Leaders Agreed Time to Leave Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce
CATHEDRAL CITY — This community has been a member of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce since July 1, 2017, but the two will part ways on June 30.
The Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce most recently produced the city’s State of the City Address.
The $73,436, which had been budgeted for the organization has been reallocated to the Economic Development Department for other program development and to Communications & Events for future State of the City events, Ryan Hunt, Communications & Events Manager, said.
Brandon Marley, CEO of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, did not return two requests for comment.
The city had entered into a professional services agreement with GCVCC to provide certain services, including producing the State of the City annual event.
Ryan Hunt
“Due to our new in-house city Economic Development staff, desire to re-evaluate expenses and programs to more directly focus on Cathedral City businesses, and conducting an (Request for Proposals) process to invite vendors to produce the city’s key events (including State of the City), staff made the recommendation to the City Manager to not enter into a new agreement with the Chamber after the end of this fiscal year,” Hunt said.
The Chamber was notified of the city’s decision on March 13, Hunt said. The Services Agreement between the City and GCVCC will be expiring at the end of June 2025, and city staff informed them of our recommendation that the contract not be renewed at that time, Hunt said.
It was a decision made under the authority of the City Manager, Hunt said. The City Council had been briefed on staff’s recommendation through the budget process.
The city will use the money spent on the Chamber to prioritize services and programs that directly serve Cathedral City businesses, Hunt said, For example, the City’s Economic Development team is currently working with the Riverside County Office of Economic Development as well as the Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center to provide training and consulting to local businesses on such topics as launching a small business, growth and expansion strategies and capital development.
Four cities continue to have a business relationship with the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce. They are Coachella and Indio, both founding members, La Quinta and Desert Hot Springs, according to the GCVCC’s website.
Photo courtesy of Cathedral City.
