Through the generosity of a grant by State Farm, the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has added college student membership to its community offerings, and the first 10 student members will be selected from the UTSA College of Business.

One of the North SA Chamber’s strategic goals for 2014 is to meet the needs of the business community with a readied workforce. The North SA Chamber 2014 Chairman of the Board, Annie Turner, Vice President and Business Banking Manager for Wells Fargo, is focused on engaging millennial workers by building a bridge between education and the workforce.

“So many business owners and organizations are looking for qualified people. If you have a qualified workforce, then that just improves the community overall,” says Turner. “Thousands of baby boomers are retiring from the workforce each day, and we’re facing an enormous leadership gap. The North SA Chamber can help veterans, millennial workers and just about every professional in any interest area to access resources to sharpen their professional skills and build relationships through our various instructional and networking events and volunteer opportunities,” she adds.

The college student membership is $75 per student and is a two-year, non-renewing membership. Students must be 18 years or older, enrolled in a four-year university or college, and enrolled in their senior year of coursework. Through membership with the North SA Chamber, college students will be afforded the opportunity to meet professional members, get involved in committees, learn about community initiatives, share information, gain personal visibility and develop personal, professional and leadership skills through their involvement. Additionally, student members will be promoted through the Chamber’s online membership directory under the categories of “Student” and “Job Seeker.”

North SA Chamber member Jake Jacobson, Sales Leader of the West Sales Territory for State Farm, was seeking ways to increase the insurance company’s involvement within the North SA Chamber and recognized the student membership offering as an ideal opportunity to support emerging leaders. “State Farm engages in ongoing efforts to recruit the best qualified talent,” says Jacobson. “Getting college students involved in real-world interaction with the business community struck us as a practical way to help grow the local talent pool,” he adds.

Jacobson, who works closely with the UTSA College of Business, identified UTSA as the sponsoring university to select the inaugural 10 student members.

Dr. Lisa Montoya is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in UTSA’s College of Business. She will work with Jacobson to identify eligible students and the State Farm Team will select the grantees. The 10 student members will be identified and their memberships activated by August 1.

“At UTSA, we’re doing our part to educate our future business leaders and provide them with the skills they will need to compete in the business world,” says Dr. Montoya. “We’re excited that the North Chamber is providing college students a forum for relationship building with business leaders in a real-world environment. Experience makes all the difference when it comes job seeking and candidate selection. We’re grateful to the North Chamber and State Farm for creating this opportunity,” Dr. Montoya adds.

State Farm will identify five local agents who each will mentor two college students through their early months of membership with the North SA Chamber. “The business community is a big place. We want to help shepherd the college students through to help them network and build confidence,” says Jacobson. “But we trust this first class of students will leverage their membership, and hope to see each of them placed with local employers as they build relationships and build their resume,” says Jacobson.

Businesses interested in sponsoring college student members, or students interested in joining individually may learn more by visiting www.northsachamber.com and clicking on the Join Now tab or calling (210) 344-4848.

About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com^®.

About UTSA
The University of Texas at San Antonio is an emerging Tier One research institution specializing in health, energy, security, sustainability, and human and social development. With nearly 29,000 students, it is the largest university in the San Antonio metropolitan region. The UTSA College of Business offers a comprehensive curriculum at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral level that expands the boundaries of a traditional business education. Nationally ranked and internationally recognized, the college is home to 5,100 business students and features traditional degrees in areas such as accounting, finance and marketing as well as specialized programming in entrepreneurship, information security and real estate finance and development.

About North SA Chamber
The North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce has been keeping member businesses and San Antonio strong for 40 years by advocating on behalf of member businesses large and small; delivering exceptional, business-to-business networking opportunities; honoring leaders at every age and career stage; and cultivating the workforce through leadership and professional development training. For more information, visit us online at www.northsachamber.com.