2024 Spirit of Marin honoree Phil Garratt, joined by, from left, Mill Valley Chamber Board Chair Stacey Lamirand, Paula Reynolds, Director of Strategic Projects and Chamber Office & Visitor Center Manager Kathy Bakshandeh.
Humor is one of the most valuable and relatable skills humans possess, and if it is wielded with care, joy and unselfishness, it can be culture-defining.
Phil Garratt, one of the Mill Valley Chamber’s 2024 Spirit of Marin nominees, would never cop to it or say it out loud, but his potent mixture of humor and unselfishness has long since transformed volunteerism across myriad events into bonafide mastery.
Whether it was the Sausalito Arts Festival decades ago, or engaging with a team of Mill Valley Chamber Ambassadors to create dynamic monthly ‘After Hours’ events at venues throughout the 94941, Phil is a linchpin for just about everything the Chamber does.
Over the course of eight years, Phil served as the volunteer coordinator for the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, using his distinctly droll British humor and what he calls a heavy dose of cajoling, begging, teasing, and fun to round up and manage volunteers. In addition, Phil has also been integral to the success of the Mountain Play, the Mill Valley Film Festival and most recently the West Point Inn.
Without Phil’s volunteer-gathering magic, the Chamber wouldn’t have pulled off its inaugural, post-Covid 2022 Mill Valley Music Festival.
How do his fellow Mill Valley Chamber Ambassadors feel about Phil’s nurturing and unique style of galvanizing a fantastic team of fellow ambassadors? “Phil is remarkably witty and wildly amusing,” says Kelly Martin, a Chamber Ambassador and the Family Service Counselor at Fernwood in Tam Junction.
“Phil Garratt is an invaluable member of the Mill Valley Chamber, leading our Ambassadors with vim, vigor, and an abundance of humor to keep everyone moving in joyful, organized productivity when needed,” says Danna Lewis, the Chamber’s Director of Business Development & Stakeholder Experience.
Michelle Nelson, one half of the Nelson + Nelson Team of Compass Real Estate agents, says she finds it hard to put Phil into words. “Any person or place would benefit from having Phil as a neighbor and friend. Phil is community minded, community driven, full of heart, soul, spirit and laughter. He is selfless, self deprecating, and happy to help with a positive attitude and a smile. I cannot think of a more selfless and team spirited person!”
Born and raised in a small town 30 miles north of London, Phil received his degree in business from the University of Birmingham and became a financial planner with Ford Motor Company. Not long after, Phil traded finance for marketing and London’s gray skies for the sunny Bay Area.
This passion for volunteering all started with coaching soccer, for his two children Michael and Alexa, known fondly as Mikey and Scamp. He did it for 16 years.
In recent years, Phil has also served as a Long Term Care Insurance Agent and the property manager for Hodge Companies, which own the shopping center that includes the Cantina restaurant and a number of additional businesses.
Phil finds Americans altogether too serious, at times. But he is convinced we like to have fun and be together. He does his best to create those moments.
Why volunteer? “It’s selfish, not selfless. I love it,” Phil smiles, cheerfully.