Energy Drink Firm Gets Boost From Knowing Market Best Up and Coming Small Business – Hip Hop Beverage Corp. By SHELLY GARCIA Senior Reporter June 21, 2004 James L. Robinson figures he has spent about half of the last year on the road. Such is the price of admission when you are trying to build a brand name in the energy drink sector where at least 200 rivals vie for attention. And when your marketing budget won’t even buy a house in many parts of L.A. “Most people thought we wouldn’t make it this long,” said Robinson, president and CEO of Hip Hop Beverage Co. in Pacoima. “But we’re still standing and fighting.” Owing to a good deal of grit and a helping of inventiveness, Hip Hop is also winning. The company’s energy drink Pit Bull has managed to gain national distribution at some of the nation’s largest grocery and convenience chains in spite of the competition. Hip Hop over the past few months has added a sugar free version of Pit Bull, something few competitors offer, and an energy bar. And in March, the San Francisco Chronicle rated Pit Bull the No. 1 tasting energy drink in a taste test of 17 such products that also included industry leader Red Bull, along with Pepsi’s Amp and Coke’s KMX. All that, despite the departure last July of one of the company’s partners, Calvin Ross-Thornton, who was instrumental in formulating Pit Bull energy drink, and a supermarket strike that took a big toll on the company’s revenues. Not to mention the relentless competition. “He doesn’t take no for an answer,” said Alene Gardner, an account executive with DPI West, which distributes Pit Bull to Food4Less stores, of Robinson. “He’s really persistent, but he’s not pushy and he knows the business.” Energy drinks, typically made with caffeine, guarana, ginseng and other herbs and vitamins, first entered the market about a dozen years ago when Red Bull brought its brand over from Europe. Since then, a growing number of twentysomethings have taken to swigging the elixirs for the extra boost they promise, and energy drinks have become one of the fastest growing segments of the beverage industry. So far, Red Bull has commanded the lion’s share of the market, about 60 percent by most estimates, but the escalating demand for these drinks has created an opportunity that’s sent scores of new manufacturers rushing into the market. Growing market Recent studies reveal that energy drinks now account for about $1 billion in sales, up from just $12 million in 1997. “It’s a good time to come into the market,” said Tom Pirko, president of Santa Barbara consultancy Bevmark. “It’s still a vibrant market.” Hip Hop formed in 1999 with Robinson, Ross-Thornton and Herb Hudson, the owner of Roscoe’s Chicken N’ Waffles restaurants, an L.A. landmark that now has five locations. Hudson is chairman of the company and, since Ross-Thornton’s departure, Robinson, a former music promoter, has picked up product development duties in addition to sales and marketing. Robinson declines to discuss the company’s revenues, pointing out that the supermarket strike that ended earlier this year derailed Hip Hop as it did many other small vendors. But Pit Bull’s account base has been growing steadily and now includes Safeway and its Vons and Pavilions units, The Kroger Co.’s Food4Less stores, 7-Eleven, New England chain Stop & Shop, and Supervalu’s Cub Foods in the Midwest, among others. While taste is critical, experts say, marketing has also become key to winning shelf placement at retail. “Once you get distribution, the key to retail is what are you going to do to support the brand,” said Robinson. “So many energy drinks hit the marketplace, the key is why should I take your brand over someone else’s and what are you going to do if I take your brand.” Aggressive marketing As a certified minority vendor, Hip Hop gets an extra shot to pitch to the grocery chains in addition to the twice yearly cattle calls the chains themselves hold for vendors who want a piece of precious shelf space. But in addition, Robinson has been aggressively working the industry trade shows and national conventions, and supplementing it all with an approach he calls guerrilla marketing. “We don’t have the luxury of having the advertising budget most people have, so we have to be very conscientious of every dollar,” Robinson said. “We can’t compete with the conglomerates.” Using what Robinson describes as a six-figure marketing budget, the company has gone after sponsorships at the kinds of events that cater to urban youth. Pit Bull is a sponsor at such events as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a kind of extreme combat sport that combines jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kick boxing and wrestling, featured on pay-per-view; the Los Angeles Avengers Arm Wrestling Challenge held at Staples Center; Dub Magazine car shows and this year, the NBA All Star game. The company also regularly supports local events like the Pacoima Christmas Parade and Food4Less’s Fiesta del Oro, a weekly tent event for shoppers. Hip Hop has also taken an aggressive bilingual marketing approach, printing its drink cans and its advertising posters in Spanish and English. “They know who their customer is, they know what their customer does, and they’re going after that customer,” said Gardner. “They’re very, very good at that.”

