Fifty new and long-time members of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce were treated to an elegant new setting for the monthly Networking Breakfast at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at 924 Huntington Drive in Monrovia on Oct. 15.
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Attendees of the breakfast program sponsored year-round by Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary enjoyed:
- A full and delicious buffet of eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit, juices, coffee and much more in the beautiful setting under chandeliers and in front of a large screen showing slides of sponsors, photos of Chamber members and events, and visual web site and Powerpoint supplements to speaker presentations.
- Fine, informative and inspiring presentations by Kevin George of the non-profit Vet Hunters and Kathleen Quintas of the non-profit Here to Serve, where Kevin was a recent board member.
- An Arcadia Business Icon tribute from the Arcadia Chamber and Arcadia Historical Society to heating and air conditioning company Bowman of Arcadia, which was established in 1958 to serve both residential and commercial customers and which has been a member of the Arcadia Chamber since 1964. Andreas Koeper accepted the tribute on behalf of his father who started the company but could not attend Thursday due to poor health. He said his father would be honored.
- A three-minute Business Spotlight won in a drawing of attendees last month by Suzie Krikorian of ServPro, a leader in the business of restoring and/or cleaning commercial and residential properties immediately following a water or fire disaster. Professionals are available 24 hours/7 days a week.
- Numerous prizes donated by members in a business card drawing to attendees.
- Brief “elevator pitch” introductions by each person.
- Testimonials from many attendees sharing the terrific service provided by another Chamber member in attendance.
Kevin George shared the terrific work being done voluntarily by Vet Hunters to help homeless veterans, some of which are living in their vehicles. The grass roots movement was started by one soldier who vowed to honor his fallen comrades, by serving the living and leaving no veteran behind. Search and rescue missions in the streets of America were initiated and ‘vet hunting” was born. During V.H.P’s first year of inception, hundreds of veterans have been assisted all over the U.S. the development of effective outreach and what they call “vetworking” will continue to increase in intensity until the homeless epidemic is diminished and ultimately ended.
Vet Hunters connects the homeless person to resources by bringing them to where the homeless veteran’s live. The organization does not accept government funding in order to avoid red tape and meet the needs of veterans quickly.
Kathleen shared the mission of Here to Serve, to provide personalized service and an understanding of impending needs to help caregivers and families avoid mental and physical exhaustion themselves while supporting their loved ones during illness. Studies have shown that caregivers have a 63% higher risk of mortality than others. Some caregivers have died before the recipients in their care.
Raffle winners and donors:
- Karen Hou from the Arcadia Historical Society donated a wonderful book written by Carol Libby and won by Steve Floyd of RSVP San Gabriel Valley.
- Joanna Jimenez of Joanna’s Floral Expressions donated a gift certificate good for a floral balloon arrangement won by Frank Yik of Rose Hills.
- Kaitlyn Adams of Massage Envy donated a one hour long manicure or facial won by Joanne Bockian of Stars Athletic Foundation.
- Elvia Chaidez-Patterson, Matthew Goo and Claudia Hubbard of DoubleTree donated 4 gift bags each containing a signature tin of chocolate chip cookies won by: Emily Le Tran, Annette Ousterhout of Jan’s Towing, Jose Luis Correa of Beacon Media and Suzie Krikorian of ServPro Arcadia Pasadena North.
- Vicki Knight of Century Rooter & Plumbing donated a measuring tape and ten dollars in cash won by Sophia Chan of Forest Lawn.
- Becky Happach of be.royal oaks donated a tour and lunch for two won by Jack Orswell of Orswell & Kasman.
- Steve Floyd with RSVP San Gabriel donated a $25 gift card to Carmine’s in South Pasadena won by Melody from L & N Auto Sales.
- Sophia Chan from Forest Lawn donated an exotic fruit and wine basket won by Kevin George of Vet Hunters.
- Patricia Colonello of Mountain Views News donated a free business card ad won by Naomi Briones of Embassy Suites.
As always, attendees of the Networking Breakfast (third Thursday of each month), hosted by Rod Salazar of Stubbies Promotions, not only enjoy a great breakfast buffet and valuable networking with dozens of others but also introduce themselves one at a time with a 15-second “elevator pitch.” In addition, they have a chance to win one of multiple gifts donated by members and attendees for a business card drawing (please bring a raffle prize to next Breakfast and introduce yourself and the gift), one of which is a free three-minute Business Spotlight.
Tickets to the breakfast, which runs from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m., are $20 in advance ($25 at the door) and discounted to $15 for Chamber members who pay by the previous Friday ($20 at the door for Chamber members). No charge for those holding a Chamber All Access Pass. Tickets: 626-447-2159 or in the “Shop” area at www.ArcadiaCaChamber.org, or at Chamber office, 388 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, during regular business hours.
Arcadia Chamber-elect President Vicki Knight of Century Rooter Service and Plumbing will substitute next month for the vacationing Rod Salazar. The featured speaker will be Laura Wilcox of ACHIEVE SMART discussing “How to Mentally Improve Your Business.” Arcadia Gardens Retirement Hotel will be honored as an Arcadia Business Icon.
