.com, PasoStrong.com, and PasoBusiness.com. This will enable visitors and locals alike to benefit from the available content.

We are excited to be partnering with Dr. Doug Major to present #PasoGives. Previously known as A Day of Thanks for Those Who Give, this digital campaign was designed to honor and promote our SLO County charities, non-profits, and various giving organizations. Traditionally this program ran throughout the month of December. We want to be able to give back to our local charities throughout the year, so it will now be a permanent fixture on the #PasoStrong portion of our website.

The community has continued to look to the Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce to advocate on behalf of business interests. To that end, we are pleased to welcome Danna Stroud to the Chamber team as Government Affairs and Public Policy Coordinator. Danna is a fourth-generation Californian local with over 30 years of experience in the tourism and outdoor recreation industries. Throughout her impressive career, Danna has advocated for change and helped frame policy and legislative issues at the local and state levels. We know her unique perspective will serve our community well.

Many people start off the new year with a list of resolutions. Personally, I should probably give up my nightly snack of Oreos, but that’s not likely to last! 

Instead, I’d like to resolve to remember the words of T.S. Eliot, to look for new ways to rebound and reinvent, and to make sure that our Chamber of Commerce continues to provide the resources, advocacy, and leadership that we have provided for the past 100 years. Consider this our fresh beginning while we continue to stay Paso Strong.