A local business leader with extensive experience helping businesses thrive has been named president and chief executive officer for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.

Ermina Karim, the current vice president of governmental affairs and economic development for the 1,400-member Chamber, was chosen from a national pool of 300-plus applicants to succeed Dave Garth as the Chamber’s top executive. Garth will retire on July 1.

A selection committee composed of the current chairperson of the Chamber Board of Directors and six former board chairs presented Karim’s name as the recommended choice at the Chamber board meeting Thursday morning. The board unanimously approved the action. The selection committee conducted 27 hours of intense interviews with finalists and almost 150 total hours of committee review and discussion.

A 2008 Gallup-Healthways poll, which ranked San Luis Obispo No. 1 in the U.S. in overall emotional health, sparked Beuttner’s interest in the small city.

In January 2010, he began to focus on what makes San Luis Obispo (SLO, to locals) so emotionally healthy.

“That’s when I got a phone call from Delta Sky Magazine editor Steve Marsh, who said he was coming to San Luis Obispo for a freelance project,” said Lindsey Miller, director of marketing for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “I hadn’t worked with him before, but he called because he recognized the Chamber brand. Most good travel writers know that when they’re writing about a place they aren’t familiar with, the local Chamber of Commerce is a good place to start.”

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce announced a new job title for Whitney Diaz, previously the position of director of Internet services and publications. Her new title, director of new media and communications, more accurately reflects her expanding role at the Chamber. 

“In the time she’s been here, Whitney has dramatically increased the Chamber’s implementation of new media and helped us complete the Chamber’s transition to web-based member communications,” said Chamber President/CEO Dave Garth. “She has successfully helped bridge the gap between older and younger members, who expect us to communicate with them in different ways.”

Diaz writes and produces a variety of the Chamber’s quality communications pieces, coordinates the Chamber’s local public relations activities, and engages the Chamber’s audiences (staff, members, the community and media) by utilizing “new media,” which are interactive forms of communication that use the Internet, including video streaming, online surveys, RSS feeds, social networks, text messaging, blogs, wikis and more.

A rigorous selection and testing process has whittled down an initial group of 300 applicants for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce president/CEO position to five semi-finalists.

Although the names of the semi-finalists will not be released, they are a diverse group with three women, two men, one local, two others from California and two from out of state.

“Chamber volunteers and members have a very clear vision of the kind of person we want in the role of president/CEO,” said Dave Juhnke, chair of the Selection Committee. “We’re looking for someone who has demonstrated leadership experience within a Chamber of Commerce or similar business-oriented membership organization, has a proven ability to grow a nonprofit organization, and has established an understanding of local and state political processes, with a proven effectiveness in lobbying and taking political action.”

Dave Schermer, news director at KSBY-TV, has told his staff of his decision to step down from the position he has held for nearly five years.

His plans, he said in an e-mail announcement, are to stay in San Luis Obispo to grow web-based businesses he’s been nurturing over the past several years.

This news comes just after Kathleen Choal started her new position as KSBY’s general manager on April 1. Schermer says he plans to stay on at KSBY for the next couple of months to ensure a smooth transition as the station recruits its next news director.

Pacifica Host Hotels purchased the Inn at Morro Bay from Wells Fargo Bank at the end of March after the local 98-room Inn fell into foreclosure last August.

The Inn faced nearly $14 million in debt and was purchased by Pacifica Host Hotels for roughly $9 million. Not to be confused with Santa Barbara-based Pacifica Hotel Company, Pacifica Host Hotels is a San Diego hotel management company that owns 34 hotels.

The Inn at Morro Bay was built in 1960, has about 70 employees and boasts a prime waterfront location on the Bay

Last night, the San Luis Obispo City Council added three new power players to its two marketing-related advisory bodies – the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) and the Promotional Coordinating Committee (PCC).

Hoteliers Nipool Patel of the Comfort Inn & Suites Lamplighter and Clint Pearce of the Madonna Inn were both confirmed for the TBID. Council confirmed Dave Cox, co-owner of Barnett Cox & Associates to the PCC. Cox’s firm successfully led the city’s advertising efforts for 16 years.

A new restaurant is coming to San Luis Obispo. The Cowgirl Café, a Western-style, down-home restaurant chain, plans to open a new location at 1055 Olive Street in San Luis Obispo, where Round Table Pizza was previously located.

Originally based out of Mira Loma, Calif., the Cowgirl franchise now has four other locations, three of which are on the Central Coast. Insiders tell us that the San Luis Obispo restaurant will open in about three months and will have about 20 employees.

The Central Coast’s largest business-to-business trade show has gotten a face lift this year, with a new location, new theme and more booth space to provide a better experience for all attendees.

The business community is invited to attend this annual event to mingle with local business leaders, enjoy giveaways, samples, door and raffle prizes, food and refreshments on May 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Alex Madonna Expo Center, 100 Madonna Rd in San Luis Obispo.

“This year’s theme, ‘New York, New York: From Broad Street to Broadway,’ offers exhibitors endless possibilities to make fun, unique booth spaces that will draw a crowd and hopefully create a great experience for all attendees,” said Kristin Mehiel, director of membership services for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce.