Annual Breakfast with Chief Ed Aceves
- Sponsored by Carl Burger Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-RAM
- April 30, 2013
On April 30th those in attendance at this annual breakfast were informed by La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves of the various enforcement activities that are happening within our city. Chief Aceves also discussed ways that people may be aware of their surroundings and protect themselves. A major key to keeping your possessions safe, is to take them out of your vehicle when you leave and lock your vehicle. If those valuables are in sight, your vehicle is most desirable to thieves - so take your personal possessions OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE when leaving your vehicle!
Our Breakfast Sponsor was Carl Burger Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-RAM. Kyle Nyswonger spoke and introduced his team in attendance, including owner - Pamela Burger. We are always grateful to this valued car dealership within our community! Carmen Walker of Carl Burger Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-RAM was one of the winners of a FREE ticket to the upcoming Taste of La Mesa!
A delicious breakfast was prepared and served by the volunteers from the La Mesa Masonic Lodge. These men begin early to have the full menu ready for attendees. The biscuits and gravy, fresh eggs, bacon and sausage in addition to the fresh coffee and juice - make this a great way to begin your day! We want to thank our Chamber Member, Edible Arrangements of La Mesa for donating the fresh fruit bouquets that were tempting for the early morning feast. The chocolate dipped apples and strawberries were a favorite!
We were happy to welcome and introduce our newest La Mesa Chamber member to our group - Carlton J. Evans, owner of Carlton J. Evans, State Farm Agency. Mr. Evans is a dynamic gentleman and we look forward to working with him in the future. Welcome Carlton!
The Attendance Drawing sponsored by: Business 2 Business San Diego at $350, Borrego Springs Bank at $100, La Mesa Courier at $100 and Opus Bank at $150 were NOT won by any of our attendees. We thank these generous sponsors and will look forward to trying to give this money away at a future event. We are happy to announce that the winner of our 50/50 drawing was Laurel Cruz! Congratulations Laurel - don't spend all of that in one place!
Hooleys Mixer Fun & Informative! - April 11, 2013
A group of members and guests enjoyed themselves at Hooleys in Grossmont Center on April 11th at the business after hours mixer. This popular restaurant in La Mesa served corned beef sliders, potato fritters, veggie platter, chips, salsa and great liquid refreshments! The sponsor of the evening was Ohio National Financial Services. The group was joined by James Lugo, Retirement Plan Wholesaler for Ohio National Financial Services and our own local Ohio National Financial Services representative, Dick Cook. The information everyone received was so valuable, the conversations were interesting and prizes were won by lucky Chamber members! David Shaw won a ticket to the upcoming Taste of La Mesa, as well as Dick Cook. None of the members names that were drawn for the Attendance Drawing were present so that cash money will roll over to another Chamber event! Lots of folks stayed around after the mixer concluded to talk and enjoy each other's company!
5th Annual Casino Royale & Celebrate Local Heroes - Casino Royale Celebrates in Style - February 21, 2013
The 5th Annual Casino Royale evening of fun, food and games of chance was held on Thursday, February 21st at our Chamber Member hotel, the Town & Country Resort Hotel.  This year's crowd was larger than in the past, and our silent auction grew as well.  This year our guests had over 63 silent auction items to choose from in addition to grazing on fabulous food prepared and served by the Town & Country Hotel's staff and Catering Department. Our DJ that always puts on a great show for us, Barry Mantel, owner of Nights of the Sound Table, was fabulous and guided us through the evening's awards and program.  Teresa Johnson, owner of Grove Pastry Shop outdid herself this year by not only providing the desserts for the evening  as our "007 Dessert Sponsor" , but created a beautiful 3-tier red and black "Casino" cake that was displayed on the dessert table as a silent auction item.  That cake was a showstopper!  The evening was all about community and three of our City Council Members were there to greet the crowd - Council Members Kristine Alessio, Ernie Ewin and Ruth Sterling.  Senator Joel Anderson’s representative, Finis Oh had commendations to each of our eight local heroes:  Paramedics Ryan Ferguson and Paul Forney from American Medical Response, Heartland Fire & Rescue personnel Battalion Chief Kelly Sisson and Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Drips and La Mesa Police Department honorees - Officer Derek Cox and Dispatcher Kathy Norman.  Completing this year’s awards were the retired people that volunteer to the community through the La Mesa Police Department's Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol honorees: Don Kurban and Dick Thomas.  The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce presented all of our heroes with awards, gifts bags with gifts and our humble thanks for all they do to make our community great!
