With the Current Economy, What’s Up With VIA?

What’s up with VIA? We’ve been getting that a lot lately. The short answer is that VIA is alive and well; thriving and surviving. The longer answer is more complicated.

Let me explain. Like many trade and service organizations, the economic downturn was, and continues to be, particularly difficult. VIA has not been immune from the impacts of the recession.

Businesses found themselves struggling or faltering, eventually streamlining or shuttering operations. That affected VIA as much as anyone else.

There were talks of merger with compatible organizations, but the fit was less than ideal for all involved. So we looked within the organization to determine ways we could adjust to the new economy, while aligning our services with our members’ changing needs.

As a result, VIA has become a stronger organization with our efforts focused on the fundamentals. First, VIA changed its name. It is now the Valley Industry Association, which more accurately reflects the composition of our membership and aligns with the make up of all businesses in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Committees were reexamined, redefined and revamped. VIA’s Membership committee changed its name to the Member Experience committee. It developed an excellent “onboarding” plan to help new and existing members make the most of their membership.  They also have a dual purpose: recruitment and retention of our valuable members. The committee will handle VIA Rocks!, monthly luncheons and the business-to-business industry show.

Originally an ad hoc committee, the Strategic Planning committee has been successfully added as an ongoing, fully functioning, standing committee. Continued strategic planning keeps VIA up-to-date on the needs of our membership, allowing us to create new plans and avenues to satisfy those needs almost immediately. Our goal is to be a proactive, quick moving, nimble organization that has the ability to act, not simply react. 

This committee is responsible for providing ideas, strategy, leadership and oversight of all VIA activities and strategic management.  They handle finance, accounting, banking, cash management, technology, web and infrastructure, event support, as well as data gathering to provide tangible benchmarking data to all committees. 

The VIA Education committee projects were divided between two entities.  Business Education projects and programs, such as seminars and executive/professional development, will remain with VIA. All other educational components will be administrated under the VIA Foundation, which can better serve the needs of emerging workforce education through their 501(c)(3) status.

The Communications committee will be responsible for marketing, public relations and internal member communication.  This includes updating web and blog content. 

VIA established a blog to give members a forum for discussion and a collective voice: viascv.wordpress.com. We continue to make great strides in the world of online communication with active involvement in social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn: facebook.com/viascv, twitter.com/viaofscv, facebook.com/viab2b.

The Program/Programming committee maintains executive oversight of specific events, including luncheons, VIA Rocks!, facility tours, and seminar series to name a few. We’re also looking to partner with organizations such as the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, California Manufacturers and Technology Association and College of the Canyons to host collaborative events.

And finally, we reshaped our Board of Directors to run lean and more efficiently. Board positions, commitments and expertise represent a broad base of experience with a new level of focus. Scott Capistrano and Diana Meyer joined the VIA Board in late 2009, and Alan DiFatta, who previously served on VIA’s board and was president of the organization in 2004, rejoined the board this month.

VIA’s primary goal is to serve our membership. We are a stronger organization after our reorganization and prepared to continue to serve our members with the excellence our reputation has been built upon. VIA is healthy, growing, prospering and it is here to stay. While we may have hit a rough patch late last year, VIA’s ability to reinvent itself in 2010 has given us the tools we need to continue to be the voice of business and industry for the Santa Clarita Valley for a long time to come.