VISTA — Hundreds of business owners, elected leaders, residents and visitors packed The Vistonian on June 14 to celebrate the Vista Chamber of Commerce’s 100th anniversary.
The chamber has been a focal point for the city even before incorporation. The chamber’s focus is on business, but also how other components — education, infrastructure, recreation and housing — tie into the city.
Rachel Beld, chief executive officer of the Vista Chamber of Commerce, said the organization has served as a pillar of the community for 100 years. Beld came on board in 2019 after spending her career largely on economic development with the cities of Vista and Del Mar.
“It was an amazing celebration of all of the people, the projects, the work and a celebration of our community,” Beld said. “It’s about our community and the larger group of people who’ve worked over that past century.”
The Vista Chamber was created with 18 founding members on June 6, 1923, and the first board meeting was a week later. In August 1923, Vista resident E.A. Marsh won $20 for his winning slogan for the city, “Viva Vista,” which is the theme for this year’s Christmas parade.
Perhaps one of the chamber’s biggest achievements was in 1924, when it rallied residents to pass a bond to create the Vista Irrigation District in an effort to bolster the city’s agriculture industry, according to Dave Baldwin, the chamber’s board president.
The flow of water helped strengthen the agriculture industry and became the foundation for a more robust infrastructure system as the continued to grow. On Jan. 28, 1963, the city incorporated, in large part due to a push from the chamber.
“Bringing water to the region really was the lifeblood that caused Vista to develop,” Mayor John Franklin said. “That made Vista a thriving agricultural center for strawberries and avocados.”
The chamber’s robust history involves more than just business. The organization hosts the annual Strawberry Festival, helped create the 672-acre South Vista Industrial Park, partnered with the Vista Education Foundation for their Heroes of Vista gala, and partnered with the city to grant more than $2 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief to local businesses, according to Beld.
Last year, the chamber also launched a student internship program, paying a high school junior $16 per hour to work for a business in Vista. According to Beld, 42 students were matched with an employer, and 12 were offered jobs upon completion of the 100-hour internship.
Since the pandemic, Baldwin said the chamber is getting back to normal, and the 500-plus member organization’s future is bright, focusing on partnerships, workforce development and other ways to strengthen the city’s residents and business community.
“I think the chamber has always been a key part of the community,” Baldwin said. “I think the direction of the chamber is looking at more ways to partner with the city, to getting engaged in workforce development, to help people get the right education … and hopefully keep them here in Vista.”
