Auction, Oscars Theme Makes For Great Event
With nearly 240 in attendance and over $8,000 spent in the annual silent auction, Thursday’s 2001 Annual Installation Dinner made for one of the best of its kind in recent history.
The event’s Oscar theme drew praise from many of the attendees. After guests finished their red carpet registration, they were given a name badge of a famous actor or actress, announced to the crowd as that star and asked for autographs by several groupies. The rest of the room was filled with movie-related decorations. Unfortunately, a 6-foot cardboard cut-out Oscar replica was stolen after the event. The decoration, from Heavenly Choice, cannot be replaced.
During the program, President Debbie Ady was showered with certificates and commendations from various legislators including Gov. Gray Davis, Sen. Barbara Boxer, State Sen. Martha Escutia, Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, Supervisor Gloria Molina and more.
Ady also gave a short speech thanking those who organized the dinner and recognized the board of directors. She also looked back at the year’s events and encouraged everyone to keep working hard and supporting the Commerce Industrial Council.
At her request, Ady also took the time to honor one of the chamber’s volunteers, Caroline Gomez, calling her a “consummate supporting player.” Gomez, a Commerce resident, received an award of appreciation and an honorary membership to the Commerce Industrial Council.
The program also included the awarding of the annual Loren Van Tuyl award for outstanding support and contribution to the Commerce Industrial Council to Bob Glick from Banco Popular. Bob was the Commerce Industrial Council president for 1996 and 1997 and continues to serve on the board of directors. An article on the award can be found here.
But possibly the biggest reason for the night’s success was the silent auction, which raised more money than any previous year since its inception. This is primarily due to receiving $3,000 from an auction item from Bulletin Displays: one month of advertising on a freeway billboard. Normally valued at $5,100, Bulletin Displays let three bidders have it for $1,000 each. Other popular items included helicopter rides, tickets, a 25 inch television, a DVD player and more.
The next Commerce Industrial Council special event is the April 25th Women In Business Luncheon, also at Stevens. Make your reservations early. Last year, more than 300 people came on Secretary’s Day and were treated to a great Citadel Factory Stores fashion show. Call (323) 728-7222 to make your reservations.