bconejo t imes -...

InsideMessage ............................. 2Board Members .................. 3New Member Businesses ... 5 Lunch and Learn................. 6Event Highlights.................. 6Business Briefs .................. 8Calendar ........................... 10

The offi cial publication of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Online at www.conejochamber.org

December 2012

Serving Thousand Oaks • Westlake Village • Agoura Hills • Newbury Park • Oak Park

PROMOTING COMMUNITY

BUSINESS TIMESConejo

Greater Conejo Valley

Th

ou

san

d O

aks Westlake Village Ago

ura H

ills

Since 1939

Chamber of Commerce

We Create Opportunities for Business Success by

Creating a strong local economy• Promoting community• Providing networking • opportunitiesRepresenting the interests of • business with governmentTaking political action• Supporting a sustainable future•

As a resident, em-ployee and citizen of Thousand Oaks, I found the Leader-ship program to be an invaluable ex-perience as it gave me the opportu-nity to meet the incredible leaders in our community

and learn more about the impressive resources and services available to us in our region. I am continuously amazed by the quality services and programs in our community. The Lead-ership Program has been instrumental in raising my awareness, increasing my connections and inspiring me to get more involved to give back to our community.

Kristine D. CalaraCalifornia Lutheran University

Members Say

EventsBreakfast: Fri., Dec. 7, 7-9 a.m., Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel. Thousand Oaks State of the City: Tues., Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Los Robles Greens Banquet Center, Thousand Oaks.Mixer: Wed., Dec. 12, 5:30-7 p.m., Total Woman Gym & Day Spa, Westlake Village.Breakfast: Fri., Jan. 11, 7:30-9 a.m., Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks.

More on page 10

UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

2013 Brings New Employment Laws That Affect Businesses in California

GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION

CITY GOVERNMENT

The California Cham-ber of Commerce has released a list of new employment laws scheduled to take ef-fect in 2013 or earlier that will have an im-pact on businesses in California.

There have been significant changes in key areas, such as anti-discrimination protec-tions, employee access to personnel records and employer access to personal social me-dia accounts. Other laws relate to specific industries, such as farm labor contractors and temporary servic-es employers.

Agoura Hills Mayor Reports at State-of-the-City Luncheon

Unless specified, the following list of new legislation goes into effect on January 1, 2013. The entire list can also be viewed at www.calchamber.com/newlaws2013.Religion and Reasonable Accommodation

AB 1964 clarifies that Fair Employ-ment and Housing Act (FEHA) discrimina-tion protections and reasonable accommo-dation requirements cover religious dress practices and religious grooming practices. It also specifies that seg-regating an individual

from other employees or the public is not a reasonable accommo-dation of religious be-liefs or observances.

Sex Discrimination and Breastfeeding

AB 2386 changes the definition of “sex” under FEHA for pur-poses of discrimina-tion protections to include breastfeeding and related medical conditions. Social Media and Personal Passwords

CalChamber-sup-ported AB 1844 pro-hibits employers from requiring or request-ing employees or job applicants to provide user names or pass-words for personal social media accounts and from requesting

an employee or appli-cant to divulge person-al social media. There are limited exceptions, including an exception relating to employer investigations.Inspection of Personnel Records

AB 2674 makes significant changes to the inspection and retention of personnel records, in the follow-ing areas: (1) who has the right to inspect or request copies of per-sonnel files; (2) any deadlines for provid-ing access to files; (3) where and how records must be made

Thousand Oaks State of the City Address Slated for December 11Just a few more days remain to reserve a space at the Thousand Oaks State of the City Address and Lun-cheon, coming Tues-day, December 11, 2012, at Los Robles Greens Banquet Cen-ter, 299 South Moor-park Road, in Thou-sand Oaks.

Mayor Jacqui Irwin will address the cur-rent state of the city of Thousand Oaks, dis-cuss the accomplish-

Mayor Jacqui Irwin

Key areas of change include:

anti-discrimination • protectionsemployee access • to personnel records employer access • to personal social media accountsfarm labor • contractorstemporary • services employers

and much more• —Cont. on page 11

Agoura Hills Mayor John Edelston deliv-ered the state of the city address last month to more than 100 local business owners and civic leaders at the Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel.

Sponsored by the Greater Conejo Val-ley Chamber, the lun-cheon featured an an-nual report in the form of a video that includ-ed excerpts from city, business and Cham-ber leaders. Emceed by Brad Rosenheim of Rosenheim and

ments that have been made under her lead-ership during the past year and offer high-lights of what is on the horizon for 2013.

A networking re-ception will begin at 11:30 a.m., with a lun-cheon at 12 p.m. fol-lowed by the mayor’s address.

The cost is $45 per person. Online regis-tration is required no later than Thursday, December 6 at www.

Recognition Gala Will Celebrate Business Excellence

Associates, speakers included Edelston and Chamber Chairman-Elect Kristen Davis, Senior Manager of

Corporate Communi-cations with Amgen Inc. (See Davis’ full speech on page 2).

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber’s annual Recognition Gala is slated for Fri-day evening, January 25, 2013 at the Four Seasons Hotel West-lake Village.

Guests will find the evening transformed into the flavor of old Casablanca, with a nod to the classic movie starring Hum-phrey Bogart and In-grid Bergman.

Since 1963, the gala has honored a Man of the Year and Woman of the Year, selected from the Chamber’s

membership.Other categories

the Chamber will honor are Business of the Year, Corpo-rate Sponsor of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Ambassador of the Year, as well as the outgoing Cham-ber Chairman of the Board John LaRocca of Sage Bankcard.

This year’s winners will be announced at the gala—rather than in advance, as was the practice in recent years—so there will

conejochamber.org. Go to the calendar sec-tion to sign up—space is limited. For informa-tion, call the Chamber at 805.370.0035.

—Cont. on page 12

—Cont. on page 3

Mayor John Edelston addresses the audience.

City of Thousand Oaks Certified Green Business

RECOGNITION

DINNER & GALAFRIDAY

JANUARY 25, 20136:30 - 11 P.M.

$115 PER PERSON

RSVP ONLINE BY

JANUARY 22 AT

CONEJOCHAMBER.ORG

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WESTLAKE VILLAGE

CITY GOVERNMENT

2DECEMBER 2012

Conejo Business TimesGreater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Chairman-Elect Reports on State of the ChamberPRESIDENT’S MESSAGE\

Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce600 Hampshire Road, Suite 200

Westlake Village, CA 91361805.370.0035 • Fax 805.370.1083

www.conejochamber.org

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEJohn LaRocca, Chairman

Sage Bankcard

Jill Lederer, President/CEOGreater Conejo Valley

Chamber of Commerce

Phillip A. Koonce, Chairman-EmeritusKristen Davis, Chairman-Elect

Amgen, Inc.

Rick Lemmo, Treasurer Caruso Affiliated

Leonard Greenlee, Secretary Baxter Healthcare

Matt Huss, Director-at-LargeSheraton Agoura Hills Hotel

Matthew Midura, Director-at-LargePepperdine University

Marcia Sutton, Director-at-LargeDole Food Co., Inc.

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJennifer Ciccone, The Oaks

Tom Cohen, Alston + Bird, LLP

David Coonan, Hyatt Westlake Plaza

Dave Friedl, CR Print

Mary Guy, California Republic Bank

Greg Kaapuni, Attorney at Law

Jacqueline Pick, Doctor of Chiropractic

Angel Robertson, Dallas Capital

Lisa Safaeinili, Westminster Free Clinic

Candice Shehorn, Key Pointe Coaching

Keith Sinclair, Sinclair Company

Greg Taylor, Hub International

Ryan Van Ommeren California Lutheran University

Yvonne Vollert, Oaks Christian School

Nicole Winner, WinnerQuotes Insurance

Kim Woods, Keller Williams

Stephen Yeoh, MIT Consulting Corp.

CHAMBER STAFFJill Lederer

President/CEO

Sue Tuttle Controller

JoLynn HingerDirector of Marketing/Communication

Managing Editor

Alexis NalleyCommunication Coordinator

Sarah EkebergDirector of Government & Economic Affairs

Liz BarrettMembership Director / Special Projects

Liaison

Danielle Borja Events Manager

Barbara BrownCommunity Coordinator

Conejo Business Times is the official monthly publication of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Copyright 2012 Greater Conejo Valley Chamber. All rights reserved. Reproduction of all or part of this publication is prohibited except with written permission. The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce does not warrant or guarantee the correctness of the information furnished them, nor against the possibility of errors, omissions, or inaccuracies. We reserve the rights to edit or reject any materials submitted. Publication of any material shall not be deemed as endorsement of any product, service, business or individual.

