The Hayward Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed its new president and chief executive officer of the organization, Kim Huggett, who was a previous director of government and community relations at California State University, East Bay.
Huggett comes to the job with a laundry list of qualifications, in both professional and volunteer capacities, which includes 13 years as CSUEB’s official voice to the media and the community.Still settling into his new office, Huggett seeks to dispel Hayward’s reputation as a largely “blue collar town.”
“Hayward is a very diverse community, actually, if you look at the economic component,” Huggett said.
“You know, we have multi-million dollar homes at the top of the ridge, and a country club, and then we have more affordable housing in other parts of the city, so it spans quite a spectrum of economic ties.”
“And that goes for the economy too, and business,” he said.
“We have many thriving, successful, small businesses, as well as a cross section of larger businesses, like the Gillig Transportation Company, and Pepsico. We also have a couple of dozen biotech companies,” Huggett said.
Huggett went on to point out that any healthy community must, by definition, have a healthy diversity of population and the commerce to support the needs of the inhabitants.Huggett also stressed that he would very much like to see more interaction between the university and the municipality.
“I would love to see the streets filled with students,” Huggett said.
“I’d love to see improved bus service, where the student that lives at Pioneer Heights can jump on a bus, and five or ten minutes later be at the movie theater and indulge in an impulse, go out for some entertainment, or maybe hear some music at the B Street Bistro.”
The chamber has been entertaining the locals all summer long with a series of free concerts on the city hall plaza, followed by free movies. They hosted a car show that drew a good crowd, and a series of street parties that were attended by thousands who came in to see how beautiful the newly redeveloped downtown is
The final street party was Saturday, Sept. 18, and the final concert of the season will be the Chabot College Jazz Orchestra, at the city hall plaza this coming Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Huggett envisions a bright future for Hayward.
“I see every storefront full, and I see people standing in line for every business,” he said.
With several new businesses underway, and potential tenants viewing empty storefronts, combined with a determined and industrious population, Huggett believes that Hayward will find its way through these dark times to a brighter tomorrow.
