This month’s Arcadia Chamber of Commerce Networking Breakfast on Sept. 18 features a very informative presentation from the new Small Business Development Center for this region, which offers a plethora of very helpful and valuable services at no charge to business owners, and a tribute to another very deserving Arcadia Business Icon, the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association on Colorado Place across from Santa Anita Park near Pepper’s Mexican Cantina.
Networking Breakfasts, sponsored by Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuaries, are held on the third Thursday of each month from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. at the Sunset Room of the Santa Anita Golf Course Tickets purchased in advance are $15 for Arcadia Chamber members, and $20 for non-members, and may be purchased online at the Chamber web site, or by calling the Chamber office at 626-447-2159, or in person at 388 W. Huntington Drive. Further details about Networking Breakfasts and ticket pricing below…
September’s guest speaker and topic:
How SBDC boosts your business – Every business starts with a bright idea
Whether you need help getting your idea off the ground or want to grow your business, the SBDC has the resources you need. Guiding small business owners success with low-cost training and no-cost one-on-one advising from experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts who show area business owners how to increase their sales, obtain loans, streamline operations, utilize new technologies, expand into new markets, and position themselves for long-term growth.
Salvatrice Cummo
Speaker: Salvatrice Cummo – Director, Pasadena Small Business Development Center
Salvatrice Cummo has a unique perspective on what it takes for a businesses to succeed by having worked in family businesses, publicly traded companies and not-for-profits. Her experience started during high school working in her family business. She helped play an integral role in the daily operations, customer service and marketing.
Salvatrice left the family business in order to pursue her education. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona University with a degree in retail management. She was immediately hired by Macy’s West and quickly rose the corporate ladder. During her 10-year tenure at Macy’s West, she increased year-over-year sales, reduced employee turnover and made her stores highest ranking among the region.
Despite all of her success, Salvatrice’s true passion was for small businesses. She left Macy’s West and began working for the Montebello Chamber of Commerce as their Director of Small Business. At the Chamber she assisted small businesses with marketing strategies, business plans, business connections and access to capital. During her six years with the Chamber, her work in helping small businesses also translated into never-before-seen income for the Montebello Chamber of Commerce.
In September 2013, Salvatrice decided to take her knowledge and skills to a much wider audience and accepted the position of Director for the Pasadena Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a program funded by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Pasadena City College. Her role is to provide businesses with no cost one-on-one consulting with industry experts in areas that include, but not limited to, marketing, accounting, software training, legal, employee relations, access to capital and business planning just to name a few. In the few months that Salvatrice has run the center, she has helped individuals make their dreams of starting a business into a reality and has helped businesses improve their business acumen in order to obtain their goals. Salvatrice’s interest in small business is also seen in her advocating efforts on behalf of small business at the federal, state and local levels.
The Small Business Development Center hosted by the Pasadena City College is located at 3035 E. Foothill Blvd.-Rm 122, Pasadena, CA 91007. 626-585-3106
CTBA headquarters office bldg
Arcadia Business Icon
The California Thoroughbred Breeders Association (CTBA) was founded in 1937 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in California. The CTBA headquarters office has long kept a low-profile at 201 Colorado Place across the street from the east side of Santa Anita Park, near Pepper’s Mexican Cantina. The building houses the Carlton F. Burke Memorial Library, which maintains one of the most extensive collections of equine literature found anywhere in the world. The library was a valuable resource to the Arcadia Historical Society’s research in preparing the History Lives Here marker for Santa Anita Park that was dedicated at the track’s 75th Anniversary ceremonies. (Photo gallery here from a November 2012 Chamber board meeting held at CTBA headquarters.)
CTBA is governed by a board of directors voted on by the Association’s membership. It has kept measure with the growth of the industry in the state and is today among the largest organizations of its kind in the nation. Horse Racing supports a multi-billion agri-business in the state of California and accounts for:
- $1.44 billion direct impact on California’s economy
- $2.46 billion total impact on California’s economy
- Generates 21,890 direct jobs
- 48,369 total jobs
CTBA’s impact on the state’s breeding and racing industry is far-reaching. CTBA administers California’s lucrative incentive Awards program, which includes Breeders Awards, Stallion Awards, Owners Awards, Maiden Bonus Program, the Golden State Stakes program and the Cal-Bred Race Fund. In addition, CTBA is the official registering agency for California bred Thoroughbreds.
CTBA is the host of the annual Northern California Yearling sale.
On the communication front, CTBA publishes the monthly California Thoroughbred magazine, annual Stallion Directory, Industry Directory and maintains an interactive internet website www.ctba.com.
CTBA also provides legislative representation on behalf of California breeders and owners.
Receiving the tribute to CTBA at the Networking Breakfast Sept. 18 will be CTBA Advertising Manager Loretta Veiga and Cookie Hackworth, Thoroughbred Sales Coordinator/Membership.
Each Networking Breakfast features a breakfast buffet, networking among dozens of distinguished business leaders of the community, a featured speaker, a joint presentation from the Chamber and the Arcadia Historical Society to an Arcadia Business Icon, a brief Business Spotlight by a different attendee each month, and a free raffle of many gifts from attending business owners. Tickets to Networking Breakfasts, if purchased in advance, are $15 for Arcadia Chamber members, and $20 for non-members. Ticket prices at the door are $20 for members and $25 for non-members.
Those who pay in advance of the Friday prior to the Breakfast get their name and company listed on a Hot Sheet that is handed to every attendee.
