A
t the age of 33, the Morgan Hill Chamber of
Commerce’s Member and Community Relations
Director, Brittney Sherman, has a career that
could be the envy of many people twice her age.
Though Sherman is a natural fit for the people-heavy
interactions of her work with the Chamber, she says,
“I kind of fell into it.” Her work history is comprised of
what she calls an “into the fire” strategy at every job she’s
ever had, with a tendency to get hired on the spot at
job interviews.
Hospitality and community involvement is not where she
thought she would end up. The daughter of a retired Sheriff
and a law secretary, she studied criminal justice imagining
she’d follow in her parents’ legal footsteps. However, all it
took was studying for the LSAT to help her realize that law
was not her destiny. Instead, she found her way into event
planning while going through college.
“I found it was my niche,” she said.
This surprised her somewhat, given that she was “really
shy” in high school, but event planning and hospitality
“helped break me out of my shell,” she said.
From there, she married a Marine helicopter pilot (now
her ex-husband) and spent several years traveling from such
places as Texas, to Florida to North Carolina, taking jobs at
every stop along the way. Her first serious job in hospitality
was at a Hilton in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“I just walked in and gave them my resume. It so
happened they needed someone,” she explained. She spent
a year as the food and beverage manager and soon worked
her way into corporate sales for other hotels, beginning her
career in earnest.
Though corporate sales was grueling work at times, she
found that she loved interacting with and meeting new
people. Each new job in each new town required her to
get deeply involved in the local community, and she took
full advantage of that, joining social clubs and professional
organizations.
When her now-six-year-old son was born, she was able
to take advantage of a tightly knit officers’ wives club that
never allowed her an opportunity to feel lonely.
Eventually, Sherman returned to the South Bay and
took a job as Director of Sales for the Morgan Hill Marriott
hotel, located off Cochrane Road. It was at that time that
she connected with the Chamber’s CEO, John Horner. She
joined the Chamber Board, and soon after, Horner asked
her to be a hotel liaison to the Chamber.
When John sat her down and told her that he was
consolidating several Chamber jobs into one and he offered
that position to her, it was literally a dream come true.
“I remember a conversation with John when I was still
working at the Marriott but doing a lot of volunteering
with the Chamber. I thought, if only I could make money
[working for the chamber], it would be my ideal job.”
In January of 2017, she formally took the job as Member
and Community Relations Director for the Chamber.
As the only full-time employee of the Chamber, working
alongside Horner and Director of Publications, Mellea
McLaughlin, Sherman is the perfect example of someone
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
who wears multiple hats; and she wouldn’t have it any
other way.
“Like any small business, I do a lot of things—some
invoicing, some accounts payable, retaining members,
reaching new members, social media,” Sherman said with
a smile. She’s also well-recognized within the community;
several times during the interview someone waved or
stopped to say hello to her.
She noticed an instant difference in the way business
was done at the Chamber versus how it was in the world of
corporate hotel sales.
“In corporate, it’s a cutthroat industry. You don’t share
info, clients, etcetera.” In contrast, she said when Horner
sent her to a conference for Chamber professionals, “I made
instant friends. Everyone was sharing information. I was very
pleasantly surprised.”
Since then, she’s been plenty busy with existing Chamber
duties, ranging from member retention, to advocacy to
pulling off their three signature events—Celebrate Morgan
Hill, an awards ceremony; Taste of Morgan Hill; and the
increasingly popular Friday Night Music Series.
She’s especially excited about several new projects the
Chamber is launching or participating in. The City of
Morgan Hill passed a resolution to form a Tourism Business
Improvement District (TBID), which will give the Chamber
and its members more opportunities to help highlight
Morgan Hill as a tourism destination.
“John has been a proponent of this for years, and I’ve
been in the mix due to my hospitality and hotel back-
ground,” she said.
Additionally, she’s been instrumental in getting Chamber
Travel off the ground. It formally launches next year.
“A lot of people want to travel but they might not have
time to do the research.” Chamber Travel does the leg-
work for people, by organizing and booking the trips, and
planning the events and stops along the way. Then Chamber
members simply sign up, at a discount, and go along. In
2019 a trip is planned to New England; and in 2020, to
Ireland and the Tuscan coast of Italy.
In addition to these projects with the Chamber, Sherman’s
“pet project” is the South County Young Professionals
Network (SCYP’N), which she founded four years ago. The
group holds monthly mixers and fundraisers and engages in
other forms of networking.
“We try to highlight young professionals and their
businesses, but it’s all encompassing. You can join as long as
you’re young at heart.”
She invites any interested business owner to take
advantage of the Chamber’s resources, as well as monthly
mixers and breakfasts, weekly lunches, and numerous
events. Members are included in the annual directory and
listed on the Chamber website and Facebook page.
Sherman loves her work with the Chamber and looks
forward to continuing to connect with local businesses and
the community .
“The Chamber is a diverse but accepting group
of people,” she said. “When it comes to community
involvement, everyone is very agreeable.”
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