Kristen Davis

POLITICAL ACTION

Dear Members: Our incom-ing Chairman of the Board, Kristen Davis, Sr. Manager of Corporate Communica-tions for Amgen, delivered an extremely well-received State of the Chamber address at the first State of the City for Agoura Hills produced by the Greater Conejo Val-ley Chamber of Commerce. This event also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the City of Agoura Hills. Many of Kristen’s remarks have been covered in the local media, but we thought you’d enjoy reading them in their entirety. ~Jill Lederer, President/CEO

“Thank you, Brad (Rosen-heim, the MC and resident of Agoura Hills), and thank you to all of you who have

joined us here today to hon-or Mayor John Edelston and the City of Agoura Hills for both an outstanding year and the 30th Anniversary of our gem of a city.

I’d like to introduce you to some of our Board mem-bers who are with us today: would each of you stand and be recognized as I call your name? Tom Cohen, Mary Guy, Greg Kaapuni, Phil Koonce, Stephen Yeoh, and our brand new city of Ago-ura Hills Business of the Year Award Winner Mat-thew Huss of the Sheraton Agoura Hills. Thank you all so much for your service to the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce and the city of Agoura Hills.

No state of our Chamber would be complete without an acknowledgement and a sincere thanks to Mayor John Edelston who, along with Councilmember Bill Koehler were part of the first meetings that resulted in this Chamber becoming the official Chamber for the city of Agoura Hills. They embraced the vision of what was possible…and that is the theme I have chosen for my year as Chairman of the Board of Directors: Togeth-er, it’s Possible.

Together, over the last

year, our Chamber has been recognized as a 5-Star chamber by the accrediting agency of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, placing us in the top 1 percent of the more than 7,500 chambers of com-merce in the United States. In fact it was one year ago this week that we received that news.

This year, we also re-ceived our fourth con-secutive President’s Circle Award for our commitment to legislative and employ-ment education, action and compliance on behalf of our members. We also became certified as a green business.

And we continue to be one of the largest chambers of commerce in the Western United States with a growing membership of almost 1,200 dynamic businesses crossing all industry sectors.

This year we executed the formation of our Young Professionals Group, known as the Emerging Leaders, whose inaugural event was held here at Brendan’s Irish Pub Agoura Hills. In fact, we’ve enjoyed several firsts in Agoura Hills this year as we kicked off our Califor-nia CEO Speaker Series last week in this very room with the CEO of Sport Chalet sharing his company’s story

NEW MEMBER LUNCHEON

New Members Learn About Chamber Benefits

Nearly 20 new members were introduced to the many features and benefits of Chamber membership at the October New Member Lun-cheon.

A panel of Chamber employees and member representatives presented promotional and network-ing options, Chamber com-mittees, and a variety of ex-tras that are afforded to all Chamber members, such as

SCORE counseling, event discounts, Lunch and Learn classes and free Conejo Business Times articles.

Lunch was graciously provided by Qdoba Mexican Grill of Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village. See their ad on page 5 of this issue for a special offer.

The new members also took advantage of the net-working opportunities avail-able amongst themselves.

of survival. One can’t mention the

struggles of any company without recognizing the challenges facing all of them during this recovering economy. At the Chamber, we have no doubt that the economy is indeed recov-ering because we see signs of hope and progress every day in new businesses open-ing and older businesses re-inventing and rebranding themselves, while preparing foundations for a more sus-tainable future.

Great businesses are born and reborn in a recession and this one is no different.

But since the Chamber’s true north is economic de-velopment, we cannot ignore that there are impediments in our state which make it harder for our businesses to succeed. While each of our three amazing cities of Ago-ura Hills, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks do a stel-lar job of merging business needs with resident’s priori-ties, the regulatory environ-ment in our state makes it necessary for our businesses to compete at a much higher level of expertise than else-where. That said, those of us here together today and our colleagues back at work,

Voting Record for Major 2012 Bills: How Your State Legislators VotedThe California Chamber of Commerce has compiled the voting records of local leg-islators on major business-related bills.

2012 Senate Vote Record on the following topics:Economic Development SB 1161 Internet-Based ServicesSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) NV Strickland, Tony (R) YAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) Y

Environmental RegulationSB 568 Polystyrene Food ContainersSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) YStrickland, Tony (R) NAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

SB 1054 Increases Energy CostsSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) Y

Strickland, Tony (R) —Failed passage in Senate.

SB 1118 Excessive MandateSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) YStrickland, Tony (R) N

—Cont. on page 12

Chamber Recognition GalaFriday, January 25, 2013

Four Seasons Westlake VillageReservations available online at:

www.conejochamber.org805.370.0035

—Cont. on page 7

Key: Y means voted for bill.

N means voted against bill.

● means not voting “aye” on a CalChamber-opposed bill.

NV means not voting

— means absent.

Boldface type indicates votes in accord with Cal-Chamber position.

The last three numbers are a tabulation of votes in ac-cord with the CalChamber position, not in accord with the CalChamber, and not voting or absent.

3Conejo Business TimesGreater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce DECEMBER 2012

WORKING WITH GOVERNMENTMeet the Chamber Board Members

HIGHLIGHTING LEADERS

PROMOTING EDUCATION

Blended Learning in the Classroom Discussed at Education CommitteeThe Honorable Frank Baxter, former Ambassador to Uru-guay and Chairman Emeri-tus of Jefferies & Company, presented on the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools. He also discussed the implementation of a program utilizing blended learning. The inner-city stu-dents served are learning at least twice as fast as under the traditional model. This is a model that is scalable, sustainable and provides rapid improvement.

Baxter believes every social problem is related to education. In the 1990s Baxter supported charter schools. In 2004 a nonprofit charter management or-ganization called Alliance

for College-Ready Public Schools opened in Los An-geles. In the Alliance there are 21 free, public charter schools comprised of six middle schools and 15 high schools with a total of 9,500 low-income students in Los Angeles.

The Alliance explored the prospect of blended learning

FrankBaxter

BUSINESS EDUCATION

Introducing our Chamber staff mem-bers: each one’s dedication and dili-gence contributes to the overall success of our Chamber.

Liz Barrett has been the Cham-ber’s Member-ship Director and Special Projects Liaison for more than a year, and in her more than 20-year sales career she has found that it’s truly all about

Membership Director Builds Relationships With Chamber Members

people and rela-tionships.

Seeking out new and estab-lished businesses to promote mem-bership and sup-port of the Cham-ber is something she enjoys doing because of the unique perspec-tive she gains on the local business community over-all.

Her belief is that strength lies in numbers, and by joining an in-volved and dy-namic group, in-dividual business owners automati-cally have a sense of belonging to something much bigger and stron-ger than them-

selves. In turn, this gives the Chamber a larger voice and role in supporting those businesses to lo-cal government.

Opportunities to meet and con-nect with other members are nu-merous, from net-working groups to various commit-tees and forums to larger monthly mixers.

In her spare time Barrett is a Certified Special-ist of Wine (CSW) and enjoys explor-ing the California Wine Country with friends. She graduated from The University of Florida and is a proud Gator.

Liz Barrett

CHAMBER STAFF

Tough Talks Discussed at HR ForumTough Talk Coach Esther Bleuel presented “How to Deliver Bad News to Em-ployees” at the October quar-terly Human Resources Fo-rum meeting. She provided tips and guidelines for how to deal with tough employ-ees. She began by asking at-tendees to provide examples of tough conversations they have experienced.

Bleuel noted that when-ever there are risks involved, separate the person from the problem. She further stated, “Fix the problem and fix the relationship.” She reminded

attendees that managers have responsibility, not the author-ity.

