As many have said before me, what a truly special place we have to live and work in Santa Fe Springs.  The depth of the relationships and caring goes so much deeper than casual business acquaintances. 

This could not have been truer for me on such a personal level.  When Councilwoman Juanita Trujillo included my son and daughter in my swearing-in ceremony, it took an already special day to a whole new level.  Thank you, Juanita.

I would like to welcome and thank the current and new chamber and Youth Enrichment Fund board members and the newly elected Executive Team: President-Elect Michael J. Foley (C B Richard Ellis), Treasurer Liz Buckingham (Friendly Hills Bank), Vice Presidents Patricia Kotze (Diversified Risk Management), Dan Stepanian ( CR&R Waste & Recycling Services), and  Joanne Klemm (Comet Employment Agency) and Immediate Past President Wendy Meador (Tangram Interiors). 

A special thanks goes to Wendy Meador as she served a total of 19 months as President and did so well during a most challenging period.  I look forward to working with such a talented and energized group of professionals.

I also have to thank Kathie Fink, our CEO, and her wonderful and tireless staff made up of Bruce Bertram, Maricela Castellanos, Sue Grana, Laura Guidera and Christy Lindsay.  You make us all look good with all the work you do. 

As I looked at the themes from the past presidents, a common thread has been how we work together between the chamber, business community, local government and city management.  Always moving forward, always working together and always trying to improve.  This general theme has served us well over the years and I have no reason to think we need to change what works. My tag line is: 

                                                                   Together We Can
                                                      Chamber - City - Community

It is through this combined energy and abilities that we will build upon many of the good
things already accomplished and achieve even more for the benefit our business community and particularly the youth. 

What the chamber does inlcudes the mentor program, CHOICES, and our scholarship and grants.  Recently, many demonstrated their continued support of these programs at the elegant Destiny Scholarship Dinner held at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia.  

During my presidency, I hope to bring the business community even closer to use our skills and experiences to help each other and continue to build upon the strong foundation left by many before us. 

I look forward to working with everyone and thank you for your confidence, but the real strength for us comes from our members, the board of directors, chamber staff, the city and most importantly, our shared desire to do all that we can for each other.

Thank you and remember "Together We Can Achieve".

JIM CUSICK
CHAMBER PRESIDENT