On Friday, October 20, Council Member Dr. G (Dr. Luis S González) presented the CITY TALK “Employee Spotlight” recognition award to Christina Gaitan, Coordinator of Colton Chamber of Commerce.
For the last four years, Christina Gaitan has been coordinating the efforts of the Chamber that not only brings recognition to the community, but plays an important role in support of local businesses. “Our mission is to make sure our local business prosper in the City of Colton,” says Christina enthusiastically.
That mission that she speaks of means quite a bit; namely marketing, to fundraisers, to networking, and to community outreach. For example, new businesses are given a warm welcome, and supported by the Colton Chamber with a Grand Opening and reception. “It’s important we recognize our new business,” says Board Member Frank Aguilar. On these occasions, Christina organizes the event, sets up the location, and invites the business owners, dignitaries, and guests. When the grand opening starts, Christina welcomes everyone and directs the agenda.
Other events organized by Christina are the Annual Golf Tournament, the annual fireworks booth and the very popular Christmas Parade. This year, the Christmas Parade is planned for December 2 at 10:00am, and is designed to be a community-based fun-filled event. Over forty parade participants are expected, and two dozen volunteers will be needed. Christina spends much time advertising the event, attracting participants and recruiting volunteers. In addition, she makes arrangements for public safety, food and first aid. This takes hours but the time invested is worth every minute when we all see the smiles on everyone’s faces. As a result, the Christmas cheer is certain to spread throughout downtown Colton.
Born in Colton, Christina has lived in Colton her entire life attending Wilson Elementary, Grand Terrace Jr High School, and Colton High School. She also attended a local college, Summit College in Colton and graduated with a major in Business Administration. This degree program led her to be an intern for the Colton Chamber which in turn led her to being a strong candidate for the Coordinator position, when that position became available.
With 175 Chamber members to her credit, and a record of very successful community events, Christina is certainly an asset to the Colton Chamber of Commerce and to the City of Colton. We are certainly proud to recognize outstanding employees within the City of Colton. However, time and opportunity are limited. This “Employee Spotlight” allows us to recognize the individual efforts of employees who really stand out for their dedication, hard work, and outstanding service to our city organizations and to the community.” The CITY TALK “Employee spotlight” recognition award was established in 2020 to recognize these great efforts.Thank you to Christina Gaitan for all your hard work, and congratulations on this CITY TALK “Employee Spotlight” recognition award.
For more information about CITY TALK, various community groups, Colton history, the trash clean-up project, the G-Team, prayer list, history briefs, Veteran Spotlight, Church Spotlight, Business Spotlight, U.S. Flag watch, neighborhood meetings, community projects and events, or the online live-stream programs, text or call Dr. G @ 909-213-3730. Dr. G is the founder of CITY TALK, a City Council Member and well-known community advocate. Questions and comments are always welcome.