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Newsletter
May - June 2017 Highlights
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Valley Stars recognized at 20th Annual Gala & Awards Ceremony on June 3rd
San Fernando Valley stars were recognized and awarded for business, leadership and entertainment at The Valley Economic Alliance's 20th Annual Valley of the Stars Gala and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 3rd at The Collection at Galpin Auto Sports.
The 2017 "Star of the Valley" award recipients were;
- Jane Boeckmann - Business Award. Jane has contributed countless hours to the development and support of numerous community projects and programs. A touching video presentation highlighted Jane's compassion and humanitarianism. Jane was the publisher of Valley magazine, a pilot, and is the co-owner of Galpin Motors. She currently works alongside her husband as Corporate Secretary for Galpin Motors, Inc.
- Marianne Haver Hill - Leadership Award. Marianne is the new Executive Director of PROPEL LA, the countrywide strategic plan for economic development, housed at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC). She was previously the President and CEO of Meet Each Need for Dignity for 29 years, the largest poverty relief agency serving 40,000 people per month in the San Fernando Valley. Marianne stressed the importance of community, leadership and service during her acceptance speech.
- Bob Miller - Arts and Entertainment Award. Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster who retired in March 2017 after 44 years as the Voice of the Los Angeles Kings. He worked the first 17 years simulcast on TV and radio and the last 27 years as the exclusive television voice of the team.
Bill Allen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and first CEO of The Valley Economic Alliance was the Gala's Master of Ceremonies.
Guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, beautiful classic cars, a sushi bar, seafood display, carving station, mashed potato martini bar, dessert, cocktails, and live music provided by Los Angeles Valley College's Roberto Gutierrez and band, OSTIA.
Special guests included United States Congressman Brad Sherman, California Senator Bob Hertzberg, City of Calabasas Mayor pro Tem, Fred Gaines, City of Los Angeles Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, City of Glendale Councilmember Ara Najarian, City of Burbank Councilmember Bob Frutos, and City of San Fernando Councilmember Joel Fajardo.
Platinum event sponsors were Galpin Motors and Wells Fargo Bank. Gold sponsors were Chase Bank and Southland Regional Association of Realtors, Inc. Silver sponsors were Bill Allen, City of Burbank, City of Glendale, California State University Northridge and LAEDC. Bronze Sponsors were Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Express Employment Professionals, US Bank, David Fleming, and Los Angeles Community College District.
Photo 1: From left; President & CEO of The Valley Economic Alliance, Bob Miller, Jane Boeckmann, Marianne Haver Hill, and Bill Allen.
Photo 2: 2017 Star of the Valley honorees with their spouses.
Photo 3: Honorees with the Star of the Valley award.
Photo 4: Business honoree Jane Boeckmann.
Photo credit: Chasing Pleasures Fine Art Photography
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San Fernando Valley Schools, Educators and Students recognized at Economic Alliance Board Meeting
San Fernando Valley schools, educators and students, who have recently received national education recognition, were recognized and awarded at the 17th Annual Steve Allen "Excellence in Education" Awards on May 18th at The Valley Economic Alliance (TVEA) Board of Governors meeting.
Steve Allen "Excellence in Education" Award recipients include: Los Angeles Valley College Speech & Debate Team who
received a Bronze medal, 3 individual golds, 1 individual silver medal and 12 individual bronze medals at the Phi Rho Pi National Speech Competition.
North Hollywood High School's Team Togo won the national cyber security championship competition. Tasks at the competition included safeguarding a computer system against a team of professional hackers working against them in real time.
Erica Rood is a 3rd grade teacher at Chime Institute's Schwarzenegger Community School in Woodland Hills who received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching from President Barack Obama.
The Granada Hills Charter High School's Academic Decathlon team
won its third United States Academic Decathlon title in a row. It's the team's sixth national title since 2011. The competition includes multiple-choice exams in each subject, essays, speeches, and a fast-paced Super Quiz relay. This year's topic was World War II.
California State University, Northridge's senior level mechanical engineering students came in first overall at the 2017 American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC) for the second year in a row. Each team in the HPVC presented an originally designed human-powered vehicle that was judged for design, workmanship and innovation.
The "Business and Education Partnership"
Award is presented to an outstanding business in the community that has partnered with a San Fernando Valley School. This year's award was presented to Northrop Grumman Corporation for their partnership with LAUSD, Reseda High School's Navy Junior Reserves Officers' Training Corps team.
