Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

Building Community Through Business: The Dana Point Chamber Story

• Rachel Fyffe & Vickie McMurchie

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Have you ever wondered what a modern Chamber of Commerce actually does? Forget outdated notions of stuffy meetings and mandatory networking – the Dana Point Chamber is rewriting that playbook.

Vickie McMurchie, President of the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce, takes us behind the scenes of an organization that's breathing new life into business networking. With a passion that began during a high school internship and came full circle when she took the helm in February 2020 (talk about timing!), Vicki shares how they've built a thriving community of nearly 500 members with just a small, dedicated team.

"We want to make your professional life as fun as your personal life," Vickie explains, debunking the myth that Chambers are exclusively for established business owners. Whether you're a student exploring career options, an entrepreneur with a budding idea, or simply someone wanting deeper community connections, the Dana Point Chamber offers a welcoming environment. Through signature events like the Dana Point Turkey Trot and Festival of Whales, they celebrate local culture while driving economic support for small businesses.

What stands out most is their refreshingly genuine approach to community building. Rather than high-pressure sales tactics, they focus on creating engaging experiences where relationships develop naturally. Vickie acknowledges the challenge of making adult friendships and encourages bringing friends to events to overcome the intimidation of walking into new networking spaces. It's this human-centered philosophy that's transforming how people perceive and engage with their local Chamber.

Ready to connect with your local business community in a meaningful way? Follow the Dana Point Chamber on Instagram @DanaPointChamber or visit danapointchamber.com to discover how they're making business networking genuinely enjoyable while strengthening community bonds.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Rachel Fyfe.

Speaker 2:

Well, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Now are you looking to get connected to the Dana Point community, maybe find ways to network, or you have a new business that you want to get out there? Well, we have a resource that's really closer than you think, and today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, vicki McMurchie, with the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. Vicki, how is it going?

Speaker 3:

Oh, you know living the dream. Ms Rachel, thank you so much for having me on today. I appreciate you.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you for joining us, and you know we're excited to learn all about your business and organization. So tell us about the Chamber of Commerce in Dana Point.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely. Dana Point Chamber of Commerce is much like the Chamber of Commerce in your local area, and so what we do is we promote our small business community, we promote the community in general and we promote just networking and connections with people, and so we're we're trying to modernize the idea of what a chamber of commerce can do and to make it fun and lively, and so what we do here is we produce the dana point turkey trot, an annual classic car show, the Festival of Wales, things that really celebrate all things Dana Point and not only promote the destination but also drive the economic influence and importance of supporting our small businesses here in Dana Point.

Speaker 2:

That's wonderful. You know how did you get into this kind of business?

Speaker 3:

Fun fact I actually interned at my local Chamber of Commerce when I was in high school during my senior year and loved it, went to college, learned, hold a whole bunch of stuff, worked for a non-profit right out of college and then eventually came back to the Chamber of Commerce kind of in the number two position essentially, was here for about five years and then left to go do some other stuff in the for-profit sector development. And when the position of president slash executive director opened in 2020, I applied for it and came back and started in February of 2020, which was really the best time ever to come and work for a small business oriented, membership based nonprofit organization, because it's not like anything happened immediately after that. So it's kind of been a full circle moment from when I was 17 years old to now, when I am much older than 17 years old.

Speaker 2:

I love that. You know what are some myths or maybe misconceptions. Do you think in your industry?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I think that people associate chambers of commerce with being really old school or that you have to own a business to be a member of a chamber of commerce. You don't. You could just be someone who's looking to get more involved in your community. You could be an entrepreneur who's looking to start a business. You could be a high school student who's looking to network and work on your job opportunities post-school.

Speaker 3:

I think there's the misconception that it's just boring shaking hands and going to some networking events and not making true connections, and it really couldn't be further from the truth.

Speaker 3:

We try to associate important speakers who can provide more information or inspiration. Really, we try to do kind of themed events right, we incorporate the local non-profit community, we incorporate maybe your dogs. Again, I think in the world of networking is really advancing and how people meet each other and how people get information about their communities has really altered the last decade or so with social media, yelp, et cetera, and so we're trying to be in the places where people are. So, as much as it's great to come in person and do your networking, we're also in the digital world as well, promoting businesses and promoting what's going on in the community. So it's always, always evolving and it's not that old school organization that maybe your parents belong to back in the 90s right. Chambers of Commerce has been around for more than 100 years and we've been around for 75 plus, but obviously we want to be something that's invigorating and timely and essential for people nowadays wonderful.

Speaker 2:

So you know, we know, marketing is really the heart of every business. So so how are you targeting your customers, attracting new members? What are you doing for that?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I honestly it's. It's being out and about in the community. We really try not to be the. It's a terrible example, but like the used car salesman where we just push and, push and push, like you got to join to see the benefit.

Speaker 3:

If you want to join, that would be amazing, but if not, we'd love to hang out with you. And so it's definitely word of mouth. We do the social media advertising. We advertise in our local publications, get the word out about things, but really what it comes down to is that we have a good product, which is us, and so we are a really small team of two and a half people. We have a membership of nearly 500 members and we're just genuinely people who enjoy each other and enjoy hanging out and networking with each other and supporting that local community, and it's really we've created a good base of that and I think the word has traveled about that. And so we are very lucky and fortunate to have an organic reach where people reach out to us and want more information and or hear about the fun things happening in Dana Point and want to be a part of that.

Speaker 2:

Wonderful. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

Speaker 3:

Oh, I leave that up to the professionals like you. Our visit Dana Point and DMO used to have a podcast and we yeah, I think for us we are crazy busy and I would love to do it. I've seen other chambers do it successfully and I just don't know if I possess the skill or patience that you have with people like me who are like my microphone doesn't work. So kudos to you and what you're doing.

Speaker 2:

Well, thank you. All right, so, outside of your work with the chamber, what do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3:

Sleep. No, I am a very big advocate for animals. I really love animals, maybe more than people, which is interesting for this job, but I volunteer with our local animal shelter here better place for the lost and abandoned animals in this community. And other than that, I think just you know the basics of what everyone probably says is spending time with family, going to live music, going to comedy shows, that kind of thing, trying to find the joy Right.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, exactly, Well, I love that Animal lover too. So now, Vicki, tell our listeners maybe one thing they should remember about the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce.

Speaker 3:

One thing you should remember about the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce. That's a really good question. I think it's just that we want to have fun. I have been to many an event whether it's chamber or a professional organization that has been pretty boring and you check a box because your employer tells you to go do something. We are very aware of those events and we are not that, and so I would really encourage people to get over any misconceptions that they might have and to spend some time and also bring a friend right. It's hard to make adult friends. It's hard to walk into something where you don't know anyone and not feel that like high school feeling right, and so surround yourself with people that you enjoy in your everyday life and then bring them into this setting as well and watch that kind of emulsify and grow even bigger. So that's what I would encourage is to try to make your professional life as fun as your personal life.

Speaker 2:

Love that. So how can our listeners learn more about the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce?

Speaker 3:

Just stalk us in every possible way. We are our website is danapointchambercom. We've got Facebook, we've got Instagram. We're old so we don't have TikTok. Maybe one day we'll get an intern. We're on LinkedIn, etc. We're kind of all over the place. So we would absolutely encourage you to engage with us on our website, but if you give us a follow at Dana Point Chamber on Instagram, we would absolutely love that.

Speaker 2:

Well, vicki, I really appreciate you being on the show and you know we wish you and your business and the chamber the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh, Thank you for having me. I really, really appreciate the opportunity to brag about all things. Dana Point, love it.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnporangecountycom. That's gnporangecountycom, or call 714-941-862.