San Jose Chamber launches fund to preserve its downtown headquarters

There were quite a few bow ties on display Thursday evening at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce’s annual barbecue at History Park. Nicholas Adams, chair of the Chamber’s board, noted it was just a coincidental sartorial choice.

“When a lot of people in the San Jose business community see a bow tie, there’s a beautiful smile that comes to mind of the late, great Bob Kieve,” Adams said, referring to the president of Empire Broadcasting, which owned radio stations KARA, KLIV and KRTY and was known for his neckwear.

The Chamber announced Thursday that it is naming a new foundation to preserve its downtown headquarters in honor of Kieve , who died in 2020 at age 98. Adams said the business organization wouldn’t have been able to acquire the former bank building — located at the high-profile intersection of Market and Santa Clara streets — in 2009 without Kieve, who was a longtime member and a past board chair of the Chamber.

“Bob was a fearless champion for our business community in San Jose. Bob was a man of action. He didn’t just speak about what he wanted to see, but he actually leaned in hard to help get it done,” he said. It was Kieve’s vision “to secure a home for the voice of business in San Jose now and in the future.”

The Bob Kieve Chamber Building Preservation Foundation will be the repository for a capital campaign to raise more than $500,000 to make the building a hub and resource for San Jose businesses. The building includes a meeting room with space for 80 people, offices and drop-in spaces for Chamber members and other rooms for small meetings. The problem is that the building, designed by architect Ralph Wycoff and built in 1942, needs serious upgrades to tech, lighting and security to make it useful for today’s entrepreneurs.

The building also has a massive vault, which may not be useful for businesses, either, but it still looks really cool.

There’s a $50,000 matching donations for contributions made through the end of the year. You can find out more information at www.sjchamber.com/bob-kieve-foundation.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT: The hundreds of people who attended the Chamber barbecue made up a who’s who of not only business leaders but elected officials on hand, with Chamber CEO Leah Toeniskoetter welcoming many including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, San Jose Vice Mayor Rosemary Kamei, and Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone. There were also a few candidates who are seeking office on Nov. 5  shaking hands (and possibly shake loose some donations of their own).

Three attendees I chatted with — Jay Ross, Liam O’Connor and Marissa Sinha — had name badges showing they were all employees at the prestigious downtown law firm Hopkins Carley. However, that won’t be the case in six weeks; they’ll be part Lathrop GPM, serving as the California outpost of a 360-attorney national firm based in Kansas City. Hopkins Carley announced a merger with the larger firm, which becomes official Oct. 1, on Wednesday.

Hopkins Carley — yes, the firm dropped the “&” from its name recently — was founded in 1968 by John Hopkins and Leon Carley and maintains its downtown San Jose headquarters in two adjoining historic buildings on South First Street, the 1889 Letitia Building and the 1891 Security Building.

MUSICAL ENCORE: If you were looking for inspiration Friday afternoon, you needed to look no further than Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The Valley Health Foundation held a lunchtime barbecue fundraiser outdoors for VMC’s Recreation Therapy department that included live music by Idol Hands — VMC’s “house band” that includes doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.

Friday’s gig was special, though, because it marked the return of Chris Wilder, the former executive director of the VMC Foundation, who founded the band in 2006 and played bass. Wilder survived a massive stroke in 2021 and had a long and difficult recovery, but he sat in playing his bass guitar with one hand for four songs Friday — including “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Summertime.”

“We are really happy to have Chris back with us to play a few songs,” said Greg Price, Idols Hands’ guitarist and vocalist, who is also director of ambulatory support services for Valley Medical Center. Under partly cloudy skies in Renova Park, a big crowd of VMC staff, patients and visitors watched the performance, including Wilder’s mom, Lani, and his brother, Todd.

“That felt great to go play with the band again and do what I love to do,” Wilder said.

CHEERS: San Jose’s 10th Street Distillery has a lot to toast about after learning this week that its Triple Cask STR whiskey won the “Best in Show” award in the Whiskies of the World Awards, beating out spirits from Eagle Rare, Thomas H. Handy, Redwood Empire, Lindores Abbey and Blanton’s.