CEO's Focus: A New beginning to a Prosperous Future 

by Chris Messina,
President/CEO,
Napa Chamber of Commerce

I’m humbled by the amazing opportunity to serve the Napa business community, a community I have long admired. While our community is facing unprecedented challenges, together we can forge unprecedented solutions to what many consider the challenges of our generation.

As the steward of our business community’s interests, we pledge to build on the world-class Napa brand and create one of the strongest and most sustainable economies in California!

As a critical advocate for businesses, large and small, we pledge to work with our elected officials, reminding them that “there but for the grace of you, our businesses, go all of us”!

In the service of our existing members, and the many businesses that have yet to join our community, we pledge our unflagging support, and a shared vision of community impact.

For therein lies our value to the business community: to be relevant to our members; to have a positive impact on our community—by working on those problems that drive businesses elsewhere; and to build on the good work that’s been done before us and make Napa and the greater Napa Valley the preferred place to do business in California!

Together we can improve the quality of education in our community, attracting more businesses. Together we can make Napa the best place to start and grow a business. Together we can make our community the shining example in California for what it means to have a sustainable vision for our business community. As the saying goes, “Without a vision, a people perish.”

I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you as we confront the business and economic challenges of our generation. I’m grateful to those that came before, even as we look towards a brighter future. And finally, to my Sonoma County friends I cannot deny that the Cabernet IS better on this side of the mountains! I invite you, and all others, to come and enjoy and invest in the Napa community.

Thank You!