Valley Economic Alliance President and CEO Bruce Ackerman died Aug. 26 after a long battle with cancer. He was 64. Serving in his Alliance post since 2000, Ackerman was credited with increasing the group’s revenues as well as its profile in the past several years. The Alliance was formed in part as the result of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake that devastated the Valley and Ackerman is credited with bringing the organization to the next level in ensuing years. A major presence within the business community of the Valley, Ackerman was well-known by many and a favorite go-to source for the media. David Fleming, the Valley Economic Alliance’s chairman, said one of Ackerman’s greatest assets was his financial savvy. “He doubled the size of the Alliance and its assets, and last year, which was a very difficult year from an economic standpoint, he even came up with a profit in the Alliance,” Fleming said, “He excelled in helping build communities, in attracting new business startups and in keeping businesses from leaving.” Ackerman also had a way with people, he added. “Bruce always made people who were very upset very comfortable because he could see things from their point of view,” Fleming said. “Even though he was not a professional arbitrator, he excelled at arbitration. He was essentially ‘Mr. Nice.’” Leader: Ackerman, left, with Supervisor Michael Antonovich, was widely known. Ackerman had more than 30 years of experience in leading chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. He was awarded the designation of Certified Chamber Executive, the highest industry honor, and received the “Golden Bear Award” in 2009 from the California Association for Local Economic Development. In 2005, Ackerman was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the Board of Commissioners for the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, where he has served as chairman. At the time of the appointment, Ackerman was credited with increasing total revenues for the Alliance by 135 percent over a three-year period. He was also credited with increasing revenues for the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce and the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce in previous years. Ackerman is particularly known for his revenue-enhancing, cost-controlling programs and his ability to build private-public partnerships. Ackerman made “incredible strides” through his work on the Community Redevelopment Agency’s Board of Commissioners and in the community, the mayor said. “He spurred several successful public-private partnerships and helped to increase revenues,” Villaraigosa said in a statement. “A wise and creative businessman and manager, Bruce spread his knowledge throughout the business community and helped shed light on business organizations’ most complicated managerial and financial problems.” Throughout his career, Ackerman also served as chairman of the California Association for Local Economic Development, Fernando Awards, Inc, and West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, and as vice chairman of the Los Angeles City Workforce Investment Board. He served on the boards of several other organizations as well. Beverly Gilmore, CEO of West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, said the economic leader served on the hospital’s board of trustees for about 10 years and was instrumental in helping the hospital plan for the expansion of its emergency room and intensive care unit. “He lived close to the hospital. It was important to him personally and from a community point of view,” Gilmore said of Ackerman, who at one point served as board chairman. “We’ll miss his passion and his leadership. “He was just so effective at bringing people together, helping people find the right solutions (with a) very engaging personality with just endless energy,” she added. Others said what set Ackerman apart was his focus on jobs and people. “For Bruce, it was all about creating jobs and business opportunity, and he was incredibly creative and passionate about finding creative ways to do that,” said Bruce Stenslie, president and CEO of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County. “Nobody was better at building alliances. You could put any five people in a room and Bruce would find the thing that they had in common and build something on it.” Ackerman was also a faculty member for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management and author of The Management Bible. Ackerman graduated from the University of Notre Dame’s Academy of Management Principles and from the University of Colorado’s Institute for Organization Management. He was survived by his wife, his mother, four children and 11 grand children. A public memorial service for Ackerman is still to be scheduled and could bring as many as 1,000 guests, including elected officials, said Harvey Berg, the Valley Economic Alliance’s interim President and CEO. A full Catholic mass and viewing is expected to be held the night before the burial service, which will likely be located at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery. “He wanted a celebration of his life, so we’ll be doing a party for him as well as following an internment at the cemetery,’ Berg said.
Valley Economic Alliance Chief Ackerman Dies at 64
