Victor Valley is Open for Business

Kenny Sousa

New and growing businesses, as well as seasoned successes, can be found across the Victor Valley, and contributing to their achievements is the region’s drive to support local. 

The Victor Valley is home to organizations that provide resources and tools, communities that look for ways to increase businesses’ popularity and residents who prioritize shopping locally. 

Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce: Championing Local Businesses

One organization serving businesses in Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville is the Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce. Operating on the mindset that a strong business community is the cornerstone of a healthy and thriving community, the chamber works to ensure its members have everything they need to succeed. 

Sarah Krieg

For example, members benefit from networking events, up-to-date information on legislative changes, industry trends and opportunities for growth, and promotional tools. Speaking of promotional tools, the chamber boasts the ShopHD campaign, encouraging residents to choose local retailers, restaurants and service providers. 

In addition to merchandise, like mugs and T-shirts, members can incorporate the campaign’s logos into their marketing materials, social media posts and email signatures. Members access ILovetheHD and ShopHD logos through a QR code. 

Mark Creffield, president and CEO of the chamber, says the organization is also working to create a page on its website that lists campaign members, thus providing them with even more opportunities to establish name recognition. 

#MyBizinVV: Promoting Victorville Businesses

At the city level, Victorville has created its own campaign to help local establishments. The #MyBizinVV campaign recognizes and supports businesses by creating a promotional video to assist with marketing and amplify their content. The campaign was born out of brainstorming ideas to support local establishments in a way that organically boosts their reach. 

“Our major objective was to help our local businesses in Victorville gain more visibility,” says Sue Jones, Victorville’s public information officer. “We came up with the concept of #MyBizinVV as a drawing where local businesses of any size, as long as they’re licensed in Victorville, are able to enter into the drawing and have a chance to win a fully produced promotional video that they can use to promote their business and hopefully further their business.” 

In addition to supporting new and growing businesses, the campaign lines up with Victorville’s overall economic expansion goals. 

“Economic development’s primary responsibility is to attract new business investment in our community, and then to encourage the expansion of existing industry and also to support our businesses, so this campaign really falls right in line with those goals,” Jones says. 

“It helps us attract business, and I think it helps develop the overall economic strength of our businesses in our city of Victorville.” 

City of Victorville

Apple Valley is a Business-Friendly Community

Speaking of economic strength, Apple Valley awarded 258 business licenses in 2023. “The town’s heartbeat lies within our local businesses,” says Lindy Daugherty, executive assistant of economic and community development services in Apple Valley. “One of our biggest advantages is our business-friendly leadership that has nurtured many of our small businesses for generations. Aside from the economic development standpoint, local and small businesses are crucial to fostering a sense of place and culture in the town.” 

Shop Local, Think Apple Valley: Organic and Strategic Support

Apple Valley’s Shop Local, Think Apple Valley campaign champions business owners and encourages patronage through social media. 

“The success of this campaign happens as organically as it does strategically,” Daugherty says. “Like our fellow residents, we, too, think Apple Valley is the best place to live, work and play, and we know and love the businesses we spotlight.” 

Daugherty says the town has tried different tools to encourage residents to shop locally, including highlighting businesses during free community events. 

“We’ve given out promotional items and stickers with the Shop Local, Think Apple Valley branding and have featured the campaign on local bus shelters, for example,” she says. 

The town has a QR code that leads users to videos that spotlight local businesses. Plus, people can stay up to date on what’s next by following @ShopAppleValley on social media.