She also discussed why managers and supervisors avoid giving honest feedback and critique to employees. Many people avoid deliver-ing bad news because they do not want to get blamed and they are afraid of the re-

—Cont. on page 7

—Cont. on page 4

The Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce congratulates its new-ly-elected 2013 Board of Directors and thanks the 2012 Board for their dedication and hard work through-out the year. Board members serve a three-year term and are allowed a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Newly elected to the 2013 Board: Dr. Chris Kimball, President, California

Lutheran UniversityAmanda McPheeters Flaum, Anthem

Blue Cross/WellpointMark Serjak, Director of Operations,

Verizon CommunicationsJanet Hartley, Vice President/Branch

Manager, US Bank

Re-elected to the Board for a second term: Greg Kaapuni, Attorney at Law, Law

Offices of Greg KaapuniYvonne Vollert, Associate Director

of Advancement Public & Media Relations, Oaks Christian School

Greg Taylor, Hub International Insurance Services

Nicole Winner, Owner, Winner Quotes Insurance

Executive Committee for 2013: Chairman of the Board, Kristen Davis,

Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, Amgen Inc.

Chairman-Elect, Leonard Greenlee, Facility Management Director, Baxter Healthcare Corp.

Chairman-Emeritus, John LaRocca, Managing Director, Sage Bankcard

Treasurer, Matthew Huss, General Manager, Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel

Secretary, Matthew Midura, Asst. V.P. of Integrated Marketing Communications, Pepperdine University

Director-at-Large, Jennifer Ciccone, Senior Property Manager, The Oaks

Director-at-Large, Marcia Sutton, Director of Human Resources, Dole Food Company

Director-at-Large, Rick Lemmo, Sr. V.P. Community Relations, Caruso Affiliated

Director-at-Large, Phillip Koonce, Former Chairman-Elect, Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Director-at-Large, Angel Robertson, Skyline Mortgage

Jill Lederer, President/CEO, Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce

Sitting Board Directors: Tom Cohen, Partner, Alston + Bird LLPDavid Coonan, General Manager, Hyatt

Westlake PlazaMary Guy, Vice President/Business

Development Officer, California Republic Bank

Dr. Jacqueline Pick, Doctor of ChiropracticLisa Safaeinili, Executive Director,

Westminster Free ClinicCandice Shehorn, Founder, Key Pointe

Coaching LLCKeith Sinclair, President/CEO, Sinclair

CompanyKim Woods, Realtor, The Moerler

Team–Keller Williams RealtyStephen Yeoh, President, MIT

Consulting Corp.

Board members whose terms expire at the end of 2012: Dave Friedl, Owner, CR PrintRyan Van Ommeren, V.P. Facilities

Planning, CLU

At the October Government Relations Committee meet-ing, Jim Friedl, General Man-ager of the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD), provided the group with an overview of the district.

Friedl grew up in Agoura Hills and has been involved in local government for 20 years. He noted that he is fortunate the “community supports what we are trying to do.”

As a general manager for CRPD, Friedl works for

five elected board of direc-tors. He commented that his position is similar to a city manager, but his main fo-cus is on parks, recreation and open space. CRPD’s boundaries are different than a city’s boundaries. CRPD serves 140,000 residents. Fortunately, the loss of rede-velopment agencies did not negatively affect CRPD. The district is funded by property tax; therefore, it has a stable revenue source due to Propo-

Conejo Recreation and Park District Provides Overview to GRC

The video re-port spotlighted the history of Ag-oura Hills, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Excerpts included the historic Reyes Adobe, the Hilton Foundation, local arts and culture, and local business-es, such as Cham-ber members Lady-face Ale Companie and Brendan’s Irish Pub.

One of the

highlights of the event was the city’s award to the Busi-ness of the Year,

accepted by Matt Huss, Manager for the Sheraton Ago-ura Hills Hotel.

Pictured L-R: Denis Weber, Agoura Hills city Mayor Pro Tem; Matthew Huss, General Manager, Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel; William D. Koehler, Agoura Hills city Councilmember.

GRC Chairman Ryan Van Ommeren, Chamber Director of Government and Economic Affairs Sarah Ekeberg, and CRPD General Manager Jim Friedl.

—Cont. on page 6

Speaker Esther Bluel with HR Committee Chairman Ron Cooke.

—Cont. on page 4

Sport Chalet CEO Presents at Chamber’s ForumThe Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce in partnership with California CEO Forum (CCF), hosted a business presentation this fall.

The featured speaker was Craig Levra, Chairman/CEO of Sport Chalet, who pre-sented his inspiring talk Liv-ing Through the Recession, Then Taking It to the Limit: Sport Chalet Rises Again to a full group of local business professionals on October 25 at the Sheraton Agoura Hills

Hotel.Sport Chalet, a lead-

ing operator of full-service sporting goods stores in California and neighboring states, was hit hard by the economic slowdown. Under

Craig Levra

Agoura—From p. 3

4DECEMBER 2012


Thank You for RenewingExceptional businesses invest in the Chamber because they recog-nize the value of membership.

27 Years Opolo Wines / R.

Quinn

26 Years Shaver Automotive

Group

25 Years Daniel Chergey

Insurance Agency, Inc.

24 YearsCarignan Consulting

CompanySenior Concerns

21 Years Animal Hospital of

Thousand OaksWestlake Villas

Apartments

20 Years Slywka, Brian, MDGarrett & Tully,

Professional Corp.

19 YearsBaxter Healthcare

CorporationRadical Air &

Refrigeration

18 Years PTS Home & Office

Furniture

17 Years Animated Designs,

LLC

16 Years Tax and Notary Offices

of Ted Jessee

15 Years Alliance for the Arts

14 Years Conejo Valley Stamp &

Coin, Inc.

12 Years Freedom Wealth

ManagementRonald Reagan

Presidential Library & Museum

West Coast Tree & Property Maintenance

11 Years Lantern Masters, Inc.

10 Years Boston Private Bank &

Trust CompanyABS InternetGold’s Gym Thousand

Oaks

9 Years Los Robles Greens

Golf Course

Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital (TOSH)

7 Years Westminster Free

ClinicGenworth Financial /

Michael Veta

6 Years Stitch, Ronald K.,

AttorneyPepperdine University-

Graziadio Sch of Bus & Mgmt

Ventura Orthopedics Medical Group, Inc.

Condor Pacific Ind. of CA

5 Years Daland Swim SchoolKeller Williams Realty /

K. Woods

4 Years United Blood ServicesEbert Appraisal

Service, Inc.Jos. A. Bank Clothier,

Inc.

3 Years Registry Monitoring

Insurance Services Inc.

Janis Flippen Public Relations

Sweet Arleen’sConejo DealsMotel 6Famous Dave’s BBQ

2 Years Logix - Newbury ParkUS Data CorporationAdler Realty

Investments, Inc., Conejo Valley Division

Andrew Goldenberg, DDS Family, Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry

Ventura County Bar Asscn. Lawyer Referral & Information Service

Sarna & Company Certified Public Accountants

Chem-Dry Carpet Tech

1 Year Model InteriorsGail Claridge InteriorsChin San Asian Bistro

& Sushi BarKevin L. Dorhout,

Attorney at Law, APC

California Neurological Specialists

Conejo Valley CPRSouth Coast Tax

Resolution

Welcome New MembersEight Businesses Invest in Their Success

PROMOTING BUSINESS

American Restoration, Inc.

Azteca Landscape

Fastframe

Greater Conejo Valley Community Foundation

Lady Luck Casino Entertainment

Marc Perry Architect, Inc.

McDonald’s - Avenida de los Arboles

Stratosphere Marketing Solutions, Inc.

Total Woman Gym & Day Spa

Wednesday, Dec. 12 5:30 - 7 p.m.

Networking at Night Mixer

Hosted by:

Admission collected at the door: Chamber Members: $5 Non-Members: $15

For more information, call or visit: 805.370.0035 �� www.conejochamber.org

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Guest emcee: Rick Lemmo, Caruso Affiliated

Special thank you to breakfast sponsor:

Networking Breakfast

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and leveraging technology as an exten-sion of learning.

Baxter described the content of blended learning, which includes three styles of learning: teacher-led small group instruction; collaborative learn-ing; and personalized, individualized online learning. Students are split into three groups and they rotate to each of the three stations spending two hours with each learning style. The first sta-tion focuses on personalized one-on-one online learning.

The second station concentrates on collaboration. In tables of four, students work together to accomplish tasks. Lastly, the teacher coaches a group of students at the third station. This blended learning program has shown that students spend more time catching up and even getting ahead than in tradi-tional models of learning. The rotation model is important because kids do not lose focus. In addition, the different modalities allow the teacher to cover all three unique styles of learning.

