The Cotati Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest community organizations in the area, and has been promoting and serving local businesses since Cotati was little more than a railroad stop.
Originally known as the “Cotati Promotion Club,” the group formed in the early 1900s to provide support services for a township that grew out of the distribution and sale of land belonging to the Page family. The Cotati Promotion Club shed its name circa World War I, opting to be known as the “Cotati Chamber of Commerce.”
The transformation of Cotati into a vibrant community came rapidly with the Cotati Chamber as an active participant. The Lions Club took over the civic functions of the chamber during the Great Depression, but the chamber was reactivated as a business organization in 1940 and incorporated in 1958.
Today, the Cotati Chamber continues to promote the community and help attract new businesses — from helping (in the late 1950s) to establish Sonoma State College to starting the Cotati Farmers Market, to producing popular events such as the Cotati Jazz Festival, Oktoberfest and Holiday Cheer. Additionally, monthly ribbon cuttings for new businesses and mixers for existing Chamber businesses bring attention to the thriving small business community in Cotati.
The Cotati Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer member organization of business people and individuals that promotes the economic wellbeing of the City of Cotati and adjacent lands.
The chamber fosters and promotes actions that enhance the local economy; provides employment, cultural and recreational opportunities; and protects and preserves the environment. Chamber members are committed to working together to ensure that Cotati is an economically viable and desirable community in which to live and work.
The Cotati Chamber of Commerce is made up of two governing bodies, the Board of Directors and the general membership. With up to 14 elected members chosen each year by the general membership, the Board of Directors sets policy and works with Chamber staff on how to best serve Cotati. The general membership consists of local merchants and individuals who are Chamber members.
The Cotati Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization and is funded by membership dues, fundraising projects and donations in addition to limited funding from the City of Cotati to support the Chamber’s efforts as a visitor center.
