Artesia Chamber of Commerce Crowds Saffron Spot at Monthly Mixer

The Artesia Chamber of Commerce picked , the coolest ice cream shop in Little India, to hold their monthly mixer last Wednesday as members mingled and cooled off with exotic and tasty treats on a warm summer afternoon.

From Chamber members to potential members inquiring about benefits, attendance was high at this cozy mixer. Attendees also took the time to meet and greet with one another, including Artesia Mayor Victor Manalo, and several participants made it a point to thank Smita K. Vasant, owner of Saffron Spot, for hosting the gathering.

“I’ve only been a member for six months, but I hope that by joining the Chamber it will help my business reach out to more people in the community,” said Vasant.

Currently the Artesia Chamber of Commerce alternates each month from having an informal mixer to a more formal luncheon. The Chamber has gained some notoriety by having Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, and Assemblymember Tony Mendoza at previous events.

After Artesia's previous Chamber -- The Artesia Business Association -- dissolved in 2005, the city was left without a Chamber of Commerce to represent local businesses. The new Artesia Chamber of Commerce is only a month away from celebrating its first year anniversary, but already has 50 members and hopes to have 100 members by the year's end. Most members are small businesses, but they also have support from Southern California Edison its biggest and most notable member.

“We’re a baby chamber with a lot of room to grow,” said Executive Director of the Chamber Sug Kitahara. “I don’t think that businesses in Artesia are utilizing all the tools and resources they can and we as a chamber are here to help them do so.”

Joining the Chamber

Businesses looking to become members can expect to pay a yearly fee of about $100 and have the support of Kitahara and the other member of the Chamber at their disposal when dealing with a problem they might be having. This support also includes workshops dealing with all kinds of issue that they might have, and advertising practices. According to Kitahara, advertising is usually question one when it comes to new members.

“We’re by far the most affordable chamber to join,” said Kitahara.

The meeting drew plenty of businesses interested in joining the chamber. Among one of those potential members was former Artesia Business Association President Jim Ruiz. Now a representative for a local hospital, Ruiz said he will soon become a member.

“I hope that this chamber adapts bylaws that are in the true interest of fostering growth for the businesses that are involved,” said Ruiz. “Good business is good for everyone.”

According to Ruiz, the former Business Association failed because of inner politics and power struggles from within, and a lack of business ethics being practiced by those in charge. He claims that the Association had a real lack of commitment with the businesses they were representing. Ruiz was also involved in many other chambers in Whittier and Santa Ana where he believes the chambers were more productive.

For more information on joining the Artesia Chamber of Commerce, please call (562) 882-7734 or send an email to artesiacommerce@gmail.com.