Baxter believes this model is scal-able because it makes teachers more effective. In addition, it is a sustainable model as students learn regardless of the teacher. He believes teachers who

employ a traditional learning style lose the focus of many of their students. With blended learning, a teacher is more ef-fective with fewer kids to teach at once.

The Education Committee meets on the first Thursday of each month (dark July and August), 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

percussions. If there is real or perceived injustice, that upsets people the most. It is important to never blindside or sur-prise an employee. People are never at their best when they are surprised. You want to make sure you only bring up what you know is true and only have the conversation if you can be kind. You want to avoid being angry. As Bleuel comments, “if you are escalated, you can’t manage yourself.” If you begin re-acting, then the other person will react and the escalation will continue.

She explained how a manager or su-pervisor can prevent a problem in the first place. It is important to commu-nicate clearly and address the situation early. A manager should also promote buy-in from the employee. It is best to provide constructive feedback right away and to always be fair and equi-

table. When a manager sees someone doing something right, they should let that employee know.

She further demonstrated how a manager or supervisor can address a sticky issue. A manager should protect a person’s privacy and dignity. A manager should prepare in advance to anticipate the impact of the conversation. In addi-tion to preparation, a manager should set a specific goal for the conversation to remain focused. Managers should keep conversations simple, should be objective, should confirm understand-ing, should be willing to be wrong, and should empathize and acknowledge an employee’s situation.

If you are interested in attending the Human Resources Forum’s quarterly meetings, email Sarah Ekeberg, Direc-tor of Government & Economic Affairs, at [email protected]. Meet-ings are free to Chamber members and their staff. Non-members can attend for $10.

Meetings are free to Chamber mem-bers and their staff. Non-members can attend for $10. Contact Sarah Ekeberg, Director of Government & Economic Affairs, at [email protected] for more information.

Education—From page 3

Human Resources—From page 3


PROMOTING BUSINESS

Advertise in this publication for

as little as $51 a month!

Call the Chamber for details.

805.370.0035

Lisa Oliver

Brand Image & Marketing Specialist

The Studio

From the flashy world of high fashion as an Executive Manager with M.A.C Cosmetics to teaching English in third world communities throughout Africa, Lisa Oliver liter-ally brings a world of experience to her role as the dynamic Sales Man-ager at The Studio, a multi-media powerhouse in Newbury Park.

Oliver joined the talented young team of creative graphic artists and web developers at The Studio in January 2012. In less than a year she is accomplishing for The Studio what she offers to the businesses she works with in the Conejo Val-ley: simple and stress-free solutions for increasing your company’s competitive advantage through the power of multi-media.

Internet presence is now one of the most vital elements to a com-pany’s success. Remember the days when a nice suit, a firm hand shake, and a friendly smile was what you needed to impress customers? To-day, a company without a website is kind of like a company, well, with-out a face. Your website is often the first impression a customer has of you and your business. However, it is actually better to have no web-site at all than one that makes your business appear unprofessional or unapproachable, like “no smile and a bad suit”.

Whether it’s updates to your cur-rent site or a brand new one, logo design for business cards, or even professional video production, The Studio is your one-stop shop for all things media in the Conejo Val-ley, and Oliver will personally help you navigate the best tools for your unique needs.

Ambassador SpotlightMeet the New Chamber Members

American Restoration Handles DisastersAmerican Restoration Inc. is an emergency restoration contrac-tor with over 20 years of expe-rience in property restoration. One of the most common causes of property loss in homes and businesses is due to water dam-age from a leaked or burst pipe.

The restoration process fol-lowing this damage involves different construction trades and insurance companies. American Restoration’s expertise in han-

dling local disaster situations al-lows them to devote attention to their clients’ needs while return-ing the property to pre-loss con-dition as quickly as possible.

From their Westlake Village location, American Restoration can be anywhere in the Conejo Valley within 30 minutes, day or night.

Specializations include water damage dry out, smoke restora-tion, mold remediation, contents management and interior remod-eling. Call 818.707.0330 or visit www.amerestoration.com.

Chase Opens Westlake BranchChase is the U.S. con-sumer and commercial banking business of JP-Morgan Chase & Co., a leading global financial services firm with as-sets of $2.3 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves consumers and businesses in California through more than 960 bank branches and 4,300 ATMs.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. is one of the oldest, largest and best-known financial institutions in the world. The firm’s legacy dates back to 1799 when its earliest predecessor was char-tered in New York City.

Chase is committed to California and its growth. Since entering California

in 2008 with the acquisi-tion of Washington Mu-tual, Chase has opened nearly 300 branches and hired nearly 7,000 Cali-fornians to better serve its customers.

The newest branch in the Chase network opened its doors in No-vember at Agoura Road and Westlake Boulevard in Westlake Village. Val-erie Bernardo, Branch Manager has been with Chase for 14 years and is a Southern California native. Bernardo, along with her knowledgeable team, is excited to ser-vice the community with all their financial needs.

To find out how Chase can serve your financial needs, con-tact Valerie Bernardo at 805.379.2452 or [email protected].

Lady Luck Casino Enhances EventsTurn your next corporate event or fundraiser into an exciting and memorable evening with casino games from Lady Luck Casino Entertainment. Casino games are a fun element to add to any event, and Lady Luck Casino Entertainment offers customized packages to make your special occasion unforgettable.

Casino equipment includes pro-fessional tables for poker, black-jack, craps and roulette wheels.

They provide modern, Ve-gas-style casino games, acces-sories and professional dealers.

Whether you’re looking to create a thrilling experience for a special occasion, or your organi-zation has a fundraiser, a casino party night can turn any environ-ment into a magical experience.

Lady Luck Casino Entertain-ment specializes in fundraisers, holiday parties, reunions, con-ventions, poker tournaments, casino nights, wedding recep-tions, bar/bat mitzvahs, prom nights and more.

To start planning a night of fun, laughs and excitement, visit www.ladyluck-casinoentertain-ment.com, call 888.775.LUCK, or email [email protected].

ProDerm Image Offers State-of-the-Art ProceduresProDerm Image is devoted to offer-ing its patients the improvement and maintenance of a youthful and healthy appearance through safely performed nonsurgical, minimally invasive, state-of-the-art cosmetic procedures and re-juvenation techniques. ProDerm Image pays special attention to an individual’s needs and treats in a caring, friendly, comfortable and confidential environ-ment.

Their professional staff is dedicated to making your experience at ProDerm Image a pleasant and fulfilling one.

Dr. William J. Schweitzer has over 24 years of experience in providing the highest quality of dermatology care to his patients and is dedicated to prac-ticing with professionalism, empathy and compassion. He has served with distinction as Chief-of-Service of the department of dermatology at Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center for nine years.

To find out more about ProDerm Image or to schedule an appointment, call 805.379.5970.

Sandler Training Helps Increase ReferralsSandler Training provides cus-tomized sustainable business, training, and consulting services for small to mid-size companies and corporate training for For-tune 1,000 companies.

Typically, Sandler Training works with those companies that are doing well and need just a lit-tle “lift” getting to the next level.

Additionally, Sandler Train-ing works with other kinds of companies that struggle more than they should, such as di-rect sales professionals and “non-selling professions” (for

example, attorneys or accoun-tants). These professionals of-ten become frustrated with their efforts trying to increase their fair share of new accounts and client-based referrals.

Sandler Training works with all of them to help them fix their sales and management problems with lasting results so they get back on track, meet their rev-enue goals, and get the quality and quantity of additional busi-ness that they deserve.

For more information about how Sandler Training can help your business, contact Ken Sacks at 818.532.8778 or [email protected].

Robeks Juice Sees Increase in SalesOne of the most amazing Conejo Val-ley business success stories of 2012 is the transformation that has occurred at Robeks Juice in Westlake Village. Since taking over in March, Seth Zielicke and Terry Quinn have increased sales by 92.61 percent.

Steve Davidson, CEO of Robeks, said, “Frankly, in all my years in res-taurant franchising, I have never seen such a dramatic turn-around in such a short period of time.”

