Menlo Park's Chamber of Commerce has amalgamated into the San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce.
In an email to members of the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors said that financial stability was too challenging, and as a solution, the board took a vote to dissolve the Menlo Park chapter and join forces with the San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce.
Fran Dehn, the former president and CEO of the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, said that the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce never fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic when they couldn't hold fundraisers and members were unable to pay their dues.
The formal process to join the San Mateo County chamber began last year and was finalized on Feb. 1.
"Our goal is to respect that Menlo Park is a special community and the businesses which call this community home represent a unique and impressive diversity of owners, sectors, and customers," said CEO and President of the San Mateo County Chamber Amy Buckmaster. "But we also want to leverage the strength and opportunity which comes with joining our voices to advocate for the needs of businesses of all sizes and a strong local economy."
Buckmaster said that this transition will increase the collaborative nature of San Mateo County's businesses, and that she looks forward to working with Dehn.
Dehn said that there was a "resounding yes" that the Golden Acorn award would continue to exist, even if in a different form. The Golden Acorn will now be one award dedicated to Menlo Park in the San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce's awards ceremony.
”That was something that was very important to the board and to me, that the Golden Acorn as a tradition continue,” Dehn said.
Comments
Registered user
Menlo Park: Downtown
on Feb 10, 2023 at 4:22 pm
Registered user
on Feb 10, 2023 at 4:22 pm
Well... we just lost a couple more businesses downtown. Pharmaca is closing. Liquidating now and will be gone by 2/25. Walgreens was the highest bidder on the buyout. The lady who owned Kicks (ladies retail store) unfortunately passed away. I think the City of MP needs to implement some kind of system where if bldgs. sit empty too long the owners need to pay some kind of fine. I think I have heard of another city doing that somewhere. What on earth are the property owners in downtown MP doing in order to get their properties rented?? Nothing?? They obviously don't need the money when they sit empty for years! Empty bldgs. do not attract renters or homebuyers to this area. The downtown still looks like a depressing ghost town. So many rug stores and second hand clothing shops. Doesn't Menlo Park deserve better? Who's job is it to turn this town into a vibrant, thriving and enjoyable town again?
Registered user
Menlo Park: other
on Feb 10, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Registered user
on Feb 10, 2023 at 7:02 pm
Menlo Cyclist:
Most of the buildings downtown are owned by absentee landlords that have owned the property for many years. Due to prop 13 they pay very little property tax. And because they have been owned so long they have no mortgage. The owners don't care if they sit empty. It costs them very little. They demand ridiculous rents and if they don't get them, they don't care, they'll wait until they do. A fine for buildings sitting unrented for too long is about the only way you'll get these landlords to lower their rent.