About the Chamber

In 1997 the directors of the La Mesa and the El Cajon Chamber of Commerce envisioned merging the two organizations to create one large Chamber that would have the voice, the strength and the political clout to support a prosperous business community.

The La Mesa Chamber, founded in 1912, had a membership of 400 business members and was chosen as the parent company. The El Cajon Chamber, founded in 1930, had 560 members; the jump to almost 1000 members representing some 33,000 employees gave the Chamber the ability to be the strongest voice in East County.

To achieve the goals of the organization the Board established the four core competencies:

-Provide networking and marketing opportunities for members.
-Establish programs to create a strong economy.
-Promote the community.
-Represent the interest of business with government.

The policies and programs are determined by a Board of Directors of thirty business leaders and carried out by a staff of six. There are four standing committees; committee membership is open to the entire membership.