HOLLYWOOD BUSINESS
ADVOCATE Volume 13 n Issue 5 n Sept/Oct 2018
The Chair’s Message ... by Donelle Dadigan
Bimonthly published by
The Spirit of Volunteerism Hollywood Chamber of Commerce 6255 Sunset Blvd, Ste 150, Hollywood, CA 90028 MAIN (323)469-8311 • FAX (323)469-2805 info@hollywoodchamber.net www.HollywoodChamber.net
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OFFICERS Donelle Dadigan Chair of the Board Bill Roschen Senior Vice Chair Nicole Mihalka Vice Chair Michelle Sobrino-Stearns Vice Chair Brandon Mason Vice Chair Mark Edwards Secretary Dwayne Gathers Treasurer Jeff Zarrinnam Imm. Past Chair
DIRECTORS Paul Audley Patty Brunton Alton Butler Christina Derenthal Matt Fritch Michael Gonzales Sofia Gresen Jason Hariton Michael Hilty Melissa Logan Ed Murphy Jerry Neuman Francis Park Carole Sarian Doug Troy
Cindy Braun Lucy Burghdorf Susan Cabral-Ebert Vin Di Bona Tari Garza John Goodwin William Grice Mike Harriel Yuko Kaifu Ilyanne Morden Kichaven Delmar Nehrenberg Otto Padron Lupita Sanchez-Cornejo David Simon Sarah Zurell
HONORARY DIRECTORS Patti MacJennett
Kerry Morrison
HONORARY PAST CHAIRS Oscar Arslanian Heather Cochran Karen Diehl Mary Lou Dudas Fariba Kalantari, DDS Christi Van Cleve
STAFF Leron Gubler President & CEO Kaylee Kiecker Executive Vice President Ana Martinez VP of Media Relations Nicole Shahenian VP of Government Relations Marléne Panoyan Director of Communications/Social Media J.J. Connaughton Director of Membership Services Vivian Kish Executive Assistant/Office Manager Jacob Jauregui Government Relations Coordinator Danila Fraga Marketing Coordinator Sheridan Soderstrom Membership Services Coordinator 4 n hollywoodchamber.net
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ince I became Chair of the Board five months ago, I have attended a lot of Chamber meetings – in fact, there are many more Chamber activities than I could have ever imagined - from committees, to conferences, to special events, luncheons and more. Unless you attend so many of our events, you just cannot grasp what goes into making an organization like this work. I must tell you how very impressed I have been with the level of volunteerism in this Chamber. Let me start with the Presidential Search Committee, working to find our new leader to replace our long-time President and CEO Leron Gubler. This committee of nine individuals has been on overdrive. First, they had to review more than 350 applications. Then they spent countless hours in interviews and analysis. They gave up several full days including two weekend dates in order to accommodate the candidates. Now, that is what I would call sacrifice. Thanks to their commitment, I feel that we are going in the right direction and will soon be able to name a very qualified person to take us to the next level. Additionally, there are numerous other examples. Our recent Hollywood The Hollywood Economic Development Summit took Chamber of Commerce hundreds of hours of work to put together. Likewise, the Heroes of is stronger because of Hollywood Luncheon, that benefits the Chamber’s Community Foundation, each of you... indeed produced its most successful event making a difference in ever from a financial standpoint. That would not have been possible without our community. the help of the foundation board. Our State of the Entertainment Industry Conference Committee has begun meeting to plan our 7th annual conference highlighting the importance of this industry to Hollywood and California. Committee members are using their connections to assemble a top-rated line-up of speakers for this conference. Without our volunteers’ expertise, we wouldn’t be able to put together this fine program. I could go on and on. The Nominating Committee has done extensive outreach to identify the best candidates to fill openings on the board and various committees. The HealthCare Committee has put together some great quarterly seminars and briefings. The Tourism Committee is following the many opportunities to promote Hollywood. A special task force has been working on a market study of Hollywood and how we can better sell our community to the world. The Finance Committee monitors the Chamber’s budgeting and financial investments. Our Legislative Action Committee spends hours researching and reviewing various political issues and formulating recommendations for Chamber positions. The Hollywood Chamber PAC works to raise the profile of the Chamber on political issues. The Membership and Marketing Committee is looking at how we can update our image. It is a fact that without our volunteers, this organization simply could not function. So as Chair of the Board, let me express my deep appreciation to everyone who serves in this organization. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is stronger because of each of you. Please know that you are indeed making a difference in our community.