It could happen to any person, product or place. Just a few words from Oprah Winfrey and a company can see an influx in sales, a product can become a best-seller, or a place can be “put on the map.” Some call it “The Oprah Effect.”

San Luis Obispo, Calif. is only just beginning to feel it after The Oprah Winfrey show aired on Wednesday featuring San Luis Obispo, as “the happiest city in America.”

The day the episode aired, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s tourism website (VisitSLO.com) saw a 745 percent increase in visits over the same day last year (visits indicates the number of unique sessions initiated by website visitors, according to Google Analytics). The website normally gets about 290 visits per day in the slow winter months, and about 433 visits per day in the summer months when the tourism season occurs. But on Wednesday, VisitSLO.com had 2,443 visits.

“We knew we would see a spike in traffic on our tourism site, but we were so thrilled to see it increase that much,” said Whitney Diaz, director of Internet services and publications at the San Luis Obispo Chamber. “Even traffic the day after the episode aired is extremely high, with more than 1,000 visits midday. We’re hopeful that it won’t taper off any time soon.”

The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted last month to support utility scale solar energy production in the Carrizo Plain as long as the environmental impacts are appropriately mitigated while maintaining a project output size that is economically feasible.

On Thursday, Feb. 24, the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve the proposed 250-megawatt SunPower solar power plant on the Carrizo Plain.

The week before the vote, the planning commission found a solution to a major obstacle to construction of the SunPower project. The compromise was for the solar firm to reduce the number of above-ground electrical collection lines while protecting the habitat of the endangered giant kangaroo rat.

At an earlier Planning Commission meeting in January, Chamber staff and volunteers supported and advocated for the new Chamber policy that recognizes the importance of utility scale solar energy production, which is consistent with the Chamber’s Economic Vision and the county’s general plan.

If completed, several proposed Carrizo Plain solar projects will most likely have a profound economic impact on the San Luis Obispo area by collectively creating about 750 jobs, powering approximately 260,000 average-sized California homes, displacing more than 290,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emission annually, and designating San Luis Obispo County as the heart of solar energy production for the state of California. 

After more than 38 years as president/chief executive officer of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, David Garth has announced his retirement, effective later this year.  

The announcement was made public at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner gala on Jan. 22, where the Chamber’s new officers and board members were installed and the 2010 Citizen of the Year award was presented. His retirement will be effective July 1, 2011.

During Garth’s tenure, the Chamber has grown from an organization with 250 members and two employees to one of more than 1,400 members and 15 employees. The organization's budget grew from $30,000 per year to $1.5 million per year – all in a town of less than 50,000 people.

The Citizen of the Year Award is the Chamber’s most prestigious honor and is the only award presented at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner gala in recognition of unparalleled service to the community of San Luis Obispo.

In July 2006, Hind and his wife, Jane, established the Hind Foundation to provide funding for important projects that have enduring benefits to communities. In 2010, a year when both nonprofits and for-profits found it more difficult to establish funding, the Hind Foundation awarded more than $1 million to Central Coast projects, including the Performing Arts Center, San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation and Central Coast Economic Forecast.

• provide more resources toward economic development
• reduce spending to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability
• undertake pension reform
• eliminate binding arbitration
• reduce duplication and redundancy in department functions.

“The city is facing some harsh budget realities that call for some new creative approaches,” said Michael Gunther, chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “City spending must be controlled and income increased by building head-of-household jobs. The Chamber strongly believes that if the city follows our recommendations, these community priorities will become a reality.”

Last year was a busy one for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, especially online. Here’s a look back at some of the Chamber’s proudest accomplishments in 2010.

The Chamber focused on staying ahead of the technology curve by focusing on the search engine optimization of its websites as well as strengthening its social media presence (find the Chamber now on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr and more.) The Chamber also presented its brand new online Business Directory, complete with an individual web page for each of its 1,400-plus members.

With absolutely no paid advertising, the Chamber’s tourism website, VisitSLO.com, received an incredible amount of traffic in 2010. Overall, VisitSLO.com received an astonishing 121,159 visits (100,808 of which were absolute unique visitors) and 438,688 pageviews. This site continues to rise to the top of search engine results, thanks to the efforts of the Chamber’s staff.

Gunther brings an important small-business perspective to the Chamber in a time when small businesses are facing new challenges. About 90 percent of the Chamber’s membership base is made up of these smaller businesses (with 20 employees or less), so there’s no doubt his leadership will be invaluable in the coming year.

As the oldest voluntary organization on the Central Coast, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce boasts a membership of about 1,500 area businesses and organizations and a staff of 15. The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that is an independent business advocacy organization that is not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or any other Chamber of Commerce.

“I really see an opportunity for the Chamber to reinvent itself,” Gunther said. “This more competitive economy is the new norm, so how do we as a Chamber want to operate within this new norm? There is a real opportunity for the Chamber to build upon its strengths and stay on the cutting edge of technology and services to its members.”

Eight newly elected members of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, plus one appointed member, joined the chamber’s Board of Directors along with incoming Chairperson Michael Gunther this month.

The Board of Directors serves as the Chamber’s policy-making body and its 21 members represent the diverse business and professional leadership of the community.

As the oldest voluntary organization on the Central Coast, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce boasts a membership of about 1,500 area businesses and organizations and a staff of 15. The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization that is an independent business advocacy organization that is not affiliated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or any other Chamber of Commerce.

The New Year brings with it new laws, and San Luis Obispo area businesses must be aware of the latest laws and amendments to existing laws that affect them and their employees. In this case, what you don’t know can hurt you.

That’s why the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce is holding the 2011 Employment Law Update on Jan. 18. Attendees will learn about risk areas in wage and hour laws, the latest requirements in workplace conditions, trends in discrimination law, and how employers can protect their business from employee privacy claims.

“It’s important for our members to be aware of changes in employment law, because they could suffer serious consequences if they aren’t in compliance,” said Dave Garth, president/CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. “So we’re hosting a forum with employment law experts, where members can learn about new laws and get answers to important questions regarding laws that could seriously affect how our members do business.”