The 88th annual Chamber Board Installation Dinner was held Wednesday night with a full ballroom at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows.
The evening began with a cocktail party under the hotel’s historic Fig Tree before the party moved inside for a sit-down dinner with a number of speeches, awards, and video presentations.
Santa Monica Chamber president/CEO Laurel Rosen spoke about the importance of community.
“In light of the recent tragedy and as our community grieves, let’s take a moment to acknowledge who we are and what we mean to each other,” Rosen said. “As we all look around the room, we see our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends. For my part, I want to say how grateful I am to all of you for being here and for your support.”
She encouraged everyone to be thankful for those in the city who are charged with keeping the community safe.
“Let’s think about how we can be of service to each other, each and every day,” she said.
There were many people who were thanked during the evening, including outgoing chair Ellis O’Connor of MSD Capital and his 2012/13 Board for their dedication and support of the chamber team and members.
Incoming chair Brad Cox spoke to attendees about looking forward to working with The Chamber, the new board, and members.
“Over the last three years I have had the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Santa Monica Alliance, a partnership with the city leadership and staff to attract and retain business,” Cox said. “The partnership has achieved measureable results in expediting the process and procedures for business to locate and expand in the City. I am extremely proud of the members of the Alliance who have worked as a team to achieve these results, a true public private partnership, thank you, all of you, for your hard work and effort.”
Cox said the theme of Wednesday’s installation dinner was “the business of well-being.”
“I am sure your impression was that it sounded like the administrative side of healthcare,” he said. “My wife is a homeopath and through her experience we have learned a great deal about what is curative and truly results in ‘well-being.’ Reflecting on the term ‘wellbeing,’ I am reminded that true health is not achieved by treating a singular symptom in an isolated fashion; rather, it is achieved by treating the whole person and understanding that each individual is a part of a larger, more complex system. Well-being exists when a system works together harmoniously. This concept applies to an individual, to a business, and to a community.”
He said this perspective points to the need to respect and integrate business into the community and to nurture our community to function as a whole, thus the “business of well-being.”
He spoke about five key components where Chamber members can contribute to a healthy community this year: education, economic development, quality of life, “Embrace the future, integrate our history,” and the “Volunteer Spirit and Collective Voice.”
At the dinner, Nat Trives of New Visions Foundation received the Roy Naylor Award.
The Bob Gabriel Award went to Southern California Edison and National Bank of California.
