By IVY WEISS Contributor Agoura/Oak Park/Conejo Valley Chamber The first Patricia Soteras Scholarship Fund awards took place with the AOPCV chamber giving scholarships to students from Agoura, Westlake, Malibu and Thousand Oaks High Schools. The fund was named after past Executive Director Pat Soteras who helped build the Chamber from 300 members to over 1,500 today. L.A. County Tax Assessor, Rick Auerbach will speak Feb. 6 at the Calabasas Country Club on how to reduce property tax assessments. The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. To reserve a space, call the Chamber at (818) 889-3150. Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber Celebrating AVHC’s 10th anniversary, current President Sylvia Duarte will be installed again in 2008 as the first person ever to serve back-to-back terms. The Board unanimously agreed to have Duarte return for a second term based on the amount of work she did on behalf of the organization in 2007. Ten years ago, the Chamber fielded some initial opposition to its formation from a few segments of the community. Some people were afraid the new Chamber might create divisions, yet a need was established by demonstrating there were numerous aspiring and on-going Spanish-speaking business owners in the Antelope Valley who were not participating in the community or who needed help with their endeavors in order to succeed and to grow. As opposition to the new Chamber diminished, the founders demonstrated the benefits of providing the targeted business owners with a chance to be part of something that could help them participate in community events and become part of the mainstream, as well as the opportunity to learn to hone their English skills by interacting with others. Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber CPWHC, in cooperation with the Chatsworth/Porter Ranch and Reseda chambers, will host a “Speed Networking Mixer” to take place Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Garden Chapel, 7769 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet up to 20 individuals who belong to different Chambers of Commerce in one-on-one, 5-minute time periods. The event is sponsored by Love & Wealth Marketing LCC and The Garden Chapel. To RSVP, call (818) 884-4222. There is no charge to members of any of the participating chambers. Non-members pay $5.00. On Jan. 17, Councilman Dennis P. Zine will be addressing CPWHC on issues concerning the San Fernando Valley during the monthly networking breakfast. The meeting will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Hometown Buffet, 6705 Fallbrook Ave., West Hills. The cost is $12 for Canoga Park/West Hills Chamber members, $17 for non-members. Reservations are necessary and can be made by calling the Chamber office, (818) 884-4222. On February 1, 2008 the CPWHC will have its 2008 Installation Gala celebrating the communities of Canoga Park and West Hills. Featured entertainment will be “The Chantilly Sisters,” and Master of Ceremonies is Councilman Dennis P. Zine. The installation begins at 6:30 p.m. with a no-host cocktail hour and silent auction. Sponsors include Westfield, Pratt + Whitney Rocketdyne, and the Hilton Woodland Hills, the event host at 6360 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills. Chatsworth/Porter Ranch Chamber The CPRC and Time Warner Cable will present the eighth annual State of the Community Breakfast on Friday, February 1, at 7:15 am at The Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. This signature event, the largest of its kind in the San Fernando Valley, was established in 2000 and brings together elected officials and policy makers with their constituents for a dynamic question-and-answer exchange about what is happening at all levels of government and community. An installation ceremony for the 2008 chamber board of directors will also take place. Featured speakers are Congressman Brad Sherman, Senator George Runner, Assembly members Lloyd Levine and Audra Strickland, County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca, Councilman Greig Smith, LAPD Deputy Chief (Valley Bureau) Michel Moore, Los Angeles Unified School District board member Tamar Galatzan, and Metro Transit Authority-San Fernando Valley general manager Richard Hunt. The event begins at 7:15 a.m. and is open to the public. For reservations and sponsorship opportunities, phone the Chamber office at (818) 341-2428. Ticket prices, which include breakfast, are $35 with a reservation and $40 at the door. Encino Chamber The Encino Chamber of Commerce and Mercedes Benz of Encino present “A Magical Evening,” the annual chamber installation and business person of the year award dinner on Saturday, Jan. 12. The evening’s entertainment begins with former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley and her husband, TV personality Gary Collins and will feature a performance by renowned magician Stan Gerson. The Chamber is celebrating the past presidency of Michael Turner of Bearsworth Communications and the elevation to president of Mark Levinson of the Law Offices of Schuchman & Marshall. Business