Chamber of Commerce Forum Report

 

RHE Business Owners Association

310-541-1294

 

Report to RHE Business Owners Association Members by James Hume

 

Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (PVPCoC)

Forum on Business Development

Meeting on Thursday, July 27, 2006 8AM-9:30AM

 

Discussion Panel was:

Janice Fenimore-Scott, General Manager, Peninsula Shopping Center -PVPCoC Board

Anton Kotze, General Manager of The Avenue of the Peninsula and

Co-Chair Business Development Committee.

Robert Medawar, Medawar Jewelers and Co-Chair Business Development Committee.

Greg Grammer, Assistant to City Manager, City of RHE.

Kay Finer, President/CEO, PVPCoC.

I attended this meeting along with about 30+ other merchants, developers and consumers.

Overall my impression was quite positive.

The main focus was on how to get more people out shopping and dining on the hill.

Secondary was asking business owners feedback on what the Chamber and the City can do to improve the business climate. Almost no discussion took place in the main meeting on the subject of the City of RHE’s re-development plans.

The meeting was quite lively with a lot of good ideas expressed, both positive and negative feedback, a fair amount of constructive criticism leveled at the City of RHE for its purported lack of support to small business. One interesting factoid was presented by Greg Grammer which is that 26% of their general fund revenue comes from sales tax (= $1.86 million). One merchant made a comment that directly supports one of our association tenets which is that that constitutes an unbalanced situation. He suggested that the city should be using some of that money to directly support businesses with advertising and other support.

Anyone wanting more texture is welcome to call me.

A few days ago I was contacted by Art Yoon, who is Manager of Government Affairs for Cox Communications, and asked if he could meet with me after the Forum and talk about the write-up we have been circulating (he was complimentary to me about it – said in his opinion it was right on the mark) and to discuss the newly formed Business Owners Association and how it might cooperate with the Chamber of Commerce. Art is a Board Member of PVPCoC and on the Community Relations and Government Affairs Committee.

My meeting with Art was expanded to include Barbara Dye (Chair of the Board), Kay Finer, Robert Medawar, Anton Kotze and later was joined by Alex Rose (Vice-President of Development for Continental Development). We had a good meeting where I gave them some feedback on why we are forming a Business Owners Association. Prior to this meeting I had received comments that there is no need for an association because the PVPCoC exists to work on behalf of the businesses on the hill. They were all startled to learn that only 10% of the documented 361 businesses operating in the re-development corridor of Silver Spur, Little Silver Spur and Deep Valley (not including Avenue of the Peninsula and Peninsula Center and with the Edler building yet to be added) are members of the PVPCoC. We had a frank exchange of views, found some common ground and pledged to cooperate on constructive processes to influence the City in effecting a more balanced approach to re-development in the interests of the business owners. After the meeting I talked one-on-one with Alex Rose about the City’s re-development plans and he offered to come to a business owners meeting to discuss Continental’s views and plans as they might affect businesses and the community. We should take him up on this offer.

As always please feel free to call me with comments or questions.

 

Best regards,

James R. Hume

RHE Business Owners Association

310-541-1294