Mapping the road to prosperity

A new guide to Costa Mesa, produced by the Chamber of Commerce, offers local businesses a chance to be discovered.It’s debatable what put Costa Mesa on the map. But there’s no doubt who holds the title of the city’s lord of the maps.

That would be the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, which is soon to release an updated version of its city map, including streets, schools, churches and hospitals -- and the oh-so-important advertising section.

Charged with promoting Costa Mesa’s businesses and making the city inviting for new companies, the chamber is again doing promotion in the form of a city guide. It is scheduled to come out in April.

The chamber plans to mail the map out to hotels, car dealers, city residents and those who will be visiting Costa Mesa.

“We’ll give it out to anyone who wants to distribute them,” said Rose Quinn, director of operations for the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce. “The idea is to get as many maps into the community as possible. The more publicity the city has, the better it is for everyone.”

New members join the chamber every year. Businesses come and go. Street and school names occasionally change.

That’s why the chamber creates a new map of the “City of the Arts” about every two years.

“Like anything, maps have a shelf life,” said Chamber President Ed Fawcett. “It’s out with the old.”

Quinn said city businesses have been showing more interest than usual in getting involved with the project.

“We’ve had companies join the chamber just to get their ads on the map,” she said. “The city is growing and developing an identity. Businesses want to be a part of it.”

Chamber employees have been busy tracking down new businesses and contacting old ones to fill the inside advertising section.

Poway, Calif.,-based Century Publishing is producing the maps.

And this year, the chamber has changed the cover of the map, showing an image from “California Scenario,” the sculpture garden created by Isamu Noguchi at South Coast Plaza. In past years, most of the cover photos have depicted high-rise buildings, Quinn said.

Businesses that are members of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce are still being sought for the map, Quinn said.

For information, call (714) 885-9090.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter. He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at [email protected].

20051205ir01koknWENDI KAMINSKI / DAILY PILOT(LA)Rose Quinn and Tom Brennan of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce show off a new map of the city that was created to help promote local businesses.