Robeks offers premium fruit smoothies, fresh vegetable juices and healthy sandwiches and snacks. In addition to a coordinated marketing campaign around these health ben-efits, Robeks inadvertently increased brand awareness by donating to local schools. The end result was that the people of the Conejo Valley rallied be-hind Robeks. Word spread, and sales grew—exponentially.

Robeks Juice is located at 3835 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite H., in Westlake Village. To find out more, call 805.777.0095.

6DECEMBER 2012


BUSINESS EDUCATION

Free Lunch and Learn Business Seminar Slated for December

NETWORKING AT NIGHT

Learn from peers and pros at the Chamber’s free lunchtime educa-tion series. Bring your own brown-bag lunch and join fellow Chamber members at the Janet Levett Chamber Conference Center, 600 Hampshire Rd., Suite 202, Westlake Village.

This series is open to the first 20 respondents and advance reserva-tions are suggested.

Lunch and Learn is free to Cham-ber members. Non-member cost is $10. Pre-register online at www.cone-jochamber.org to reserve your place. Call the Chamber at 805.370.0035 for further information.

Wed., Dec. 5, 12-1:30 p.m.Online Social Networking for Business: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Moriah Scoble, Symbiocracy.com

Online social net-working provides a simple and af-fordable method to facilitate small business market-ing. This presentation will briefly cover strategies, with an open forum for questions from the audience.

Learn about:The difference between a Face-• book page and your personal ac-count.Social media marketing strate-• gies.Social media etiquette.• The differences between Face-• book, LinkedIn and Twitter and how to leverage them to your business advantage.

Chamber members and guests were treated to an opulent evening of live entertainment and fantastic treats at Model Interiors for the Octo-ber Networking at Night Mixer.

The 40,000 square foot showroom, located just off the 101 freeway in Newbury Park, of-fered guests a chance to explore the extensive selection of fine furnish-ings and interior design elements available.

In the 2,000 square foot professional design

Model Interiors Puts on the Mixer Ritz

GRC —Cont. from page 3

center, where Model Inte-riors offers interior design consulting to interested customers, guests were met with delicious fare provided by La Cucina di Venti and the Village Trader Market and Deli, both located at the Village at Dos Vientos Ranch, Newbury Park.

Live jazz entertain-ment accompanied the boisterous crowd, who networked, admired the facility’s hundreds of leading furniture brands, and sampled the ample food offerings.

Plenty of delicious fare was available for guests.

Meeting, greeting and networking were the order of the evening.

sition 13.CRPD was one of four finalists for

the 2012 Gold Medal Award; the theme was partnerships. CRPD has partnered with Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency, the Santa Monica Mountains Resource Conservation Authority, the city of Thousand Oaks and California Lutheran University.

There have been some changes in CRPD over the past few years. Two years ago, even though adult programs were present, there was not an adult program section in the program guide and now there is a separate section for adult programs. Friedl remarked that there will be a change in programs to suit the changing demographic in the community. Most likely the youth pro-grams will contract, while adult pro-grams will continue to expand. CRPD has expanded into schools and will continue to reprogram centers. Cur-rently, Newbury Park High School and the Borchard Center are running senior programs.

CRPD is approaching its 50th anni-versary. The district was established in November 1962. CRPD will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2013.

If you are interested in attending the Chamber’s Government Rela-tions Committee meetings email Sar-ah Ekeberg, Director of Government & Economic Affairs, at [email protected]. The Government Relations Committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Meetings are free to Chamber members and their staff. Non-members can attend for $10.

Emerging Leaders Mixer at Cinepolis

Wed., Dec. 5, 6-8 p.m.

Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas180 Promenade WayWestlake Village 91362

Connect with young professionals in the Conejo Valley at the newest luxury theater in the area. There will be an exclusive Emerging Leaders cocktail menu to choose from and complimentary tray-passed appe-tizers. A four-pack of movie tickets will go to one lucky winner at the end of the evening, so don’t forget to drop in your business card!

Model Interiors is located at 1171 Tourma-line Drive in Newbury Park and is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To find out more about their design servic-es and goods, visit www.modelinteriors.net or call 805.499.0678.

To learn more about upcoming events and Mixers, visit the Cham-ber’s website at www.conejochamber.org or call 805.370.0035.

The mixer crowd was treated to live mel-odies throughout the evening.

Chamber Ambassadors greeted guests at the front entrance.


BREAKFAST NETWORKING

Networking Abounds at Monthly BreakfastThe Chamber welcomed members and guests to the Sheraton Agoura Hills for the November Jump Start Networking Breakfast. The Sheraton, recently named Business of the Year by the city of Agoura Hills, treated attendees to a robust break-fast buffet.

After a rousing round of personal introductions, em-cee Dave Burns of Cover-2Cover Music led the group in welcoming new Chamber members and invited Jim McGee, CEO of the Ameri-can Red Cross of Ventura County to speak to the group about how the local commu-nity could contribute to re-lief efforts on the East Coast following Hurricane Sandy. To learn more, visit www.redcross.org.

The breakfast was spon-

sored by Conejo Awards. During her presentation, Conejo Awards owner Tam-mie Helmuth ceded the floor to John Brooks of the city of Thousand Oaks, who spoke to guests about the Thousand Oaks Green Business Certification Pro-gram. Conejo Awards was one of the first Conejo Val-ley businesses to receive the distinguished certification, and they continue to look for innovative ways to posi-tively impact their business and community.

The common-sense, free and flexible program can be tailored to any business and not only offers busi-nesses access to incentives and rebates, but also deliv-ers positive visibility to a broad customer base. For more information, email Breakfast guests took turns sharing details about their busi-

nesses with one another.

New Chamber members were welcomed to the breakfast and had an extra opportunity to speak about their businesses.

gave ourselves a tremendous lift up-wards when we chose the city of Ago-ura Hills and close neighbors Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village in which to build our businesses and careers. We are so fortunate to be here.

This past year, your Chamber has partnered with your cities to lay the groundwork for inarguably the most successful economic development tool available to us today: the formation of a Tourism Business Improvement Dis-trict, governed by a Hotel Association Board, designed to strategically bring high-value, low-impact visitors to our community and encourage those that are already here to spend an extra night with us or return to plan a wedding, conference or getaway. There will be a Sports Commission component whose purpose will be to bring and organize events such as the Amgen Tour of Cali-fornia here and to make sure all partici-pants and spectators have a full menu of hotels to stay at and things to do while here. Some businesses may even choose to relocate here.

Conferences, film festivals and our partnerships including Pepperdine, the National Parks Service and California Lutheran University to name a few will allow us to regain the competitive ad-vantage now held by other areas that do promote their communities’ high points. Creating a regional destina-tion brand can be like working a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle – many different ideas, colors, textures and shapes (and partners!) forming together to form one cohesive, compelling picture. Leaving

this vital tool unused creates a glar-ing hole in the goals of every part of our community, particularly our hotels who would benefit most.

To put some metrics to it, for every dollar spent on tourism, there is a $70 return to the community. The collabo-ration of all of our hotels and a pristine canvas on which to write an invitation from the Conejo Valley is pure win-win: no cost to our businesses or resi-dents and all benefit.

In closing, my thanks to the city of Agoura Hills and Mayor Edelston for this opportunity to share some time with you. To all of you in the audience, we are proud to be your Chamber; please come by and visit us any time, sign up for our emails and browse our website. All are welcome.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and 1,200 members of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, thank you so much and enjoy the rest of your afternoon.

the leadership of Levra, the 3,100 em-ployees of Sport Chalet have been turn-ing the 54-store chain around. Some of their accomplishments include stabiliz-ing sales in its stores; growing online sales by 110 percent; increasing sales to teams; reducing occupancy costs by $4 million and inventory by almost the same amount; shrinking debt; and improving gross margins by 140 basis points.

[email protected]. Conejo Awards is located

at 2955 East Hillcrest Drive, Suite 104 in Thousand Oaks and offers hundreds of cus-tomizable promotional and celebratory items. For cre-ative and unique holiday gift ideas, visit www.cone-

joawards.com. Join the Chamber for

future Jump Start Network-ing Breakfasts on the first Friday of each month. For more information on up-coming events, visit www.conejochamber.org or call 805.370.0035.

Davis —Cont. from page 2

CEO —Cont. from page 3

Tammie Helmuth, Conejo Awards, and John Brooks, city of Thousand Oaks.

