| Location |
| PO Box 74094, Davis CA 95617 |
| Hours |
| Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM |
| Phone |
| (530) 902-7699 |
| CEO |
|
Cory Koehler |
| Website |
| http://www.davischamber.com |
The Davis Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization whose mission is to "promote, support, and advocate the general economic vitality of its membership and the quality of life for the community." It was formed in 1905 by a small group of Davisville business owners to lobby the Legislature of the State of California to place the new University of California Farm School here, rather than several other competing locations. Their efforts were successful in 1907 and to this day the Davis Chamber of Commerce has a close relationship with both the City of Davis the University of California at Davis.
The Davis Chamber has a successful history of spinning off community organizations. The Davis Visitors Bureau, since expanded to become Visit Yolo, was created by the Chamber to focus efforts that would welcome visitors to town. In 1989, the Davis Chamber led the effort to create the Davis Downtown Business Association in order to allow the Chamber to focus on a broader set of issues like economic development policies, business attraction and retention and redevelopment. The Chamber is sometimes confused with the Davis Downtown Business Association (DBBA); the DDBA was created by the Chamber but it is now an entirely separate organization. DDBA membership is mandatory, with fees from property and business owners who are in the business improvement district (BID).
Chamber membership is voluntary. The Chamber has over 500 members, including professionals, individuals, retailers, and non-profits. Some are in the downtown area, and others are located in the greater Davis area and beyond. The Chamber states that it is "a vibrant business organization which reflects the vitality, education, community involvement, and quality of life characteristics of our locale."
Core Purposes of the Chamber
- Cultivate Economic Vitality
- Engage in Local and Regional Advocacy
- Strengthen Community Relations
- Grow and Maintain a World Class Workforce
Membership
Like all Chambers of Commerce, the Davis Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary membership organization that exists to support its membership and is solely supported by its members. The Davis Chamber of Commerce has a very diverse set of members that is unique in many ways that reflect the community at large. Until the 1990's, the organization was called the "Davis Area Chamber of Commerce". In 2012, its membership reflected Davis' regional attraction with members located from Sacramento to Fairfield with many in the surrounding rural areas.
The Chamber's current membership directory can be found online and is a valuable resource for those looking for restaurants, service clubs, retail shops, and more.
Events
The Davis Chamber holds several well known and community loved events like Celebrate Davis, taking place in May of each year, to Discover Davis, taking place each fall that both bring out attendees in the thousands for food, games, vendors and entertainment. The chamber holds Davis After Hours Evening Socials, an Annual State of the City Luncheon, Virtual Information Sessions, as well as other events in partnership with the City of Davis. Events are listed online
2021 Board of Directors
History
They used to host Chamber Day on the Quad, an event held early in the school year on the UC Davis campus in conjunction with the Student Activities Fair.
DDBA a subset of the Chamber, or is it just the down town mafia? — ArlenAbraham
- 2007-09-09 00:50:17 DDBA is entirely separate from the Chamber. DDBA membership is mandatory, with fees from property and business owners who are in the business improvement district (BID). Chamber membership is city-wide and is voluntary. — DonShor
2005-05-18 15:18:24 It is interesting to note that the Government Relations Committee was the only community organization in the entire county that opposed Yolo County moving from PG&E over to SMUD. This was in opposition to every city and county government body in Yolo County that voted on this proposal. This now make sense with you see that a PG&E employee is on the Board of Directors and serves on the Government Relations Committee. Nevertheless, the Chamber of Commerce is a decent group of business leaders who do a lot for the community. — SharlaDaly
2009-08-07 18:09:35 DonShor, you are correct. Although we have regional members as well. For more information, please visit our website: www.davischamber.com. —ChristiSkibbins
2012-06-13 10:52:52 Regarding the recent edit by the Chamber executive director, here is a comparison of the members drawn from the membership directories of the DDBA and the Chamber respectively. Once they are cross-checked, an accurate number can be edited above and this comment can be removed. My tally shows 16 DDBA retailers who are in the Chamber, out of 84 DDBA retailers total. http://davismerchants.org/vanguard/DDBA%26Chamber.pdf —DonShor
Footnotes
1. http://qcode.us/codes/davis/view.php?topic=12-12_01-12_01_030&frames=off
2. http://qcode.us/codes/davis/view.php?topic=12-12_01-12_01_035&frames=off
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