San Clemente has a vast network of people and businesses that help turn its wheels of production, making the city an economically viable home for its residents, and a desirable destination for visitors. However, behind the machine of business in all its forms, a particular set of people aid in its organization, and help promote the general welfare and prosperity of the area business community—the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce.

The sheer nature of that title can almost seem overwhelming and a little hard to understand at first, but a closer look lends a refreshing perspective and one that offers value in its distinction.

No Ordinary Chamber

The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce is ranked in the top 1 percent of chambers of commerce in the United States. In February, the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce was awarded a five-star accreditation by the United States Chamber of Commerce for its positive contribution to the city of San Clemente, and its utilization of pragmatic and effective internal policies. The special five-star merit is just that for a reason—only 55 chambers in the United States have the five-star rating.

The accreditation process is not a simple send-off of esoteric letters and documents aimed at a quick review. Rather, the process is long and arduous, requiring at least eight months and countless hours of preparation to ensure that the review board knows exactly what they should be awarding.

In 2004, the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce completed the accreditation process for the first time, earning four stars, a high ranking nationwide and a lot to celebrate. With the re-accreditation process up for review every five years, 2009 was a different story.

“A five-star rating is usually associated with other bigger regional chambers throughout the country,” said Lynn Wood, CEO/President of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce. “The submission process required a lot of work. Overall, we submitted large binders detailing different segments you have to work in. On top of that, there’s minimum requirements in each section. Getting five stars is a big accolade, so we put in a lot of time and effort to make sure everything was in place.”

Falling Right Into Place

The accreditation application for local chambers breaks down into nine sections—Governance, Finance, Human Resources, Government Affairs, Program Development, Technology, Communication, Facilities and Benchmarking.

Governance refers to an accredited chamber defining the architecture of its governing system that clearly develops a purpose and a mission statement that is shared by board members and staff alike. Within it, the organizational structure is defined and the board of directors and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. It’s the first section to complete for a reason.

“Everything has to be 150 percent transparent and really answer the question of ‘Legislatively, what are you doing?’” Wood said.

The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization, which means it can be political in nature. As it also receives money from the city, the Chamber focuses much of its energies on how that income reflects on city recreation and tourism.

The Finance segment requires that an accredited chamber conform to all Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and state accounting regulations and generally complies with the Statements of Financial Accounting Standards. Each chamber operates on a budget approved by the board of directors, and a recognized auditing firm performs an audit of the chamber’s records.

For more than 60 years, the principal source of income for the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce is the well-known South Coast Area Directory—a phonebook staple for many in South Orange County. The phonebook has helped the organization maintain its independence from other City subsidies.

“We’re probably the only one in the country to do it,” Wood said. “It’s a great benefit to our members because it gives [the Chamber] an advantage money-wise to produce publications and economic pieces while advertising our members for free through it. It also gives us more latitude to create more programs for our members.”

Other community and visitor publications produced by the Chamber include a monthly newsletter, annual Visitor’s Guide, Dining Guide, a wall Calendar and a website.

In Human Resources, the chamber meets all federal and state regulations governing employees and acts as a catalyst in the professional development of its staff. It’s also important to note that each Chamber staff member recognizes his or her responsibility for implementing the decisions of the board of directors.

Government Affairs is also a strong area for the Chamber as it has a systematic procedure to develop public policy positions and participates in public policy decision-making that affects economic and business issues. A grassroots network is one of the Chamber’s most effective advocacy tools.

The Chamber maintains a grassroots network website called www.voiceofsanclemente.com, whereby it fights for businesses through legislative advocacy as “the voice of business” on its members’ behalf, while also allowing members to advance the San Clemente Chamber’s stance on important issues facing the nation through other voting forums.

Program Development has been very popular for the Chamber as it has a formal system in place to plan, document, and exercise short- and long-term goals or plans. It has developed methods to monitor and evaluate progress on goals that are used throughout the year.

