5 Things to Know: Nancy Hoffman Vanyek

Nancy Hoffman Vanyek is the president and chief executive of the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce – two roles she has held since 1993 though. However, she first joined the Chamber in 1987 as the communications manager.

1. Hoffman Vanyek made history – though she didn’t even know it. When she was tapped as president and chief executive, she was the youngest – and the first woman – to lead the chamber in more than a century.
2. If you’re in Hoffman Vanyek’s world, she has your back. “I’ve learned that rising tides really do lift all boats, and I can’t rise unless others do too,” says Hoffman Vanyek, adding that she was “lucky to be mentored” by chamber leaders who shared the importance of giving back.
3. It took 480 days to help one brewery – and it changed everything. What started as a mission to help a single craft brewery open its doors turned into a 480-day effort to navigate a system that wasn’t quite there for an emerging industry. That work ended up reducing city fees for every brewery in the San Fernando Valley and across L.A. For Hoffman Vanyek, it was a turning point in her career – and a fun fact: “I have a beer named after me because of it.”
4. Hoffman Vanyek has ridden to every U.S. state and Canadian province on the back of a motorcycle. She says these were cross-country rides, “seeing some of the best North America has to offer.” But what stood out for her wasn’t the miles – “it was the camaraderie.” One of the longest journeys was from her home in Santa Clarita to Alaska, “riding throughout the state, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories – then back home: 29 days. 10,000 miles,” she says.
5. Rescue dogs have always had a place in her heart – and in her office. The first dog she and her husband adopted was from a chamber member who needed to rehome him, and “(our dog) showed us how much love rescue dogs bring,” she says. Since then, they’ve adopted 10 more dogs over the years – some from rescues, some from shelters – and even fostered a few along the way.
   “Between the two of us, our dogs have pretty much gone to work every day we have. Honestly, our dogs are just short of needing their own business cards.”