Elizabeth Holloman
Elizabeth Holloman

Orange Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Elizabeth Holloman stands in front of the organization’s new offices in the Plaza.  This year marks the Chamber’s 100th anniversary, and Holloman led a ribbon cutting ceremony last August to celebrate the new office space.

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Elizabeth Holloman
Orange Chamber of Commerce

This past June, the Orange Chamber of Commerce welcomed Elizabeth Holloman as its newest Executive Director.  The Chamber also celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.  Holloman is looking forward to continuing to build off the momentum from the past century.

“I’m so inspired by the people that I work with on a daily basis at the Chamber,” she says.  “I’m always reminded of how bright, capable and civic-minded they are.”

Holloman originally got started with the Chamber after planning the 2019 revival of the Orange May Parade, which had not been active for almost 30 years.  She grew up in Orange and says her memories of the parade would always come back to her.

“The May Parade left a big imprint on my mind as a connection to the city and how important it was as a child to feel that connection to where I grew up,” she says.

Before joining the Chamber, Holloman explored several career industries that give her the expertise to be a voice for the city’s business community.  She interned as a journalist at CNN, taught math and science for 20 years and served as a middle school director.

“Being a director and a teacher gave me a lot of good training ground for being in charge of the Chamber,” she says.

When Holloman retired as a teacher, she expanded her business experience to a new undertaking: Bissie’s Garden, a homemade jam and jelly company.  “I love to cook and garden, so I started making jams and selling them at boutiques,” she says.  “At my peak, I was making about 800 to 1000 jams a year.”

Now that she’s been leading the Chamber for half a year, Holloman can directly see how her experience can be used to better the businesses within Orange.  “Once I started Bissie’s Garden, I was able to see the ins and outs of having a business and how to manage it,” she says.  “Now I’m focused on serving the business community in a way that helps them, as well as the entire city.”

As she heads into her first full year as the Executive Director, Holloman is enthusiastic about new partnerships and strategies.  Her next venture is promoting a joint tourism project with the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce.

“Elizabeth has a deep love for her Orange community, and she knows how to turn her great ideas into reality,” says Vice Chair Pat Buttress.  “She has brought new life to our Chamber.”

Orange Chamber of Commerce
34 Plaza Square, Old Towne Orange CA 92866  /  714-538-3581

Article Published in the
Jan / Feb 22 edition of the Old Towne Orange Plaza Review
Written by Yuki Klotz Burwell Photo by Kristin Smetona
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