The Rancho Cordova Area Chamber hosted their annual Business Outlook event on Jan. 30 at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova highlighting the chamber’s new brand. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Rancho Cordova’s business community packed a sold-out ballroom Friday morning to hear why regional leaders believe the city is well positioned for growth provided businesses stay ready to adapt.

Business owners, elected officials and community partners gathered Jan. 30 at the Sacramento Marriott Rancho Cordova for the Rancho Cordova Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Outlook, one of the chamber’s most anticipated events. The two-hour program offered a forward-looking economic forecast, insights on technology and workforce trends, and an update on the chamber’s strategic priorities for the year ahead.

Chamber President and CEO Diann Rogers used her State of the Chamber address to highlight preparedness as the defining factor for business success. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

“This event matters because it’s not just about looking in, it’s about looking ahead,” Mayor Garrett Gatewood told the crowd during his welcome remarks. “Rancho Cordova is in a strong position. We’re seeing momentum across technology, advances in manufacturing and health care. We are attracting investment, talent and innovation, and we are doing this with intention.”

The program began at 8 a.m., following breakfast and networking, and was emceed by Rachel French of the Rancho Cordova Area Chamber. Doors opened at 7:30 a.m., and the event sold out in advance.

Gatewood described Rancho Cordova as “the new epicenter of the Sacramento region,” crediting collaboration among businesses, government and community organizations for the city’s continued growth.

“That doesn’t happen by chance,” Gatewood said. “That happens because of strong partnerships, companies and organizations willing to work together to build stronger communities.”

Dr. Sanjay Varshney, Ph.D., CFA, founder and chief economist of Goldenstone Wealth Management was one of the featured speakers at the 2026 business outlook. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

A key feature of the morning was the 2026 economic forecast delivered by Dr. Sanjay Varshney, founder and chief economist of Goldenstone Wealth Management and a finance professor at Sacramento State. Varshney said the overall outlook remains positive, though not without uncertainty.

“The outlook for ’26 is still good,” Varshney said. “Growth is still the consensus. Tariffs may weaken growth, but a recession is unlikely as tax cuts and rate cuts kick in.”

He pointed to strong corporate profits, record forward profit margins for the S&P 500 and healthy household balance sheets as signs of continued economic resilience, even as the country heads into a midterm election year.

Technology’s growing influence on the workplace was the focus of a presentation by Dr. Hemant K. Bhargava, a distinguished professor at UC Davis and director of the Center for Analytics and Technology in Society. Bhargava said artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how work is done and evaluated.

Professor Hemant K. Bhargava, Ph.D. brought critical perspectives on how technology continues to reshape business and regional economies at the 2026 business outlook. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

“We’re moving from the age of doing to the age of evaluating,” Bhargava said, describing what he called the “evaluator age.”

While AI can boost productivity, he cautioned that errors are inevitable.

“The potential for errors is a feature, not a bug,” Bhargava said, stressing that human judgment, ethics and oversight remain critical for high-stakes decisions.

Bhargava emphasized the need for governance frameworks, tiered trust models and workforce retraining to ensure AI is used responsibly. Universities and employers, he said, must focus on building evaluator skills such as domain expertise, AI literacy and ethical reasoning.

Chamber President and CEO Diann Rogers used her State of the Chamber address to highlight preparedness as the defining factor for business success.

“Most businesses don’t fail because they misread the economy,” Rogers said. “They fail because they’re not prepared to change.”

From left, Steve Pearce with ABSO Technologies and Maggie Thyken Huss with Visit Rancho Cordova helped unveil the chamber’s new brand logo. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

Rogers said the chamber has shifted its focus from activity for activity’s sake to building systems, programs and partnerships that help businesses stabilize and grow. In 2025 alone, the chamber hosted more than 80 events while also expanding training and workforce initiatives.

One of those efforts is Talent Pipeline Management, an employer-led workforce development program designed to shorten hiring timelines and better align skills with industry needs. The Rancho Cordova chamber is currently directing two such programs and, in partnership with the Roseville Chamber, recently secured nearly $500,000 in grant funding to expand the work.

Hiring, Rogers said, remains one of the biggest constraints for local employers.

“Prepared communities don’t wait,” Rogers said. “They build capacity before it’s needed. That’s the role of your chamber, not just an event organizer, but a leader in building business infrastructure.”

The Ambassador of the Year award was presented to Sabrina Ippolito during the 2026 business outlook. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

The event also included recognition and awards. Andrea Nelson presented the Ambassador of the Year award to Sabrina Ippolito, citing her “exceptional dedication” and commitment to supporting fellow members.

“From the moment she opened her doors, she didn’t just join our business community, she became a champion of it,” Nelson said.

Outgoing 2024-25 board chair Kristen Holihan of River Valley Community Bank was also honored for her leadership. French praised Holihan’s integrity and collaborative spirit, calling her “a trusted voice and a constant supporter of our board and our community.”

Holihan and Ippolito received certificates from U.S. Rep. Ami Bera, state Sen. Roger Niello, Assemblymember Josh Hoover and Sacramento County Supervisor Pat Hume.

Outgoing 2024-25 board chair Kristen Holihan (center) of River Valley Community Bank was honored for her leadership. Photo courtesy of Riverview Media Photography/Tia Gemmell

The morning concluded with the unveiling of the chamber’s new brand, the result of a 10-month collaborative process. Steve Pearce of ABSO Technologies, chair of the rebrand committee, said the goal was authenticity.

“Our responsibility was not just to redesign a logo, but to listen,” Pearce said. “What we heard is that the chamber is playing a larger role than ever in connecting businesses, workforce and opportunity. The brand needed to reflect that reality.”

As Gatewood summed up earlier in the program, the message of the morning was clear: Rancho Cordova’s momentum is real, and its future depends on staying ready for what comes next.