WEST HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HOSTS ANNUAL MEMBER MEETING AND INSTALLS NEW LEADERSHIP FOR 2013
AND HONORS TONY MELIA WITH THE RAY REYNOLDS AWARD
AT “VISION FORWARD WEST HOLLYWOOD”
Thursday, February 28, 2013 – West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (WHCC) held its Annual Member Meeting & Board Installation (AMMBI) at House of Blues this morning at a breakfast program hosted by NBC Anchor, Robert Kovacik.
The Chamber changed the format this year and created a program that focused more on its membership. Titled VISION FORWARD WEST HOLLYWOOD, Hany Haddad, WHCC Chair, took the audience through the 2012 Annual Report, and then Genevieve Morrill, President/CEO presented highlights from the 2013 Program of Work which featured a new WHCC website with an expanded online business directory and a consumer-based platform called EAT SHOP PLAY West Hollywood, a shop local program to drive spending and provide incentives for the local residents.
NBC Anchor, Robert Kovacik, acting as this year’s host, installed the newly elected 2013 Officers and Board of Directors with great aplomb but did away with the pomp and circumstance of the “swearing-in” ceremony. Mr. Kovacik then engaged the Board with a Q & A about their vision and leadership for the organization in 2013.
Chair Hany Haddad, honored Tony Melia as the “Chair’s Choice” for the 2013 Ray Reynolds Award. Tony, a 40-year Chamber Member and an important founder of West Hollywood Cityhood, the Marketing Visitors Bureau and a past Chair/President of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, received this Award for his amazing and significant contributions to the West Hollywood community, invaluable to the Chamber.
The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce board of directors is a made up of a diverse group of individuals who share years of experience in a wide variety of business industries. The 25 volunteers that make up the West Hollywood Chamber Board of Directors reflect the creativity and diversity of our City. This organization brings the highest level of experience and resources needed to best serve its members by using skills from a variety of backgrounds including business management, public relations, community outreach, events, government, advocacy, and marketing to provide the business community with the most comprehensive service.
An election held last November elected six members to the board, and the Board re-elected its Chair, Hany Haddad, an executive at US Bank, and filled open Officer positions earlier this year. In addition to the Board of Governors, who act in an advisory capacity for the Board and the three member organizations that act as Ex-Officios, the Chair also made four one-year term appointments to complete the full board roster.
Commenting on the new headship for West Hollywood Chamber, Chair Hany Haddad stated, “The West Hollywood Chamber is excited to have such a powerful collection of individuals to serve as leadership for this organization. The Chamber has continued to grow and remain relevant and help the business community flourish as they continue to recover economically.”
Please click here to view the 2012 Annual Report.
The WHCC 2013 Board of Directors are as follows:
CHAIR – Hany Haddad, US Bank
FIRST VICE CHAIR – Mylena Christina, TRAIN west hollywood
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER – Rod Gruendyke, Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas
VICE CHAIR, GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS - Keith Kaplan, The Kaplan Group
VICE CHAIR, MEMBERSHIP – Misti Cooper, Yogurt Stop
VICE CHAIR, EVENTS - Ruth Tittle, Capitol Drugs/Power Zone
SECRETARY – Michael Jay, Cardiff Giant
Stan Bochniak, ABM Parking Services
Christopher Bonbright, Avison Young
Jeff Brown, Beverly Center
Deborah B. Kallick, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Karen Kuo, Robert Kuo Limited
Layne Lawson, Clear Channel Outdoor
Mark E. Lehman, Law Offices of Mark E. Lehman
Marino Monferrato, Cecconi’s
Pat Rogers, Here Lounge
Gene Ronald Smith, Gene Smith + James Litz
Nadia Sutton, here! TV
Maxine Tatlonghari, Vanity Girl Hollywood
Owen Ward, Off World Entertainment
Todd Steadman, Sunset Strip Business Association
Bradley Burlingame, West Hollywood Marketing & Visitors Bureau
Ryan Farber, The Avenues: Art, Fashion and Design District
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
John A. Altschul, John A. Altschul Attorney at Law
Arlen Andelson, Andelson Properties
David Eichman, Law Office of David Mason Eichman
Todd Elliott, Truman & Elliott, LLP
Nathan Goller, Phyllis Morris Originals
Ronald S. Kates, Ronald S. Kates & Company
James W. Litz, BH/GLAAR Assoc. Of Realtors
Tony Melia, National Business Insurance Agency
Mark Montgomery, Montgomery Management Company
Sharon O’Rourke, The Gas Company
Russ Wilson, Koontz Hardware
The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is 501c6 non-profit organization a non-profit organization that supports and promotes a community environment where commerce can flourish. The Chamber fosters prosperity and champions local business by providing resources and leadership to advance activity through economic development, by advocating the position of the business community and by enhancing the quality of community life, and promoting the uniqueness of West Hollywood.
For more information on AMMBI 2013 or the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce check us out online at www.wehochamber.com or call 323-650-2688.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Richard E. Settle)
(PHOTO CAPTION: West Hollywood Chamber Board of Directors)
(PHOTO CAPTION: Left to Right – NBC Anchor Robert Kovacik; Genevieve Morrill, WHCC President/CEO, Tony Melia, President, NBIA and Hany Haddad, WHCC Chair)