La Mesa Chamber of Commerce’s fourth annual Summer Bash Business Expo

By
B.J. Coleman
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WEBLaMesaChamber.jpg

What can bring a crowd out on a warm, lazy midsummer evening? The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce Summer Bash Business Expo can.

“The weather may be hot outside, but it’s cool in the La Mesa Chamber,” exclaimed Mary England, president and CEO of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, in surveying the full exhibit hall as the evening event commenced. The fourth annual expo in this series was held in the La Mesa Community Center on Aug. 17.

What can bring a crowd out on a warm, lazy midsummer evening? The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce Summer Bash Business Expo can.

“The weather may be hot outside, but it’s cool in the La Mesa Chamber,” exclaimed Mary England, president and CEO of the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce, in surveying the full exhibit hall as the evening event commenced. The fourth annual expo in this series was held in the La Mesa Community Center on Aug. 17.

“This is early in the evening,” England continued as the gathering was kicking off, “But things are already going strong. Feel the energy, and listen to that buzz,” she commented, noting the happy sounds of background conversation throughout the exhibit hall. “There is no way to describe this but as a love fest.”

The event has grown steadily each year. The first summer business bash featured one restaurant and a single winery, with somewhere between 50 and 75 attendees according to England’s estimate. This year’s evening of business networking mixed with conviviality attracted more than 200 participants, who sampled menu fare from 12 local restaurants amid more than 40 vendor tables showcasing area businesses and service organizations.

Chamber enterprises displaying their offerings ran the gamut from education, legal services, financial services including banking and insurance, cars, automotive products and vehicle repairs, to clothing, gardening and hardware, and moving and storage assistance. The medical, fitness and wellness business sector was well represented too, with dental, physical therapy, eye wear on hand along with healthy cookware and classes, health-supporting essential oils, and diagnostic imaging services.

The La Mesa Chamber started from scratch in 2008 and is now thriving with its business support endeavors. England said that the organization has brought in 20 new members recently. She expected 15 of those enterprises to be represented by attendees that night.

“We love introducing new businesses here in the community,” England said. “We are thrilled to have them. Our businesses in La Mesa are our most valuable asset.”

Dominique Olivari is a business-banking specialist at the Wells Fargo Bank branch at Grossmont Center. She said of her bank’s appearance at the event, “We are here building relationships. We are happy over being in the community and being part of the community in La Mesa.”

Representatives from the soon-to-open Courtyard by Marriott San Diego El Cajon were advertising what to expect after the anticipated November 17 grand opening of the downtown El Cajon hotel. Rachel Lynch, director of sales, said the hotel will have 120 rooms and cover over 5,000 square feet of space. Entertainment will feature jazz nights on Fridays. One amenity will be a firepit area for casual relaxation. Now with only two employees, the hotel, once open for business will have hired 70 workers.

One household services business hosting a vendor table was Mattress Makers, which offers handcrafted pillows and mattresses. Gabriel Hernandez, self-described “mattressologist,” provided details about the family-owned company, including its products and history. “A mattress is a big investment,” Hernandez said. Mattress Makers operates with comfort guarantees for customized mattress fitting for each purchaser. “It may take two or three tries to get it right,” Hernandez went on, “but we will.” He was also demonstrating the variety of locally crafted custom-made pillows available. “It is hard to find a good pillow,” he said. “One you do, you know you’re good.” The company, established in 1968, has five employees on its retail side and over 20 workers at the manufacturing site in San Bernardino.

A personal services business at the chamber expo was Total Thermal Imaging, another family-owned enterprise, which has a wellness center focusing on complete chiropractic care combined with oxygen therapy, sauna, and such preventive measures as thermal face and body scans. The company’s Theresa Williams related that her father had died of pancreatic cancer. Her own recent face scan revealed that she was experiencing early factors indicating problematic function in her pancreas, causing her to begin health support for the digestive tract organ.

The event further serves to raise funds for chamber activities, through a silent auction of donated items up for bid and a 50-50 raffle. Some businesses also donated prizes awarded by drawing from attendee business cards dropped off at vendor event tables. Winner of the 50-50-opportunity drawing was Carmen Diaz, who has worked for 26 years in human resources for Carl Burger Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM World. Raffle ticket sales totaled $790.00, split evenly between Diaz and the Chamber.

More information about the organization, chamber membership opportunities and scheduled upcoming events can be found at www.lamesachamber.com.

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