Education CommitteeChair: Tania Garcia,Cal State Channel IslandsDate: 1st Thursday of every month Time: 3:45-5 p.m.

Government Relations CommitteeChair: Ryan VanOmmeren,California Lutheran UniversityDate: 4th Wednesday of every month Time: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

Human Resources ForumChair: Ron Cooke, AttorneyDate: Once a Quarter, fourth Thurs-day Time: 4-5 p.m.

Technology ForumChair: OpenDate: 3rd Thursday of the monthTime: 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

Senior ResourcesChair: Dennis WoodDate: Monthly (TBD)Time: 9-10 a.m.

All Chamber committees and fo-rums are open to both Chamber members and non-members. There is a $10 fee for non-members. Visit the event calendar at www.conejo-chamber.org to register.

Chamber Committees Offer In-Depth Learning

Order Your 2013 California Employment Poster Today!

MANDATORY CHANGE TO EMPLOYMENT NOTICES POSTER

Make sure your business is in compliance. Even if you have only one employee, you can be fined

$17,000 for not posting required notices. Our poster includes all 16 notices in one convenient

poster. Order yours today! www.conejochamber.org, select Chamber Store

Or call 805.370.0035

8DECEMBER 2012


Insert yourself in front of your customers.

The Ventura County Star can print and deliver beautiful full-color, glossy inserts to every home in Ventura County for as little as 3¢ each. Forget about mailbox delivery at 45¢ per home, when you can reach your best customers and prospects through a combined print and deliver program in the daily Ventura County Star and the free community weekly, EXTRA!

Call today for a quote to print and deliver your sales flyers. 805.437.0332

REACH EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN VENTURA COUNTY

Blood Donations NeededMake a New Year’s resolution to

donate blood this year. Blood dona-tions are needed every day to help hos-pital patients. Each blood donation can

help to save up to three lives! To find a blood drive location that

is convenient for you, please call Unit-ed Blood Services at 800.715.3699 or online at www.blood4life.org.

L.A. County Offers Free Workshop on Child Support ServicesFor the first time in Northern Los An-geles County, the Child Support Ser-vices Department will be holding a free workshop for payroll professionals and employers regarding child support re-quirements.

The workshop will be held on Fri-day, December 7 from 8:30 a.m. to

12:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles County Library Agoura Hills, 29901 Ladyface Court, Agoura Hills.

The workshop will cover child sup-port withholding and other issues that employers may encounter. A handy reference notebook will be given to all attendees.

Seating is limited; register for this free and informative workshop online at cssd.lacounty.gov or call 323.832.7251.

VSP to Add 400 Jobs After Favorable State RulingVision Service Plan (VSP) isn’t going anywhere. In fact, a favorable decision by a state agency Tuesday prompted the Rancho Cordova insurer to green-light a plan to add 400 jobs in the area.

The state agreed to rewrite the rules governing California’s fledgling online insurance market, a crucial piece of President Barack Obama’s overhaul of the health care system.

The revision gives companies like VSP – which insure eye care only – much greater access to sell coverage in the online market. VSP and other eye-care insurers can now take aim at the

full range of Californians who will buy coverage through the market, which begins operations in January 2014.

Within minutes of the decision, VSP Chief Executive Rob Lynch told The Sacramento Bee the company will hire 400 workers in the region.

Several of VSP’s supporters argued that the agency overseeing the new market, the California Health Benefit Exchange’s original decision made little business sense because many Californians buy vision coverage from stand-alone companies like VSP.

“We think this is good for consum-ers,” said the exchange’s executive di-rector, Peter Lee.

To find out more about the Cali-fornia Health Benefit Exchange, visit www.hbex.ca.gov.

Business Briefs: Updates and Announcements

New Loan Offi cer Joins EDC-VC TeamThe Economic Development Collab-orative-Ventura County (EDC-VC) announced the addition of Marvin Boateng as the nonprofit organiza-tion’s new loan officer. He replaces Joe Palmer, who retired after six years with EDC-VC. Boateng hails from the bank-ing industry, serving as a branch man-ager and financial service specialist.

EDC-VC is a regional lender that provides funding for businesses that have been turned down by traditional financial institutions. Boateng will work closely with EDC-VC’s Small Business Development Center’s advi-sors to evaluate client financials, iden-tify sources of capital and serve as a resource for financial questions.

“Marvin has a strong blend of skills, motivation and understanding of how small busi-nesses can access capital. His back-ground in banking will be invaluable, as he understands

both the clients’ and institutions’ per-spectives,” said Bruce Stenslie, presi-dent/CEO EDC-VC.

EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit or-ganization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County. For more informa-tion, visit www.edc-vc.com or contact Bruce Stenslie at 805.384.1800 ex-tension 24, or [email protected].

Art Museum Unveils New Name and New Cultural Opportunities for RegionThe Regional Art Museum (RAM) an-nounced its new name, the California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMA-TO) at a town hall meet-ing in September. The new name is the result of months of discussions and planning meetings under the guidance of Marcy Goodwin, of M. Goodwin Associates, Inc.

In addition, Goodwin

helped create the museum’s strate-gic outlook and other documentation which will enable the organization to move forward with its plans to bring a world class fine art and design museum to the region.

CMATO will offer a broad range of educational and cultural op-portunities and will become a vital center for the regional community with presenta-tions of classes, workshops, seminars, lectures, exhibi-tions and special events. For more information visit www.cmato.org.

CLU Adds Student Rabbi to Campus Ministry Staff Belle Michael, a rabbinic student at the Academy for Jewish Religion, has joined the staff of Campus Ministry at California Lutheran University. Mi-chael serves as an adjunct professor in the university’s Religion Department and oversees the campus’ student-run Hillel group. She is Campus Ministry’s first Jewish staff member, which re-flects CLU’s ecumenical focus in rec-ognizing and supporting all religious faiths on campus.

As Campus Ministry staff, Michael promotes knowledge about Judaism to students, staff and the community; en-courages interfaith dialogue; and builds personal connections between people

and religions. Mi-chael will also pe-riodically preach at the University Cha-pel. In her “Intro-duction to the Old Testament” class, she teaches stu-dents themes from

the Hebrew Bible through historical, cultural, ethical and philosophical perspectives to promote a deeper understanding and apprecia-tion among the students.

CLU is a place that values religion in life and affords opportunity for a diversity of religious practices in an environment of free inquiry. For more information, visit www.callutheran.edu.

Helton Represents Coldwell Banker at ConferencePat Helton, a broker associate in the Coldwell Banker Westlake Village re-gional office, represented the Conejo Valley at the Coldwell Banker Pre-views Estate Conference at Half Moon Bay, in October. This event highlighted the latest in technology, the marketing of luxury real estate and transformative leadership practices.

Helton is a former educator, holds a master’s of science degree and has been a leader in real estate sales in the Conejo Valley since 1985. She is a li-censed broker and a certified relocation and corporate property specialist.

Helton is also a Certified Residen-tial Specialist (CRS), Graduate of Real-

tors Institute (GRI), Accredited Buyers Specialist (ABS), Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES), Certified Negotia-tor (CN), and e-Pro Leader in Online Real Estate Technol-ogy designations.

Helton is a generous donor to local schools, sports teams and community charities and believes it is very impor-tant to give back to the wonderful com-munity in which she lives and works.

Call Helton to accomplish your real estate goals at 805.444.1233. Visit www.PatHelton.com to see virtual tours, homes for sale and information about community schools, parks and recreation.

Helton

Michael

ECOLA Termite and Pest Management Service Offers Alternative SolutionsWhen it comes to addressing your family and home against termites and pests, why turn to harmful gases and poisons when there are powerful and effective alternative methods that don’t leave your house as the circus tent on the block, nor endanger your family’s and pets’ health?

ECOLA Termite and Pest Manage-ment Solutions offers many alterna-tive pest control solutions that have other added benefits to protect your home, family, and possessions, such as a specific type of insulation that

protects your home from bugs, wasteful spending on energy, and is a fire retar-dant.

ECOLA’s expert technicians can de-velop solutions that will minimize or

eliminate the use of chemicals in your home or business.

There are many other alternatives, and ECOLA always strives to be on the cutting edge of technology and eco-logical solutions and looks for ways to perform their jobs better at all times.

Call ECOLA today at 800.332.2847 and discover why it was named the Best Green Exterminator by L.A. Magazine.