The "Champion of Education" Award
recognizes individuals and/or organizations who have dedicated their lives to improving education. These individuals are creative and passionate leaders that have influenced positive change in the academic community to improve the lives of children and their families. This year's recipient was Bernardine S. Pregerson. Pregerson has spent the last 42 years as a professor of biology at Los Angeles Pierce College and CSUN.
The "Innovation in Education" Award
recognizes outstanding educational leaders for their innovative use of the arts in the classroom and community. This year's recipient was Dr. Michael E. Spagna, Dean of Michael D. Eisner College of Education at CSUN. Dr. Spagna is responsible for positioning the public college to produce the largest number of educators anywhere in the nation.
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TVEA's Women's Collaborative Mentoring Program launched at CA Women's Conference
The Valley Economic Alliance launched it's Women's Collaborative Mentoring Program (WCMP) at the Speed Mentoring Event at the 30th Annual California Women's Conference (CWC) on May 10th at the Long Beach Convention Center!
This year the CWC introduced a special breakout session focused on the importance of mentoring. The mentoring session included a panel discussion followed by speed mentoring lead by the Women's Collaborative Mentoring Program.
WCMP gathered leaders from 100 top independent businesses and Entrepreneur Training Programs to mentor women entrepreneurs focused on growing their business. Mentors came from SBDC, SCORE, SBA, WBC, Business Source Centers, LAEDC, TVEA, An Empowered Woman, Women's Business Momentum Center, Solutions by Madelon Incorporated, and more.
The mentoring session included a panel discussion with Founder of An Empowered Woman, Desiree Doubrox; Sales Trainer of Soul Notes and Consultant with Thinking Into Results, Barbara Daoust; Founder of Women's Business Momentum Center, Marianne Emma Jeff; Founder of The ImageN Group, Angelica Urquijo, and Founder of Thrive Entrepreneurs, Naja Hayward.
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In The News
Fix for Bedsores
By San Fernando Valley Business Journal
Medical Device : Lift prevents pain for patients, caregivers
Margarita Clement came to the United States from Aruba to pursue a career in nursing. However, once she started working at a local hospital, paralysis in her left hand that had developed during childhood prevented her from lifting and turning patients properly. Then after her American mentor and father figure fell ill, she was faced with a similar problem in caring for him. So she developed a product to better move patients and protect caregivers. Now, she is launching a company, The BuddyGuard Corporation of Sherwood Forest, to bring her invention to the masses.
The Boemba, as she calls it, is a lift sling used to move wheelchair-bound and bedridden patients. It differentiates itself from other slings on the market by helping to minimize bedsores and provide a safer way of transferring patients. The product incorporates a nanotechnology fabric that offers anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and moisture-resistant properties, providing added comfort, dryness and sanitary conditions. It comes with a pouch on the inside of the leg to hide a catheter as well as a log that attaches to the sling to record when a patient has been turned.
Bedsore problem
Pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores, are "wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Atlanta. The government agency states that pressure ulcers remain a big problem in nursing homes with 2 to 28 percent of nursing home residents suffering from the injury. To prevent bedsores, an immobile patient must be turned constantly, which can be difficult for nurses due to the weight of the patient.
Larona Taylor, a safe-patient-handling program manager for Westwood-based UCLA Health, said to minimize instances of pressure ulcers, it's important to inspect and monitor the patient's skin, keep the skin dry and use air mattresses to distribute the weight. "It's a balancing act between making sure the patient has proper care, and the staff is at low risk for injury," she added.
Clement developed Boemba specifically to prevent bedsores. "It (pressure ulcers) is an $11 billion industry, and it all can be prevented," she said. "The device is a win-win for caregivers and patients." She launched BuddyGuard in 2014. During the first couple of years, she searched for the perfect material to make the device, worked on U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and ensured coverage by Medicare, Medi-Cal and most major insurance carriers.
To get FDA approval, Clement decided not to hire a lawyer. She went to her local library, researched the patent process and funded the endeavor herself. Initially, Clement spent $50,000 of her own money on getting the patent and starting the company, which has grown to an investment of $200,000. Medicare and insurance approval for reimbursement was a separate process altogether that differed by payer type, meaning each insurance company and government entity had different hoops to jump through. But insurance reimbursement is key to a product's success and adoption rate, thus the company made sure to secure an 80-to-20 split, where the insurer pays 80 percent and the patient 20.
