As we welcome spectacular weather to Borrego we also want to start off with a huge “Welcome” to new Chamber members and business owners Matt Davis & Jason Collins who recently took ownership of Borrego Springs RV Storage.

Davis and Collins are eager to get involved in the community along with offering their clients a new digital platform. We look forward to meeting them at our next Sundowner – yet to be confirmed.

WHERE are the creatures? Our two dancing reptiles have been moved to the parking lot side of the Chamber as the exciting new landscaping project takes shape thanks to locals Gloria and Kirk of Lupes Gardening & Maintenance, Inc (they are also new Chamber members). You’ll see the landscape change daily as work progresses. We are pleased to be moving the Dennis Avery monument to a new location for all to see and read as visitors and locals take the path to the front door of the Chamber. Visitors will also find new paths to the statues and Chamber sign for selfies which are constantly being taken even with the Chamber closed.

As the new Chamber Executive Director, I recently did my first television interview with KPBS San Diego. I was proud to talk about how the community has come together to help each other and how we are following the County health and safety virus guidelines. You can see the interview on the Chamber Facebook page.

A quick note about California reopening, currently California, Washington State and Oregon are working together on creating a reopening that will work for all of us. At this point, they have outlined 17 steps (which will probably change a few times before released) that after looking them over, Borrego Springs is already doing. This gives me hope that the transition back to normalcy will be smoother in Borrego.

As for relief funding and loans, I have not heard of any funding in our area yet. If you do get funding, think for a moment before telling everyone because I’ve already seen cases of “why did you get it and I didn’t.” Just a thought.

Lastly, I want to mention the Chamber website, even though it might look the same there are changes being made daily, changes that will offer members more control over managing their own information. The other day I went through our member data base and added websites to listings that had not bothered to post it. Even a one page website helps a business to be found, and a free Google page, why wouldn’t you have one?

Now when it’s slow and you are looking for something to do, take the time to work on projects for your business because once we reopen you probably won’t have the time. With that said there are many areas on the website that still need fixing and continue we will until it is easy to navigate and offers the best it possibly can for our members and those who visit it.

Until next time, the Chamber continues to be closed to foot traffic, however, feel free to give us a call or send an email to borregochamberdirector@gmail.com, and keep up the great job the community as a whole is doing in this crazy time.

Françoise Rhodes

– Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce Executive Director

760-767-5555

borregospringschamber.com