(HAGÅTÑA, GUAM – MARCH 1, 2024) – The Guam Chamber of Commerce is turning 100 this year and kicked off its Centennial Anniversary during its packed General Membership meeting on February 28 at the Guam Hilton Resort and Spa.

In his welcome speech, Ernie Galito, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Guam Chamber of Commerce, unveiled the Chamber’s new Centennial logo and theme that set the tone for the year of festivities.

Chairman Galito shared the story of the Centennial branding direction. He said, “The design of our Centennial logo is rooted in two key ideas: celebrating 100 years of fostering a healthy business environment and striving for an even brighter future for Guam. It also incorporates our longstanding logo of concentric circles representing the GCOC initials with a latte stone symbolizing respect for the Chamorro culture and heritage. The new color scheme of blue and gold represents the deep Pacific blues and our enduring foundation and the rising sun that signifies our optimism for the future.”

As a pivotal year for the Chamber, the organization felt it was the ideal time to update its tagline, “Partners in Progress,” to emphasize its enduring commitment to progress, both in the present and for future generations.

“Our theme this year is Progress Now and Forever, which highlights 100 years of progress that the business community has achieved for Guam while reconfirming our ongoing commitment to improving the quality of life through innovation and economic development,” said Chairman Galito. “We will be sharing more of our outlook throughout the year, and we invite the community to join us in this celebration. All businesses and young entrepreneurs are encouraged to become members this year, as we have many exciting initiatives and events planned.” 

The Chamber announced two upcoming events: the 26th Annual Guam Chamber of Commerce Amateur Golf Tournament on March 20 and the Centennial Gala in May. The Chamber will use each event to celebrate a century of unwavering dedication to Guam’s business community and pay tribute to countless individuals and organizations who have championed economic growth and prosperity throughout the island’s history.

“The Guam Chamber of Commerce has been a constant presence, advocating for policies that empower businesses of all sizes to thrive. We are incredibly grateful for the enduring support of our members and associate members, especially those who have been with us for decades,” the Chairman added.

Lieutenant Governor Joshua F. Tenorio began his address by thanking the Chamber’s directors, leadership team, committees, and members for their partnership and congratulated local businesses celebrating impressive milestones in 2024.

He said, “Many of your organizations have seen Guam through its own milestones and challenges. During the course of history, this organization played pivotal roles in the establishment of democracy and civilian government; recovering Guam after World War II; and restoring Guam after numerous typhoons and calamities. This organization has been key to shepherding Guam’s economy during both periods of dramatic growth and those of extreme challenges, often tied to external forces and things beyond any one man’s control.

The Lt. Governor recognized the business community’s efforts in influencing the “development of disaster-related programs by the government to stabilize business operations and bring businesses forward to prepare for growth and expansion” and who continue to play active roles in economic diversity.

Some of the key topics he addressed included building permits and licensing, which are of great interest to the Chamber in 2024.

In his speech, Lt. Gov. Tenorio said, “I chose to spend a considerable amount of time pushing for the improvement of Guam’s cumbersome and oftentimes confusing building permit and business license programs. Having spent a considerable amount of time both in the private sector or working on public capital improvement projects, I’ve had my share of experiences and observations. I also spent a lot of time listening to many of the members in this room.”

Lt. Gov. Tenorio announced that the administration is working to reduce the traffic to the building permit center by modernizing and digitizing permit applications, which he expects to see “rapid improvements”. In addition, he also expects the completion of the Business Licensing and Permitting Task Force’s recommendations that also include improving the customer experience and expectations for permitting and expanding the methods and resources of permitting agencies for timely review and inspection.

He said, “This is such a game changer for permitting and licensing as it will enable concurrent review of all applications; customer viewing of agency progress; and contain adequate information for owners and developers as a way to monitor and understand the interplay between the government and the contractor.”

Chairman Galito added, “We thank Lt. Gov. Tenorio for being our guest speaker today. Our members appreciated his insight on the many topics vital to the success of their businesses. We agree with the Lt. Governor that Guam needs long-term system change in the business licensing and permitting processes, and we look forward to more dialogue and progress that will improve development and investments in Guam.”