In the product development process, the Boemba went through five generations before reaching a final design. It is currently manufactured in Los Angeles. BuddyGuard markets the device to nursing homes, home health care providers and hospice caregivers. The company believes if the facilities are aware of the Boemba's benefits, they will request the doctor's prescription on a resident's behalf, knowing it will help the patient and care team. After the prescription is obtained, the device is assembled - as they are custom-fitted - packaged and delivered to the care facility.
Now, the company's focus is scaling the product, which will incorporate an education and awareness component. BuddyGuard is getting the word out via networking and attending health care events, like the recent HealthX organized by The Valley Economic Alliance in Sherman Oaks. In addition, it is looking to increase its number of distributors and salespeople to support marketing efforts. The company is currently in talks with distributors in major coastal cities and hopes to work its way into the central part of the country as demand increases.
Read Full.
Source: Stephanie Henkel, Staff Reporter, San Fernando Valley Business Journal
Volume 22, Number 10, May 15-May 28 |
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The Sky is the Limit for students at Aviation Career Day
The Valley Economic Alliance has partnered with
Van Nuys Airport
(VNY) for 12 years to present "The Sky's the Limit - Aviation Career Day." Over 1,200 students met with industry professionals to explore aviation careers at the annual event at the Van Nuys Airport's Clay Lacy Hangar on May 19th.
Kenn Phillips, President and CEO of TVEA delivered welcome remarks as well as TVEA Boardmember Diana Sanchez, Public and Community Relations Director of VNY.
For the first time, the event featured a panel of industry professionals speaking on "How to Enter a Career in Aviation," based on personal experience. The panel, led by Curt Castagna, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aeroplex/Aerolease Group featured:
- Joe Barber, Clay Lacy (Business Development)
- Samantha Butero, Tron Air Sales Director (Manufacturing)
- Christian Moreno, Chief of Airport Operations (VNY)
- Niall Mulcahy, Station Manager Signature Flight Support (FBO)
- Chris Nielsen, Global Pilot Avalon (Pilot)
- Jason Price, Owner Mach 1 (Flight School)
- Tony Russo, Manager Duncan Avionics (Avionics)
Students in attendance were also provided a behind the scenes airport tour, took part in interactive exhibits and viewed aircraft displays including an F-18, Condor Squadron's AT-6, the Los Angeles Fire Department Air Rescue Unit and met Airport Police and Airport Operations personnel.
View more photos here. |
Out and About
The Valley Economic Alliance's
Accelerator Program members and
C-Level Roundtable members with sponsor Donald Kincey, Senior Vice President of
Comerica Bank.
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The United Chambers of Commerce hosted their Third Annual
Inspirational Women of the San Fernando Valley Awards & Luncheon on May 4th at Woodland Hills Hilton.
5 inspirational women were awarded for their commitment and service to our communities. Photo from left: Marisa Hamamoto of Infinite Flow, Rebecca Lienhard with Tierra del Sol Foundation, Barri Worth Girvan of California State Senator Bob Hertzberg's team, Georgia Van Cuylenurg of Arts Bridging the Gap and Marlene Harrison with Concepts for Living.
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Kenn Phillips helped the
Miller Career and Transition Center's, Center for Advanced Transition Skills (CATS) Program students at Los Angeles Mission College with their mock interviews on May 5th.
These students all have special needs and are in the CATS program to learn job skills, how to ride a bus, have an internship related to their field of interest, independent living skills, and a college experience.
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Carmen Bowen and the
Concorde College team visited the
DIY Girls from San Fernando High School on May 4th to deliver a $1,000 donation, backpacks and travel cases for their trip to the MIT's Eureka Fest competition with their solar powered tent for the homeless.
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The San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and Councilmember Mitchell Englander hosted an Executive Chamber Mixer and launch of the 250LA Campaign on May 25th at the Mission's homeless shelter in Northridge.
The campaign's goal is to rescue 250 children and their families from the streets of Los Angeles this year.
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Diego Paz and Ben Luker from High Tech LA presenting their experience as interns at TVEA.
Senior students presented how they contributed and what they learned on May 23rd. Attendees included employers, students and parents.
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Your Success Is Our Business!
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The mission of The Valley Economic Alliance is to elevate the economic vitality of our five-city region by assisting
the San Fernando Valley in business, education, & government.
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