LATHROP – The Lathrop Chamber of Commerce is hosting a “State of the City Address” event on March 9 at the historic River Mill in French Camp.
Chamber president Mary Kennedy-Bracken said the luncheon function will serve as a vehicle for city officials to “talk about the budget, projections, and upcoming projects,” and for members of the business community and residents to keep themselves abreast with the latest developments in the city.
Kennedy-Bracken said Mayor Kristy Sayles, council members and City Hall officials have been invited to attend. The event is being offered in cooperation with the city.
The other reason the Chamber is putting together the “State of the City” event is because “Lathrop has never had it before,” she stated.
She said invitations also have been sent to Chamber of Commerce officials and members in neighboring cities including Stockton, Manteca, Tracy and Ripon.
Tickets at $25 each may be purchased individually or in groups of 10 at company reserved tables for $250, Kennedy-Bracken said. Reservations can be made online via Pay pal on the chamber’s web site at www.lathropchamber.org or by calling the chamber office at (209) 858-4486.
Registration will begin at 11 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m. featuring a Mediterranean Primavera salad menu.
The River Mill event is not the only community-involvement project that the Chamber is offering to businesses and residents. It also started sponsoring the monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” held every third Thursday of the month starting at 8:30 a.m. in various local businesses
“The purpose of Coffee with the Mayor is for the city to disseminate information about what’s going on in the area, and for the city to listen to the concerns of the community and the businesses,” Kennedy-Bracken said.
At the last Coffee with the Mayor, Kennedy-Bracken said they had a large turn-out and that may have had something to do with the fact the new Lathrop Police Chief, Eric Holman, was being officially introduced at that time, Kennedy-Bracken said.
Additionally, the Chamber hosts a monthly Business Network Mixer every third Wednesday of the month, also at different businesses in town. The March Chamber Mixer will be held on March 17 at 5:30 p.m. and will be hosted by TYPP (Turn Your Passion into Profit) at 15040 Harlan Road.
A monthly Chamber Coffee is also offered every first Tuesday at a local business. Kennedy-Bracken said this event gives the host businesses an opportunity to introduce their company to the public. This has become so popular “we’re booked for the whole year” in 2010, she said.
The next Chamber Coffee will be held on March 2 starting at 8 a.m. It will be hosted by Country Kitchen at 14725 North Harlan Road next to the Days Inn motel.
Besides the business-oriented projects above, the Lathrop Chamber also awards scholarships every year to deserving high school students. Last year, it awarded $1,000 to a graduating high school student. The year before that, the Chamber awarded scholarships to two students.
For more information about the Lathrop Chamber of Commerce, stop by their new office in the Save Mart shopping center on North Harlan Road next to Starbucks or call (209) 858-8846. You can also log on to their web site at www.lathropchamber.org.
