The group had worked methodically from 7 a.m. until dark that second day and was starting on the clubhouse walls when Deal's mother walked out to the big oak tree sitting on their 11-acre farm to see what was going on.

When Deal told her they were building a clubhouse, her mother, Wilhelmina, said, "I don't think your father will approve of that."

But Deal, being the eternal optimist, said, "Oh yeah, he'll like it."

That night, however, Deal says, she was convinced her father was going to "kill" her for taking the wood he had intended to use to build a garage.

"By the time I get home tomorrow night," he said, "I want every piece of lumber put back where you got it, with no nails, and it better be stacked exactly as you found it."

A while later Deal overheard her father talking to a group of adults about what she had done. As she silently wondered how she was going to handle the embarrassment, Deal heard her father say, "You know, the funny thing that I couldn't tell her was that she had it right. It would have been a darn good clubhouse. They had the floor down and it was laid properly and everything was sawed neatly. They did it in two days and those kids were working hard."

Deal says, "I learned a lesson that day, but I also heard I knew what I was doing."

That youthful confidence and tenacity has helped her overcome several major life challenges and has molded her into the person she is today.

From her battle with scoliosis--curvature of the spine--at age 13, which required an operation and living in an ankle-to-head body cast for a year, to her family cooking cans of beans for a week until the next dollar came in, to selling phone books when she first moved to San Jose, Deal has learned that being mediocre just doesn't cut it.

"I've been accused of being a perfectionist," says the Campbell Chamber of Commerce executive director. "I'm smart enough to know you can't be perfect, but if you don't strive toward that goal, you will be mediocre all your life."

She attributes her drive and analytic nature to her mother, who she says was a strong disciplinarian. Those qualities coupled with her networking skills and good old-fashioned friendliness have helped build the Campbell Chamber from 200 to 700 members in her 10 years as executive director. Her goal is to reach 1,000 members.

She also says that her 35 years in customer relations and customer service plays a significant role in her understanding the importance of business networking. In Campbell, where industry is primarily Ma-and-Pa-style, Deal understands what these small businesses need to stay successful.

As the Chamber's chief cheerleader, Deal finds herself sporting many hats to help market and promote Campbell businesses throughout the area. The Chamber is a "connecting rod" encouraging people to visit or do business in Campbell, Deal says.

Chamber member, Mio Vicino restaurant owner and president of the Campbell Downtown Business Association Marsha Smith says, "Betty is a great communicator helping people connect with Campbell and businesses. She doesn't mix words and is very honest about what it takes to make a business successful."

Smith says Deal was very encouraging when she first bought her restaurant from its previous owner. She considers Deal "a vital link to the city, always listening to merchant concerns and treating us with respect. She has greatly enhanced the city's image. She really has her heart in it."

Campbell City Manager Bernie Strojny agrees. "I was struck by her enthusiasm and energy not just for the businesses but by her genuine feelings for the city of Campbell. She puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She really cares about the community."

Deal worked with Strojny and the city to bring the former Prunefest--changed to Boogie on the Bayou in May 2003--back into the downtown area from its Pruneyard Shopping Center location. Strojny says it took a considerable amount of coordination and effort working with the merchants, city and police to make that happen. He says Deal was instrumental in the process and credits her efforts toward the city's and the Chamber's good working relationship.

Yet it wasn't always that way.

Former Campbell Chamber president Kim Brodnik, co-owner of Kirkorian Enterprises, says prior to Deal coming on board, the Chamber and the city had more of an adversarial relationship.

"Betty mended the city fences, creating a completely different atmosphere," she says.

Brodnik notes there's a standing joke at the Chamber that if you enter the Chamber offices as a nonmember, after talking to Deal, you leave as a member.

"Betty eats, lives and breathes Campbell," Brodnik says.

And when it comes to the business community she has been nurturing and helping to become more visible during the last 10 years, Deal doesn't mince words.

"I can't imagine being a director in any other community," she says. "I've been accused of being called Miss Campbell because I really love it here. Campbell is a great community and what makes that happen is its people."

Deal says the business community and citizens care about each other and because of that attitude "you don't see the bickering or politics you find in so many other communities."

She attributes part of that synergy to the fact that many residents are Campbell natives, who still live in the city where they were raised. There is a strong sense of community pride, she adds.

And businesses like Alie's Corner Cafe owner Eileen Tanaka say it's that welcoming attitude, along with Deal's help and the community's small-town appeal, that swayed her to open her cafe seven years ago.

"Before I opened my restaurant, I wanted to find out the climate in Campbell. After talking to Betty, I knew this was the kind of community I wanted to be in," says Tanaka, who is the current Campbell Chamber of Commerce president.

She also liked the positive relationship the Chamber had with the city and credits Deal with giving the Chamber its strong reputation and making it a professional organization.

"I think the Chamber has been a success with Betty because she is a great networker, very hard working, and takes it all to heart," Tanaka says.

She emphasizes that Deal is more than just a business promoter; her efforts branch out onto the individual level.

"She knows almost 90 percent of the business in the Chamber and knows everyone by name," Tanaka says. "Betty's motto is work hard and play hard."

And those who know Deal agree she lives by what she preaches. Smith says there have been numerous times when she will go to the Chamber after seven in the evening and Deal is still there on the computer or phone or helping someone.

But hard work is how Deal was raised, growing up on a farm and doing the chores, before she and her family moved from South Carolina to the small town of Hanford, Calif., near Fresno.

"I grew up knowing most people didn't get things handed to them on a silver platter. You had to work for it," she says. "But hard work is whatever you want it to be, and it's rewarding."

Deal says her upbringing and experiences have given her a strong appreciation for life and the tenacity needed to accomplish whatever she set out to do. But she is wise enough to know that being patient is often an important part of the success process.

For Deal that means making Campbell's Chamber the best it can be. "When I first came to Campbell, people would say they never heard of Campbell, and I would reply, 'That's because it's so good we keep it a secret,' " Deal says.

Now Deal says the secret's out, and she wouldn't have it any other way.