Susan FriesBoateng


To be included in Business Briefs or Meet the New Members, Chamber members can submit 120-word articles by the first working day of the month preceding the publication date (i.e., deadline for the February issue is January 2). Photos or logos are welcome, but are used on a space-available basis. Insertion of articles is at the discretion of the Chamber and articles may be edited or held for future editions. Call the Chamber for details.

—Cont. from page 8Business Briefs

Garbage Trucks Celebrate Their 100th Anniversary“The story of the garbage truck is one that truly goes unnoticed,” said Frank Guercio, Director of Fleet for Waste Management of Southern California.

According to Waste and Recycling News (WRN), the first garbage truck appeared in 1912. From the mechani-cal arms to the massive compactors inside, the modern garbage truck has come a long way.

Waste Management’s compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered trucks contribute to cleaner air and a smaller carbon footprint, including a reduction of up to 90 percent of air particulates and up to 25 percent fewer greenhouse

gas emissions. Some of the trucks are fueled by

methane gas that comes from landfills. In addition, the trucks run about 50 percent quieter than traditional diesel engines, resulting in less noise pollu-tion.

“So if you happen to notice one of our garbage trucks quietly doing its job in your neighborhood,” said Guercio, “Just know that it’s been 100 years in the making.”

Waste Management provides Ventu-ra County with recycling, trash hauling and solid waste disposal through G.I. Industries and the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center. For more infor-mation, visit www.KeepingVentura-CountyClean.com.

SBDC Director Shares Logistics Insights at China ForumRay Bowman, director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Ventura and Santa Barbara Coun-ties, was among a select group of pre-senters from American organizations at the 2012 Yangtze Mississippi Rivers Forum recently held in Wuhan, Hubei, China. The purpose of the event was to discuss best practices in logistics and sustainability.

Bowman’s presentation focused on the importance of international trade and logistics workforce training. Fol-lowing the forum, Bowman traveled to Beijing to meet with officials and uni-

versity personnel about the logistics of international trade from an American business perspective.

“The more we can open dialogue and share best practices, the better our international trade relations will be,” said Bowman. “I learned a great deal that I will share with our SBDC clients who are interested in accessing trade opportunities with China.”

EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit or-ganization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County. For more informa-tion, visit www.edc-vc.com, contact Bruce Stenslie at 805.384.1800 ex-tension 24, or [email protected].

Fraud Awareness, Detection and Prevention is a Year-Round ActivityThe Association of Certified Fraud Ex-aminers (ACFE) urged organizations worldwide to participate in Interna-tional Fraud Awareness Week, Novem-ber 11-17, 2012.

The intent was to spotlight an ur-gent problem that affects organizations large and small around the world and encourage business owners and em-ployees to become proactive in pre-venting and reporting fraud.

The first defense against fraud is to

educate yourself and your staff to take appropriate preventative measures and to recognize tell-tale signs of some-thing amiss. Some of these solutions are simple, such as having an outside review or segregation of duties, or more sophisticated, such as installing a fraud hot-line.

To find out more about how to pro-tect yourself and your business from fraud and to receive a copy of the 2012 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud & Abuse by ACFE, or for more information, send an email to [email protected], call 818.271.0598, or visit www.acfe.com.

Los Robles Homecare Services Will Present Free Pre-Op SeminarsLos Robles Homecare Services pres-ents a free pre-operative community seminar taught by a physical therapist to educate local residents about knee and hip replacement surgery.

Each seminar will provide an over-view of the surgical procedures, in-cluding the viewing of artificial joints; pre-surgery preparations such as medi-cations to avoid, dietary adjustments, and items to bring to the hospital; pain management and exercise, which will reduce side effects and enhance recov-ery; post-operative resources at the hos-pital and at home; and special options

after the acute hospital stay including home assistance, skilled nursing facili-ties, and the transitional care unit.Seminars will be offered:Tuesday, December 11, 2:30 & 5:30 p.m. Thousand Oaks Surgical CenterThursday, December 6 and 20, 3 p.m. Northridge Hospital Medical Center Thursday, December 6 and 20, 10 a.m.Seaview IPA Office Monday, December 17, 5:30 p.m.and Ventura County Medical Center (in the Ortho Clinic)

Due to limited space and availabil-ity, please RSVP to The Marketing Department at 805.777.7234 or Mat-thew at 805.795.0604.

Palm Garden Hotel Re-Opens After $2 Million in UpgradesThe Palm Garden Hotel, a 150-room, full-service hotel at 495 North Ventu Park Road in Thousand Oaks recently opened after two million dollars in ren-ovations with a new name, new own-ership, new management, new ways to serve guests, new community commit-ment and new slogan.

The renovation added significant amenities and complete upgrades to all guest rooms, lobby area, grounds, and event space. The 8½-acre property now also houses Brendan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant for its room service, dining, and catering.

Guests receive a variety of daily,

complimentary added values and ser-vices, including a full-American buf-fet breakfast, parking, use of the full-service Business Center, Corporate Shuttle Service to nearby businesses, newspaper, high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi, luxury linens, a fitness center, and more.

The hotel grounds feature a lush courtyard and gazebo for weddings and receptions, 5,000 square feet of event space, an oversized pool and spa with private cabanas, a life-size chess set, a six-hole putting green and more.

For hotel reservations and events, call 805.716.4200, fax 805.716.4300 or visit online at www.palmgarden-hotel.com. For group and corporate discounts, call 805.716.4314 or email [email protected].

Attorneys Honored by Ventura County Bar Association Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP (FCOP) attorneys John Orr and Les-lie McAdam have been honored by the Ventura County Bar Association (VCBA) for their exemplary service to the community.

Orr, an FCOP founding partner, received the 27th annual Ben E. Nor-dman Public Service Award, which recognizes outstanding community contributions by a Ventura County lawyer through charitable and public service activities.

McAdam was awarded the James Loebl VCBA/Volunteer Lawyers Ser-vice Program (VLSP) Public Service Award, which acknowledges an at-torney’s passion for their community through pro bono services.

“The Ben E. Nordman Award is our

organization’s most prestigious award. We are proud to give it to John in recog-nition of decades of community service to dozens of chari-table entities and organizations,” said Steve Henderson, M.A., CAE, execu-tive director/chief executive officer, VCBA. “The Volunteer

Lawyers Service Program, Inc. advi-sory body and staff were impressed with Leslie’s dedication to providing pro bono services that help rural Ven-tura County’s underserved population receive needed legal assistance.”

For more information about Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP, visit www.fcoplaw.com or call 805. 659.6800.

Orr

McAdam

10DECEMBER 2012


December 2012 Calendar of Chamber EventsMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

3

4Conejo Professional AllianceNightlite Networkers

5Lunch & LearnOnline Social Networking for Business12 noon - 1:30 p.m.

Emerging Leaders Happy Hour, 6-8 p.m. Cinepolis Westlake Village

6Business Breakfast NetworkPreferred Referral AllianceSynergy Bus. Connections

Education Committee3:45 - 5 p.m.

7SCORE Counseling

Jump Start Networking Breakfast, 7 - 9 a.m.,Sheraton Agoura Hills Hotel

10 11Conejo Professional Alliance

State of the City Thousand Oaks, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Los Robles Greens

12Networking at Night Mixer 5:30 - 7 p.m., Total Woman Gym and Day Spa

13Business Breakfast NetworkPreferred Referral Alliance

14SCORE Counseling

17Monthly Mailer Flyers Due12 noon

18Conejo Professional AllianceNightlite Networkers

19 20Business Breakfast NetworkPreferred Referral AllianceSynergy Bus. Connections

Senior Resource Forum, 9-10 a.m.Technology Forum - DARK

21SCORE Counseling

24Holiday. Chamber Closed Dec. 24 - Jan. 1.

25Holiday. Chamber Closed.


Government Relations Committee - DARK


Business Breakfast NetworkPreferred Referral Alliance




Chamber Promotes New Member Businesses at Ribbon Cuttings

—Cont. from page 1Laws

MAP Consulting invited Chamber Ambassadors to commemorate its ribbon cutting at the Chamber. For more information, contact them at 818.917.1707.

Chamber Ambassadors helped Logix Banking com-memorate the opening of a new branch, located at 2060 Avenida de los Arboles, Suite B, in Thousand Oaks. Call 818.565.2890 or visit www.logixbanking.com to learn more.

