Building partnerships, whether through his job or his involvement in the community, is what Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell describes as the most satisfying of his pursuits. As vice president for public policy and communication for the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, he says, “My responsibility is to be creative, whether here, at work or on a board.”

The 35-year-old 40 Under Forty honoree cites a few of those creative endeavors in which he has played a significant role: the Friday night Coaster; the successful participation of local businesses when the Super Bowl was played here in January; and attracting younger audiences to San Diego Opera.

“We did for the Super Bowl what no other chamber has done before,” says Mitchell, by getting 177 small businesses to provide goods or services (excluding hotels and the game itself) relating to the Super Bowl. The result was an extra $5.76 million boost to San Diego’s economy beyond the game’s economic impact.

Launching the Friday night Coaster service has enabled North County residents to frequent the Gaslamp Quarter without traffic and parking worries. Those are the kinds of projects Mitchell develops in the Chamber job he has held since December of 1999.

As a volunteer on the opera board, he has sought ways to interest younger people in opera. One result is Club Figaro, started four years ago, which sponsors social events for younger patrons before opera performances.

Mitchell, who lives in North County with his wife, Rebecca, and daughters, Mackenzie, 3, and Hannah, 1, has held positions formerly with American Medical Response, as an aide to Mayor Susan Golding and with San Diego Firefighters, Local 145.

A Redlands College graduate, Mitchell also volunteers on the Burn Institute board, Workforce Partnership and the NFL Youth Education Town. He is the governor’s appointee to the California Respiratory Care Board.

— Sandy Pasqua