New Energy in Newark! 

Hi, Newark!
A Message from President & CEO Lily Mei

There's a new energy in Newark right now, and I could not be more excited to be part of it. I'm Lily Mei, your new President & CEO, and I'm just going to say it plainly: I love this community, and I think we're just getting started.

As a longtime Tri-City resident and Mayor Emerita of Fremont, I've spent my career bringing people together — businesses, neighbors, civic leaders — around real solutions that actually make a difference. I'm bringing that same energy, and the same commitment to fiscal accountability and hands-on leadership, straight to the Chamber.

Here's why now feels different: Newark sits in a genuinely special spot — right between Silicon Valley and the East Bay, with a growing advanced manufacturing base, an entrepreneurial spirit, and real momentum building around NewPark Mall and our key commercial corridors. We are uniquely positioned for what's next. My job — our job, together — is to connect our local businesses to that opportunity, while never losing the community character that makes Newark, well, Newark. And we'll do it hand in hand with our neighbors in Union City and Fremont, growing the whole Tri-City region together.

You may have seen a preview of what this looks like already: most recently, I helped co-lead the inaugural Newark Asian Heritage Festival at NewPark Mall — a free, sponsor-supported celebration with local businesses, cultural performances, family fun, and Newark's first free public drone show. It was a joyful night, and honestly, a glimpse of exactly the kind of energy I want the Chamber to help create more of — community and commerce, lifting each other up.

So here's where I start: by listening. I'll be out on a Chamber Listening Tour in the months ahead, meeting members, walking our commercial corridors, and building the kind of Chamber that's responsive, disciplined, and genuinely useful to the businesses that call Newark home.

Thinking about starting a business in Newark? Come talk to us first — you'll start with a competitive advantage.

Already doing business here? Great — let's do even more together. Take a look at what your Chamber offers, then get involved. You'll find a community of members ready to help your business grow, and a chance to help shape what Newark becomes next.

Our members span a wonderfully diverse mix — from large corporate employers to neighborhood small businesses, alongside local organizations, educational partners, and government — all rowing in the same direction: a stronger Newark, together.

This is our moment to bring the new into Newark. Business by business, neighbor by neighbor, we're writing the next chapter of our city — and helping build the future of our entire region right alongside it. I can't wait to do it with you: at a ribbon cutting, a mixer, or just around town. Let's get started.

With Newark pride,
Lily Mei, President & CEO