It was an absolute grand occasion at the Embassy Suites this Thursday morning (March 17) at the Networking Breakfast. Attendees were quite excited this St. Patrick’s Day when they were presented with a unique sight of a special Leprechaun version of Rod Salazaar promoting his business Stubbies Promotions to the tune of a classic rock ballad.
Along with this was a quite concise and vital presentation on marketing which was given by guest speaker MJ Finstrom of HUTdogs, a tribute to Arcadia Business Icon Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine, in addition to this Cabrera’s was also granted a three minute spotlight, generous raffle prizes were handed out, and as one of the frequently well attended Chamber events it was many members’ first official introduction to Karen. 
During introductions people couldn’t help but notice a certain hair cut sported by Mike Vercillo, of the Arcadia Police Department, possibly caused by the recent St. Baldrick’s event, which raises money for childhood cancer research and took place this year at Matt Denny’s. Other than this he was also able to give details on their next event at the Arcadia Performance Arts Center at 7:00 p.m. with a representative from Community Affairs speaking on the recent spike in burglaries. Lisa Keller of the Arcadia Par 3 Golf Course absolutely confounded every chamber member when she introduced the term, “Foot Golf,” which consists of the same golf game design, but with a soccer ball.
<Story continues below the following photo gallery – to change image, click arrows at sides or click on thumbnails at bottom; click “FS” at bottom right to go full screen, and “SL” to have slides sequence automatically.>
[flagallery gid=361]
Marketing Made Simple
MJ Finstrom of HUTdogs restructured an originally two hour presentation to fit into 15 minutes and it was both impressive and noteworthy, especially for our particular audience. She began with the simple notion, that marketing needs to be broken down to the core concept of defining the audience which is right for your business. From this simple concept comes the further step of being able to reach that particular audience. MJ presented the fact that 135 million users of Facebook will check it 14 times a day, thus illustrating the necessity in accepting Facebook as a marketing channel is quite vital to a growing business. In addition to this it remains a prime-time media channel, where you can target any audience, and the audiences that you can seek are directly linked to your information and actively seeking your advertisements. MJ also delved into the subject of giveaway campaigns which are often successful in drawing a crowd but when used correctly can also bring people into coming for your product. The key to this is through spreading awareness through Facebook and making the giveaway match the business your developing. 
Business Spotlight
Jeannette Cabrera, of Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine was the winner of last month’s drawing to give a three minute presentation on their restaurant. First beginning on August 7, 1985, by original proprietor Manuel Cabrera, Cabrera’s Family Restaurant began by serving traditional American food but soon transitioning into offering a Mexican – American blend. In 1987 the business added on other family members such as Guillermo Torres, to help further establish the brand of the business. It was later on the original founder decided to move into an avant-garde level of restaurants, and to institute this change he entrusted his cousin Efrain Cabrera. These implementations speak for themselves as currently Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine has expanded and now operates 3 different localities. Rod Salazar of Stubbies Promotions won next month’s Business Spotlight.
Arcadia Business Icon
Efrain Cabrera Jr., CEO of Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine was presented with a Business Icon Plaque jointly presented by the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce – CEO Karen Mac Nair – and Arcadia Historical Society‘s Carol Libby and Karen Hou. Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine has been a member since 2002, and been a great presence of excellence in traditional and authentic Mexican food. Upon receiving their award they were given a much deserved round of applause, as well as a wave of early testimonials from each presenter. Karen and Carol illustrated their reliance on Cabrera’s as a source of great Menudo or Cocido. As the business already received the three minute spotlight they used their time to promote their upcoming Love Lunch on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. 
Testimonials
Met with absolute agreement was Karen Mac Nair’s comment that the testimonials/ shout outs really bring out the feeling of community within the Arcadia Chamber. Opening the testimonials was Vicki Knight of Century Rooter who couldn’t wait to tell a story on how Carmen Richardson of 3C’s absolutely saved her event at the very last minute. In addition to this Vicki elaborated on the fact that Cabrera’s Mexican Cuisine fed her family for at least a week. Suzie Krikorian of Servpro regaled everyone with a short anecdote of when Judith Kim of City of Hope saved their blood drive by bringing over their bloodbus. Peter Amundson wanted to thank and give a shout out to MJ Finstrom of HUTdogs for their work in helping establish the new Downtown Arcadia. 
Raffle Winners and Donors
- Vicki Knight of Century Rooter donated a 50 dollar gift certificate to Outback, which was won by Joanne Bockian of Stars Athletic Foundation.
- Arolyn Burns of The A Treatment donated a stress pack with soothing music, a candle and a zen garden, which was won by Mike Antonesse of Foothill Unity Center.
- Chris Vivian of Gigglefiber donated a portable battery charger, which was won by Elizabeth Booth of the Santa Anita Park.
- Naomi Briones of Embassy Suites donated a 25 dollar gift certificate to the Peacock Grill, which was won by John Sun of Budget Blinds.
- Megan Oppelt of Togo’s Corporate donated 20 free sandwiches and a free catered lunch, which was won by Rich Del Pozo of KAP Promotions.
- Steve Sciurba of The Kensington donated grocery items from Sierra Madre Grocery Company, which was won by Efrain Cabrera of Cabrera’s Mexican Grill.
- Marissa Mendoza of Santa Anita Park donated 4 tickets to the Santa Anita Race Track, which was won by Peter Amundson.
- Elvia Chaidez-Patterson of Doubletree by Hilton Hotel donated The Cookie, which was won by Kyle Levine of The Computer Guys.
- Claudia Hubbard of Doubletree by Hilton Hotel donated The Cookie, which was won by Donna Lee of Lifewave Arcadia.
The next Networking Breakfast will be held once again at Embassy Suites by Hilton in Arcadia on April 21, 2016, with the featured speaker Tarnie Fulloon, Transformational Mentor and Speaker of Tarnie Fulloon. 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.
