At the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, we still do things you might expect a Chamber to do. We provide networking and marketing opportunities for our members, we cut ribbons on new businesses, and we regularly get our members involved in regulatory and policy issues that impact the business community. However, the Fremont Chamber does more than the average modern Chamber and a lot more than the Chamber your grandparents may remember. Here are three ways Silicon Valley’s third largest Chamber is differentiating ourselves in 2014. 1

Last week, the Chamber received good news on an endeavor to coordinate the construction of electronic vehicle (EV) charging stations in the Bayside Business Park in southeastern Fremont. The California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded a grant amount of over $300,000 to our proposed project. Although the Chamber is not typically in the business of building infrastructure, a unique set of factors led us to this project. It came about from a bit of matchmaking by the City of Fremont’s Economic Development Office whereby the Chamber will collaborate with local companies Gridscape Solutions, Prologis, and Delta Products to construct EV chargers in 14 locations near the Mission Blvd. and 880 exchange. Starting in 2015, freeway motorists, business park employees, and local residents can pull in and power up their vehicles. As an organization, we take our stated goals to promote green business practices and behaviors seriously. We also see this grant as an opportunity to do something tangible in Fremont to enhance the business environment for the entire community.

This week, we are putting the finishing touches on the 31st annual Festival of the Arts. The Festival is a two-day street fair in downtown Fremont that brings hundreds of thousands of people to Fremont to shop, drink, eat, and enjoy our city’s sublime summer weather. The Festival is an economic boon to the City, a major fundraiser for local non-profit organizations and a revenue producer for our Chamber. The Festival injects over $170,000 of annual revenue directly to the City of Fremont through sales tax generation and direct fees. Over the years, the Festival has raised over $9,000,000 for local organizations, and it helps our Chamber stay independent as we collect revenue from beer and wine sales which, in turn, keep our lights on all year round. There aren’t too many other local organizations that wrangle 3,000 volunteers for a weekend event, but it’s an undertaking well worth the effort.

After all the excitement of the Festival is over, we will be resuming Fremont Street Eats in downtown Fremont (Capital Ave. at Liberty) on Friday, August 8th. With our partner, the Food Truck Mafia, the Chamber hosts a weekly event featuring food trucks and live music in a relaxing outdoor environment. We like producing Street Eats because the event fosters community within Fremont. We brought Street Eats to downtown Fremont to encourage attendees to become accustomed to spending time in our future downtown district and to create a sense of “place” in that area. Everyone is invited to join us each Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. until October 25th.

So, while Grandma may not recognize the Chamber of Tomorrow, we hope to be more engaging with today’s business interests. Join us!

1 Jun 26, 2014, San Jose Business Journal-The List: SV’s Biggest Chambers of Commerce by number of members by Lemery Reyes
Aaron Goldsmith

Director of Government and Community Affairs
Aaron is responsible for identifying and responding to legislative, regional and local government issues that may directly impact Fremont’s business community, and working collaboratively with that community to develop strategies aimed at influencing public policy. He is also responsible for developing effective working relationships and partnerships with local business and community groups in order promote activities and programs that enhance the overall quality of life in Fremont.