Posts Tagged ‘tucson chamber’

Today’s the last day of the outgoing Chamber of Commerce blowhard, Jack Camper.  He was a mainstay of the “good ole boys” network and chamber head since the CARTER Administration. Jack was also the poster boy for the Tucson business community’s inaction and indifference that helped the region descend into its current stagnant business climate.

Jack was famous for alienating many groups.  Many of these groups splintered off from the Tucson Chamber.  You may have heard of them:  MTCVB, SALC, Rodeo Committee, Caballeros del Sol and others.  GTEC (and now TREO) were started by the SALC crew, because the Chamber was failing heavily at the job (Not that TREO really doing anything) Hundreds of members quit and joined the plethora of other Chambers searching for respect and effectiveness.  That’s why the Chamber went from about 4, 000 members to an estimated 900. We now  have to bring all these different business factions together to provide the balance that Mr. Camper helped facilitate.

I hope the new Chamber head does what needs to be done.  The first couple of years are going to be difficult. Mr. Camper’s buddies are still on the Board, it will take awhile to get his stink off the organization.

Adios, Jack.  The business community is not going to miss you.  The neighborhood associations, environmentalists and the bureaucrats who kicked your butt for the last couple of decades probably will.

It’s good to know that the Chamber is fiddling while Tucson burns……..

Chamber kitchen gets a facelift

Jack Camper, President & CEO of the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce

After the June Scholarship Reception, this year’s Chairman of the Board, Gary Clark, Vice President-SW Gas, wanted to know who prepared the great food.  It turns out that the Chamber’s own Cindy Brown was the caterer that month.  When Gary complimented her on the scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, she led him into the kitchen and pointed to the two-burner cook top, the microwave oven, and the toaster oven.  “That’s what we use when the Chamber caters its own events,” she told him.

As impressed as he was for her resourcefulness, Gary nonetheless saw a need to revamp the thirty-plus year old kitchen.  He offered to put in a gas range that not only had four burners, but a full oven as well.

The original kitchen was never designed for much more than coffee brewing, so adding the range turned into a major piece of work.  Gary and SW Gas purchased not only the stove but a microwave/oven vent from Tucson Appliances as well.  Another board member, Colleen Edwards, owner of Tucson Appliances, on hearing the purpose of the purchase, arranged for a deep discount on the purchase of  the appliances.  When Gary contacted Mike Motzkin, owner of Pioneer Plumbing, to install the gas lines, he also wanted to help out and offered to do the work for free.

Matt Hazelton, Supervisor/Customer Services for SW Gas and Jim Foster, Manager for Pioneer Plumbing, worked together with their respective crews to ensure that all the details were handled professionally and quickly.  In the span of just three weeks (which, of course, included acquisition of the necessary city permits), the Chamber’s kitchen had the appliances in place.  Next will come new countertops and sink.

The Tucson Chamber owes Gary Clark, SW Gas and all of these great business leaders and their companies a huge “thank you!”  Because of their efforts and generosity, the Chamber will ultimately have a brand new kitchen.  Don’t forget to come by and see it the next time you’re in the Chamber office.