Chase Bank, with Chamber Ambassadors, celebrated a new location, located at 3960 East Thousand Oaks Boulevard, in Westlake Village. To find out more, call 805.497.3764 or visit www.chase.com.

Shani Clinic invited Chamber Ambassadors to celebrate its ribbon cutting with a ceremony at the clinic, located at 2806 Townsgate Road, Suite B in Westlake Village. To discover more, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.shaniclinic.com or call 805. 494.9977.

California Closets opened its doors to Cham-ber Ambassadors to celebrate its ribbon cutting at 4625 Lakeview Canyon Road in Westlake Village. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call 805.485.9100.

Heartland Financial Education was joined by Chamber Ambassadors for a ribbon cutting ceremo-ny. Contact them at 805.669.1609 or visit www.heart-landfinancialeducation.org for more information.

available; (4) an employer’s obliga-tions to retain files; and (5) penalties for failure to comply.Itemized Wage Statements/Temporary Service Employers

AB 1744 takes effect on July 1, 2013. It relates to itemized wage state-ment and wage notice requirements and requires specified information from temporary service employers.Penalties for Wage Statement Violations

SB 1255 amends the Labor Code to specifically define an “injury” as it relates to a violation of the itemized wage statement statute. Employers are required to provide specified informa-tion to employees on a wage statement each time wages are paid. An employ-ee who “suffers an injury” as a result of an employer knowingly or intention-ally failing to comply with the statute is entitled to recover damages against the employer.Commission Agreements

AB 2675 amends the written com-mission agreement law (which takes effect on January 1, 2013) to exempt certain types of wage payments from the written agreement requirement.Fixed Salaries and Overtime

AB 2103 amends the Labor Code to state that payment of a fixed salary to a nonexempt employee will be deemed to be payment only for the employee’s regular non-overtime hours, notwith-standing any private agreement or “ex-plicit mutual wage agreement” to the contrary.Wage Garnishment

AB 1775 increases the amount of wages that are exempt from garnish-

ment. This amendment takes effect on July 1, 2013.Human Trafficking Posting

SB 1193 requires specified busi-nesses to post an 8.5” x 11” notice, on or before April 1, 2013, that contains information about organizations that provide services to eliminate slavery and human trafficking. The Depart-ment of Justice will develop a model notice that complies with the require-ments of SB 1193 and make the model notice available. Workers’ Compensation Reform

SB 863 is workers’ compensation reform legislation supported by the CalChamber. The legislation offsets necessary increases in permanent dis-ability benefits and potentially lowers system costs for employers. Some of the legislative reforms take effect Janu-ary 1, 2013, but many of the laws re-quire administrative/regulatory action before implementation.Accessibility Reform

CalChamber-supported SB 1186 limits frivolous litigation regarding technical violations concerning dis-ability access by reducing statutory damages, putting into place new provi-sions to prevent “stacking” of multiple claims to increase statutory damages and banning letters making demands for money before litigation.Fair Employment/Housing Commission Eliminated, Duties Transferred to Fair Employment/Housing Department

SB 1038 eliminates the California Fair Employment and Housing Com-mission (FEHC). The biggest change is the manner in which charges of dis-crimination or harassment are handled. The administrative hearing process be-fore the FEHC is eliminated. Instead,

the California Department of Fair Em-ployment and Housing (DFEH) will be able to bring civil actions on behalf of a complainant directly in court and re-quire mandatory dispute resolution. Intellectual Disabilities

AB 2370 and SB 1381 substitute the term “intellectual disability” for the outdated term mental retardation in many statutes and regulations.Unemployment Insurance: Overpayment and Penalties

AB 1845 provides that the Em-ployment Development Department (EDD) can deny reimbursement to an employer for any overpayments made to its unemployment insurance reserve accounts if the EDD determines that the overpayment resulted from an em-ployer’s failure to respond to or pro-vide adequate information to the EDD. This new law applies to benefit over-payments established on or after Octo-ber 22, 2013.Prevailing Wage

Under AB 2677, increased employ-er payment contributions that result in a lower hourly straight time or over-time wage do not constitute a violation of the applicable prevailing wage de-termination as long as certain specified conditions are met.Farm Labor Contractors

AB 1675 changes the penalties for failing to license farm labor contrac-tors. Existing law requires farm labor contractors to be licensed by the La-bor Commissioner and to comply with specified employment laws applicable to farm labor contractors. Under exist-ing law, a person who violates farm la-bor contractor requirements is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by specified fines, or imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or both.

This new law would, in addition, subject a person who violates the li-censing requirement to citations issued by the Labor Commissioner and civil penalties that increase as the number of citations for violations increase.Warehouse Workers

AB 1855 adds warehouse workers to the list of specified contractors sub-ject to sufficient funds requirements.

Specifically, existing law prohibits a person or entity from entering into an agreement for labor or services from specified contractors (construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial or secu-rity guard) where the person or entity knows, or should have known, that the contract or agreement does not include funds sufficient to comply with ap-plicable laws or regulations. AB 1855 adds warehouse workers to this list.

The Chamber makes it easy for your business to comply with California’s labor laws.

No matter how many employees you have, your business is required by law to post a current California and Federal Employment Poster in a cen-tral location.

The CalChamber’s all-in-one poster contains the 16 required state and fed-eral employment notices every Califor-nia employer must post.

Members can purchase their compli-ance materials at a discounted rate—one of the many rewards of being a Chamber member.

Contact t he Chamber today at 805.370.0035 or visit www.conejo-chamber.org and go to the Chamber Store to order supplies for each of your locations.

Employment Poster Complies With New Laws

12DECEMBER 2012


be a wonderful surprise that evening for guests and winners alike.

Reservations for the gala must be made on-line in the Events section of www.conejochamber.org. Cost per person is $115. Purchases must be completed by January 22. Sorry, no walk-ins are allowed.

Sponsorships are still being accepted. Contact

Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

Labor and EmploymentAB 1450 Exposure to LitigationAmendments Removed ‘Job Killer’ Provisions before Senate Vote.Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) ●

AB 2346 Increased Cost of FoodSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) ●Strickland, Tony (R) ●Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

LegalSB 1186 ADA ReformSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) Y

Strickland, Tony (R) YAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) Y

SB 1528 Inflates LitigationSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) YStrickland, Tony (R) —Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

TaxationAB 1186 Illegal Tax IncreaseSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) YStrickland, Tony (R) NAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

AB 2408 Inequity in Tax StructureDied Awaiting Action on Senate Floor at End of Session.

Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) N

Workers’ CompensationAB 1687 Attorney FeesSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) —Strickland, Tony (R) NAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) Y

SB 863 System ReformSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) Y Strickland, Tony (R) NAssembly:Brownley, Julia (D) YGorell, Jeff (R) Y

In Accord with Cal-ChamberSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) 3Strickland, Tony (R) 7Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) 3Gorell, Jeff (R) 10

Not in Accord with CalChamberSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) 5Strickland, Tony (R) 1Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) 8Gorell, Jeff (R) 1

Not Voting or AbsentSenate:Pavley, Fran (D) 2Strickland, Tony (R) 2Assembly:Brownley, Julia (D) 0Gorell, Jeff (R) 0

CalChamber Best Busi-ness Votes section:

Legislators are listed according to how often they voted in accord with the California Chamber of Commerce position (first number) versus how often their votes were not in accord with

the CalChamber’s posi-tion (second number) in 2012. Total votes may not match the vote re-cord because the tally for not voting or absent is not included in this list.Senate:Strickland, Tony (R) 7-1 (80% or more with CalChamber)

Danielle Borja, Events Manager, at [email protected] or 805.370.0035.

This year’s sponsors to date include: Alcoa Fastening Systems, An-them Blue Cross, Califor-nia Lutheran University, Caruso Affiliated, First Rate Financial, Los Rob-les Hospital & Medical Center, Pepperdine Uni-versity, Southern Cali-fornia Edison, Southern California Gas Company, and The Oaks.

Pavley, Fran (D) 3-5 (Less than 40% with CalChamber)

Assembly:Gorell, Jeff (R) 10-1 (80% or more with Cal-Chamber)Brownley, Julia (D) 3-8 (Less than 40% with CalChamber)

—From page 2Votes

—From page 1Gala

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