Upskill Chino Valley: The Promise We Made, and the Results We Can Prove

By Zeb Welborn, President & CEO, Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce

When the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce launched the Upskill Chino Valley strategic plan, we made four commitments to our community: help businesses find talent and help residents build careers, prepare leaders to serve, strengthen our business climate, and help entrepreneurs turn ideas into sustainable businesses.

We put those commitments in writing. We set goals. We asked our partners, our members, and our community to hold us accountable.

Four years later, the results are in, and today we are proud to release the complete Upskill Chino Valley Impact Report.

We said we would build a workforce. Here is what happened.

Our workforce programs served more than 5,200 jobseekers and supported more than 500 employers with recruitment assistance, workforce training, and HR resources. More than 435 people were placed into jobs through our contracted workforce programs, and more than 1,500 businesses received direct outreach through our San Bernardino County Workforce Development partnership. When local residents find local jobs, families are strengthened, businesses grow, and more dollars stay in our community.

We hosted 18 job fairs over four years, doubling from three per year to six, secured more than $2.3 million in workforce funding, and delivered more than $267,000 in on-the-job training funds directly to local businesses. Through the HIRE Grant, more than 60 justice-impacted individuals were hired by local employers, and the fair chance hiring partnership we built with KeHE Distributors and God’s Pantry worked so well that KeHE took the model nationwide: more than 500 justice-impacted individuals have now been hired across the United States through an initiative that began right here in the Chino Valley.

Our investment in the next generation runs just as deep. Through CVCC FutureReady, we served more than 7,200 students, placed 202 students in internships and work-based learning experiences, and hosted eight Career Days. Our Chaffey College partnership produced 1,438 student engagements and placed 88 healthcare students in clinical rotations.

We said we would develop leaders. Here is what happened.

The Chino Valley Leadership Collaborative has developed 96 leaders across four cohorts, and through the Community Good Project those cohorts have raised nearly $90,000 for local nonprofits. The Inland Empire Economic Partnership recognized the Collaborative as the region’s best city and chamber collaboration, and our first alumni programming launched this year.

We said we would strengthen our economy. Here is what happened.

Over four years, the Chamber hosted 509 business and community events, an average of 127 per year, drawing 7,170 registrations and more than 12,800 attendees counted at registration. We convened more than two dozen documented industry roundtables, visited more than 100 local businesses door to door with San Bernardino County, and carried the business voice to Sacramento every year, reviewing 30 to 50 pieces of legislation annually. And the momentum is accelerating: new members joining the Chamber more than tripled over the life of the plan, from 31 in our first year to 104 this past year.

We said we would champion entrepreneurs. Here is what happened.

With the support of Congresswoman Norma Torres and in partnership with the City of Chino, we secured $2 million in federal funding to develop the Chino Valley Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center, a long-term home for entrepreneurs, startups, and innovators in our region. We launched the Innovation Council, whose events regularly sell out. And this work starts young: nine Kids Entrepreneurship Fairs gave 1,800 TK-12 student entrepreneurs their first experience running a real business, and four Pitch Competitions awarded $17,500 in prize funding to 112 student entrepreneurs, with the competition now expanding county wide.

The results earned notice.

Upskill Chino Valley was named Outstanding Program of the Year by the Western Association of Chamber Executives. The Chamber was a national Chamber of the Year finalist with the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives in both 2024 and 2025, and a 2026 California Chamber of the Year finalist. Growing Inland Achievement honored our work with its 2025 Excellence in Transformation Award.

All told, this work brought more than $4.5 million in grant and public funding into programs that serve the Chino Valley, and conservative analysis in the report estimates the total economic impact of the plan at more than $35 million.

None of it happened alone. It happened because Chaffey College, San Bernardino County, our cities, our school districts, our regional partners, our elected officials, our board, our sponsors, and our members chose to work together. That is what a catalyst and convener does: bring the right people to the table and turn conversations into outcomes.

What comes next.

Upskill Chino Valley proved what this community can do when we commit to a plan and follow through. Now we are carrying that momentum into our next chapter: Elevate Chino Valley, our new three-year strategic plan for 2026 through 2029. We cannot wait to share it with you, and you will find a first look on the final page of the impact report.

Read the full report here: Upskill Chino Valley Impact Report, 2022-2026. The complete data, the stories behind the numbers, and the people who made it possible.

For more than 100 years, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce has served as a catalyst, convener, connector, and advocate for our community. The last four years added a new proof point: when we say we will do something, we do it.

If you are doing business in the Chino Valley, this is your invitation to be part of what comes next. Reach out at (909) 627-6177 or zwelborn@chinovalleychamber.com.

Thank you to every member, partner, volunteer, and leader who made this work real. The best is ahead of us.