By Aaron Boot-Haury—
As I write this, we are putting the final touches on the new GGBA. After months of planning, listening, drafting, redrafting, and a healthy amount of late-night text messages, I can tell you with full confidence that what we will unveil on June 2 is something our community will be proud of.
I am ready. The board is ready. And I think you are going to love what you see.
This month, rather than walking through the Expo and Business of Pride logistics again (last month’s column covered those), I want to use this space to do something I have not done nearly enough of: thank the people whose fingerprints are on this relaunch. The Golden Gate Business Association did not arrive at this moment on its own. Several extraordinary people quietly carried us here, and it would not feel right to walk into June 2 without naming them.
First, my deepest thanks to GGBA board member Tali Bray, who very early in this process asked the questions I needed to be asked. What does the next iteration of GGBA need to be? How does that answer change depending on which stakeholder is sitting across from you? And how should we be communicating with each of them? Tali’s experience in strategic communications and executive coaching pulled us out of motion-for-motion’s-sake and into something far more intentional. Without her steady push to slow down before speeding up, this project quite simply does not get off the ground.
To Robert Heuer, owner of Studio 1312 Consulting and a longstanding GGBA member, thank you. A professional copywriter by trade, Robert has donated hours of his time helping us refine our messaging across every audience and every page of our forthcoming website. Anyone who has ever tried to find the right words to capture a 50+ year old organization in transition will appreciate how generous a gift that is. If you need help finding your businesses voice—give him a call and you won’t be disappointed.
To Andrew Freeman, CEO of AF&co and Co-Founder of Carbonate, the marketing firm that designed our new logo and brand identity as a donation to the Association: thank you on behalf of every member, past and future. The work is stunning. The generosity behind it is rarer still. The Carbonate team gave us something we could not have afforded and absolutely deserved, and we are forever in their debt.
And to my board colleague James Young, who spearheaded the visual execution of the entire rebrand: I have made this joke probably a dozen times over the past five months, but it bears repeating in print. James spent twenty-five years building and growing a customer experience and design firm, sold it, and walked into retirement at almost exactly the moment GGBA needed someone with his precise background. I cannot think of better timing for a man to discover a new hobby, and, on behalf of all of us, I am profoundly grateful that James’ new occupation is “GGBA’s most devoted and dedicated volunteer.”
There are many more people I owe thanks to: our full board, our Expo Title sponsor PNC Bank and our Expo Utility Sponsor California Water Association, our partners at the San Francisco Business Times, our committee chairs, our exhibitors, and the members who kept the lights on while we did this work. I will keep saying thank you in person and in writing for a long time after June 2.
Now, the ask.
If you are reading this as a current GGBA member, thank you for staying with us. We will see you at The Westin.
If you are reading this and you have been a GGBA member at some point, even years ago, and life or circumstance pulled you away, this part is especially for you. June 2 is our big coming out: a new identity, a new direction, new programming, new benefits, and a renewed clarity on who we serve and how. The Business Expo is free and open to the public. No ticket required. No registration required.
Our entire board of directors will be on site, and I promise that you will not be able to miss us in the crowd (you’ll know when you know!). Walk in, find us, and say hello. We would love to reintroduce ourselves to all those whom GGBA is becoming. Even more than that, we would love to listen. Tell us what you need from the chamber. Tell us what we got right the first time, and what we should do differently. Your perspective is part of what gets us to the next chapter.
History. Connection. Growth. We have been carrying that promise quietly for the past few months. On June 2, we will get to live it out loud.
See you at The Westin.
Aaron Boot-Haury (he/him) is the President and CEO of the Golden Gate Business Association.
GGBA Message From Leadership
Published on May 21, 2026
Recent Comments