A Strong Business Community
Takes More Than One Approach
By Jeri Hansen, Napa Chamber of Commerce, and Bill LaLiberte, Napa Downtown Association
In Napa Valley, we know that a great dish doesn’t come from a single ingredient, it comes from how everything works together. The same is true for the local economy. Across the community, several organizations support local businesses in different ways, each contributing something distinct to the whole.
Earlier this year, the Napa Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Napa Association (DNA) came together for a joint conversation to better understand how each organization serves the community: where efforts align, where they differ, and how collaboration can continue to evolve. What emerged was both simple and important: a shared goal of a strong local economy and business success, with each organization playing a distinct role in achieving it.
The Downtown Napa Association is a place-based organization focused specifically on the downtown core. Through its work, and through the Property and Business Improvement District (PBID), which it manages, the DNA supports beautification, maintenance, safety, events, and promotions within a defined geographic area of Downtown Napa. These efforts are funded through assessments collected within those districts and are designed to directly benefit the businesses and properties located there.
The Napa Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit membership-based organization, supported entirely by voluntary dues, programs, events, and partnerships, not through assessments or government funding. Its work is not defined by a geographic boundary, but by the needs of the business community throughout Napa Valley. Its focus includes connecting businesses to one another, providing timely information and resources, advocating on issues that shape the business climate, and advancing long-term economic development strategies. Participation is voluntary, and the value is shaped by how businesses choose to engage.
Tourism is also an important part of Napa’s economy. Destination marketing and visitor promotion are led at a regional level by Visit Napa Valley, supported locally through Napa’s Tourism Improvement District (TID) with oversight by the local TID Committee. These efforts are funded through lodging-based assessments collected from visitors staying in local hotels, inns, and other accommodations within the City of Napa. The TID works closely with the Downtown Napa Association and the visitor-focused Napa brand to provide outreach on destination marketing and promotions.
While the Napa Chamber does not operate a formal visitor center or serve as a destination marketing organization, the Chamber happily assists visitors who pop in and who looking for help, directions, or recommendations to Chamber member businesses. Primarily, the Chamber engages in tourism through the lens of economic development by supporting the broader ecosystem of businesses: wineries, hotels, restaurants, and the many industries that contribute to Napa’s success, while working on diversifying our economy and advancing important cross-sector issues like housing, workforce, and innovation.
Each of these efforts - downtown-focused, region-wide business support, and destination marketing - contributes to the overall health of Napa’s economy. They are not interchangeable, and they are not duplicative. They are complementary.
What also became clear in this conversation is that no single organization reaches every business equally. Some businesses are deeply engaged in downtown activities. Others operate outside that footprint. Some are tourism-facing, while others are not. And many are simply focused on the day-to-day reality of running a business, without thinking about how these different systems connect or connect to them.
That is where collaboration matters.
By maintaining close communication, aligning where it makes sense, and referring businesses to the right resources across organizations, the full spectrum of Napa’s business community can be better supported. This includes ensuring that businesses, whether downtown or beyond, have access to information, relationships, and opportunities that help them succeed.
The takeaway is this: Napa is fortunate.
It is fortunate to have organizations focused on place, on promotion, on policy, and on connection. It is fortunate to have businesses that invest in one another - whether through assessments, participation, or membership. And it’s fortunate to have a shared willingness to work together, even when roles look different.
Because at the end of the day, a strong local economy isn’t built by any one organization. It’s built by people…business owners, employees, partners, and neighbors and the everyday decisions to collaborate, to participate, and to support one another in ways both big and small.
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