What an exciting and productive year this has been for our Chamber.

In January we announced our Chamber Award-winners at the gala on Jan. 19. Alan Cruikshank, owner and publisher of The Fountain Hills Times, was our 2007 Business Person of the Year award winner for the second time, having won this prestigious award in 1990. Dwight Johnson was the recipient of the advocate of the year award. Co-winners for the not-for-profit of the year honors went to the Fountain Hills Community Theater and the Extended Hands Food Bank.

The Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute accepted 11 local executives for the year-long study and one-on-one interaction with area business leaders and writer/consultants on the subject of growth and leadership bringing the total membership to over 30 participants.

Our Great Fair in February was another very successful Chamber three-day event. This annual art fair brings nearly a quarter-million visitors to Fountain Hills and provides a much-needed boost to our local economy.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in March, co-sponsored by the Chamber and the Town and led by local businesses, was a two-day event. The first, an all-day event, was held on Saturday, March 15, with food, Irish bands, refreshments and fun. This event was instrumental in raising funds for four local foundations. The second was held on Monday, March 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with the Green Fountain spouting at both 12 and 6 p.m. By the number of the attendees to these expanded venues, with great music, great food and many family-friendly activities resulted in a perfect way to celebrate the day. 

The  11th annual Chamber Business Showcase was held in October. Approximately 4,500 people came to view the products of 75 businesses and sample the food of our restaurants and caterers. For the second year in a row, the popular “Taste of Fountain Hills Peoples Choice Award” was won by Ahnala Restaurant at the Radisson Resort.

October was a first ever for the Chamber Leadership Institute. Ten members of the Institute traveled to Cupertino, Calif. -- headquarters of Apple Computer -- where they were invited to participate in an all day meeting with Senior Vice President Ron Johnson, who was instrumental in developing the very successful Apple retail business model.

Our 34th annual Fountain Festival of Arts and Crafts was held in November. An estimated 200,000 people came to visit our town and even though the economy was in a tailspin, from all indications it was a financial success for the business community. 

The Chamber’s Business Vitality Advisory Committee continued to make inroads in the business arena achieving two significant milestones:

1) Our Education & Support sub-committee launched the successful Town Center Project, and

2) Our Zoning & Ordinance sub-committee re-wrote the business signage ordinance which was passed by Town Council in November.

The 24th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though we witnessed rain for the first time in 12 years, was a resounding success. With this year’s theme “Jingle Bells Rock the Hills,” the parade boasted more than 70 entries, with several thousand spectators lining the streets.

The annual December Stroll in the Glow featured 50 tons of snow thanks to the generosity of the Realtors at RE/MAX and was enjoyed by hundreds of children of all ages. This year’s Stroll again featured Santa Claus arriving on a fire truck, who listened to dozens of children’s Christmas wish lists.

The luminarias as always were a huge success with over 5,000 candles lighting the downtown and Fountain Park on the three nights prior to Christmas.

Other accomplishments included the recruitment of over 108 new members, bringing our total membership to 577. We hosted 40 ribbon cuttings, welcoming a number of new businesses to our community. Our retention rate at over 90 percent continues to be among the highest in the state.

The Business Journal listed our Chamber as No. 13 in the Valley, and we are fifth in size when measured by total budget.

Our Web site continues to be an extremely important tool. During this past year we received 92,927 unique visits and 313,259 visits.

Have a happy, healthy 2009 and we look forward to sharing new and exciting challenges together as members of the foremost business organization in Fountain Hills.