In Hollywood! On The Wings of Eagles!

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” -- Napoleon Hill

It is time for my term as Chair of the Board to come to an end, but I would be remiss if I didn’t let everyone know how much I have enjoyed my year. There are too many individuals to thank, so please accept this as my heartfelt appreciation for everyone’s support and work over the last 12 months.

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often. -- Winston Churchill

While change naturally interrupts routines, it’s through patience that results are achieved. Through the collaborative efforts of great leaders in Hollywood, we have attained many objectives and continue to grow. To reflect on some of our accomplishments this year:

• The Chamber’s Economic Development Summit was well-attended and financially the most successful that we have had.
• The State of the Entertainment Industry Conference was also a huge success, honoring Ted Sarandos of Netflix, and was also our most successful financially.
• The Chamber continued to hold quarterly meetings with the leadership of the Hollywood area neighborhood councils.
• The Chamber was an active member of the coalition working to defeat the anti-growth initiative, Measure S.
• We initiated our new Project Review Committee to provide more meaningful input to developers on their Hollywood projects.
• And of course, the most significant achievement was moving the Chamber to new offices at 6255 Sunset Blvd., after having been located adjacent to the Roosevelt Hotel for nearly 25 years.

I would like to thank all the task forces and committee members that worked so hard to accomplish these goals.

Finally, to the members, I say “thank you”. The strength of this Chamber is you. If you want the Chamber to continue to be relevant and to have a voice, it is up to you to make sure you actively participate and encourage others to do so as well. The choice is yours.

As I am getting ready to pass the baton to my successor and saying goodbye, know that nobody is leaving. There is so much happening in our community today. Together we can achieve the extraordinary. It’s been the honor of my life to be your chairperson. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity you have given me to serve you. As I said in my first article as the chair, you are “the eagles in the sky”. I have...we have... been flying on the Wings of Eagles. Thank you!

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” -- Goethe

Dr. Fariba Kalantari, Chair of the Board 2016-2017