The sponsors that made this event possible were all recognized and appreciated by the crowd. Â Our thanks go to:Â
“Bond” Sponsor
EDCO
“Goldfinger” Sponsor
American Medical Response
California Coast Credit Union
Nights of the Sound Table
Park Station
“M” Sponsor
AAA Imaging
Dell Awards
SDG&E
“Miss Moneypenny” Sponsor
Auto Club of Southern California
Carl Burger Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-RAM
Citibank – La Mesa
H & N Construction
Sycuan Casino
Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians
“Dr. No” Sponsor
All Things Bright & British
“Odd Job” Sponsor
Borrego Springs Bank
Earl W. Fite & Sons Plumbing
EXCELL Security/XL Staffing, Inc.
Himalayan Cuisine
Kirk Paving, Inc.
Rockscapes Unlimited, Inc.
Storage West
Tarantino Gourmet Sausages
Unique Travel Concepts
Walmart Neighborhood Market
Media Sponsor
The East County Herald
"007" Dessert Sponsor
Grove Pastry Shop
"Q" Fresh Fruit Sponsor
Edible Arrangements
The final highlight of the evening was the long awaited raffle prize winners. Â This year was a definite twist of fate. Â Out of the 4 items that were available to be won, 3 of the 4 items were won by the same person! Â Congratulations to Khem Kharel, owner of Himalayan Cuisine restaurant. Â Not only is Khem a sponsor, he always participates at events as a good community partner. Â This night his generosity paid off as he went home with: Â a 42" LG Plasma Flat Screen TV from Courtesy TV, a $5,000 certificate for a 16x20 Wall Portrait by Bradford Renaissance Portraits, and a $3,000 certificate for a 16x20 Wall Portrait by Bradford Renaissance Portraits. Â The only prize that escaped Khem's grasp was the $3,000 certificate for a water feature that was donated by new Chamber Member, George Juchum, owner of Rockscapes Unlimited, Inc. who has been providing water features such as pools, ponds, and waterfalls to people within the region for years. Â That prize was won by guest Willie Tellez.
Congratulations to all of our heroes, our winners of the silent auction items and our raffle prizes! Â Our grateful thanks to our sponsors and to you, the community - thank you for your support. Â Stay tuned for the details of our 2014 event. Â For the past 5 years we have produced a James Bond-themed event. Â It is now time to change the theme to create a different themed evening for your pleasure. Â With that change please know that we will continue to incorporate high energy for our 2014 evening, Â as we honor our local heroes and celebrate our community!Â
Breakfast with Supervisor Dianne Jacob - The La Mesa Chamber's First Breakfast of 2013 - February 12, 2013
A lively group was in attendance at our first breakfast of the New Year on February 12th. We were happy to have Bob Sole of Express Blinds be our first speaker of our morning and he shared information regarding the installation of window blinds and other window furnishings. Â As Bob always reminds audiences that he is in front of, Express Blinds is the "Best blind date you will ever have!"
We then heard from our own County Supervisor, Dianne Jacob. Â Dianne reported to us on the past successes, the challenges of this new year and all that is new and exciting within the County. Â The new ordinances that have impacted local small wineries has been a great incentive to local growers. Â The Supervisor is working toward a change in the current horse ordinance that allows for boarding and care of people with horses within the county. Â In addition to the ordinances and County report card we are happy to report that not one but two people/groups were in attendance and able to take home cash provided by the Attendance Drawing sponsors. Â The first lucky winner was Ken Kostedt, owner of Kostedt Design & Marketing, one of our newer members. Â He took home $250 that was graciously sponsored by our own local newspaper, The La Mesa Courier. Â The next lucky people to win were the humble group from The Masonic Lodge. Â Not only do they prepare our breakfast for us each session, but this group of men arrives at the site at 5:30 a.m. to begin cooking our breakfast and are always such great hosts. Â It was a pleasant surprise for them when their name was drawn! Â The La Mesa Masonic Lodge won $150, which was graciously sponsored by Borrego Springs Bank.Â
The Chamber continued to give away money at this quarterly breakfast, as the 50/50 raffle was won by guest Peggy Buffo.  So it seems the morning and the New Year ended in a positive way for everyone.  Several received money to begin the year off right, we heard exciting news regarding the county in which we live, and we were fed a great and hearty  breakfast all at the same time.  The next Chamber breakfast will be held on April 30th with guest speaker La Mesa Police Chief Ed Aceves.  To make a reservation, click here.