Through this process, it is well known for its annual Fiesta—a downtown party on Avenida Del Mar that [has] gone on in some form or another almost every year since the city’s inception. Other events include the Seafest Chowder Cook-off, the Taste of San Clemente, a Charity Golf Tournament and monthly networking mixers.

The Chamber excels at Technology and Communication as both are tools that allow it to effectively communicate and implement its program of action with membership.

As for their Facilities, the Chamber conforms to all federal, state, and local building fire, health and safety regulations. Initially, the offices were at the Old City Building, then on the corner of Miramar and El Camino, but moved to their location at 1100 North El Camino Real in the 1960’s.

Golden Service Through And Through

“Accreditation is one of the highest honors bestowed on chambers fighting for pro-growth and jobs policies at federal, state, and local level,” Thomas Donohue, President and CEO of the United States Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “This distinction honors [the Chamber’s] commitment to helping advance the principles of free enterprise—the bedrock of this prestigious award.”

The result of the Chamber’s top rating relies on the relationship between the hard work of its staff, directors, officers and, ultimately, its members.

“The idea behind it all is to bring people to town,” Wood said. “If people are eating, shopping and dining here, it’s good for economic development and we’re happy with it. This is a great team that works so well together and can really just take on numerous projects that other chambers can’t."

What is The Chamber of Commerce?

The San Clemente Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary membership organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together for the purpose of promoting the general welfare and prosperity of the area business community.

Objectives of the Chamber:

• To promote a better understanding of the nation’s private enterprise system.

• To coordinate the efforts of commerce, industry and professions in maintaining and strengthening a sound and healthy business climate in the San Clemente area.

• To sponsor aggressive programs of work and stimulate activities that will provide full development and employment of our human and economic resources.

• To provide creative business leadership and effective coordination of all interested parties in solving community problems and initiating constructive community action.

• To create broad understanding and appreciation of the great opportunities in the San Clemente area, and to promote the advantages and assets of our community within the area, in the state, and in the world.

The Who’s Who

CEO/President: Lynn Wood

Administrative Assistant: Norma Hernandez

Administrative Assistant: Claudia Leon

Production Specialist: Arlen Flores

Officers

Chairman of the Board: Jeff Bott (Transportation Corridor Agencies) Vice Chairman: Nancy Hunt (Keller Williams Realty) Chief Financial Officer: Chuck Narey (Hayden, Narey & Persich, CPA) Immediate Past Chairman: Nick Ragenovich (Baskin Robbins) 1st Vice Chairman: Steve Ynzunza (Coast Property Services)

2nd Vice Chairman: Michael Johnson (Cresa Partners)

Directors

Bernie Allen (Attorney), Mike Burke (RBF Consulting), George Carvalho (Management Consultant), Dr. Adam Crawford (Oceanview Family Medicine), Leo Dennis (Wal-Mart), John Heffernan (AT&T), Don Kindred (Kindred Associates), Adele Lux (Adele at the S.C. Inn), Dick Rodriguez (Rod’s Tree Service), Jim Valentine (SDG&E), Joe Anderson (City of S.C. Councilmember Liasion) and Larry Rannals (Camp Pendleton Liaison).

Accreditation Statistics

Of the 6,936 chambers in the United States, 250 of these are accredited, and these elite chambers represent the top 4 percent of all chambers in the U.S. The national Accreditation statistics are as follows:

• 21 are Accredited – 6 percent;

• 78 are 3-Star – 31 percent;

• 88 are 4-Star – 34 percent;

• 63 are 5-Star – 25 percent.

Of the Accredited chambers, four are state chambers.

• Oklahoma – accredited State Chamber (4-Star) – less than 1 percent;

• South Carolina – Accredited State Chamber with Distinction – 1 percent;

• Association of Washington Business – Accredited State Chamber with

Distinction

• Michigan Chamber of Commerce – Accredited State Chamber with Distinction.