Chamber Welcomes New Board Members

By SARAH SMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce announced the addition of local business professionals to its board of directors on September 27.

“These new board members bring a wealth of expertise and commitment to the Chamber’s mission of fostering businesses of all sizes and informing the community concerning business issues,” according to a press release.

New members of the board representing businesses in Pacific Palisades include Ramis Sadrieh (business owner, Technology For You!), Olivia Biro (branch manager, Wells Fargo), Fay Vahdani (president, Luxe Homecare), Richard Blumenberg (business owner, RLB Architecture), Ryan Hill (regional general manager, Porta Via), Liora Powers (real estate agent, Compass) and Rony Shram (business owner, Ciela Senior Living).

Two additional board members were announced that represent Malibu businesses: Kelly Furano (managing director, Aviator Nation DREAMLAND) and Erica Segel (business owner, Malibu Moves).

The board also includes Bob Benton, Shari Davis, Richard Eldridge, Denise Klein, Howard Lim, Christy Schwartz, Danielle Dutcher, Mike Feigen, Robyn Ritter Simon, Ian Roven, Paul Shaw and Chris Wizner.

“One of the greatest strengths of the Chamber is in the quality of professionals who generously offer their experience and leadership to serve on our board,” Chamber CEO Barbara Bruderlin said in a statement. “Our board members enrich our organization with their diverse industry backgrounds, extensive knowledge and unwavering commitment to cultivating a thriving and prosperous business climate. Thanks to all of the dedicated board members, the Chamber is poised to make a significant positive impact on our business communities’ growth and prosperity in 2023 and beyond.”

The Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce merged with Malibu in July 2022, launching under the banner: Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.

Following two “challenging” years of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions, representatives from the Palisades Chamber reported the organization began working with Malibu to merge in fall 2021.

The history of the Malibu Chamber dates back to 1948, while the Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce was originally founded in 1949. The two chambers made their combined debut at the 2022 Fourth of July parade in Pacific Palisades.

Bruderlin said that a “strong and dynamic” Chamber is “essential to addressing the multi-faceted needs” of its businesses, including advocacy, networking, professional guidance and education, notifications about loans and grants, emergency preparedness, and more.

“The Chamber also plays an important role in organizing informative and engaging community events that facilitate business networking and strengthen community connections, both in-person and online,” Bruderlin concluded.

For more information, including about upcoming events, visit palibu.org.