Maestro Victor Vener of the renowned California Philharmonic orchestra was this month’s guest speaker today (Thursday, May 15) at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Networking Breakfast, sponsored by Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary. Rod’s Grill also received recognition as an Arcadia Business Icon Presented by the Chamber in partnership with the Arcadia Historical Society.
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Chamber CEO Scott Hettrick introduced Maestro Vener and shared that one of the keys to Cal Phil’s success is the energy and passion of the maestro, who takes time to educate the audience on the piece they are about to hear and share interesting anecdotes about the composer. Maestro Vener walked the breakfast attendees through Cal Phil’s move over the years from playing in the Arboretum to playing at Santa Anita Race Track, which features better acoustics because “the audience is sitting below ground-level and on grass” – elements that allow the orchestra to play at ideal volume levels versus trying to compete with ambient noise or the sounds of bottles dropping on concrete. He also credited his musicians, many of whom are music performance professors with advanced degrees and experience playing with world-class groups like the Boston Pops, superstars like Yo-Yo Ma, and in Hollywood soundtracks like Avatar. Several chamber members voiced their appreciation for Vener and Cal Phil, including Patricia Colonello of the Mountain View News. Colonello, who was a long-time volunteer for Cal Phil said “Even if I heard the same song, I learned something new each time [the orchestra] played.”
Hettrick and Arcadia Historical Society Vice-President Carol Libby presented the Business Icon award to Rod’s Grill owner Manny Romero. Built in 1956, Rod’s Grill is one of Arcadia’s historic treasures that often connect several generations of family members. “I don’t think of it as just the food service business,” said Romero as he stressed the importance of the experience that Rod’s provides – particularly in preserving countless memories. He told a heartwarming story of a person who called him from out of state asking for a copy of the picture of his grandfather’s Arcadia roadside cornstand from the 1940’s. Several chamber members lauded Romero for keeping Rod’s alive, and in doing so keeping this piece of Arcadia’s past alive. Chamber Vice-President Vicki Knight of Century Rooter shared that she had taught her children how to dine out at Rod’s, and now her grandchildren are learning at Rod’s as well.
As always, each attendee gave a 30-second introduction of themselves at the beginning of the program, and more than a dozen attendees won nice raffle prizes provided by other attendees including a coveted fresh flower arrangement from new member Majestic Design Florist. Daniel Hwang, Vice-President at American Plus Bank was winner of this month’s Business Spotlight – which him an opportunity to share the success story of the community bank with $300 million in assets that is headquartered in Arcadia.
The raffle is a Networking Breakfast tradition to help introduce chamber members to one another. Raffle prizes included:
- Rose Hills Centennial DVDs donated by Bruce Lazenby of Rose Hills
- Four VIP tickets to see Cal Phil perform donated by Victor Vener of the California Philharmonic
- Rita’s Italian Ice gift certificates and wine donated by Vicki Knight of Century Rooter’s
- Scissor Mouse donated by Tony Gutierrez of Harris Office Products
- Healthy Gift Basket donated by Richard Zook of Douglas & Zook
- Movie tickets donated by Jason King of CHOICESS
- Promotional Gift Set donated by Annette Ousterhout at Jan’s Towing
- Flower arrangement donated by Majestic Design Florist
- Tea brewing set donated by Daniel Hwang of American Plus Bank
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 at least two days in advance ($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.
Media contact: Scott Hettrick, Chamber CEO: 626-447-2159 / Scott@ArcadiaCaChamber.org
