Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
It's been a long haul, but Saratoga Chamber of Commerce staff (from left) Vanessa Hawkins, executive assistant, Abby Krimotat, director, and Lindsay Tappero, administrative assistant, are delighted to announce the Chamber directories are now ready.
Saratoga 2000 directories are available at Chamber
By Leigh Ann Maze
This year's Chamber of Commerce Saratoga directory took much more money, time and effort to create than ever before. The Chamber finally received the printed and bound directories, on March 22, from the printers. The Chamber's next hurdle is distributing 9,500 of the 12,000 directories to Saratoga residents. The directories, which the Chamber prints every year, include local restaurants, hotels, churches and schools. They are distributed to Chamber members, real estate agents, tourists and residents to promote Saratoga businesses.
The directories originally were due on the Chamber's front step on Oct. 30. But, this year, things went awry when Mosher-Adams Inc., the Oklahoma company that produced the directories for the past seven years, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Oct. 29. The $30,000, paid in advance to Mosher-Adams by 88 local advertisers, disappeared along with the company.
The Bank of Oklahoma sent Chamber executive director Abby Krimotat a disk containing a proof of the directory on Dec. 24. The bank had been holding Mosher-Adams property as collateral. Fortunately, the bank sent the disk to the Chamber at no cost, after originally demanding payment for it. Unfortunately, the disk was incomplete. The Saratoga map, an updated Chamber membership list, and some advertising artwork were missing.
"We had to start over from scratch," Krimotat said.
Chamber employees have been working nights and weekends for the past two months to get the directory out. It was printed by Los Gatos Village Printers, a member of the Saratoga Chamber.
The Chamber used $25,000 from its own coffers, more than one quarter of its annual budget, to recreate and print the directories. Luckily, some local businesses only paid half of their advertising fees to Mosher-Adams. Krimotat is hoping the Chamber can collect the other half to ease the effect on the Chamber's budget.
"We're hoping to make up for it somehow," Krimotat said of the Chamber's budget. "We're hoping to have the biggest and best Celebrate Saratoga ever."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
