Chamber of Commerce Kicks Off Grand Opening

LOMA LINDA >> The Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce is officially back in business after its kickoff grand opening held June 14, open house style. Members from the community, including standing Chamber members, new members and representatives from local businesses and city government, enjoyed refreshing shaved ice from Kona Ice and food from Najwa’s Mediterranean Cuisine, while the Drayson Center Wellness Office provided chair massages. Chair massages and delicious food weren’t the only benefit to the grand opening, however. During the event, the Chamber of Commerce not only highlighted upcoming events available to members like the monthly Breakfast Network Meetings, but also gave businesses an opportunity to rub shoulders with other businesses and city officials. “We were very fortunate that we had the mayor and councilmen here in attendance,” said William Arnold, president of the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce and Associate Superintendent of Schools for the Southeastern California Conference of SDA. “We also had the city manager and a number of the people from the city here, as well as a number of standing members, and we signed up a number of new members that came that day to check it out and see what was happening. We felt very fortunate for that.” Mayor Rhodes Rigsby and City Manager T. Jarb Thaipejr weren’t the only city officials in attendance. Arnold said that representatives from Assemblymember Marc Steinorth’s and Senator Mike Morrell’s offices were also present. “We’re trying to provide for more networking opportunities,” Arnold said. One way the Chamber is accomplishing this now is through an updated website, which can be reached at http://lomalindachamber.org/. Business resources, upcoming chamber events and other networking opportunities are listed on the website, along with a way to contact the Chamber and get connected. “[People] thought it was a nice evening of rubbing shoulders and networking with people that were there, starting back into that process with the Loma Linda Chamber,” Arnold said. A number of new members had the opportunity to sign up with the Chamber that evening, including Vegan Fresh Restaurant, Fiesta Village and Bella View Glass. “We felt like we got a lot of stuff out there that people know we’re here now,” Arnold said. Every month, members can look forward to Breakfast Network Meetings, which allows one hour of time for members to network and breakfast with one another.The breakfast morning meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month in the Community Room at City Hall from 7:30-8:30 a.m. The next meeting on Aug. 3 will cover police and safety and how business owners can protect their business. Arnold said members can also look forward to upcoming open houses, but that the next big events to come are the State of the City Luncheon in August, the Back to School Bash with Loma Linda University in September and the Annual Golf Tournament in November. The dates are to be determined. Another exciting opportunity offered by the Chamber is a possible Farmer’s Market in Loma Linda, which Arnold said they hope to roll out sometime in the fall. “We’re getting a lot of interest in that,” he said. For more information on the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce, visit their website or check them out on Facebook, or call the office at 909-799-2828.