Chamber of Commerce plans move

Special to the Green Valley News

After almost a year of searching for just the right larger office space, executive director of the Green Valley-Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce Jim Di Giacomo has found the ideal location.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more. The location is right across from our present space and close to the I-19 exit, which is important for a tourism-based business. There’s excellent parking plus we’ll be moving from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. And we’ll still be in the same area,” he said.

The chamber will be open for business in their new quarters at Presidio Pointe on March 2 where they will join American Family Insurance, Long Realty, Merrill Lynch and United Community Health Care.

The entrance to the Presidio Pointe complex includes an enclosed lobby where racks of chamber brochures will now be protected indoors instead of being outside as in the present location.

Di Giacomo said a number of chamber members have helped with the move, and president of Dorn Homes, Dave Grounds, took care of the demolition of interior walls to open up the front office into a 24- by 38-foot light-filled lobby.

“We’ve been in our present location for almost 14 years,” Di Giacomo said. “We needed more room to work efficiently and to continue to grow. This opportunity to move came up and it’s just perfect.”

In addition to the large lobby area and his office, Di Giacomo said the chamber’s administrative assistant will now have her own office instead of an open cubby space. There will be a spare office that chamber members may use for meetings, a lunchroom/workroom space and a 12- by 30-foot conference room with a separate entrance and mountain views.

Adding to an ideal location and the right amount of square footage two other factors made the space the right one; the office is completely wired for computers and is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The chamber’s new address will be 275 W. Continental Road, Suite 123; the phone number remains 625-7575.

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer in Green Valley. Contact her at ellen2414@cox.net.