Person of the Year, Dale Surowitz of Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, will also be honored. The master of ceremonies for the evening will be Honorary Mayor of Encino, comedian Ronnie Schell of television and radio fame. For more information and reservations, contact the chamber office, (818) 789-4711. In March, the chamber will “Leap into the Future” at the 14th Annual Teacher of the Year Awards Luncheon. Money raised through sponsorships and individual ticket sales will be given as cash awards to the nominated and winning teachers so they can purchase items for their classrooms. Each teacher will also be awarded proclamations and/or resolutions from various politicians, LAUSD board members and representatives. The Encino Chamber has given over $30,000 to school teachers throughout the history of this event. For information on how to be a sponsor or to purchase tickets, contact the Encino Chamber of Commerce office, (818) 789-4711. Granada Hills Chamber GHCC is hosting their 80th installation of directors and officers with an awards ceremony honoring Steve Baker, retiring 2007 board president, and Irv Selman, 2008 president-elect. The event begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8, at The Odyssey Restaurant in Granada Hills. There will be a live auction with Councilman Greig Smith as the auctioneer. For more information, contact Mark Serino, executive director of GHCC, (818) 368-3235 or Bonnie Marie Bursk, at (818) 368-8646. Regional Black Chamber The 3rd Annual RBC Small Business Awards Dinner and Dance on Nov. 9 honored the 2007 Small Business of the Year, IAAAACAME Inc., and five San Fernando Valley residents and businesspeople were saluted for their outstanding service to their communities. The Outstanding Volunteer honorees were Becky James, Leon Garrett, Joe Montague, Linda Wiggins and Kacey Thorps. Mistress of Ceremonies Minnie Foxx introduced Public Utilities Commissioner Tim Simon for the keynote address. President and CEO M.C. Townsend was thanked for the Chamber’s successes that result from her leadership. Sponsors of the event were Southwest Airlines, Wells Fargo Bank, Sempra Energy, Altria and City National Bank. Simon’s keynote speech echoed issues that are vital to many of the small businesses present that evening including procurements and contracts, access to capital, and in continuing the Chamber’s theme education, entertainment and earnings. On Jan. 29, the RBC of Commerce will be hosting its business mixer in the valley. This is one of the largest events of its kind. Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber The GSFVC has employer poster sets available for businesses to stay in compliance with state and federal notice posting requirements. Several new laws on the books required changes to the posters this year and businesses with out-of-date employer posters can be subject to fines for not having current posters displayed. Poster sets are available in English and Spanish. Each set is $25.00 including tax. Shipping and handling is an additional fee based on the number ordered. To order, call (818) 989-0300 or visit www.sanfernandovalleychamber.com. An electronic waste, or e-waste collection event will be hosted by the chamber on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25 and Jan. 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days in the parking lot of 19350 Nordhoff St., Northridge. The event is a free service to city residents and businesses who want to properly dispose of their unwanted electronic products. E-waste includes electronic products or devices, such as computer monitors, televisions, PC systems, printers, home entertainment systems, copiers, and fax machines that have reached their useful end, whether in working condition or not. For more information on the event, or qualified e-waste products, contact Nancy Hoffman Vanyek at the Chamber, (818) 989-0300 or [email protected]. Winnetka Chamber It took two trucks manned by Marines to collect all of the Toys for Tots collected by the Winnetka Chamber and others over a two-week period. This year, the toy collection started at the WCC holiday party where 150 cans of food for the needy were also collected. The toys came from Winnetka Chamber members, friends, retired Marines, the Southland Regional Association of Realtors, and clients and vendors associated with the real estate company of Pauline Tallent, WCC’s president. Woodland Hills Tarzana Chamber The WHTCC will have its 2008 installation on Friday, Jan. 26 at the Hilton Woodland Hills. The event, dubbed the “Night of Champions,” will honor outgoing Chairman of the Board Gordon Luster and welcome the 2008 Chairperson Deborah Sable. Also being honored are Paul Lawler, the Joseph Staller Award recipient, and the Tarzan Century Award winner, Sean McCarthy. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a silent auction and sports entertainment. The dinner follows at 7:30 and there will be more entertainment, dancing and a live auction. Reservations are required. Contact the Woodland Hills-Tarzana Chamber of Commerce, (818) 347-4737.