What Makes a Successful Product? By JEFF WEISS Contributing Reporter In 1658, sometime author Richard Franck declared in his book “Northern Memoirs,” “necessity is the mother of invention.” Chances are Franck’s quote didn’t concern business, considering he was a salmon fisherman who wrote from extensive personal experience of how to take a salmon with a fly. However, his adage translates well to the business world in that a company’s success is partially based on its necessity in the marketplace. Yet history is strewn with examples of brilliant products that never met expectations. Ultimately, success hinges largely upon a combination of marketplace demand for a product and the creator/management team’s savvy, sense of self-promotion and general business acumen. Mehran Salamati, owner of Salamati Productions, invented his product, Hot Gears, for personal use. A cameraman by trade, Salamati worked on numerous film productions and felt that there needed to be a digital remote system that allowed camera operators to be disconnected from their cameras, letting them concentrate on their shots without having to fear for their personal safety. “The product came about out of necessity. I was doing a Toyota Corrolla campaign when I realized that if we had had this piece of equipment (Hot Gears), we would’ve had the shot,” Salamati said. “I made the first Hot Gears item for myself as a cameraman and I took it to a rental company to show him my invention. The owner of the company told me he wanted one. Jokingly, I told him OK, give me a deposit. To my surprise, he wrote the deposit and we started the company.” In order to facilitate the company’s growth, Salamati emphasized peddling an affordable product, doing a little bit of advertising, and ensuring that the product was simple to use. “I can’t speak for anyone else but my philosophy was to make my product affordable and to make it as smart as it could be. I wanted a usable product that people could afford. There are copies of our product for three times the price and they sit on the shelf. Price is crucial,” Salamati said. “We also used a little bit of advertising and a lot of word of mouth. 90 percent of our advertising is recommendations. There are other remote systems in the business, but we made it simple to use. For the guys who are on the set trying to get the show done, it’s efficient quick and very capable.” Being different Freelance camera operator Steven Peterson affirmed the idea that if one provides a product that is better or just plain different from the competition, the invention has a significant chance of success. “The product is easier to set up and more simple to use than its competition. I’ve used every remote system out there and a lot of them require another technician just for the use of the system. Some camera operators rent out Hot Gears, but I own one. I wouldn’t have bought one if there was something better,” Peterson said. Glendale based Mission: Renaissance’s genesis came when founder Larry Gluck discovered that art schools were neglecting to teach their students the basic fundamentals of painting. “I wanted to teach people how to paint the real world. Art schools had stopped teaching the basics. When I moved to Los Angeles a lot of people asked me to teach art. I decided to dig in and find the basics that I was never taught in art school.” Market demand existed, as Gluck’s chain of art schools expanded to twenty locations across Southern California. Gluck readily acknowledges that as much as his idea itself was crucial to the endeavor’s success, hiring good employees, and advertising significantly helped the business grow. “We carefully select people who are enthusiastic about life and turn them into art instructors. A lot of our business comes from word of mouth and signage is also important,” Gluck said. “We put ourselves in locations like shopping malls to make sure people can see us. We are in the larger malls in the area, or in upscale shopping centers, where people see us and get the idea about the program. We carefully locate ourselves so that parents can drop off their children and utilize their time shopping.” San Fernando’s Precision Dynamics Corp. has been around for more than 50 years, providing wristband identification devices to a variety of markets including healthcare, entertainment/recreation, law enforcement, and death care. Precision was one of the first company’s in its field to take advantage of the need to track the ever-expanding United States prison population. “The customer had a problem and we solved it. How do you track prisoners and how do you track hospital patients? The market tells us what the product development needs to be and we solved it. We promoted our product through normal channels such as sales organizations and the various counties and county jails,” Precision Dynamics President and CEO Gary Hutchinson said. “To succeed you need a business plan, a market and a strategy. We listen to the customer. You have to listen to the market. You can have the best product in the world and if you don’t listen to the market, it won’t sell.”

Ice Cream Maker Serves Up Goodwill in Charitable Work Best Community Partner – Dandy Don’s Homemade Ice Cream By JEFF WEISS Contributing Reporter It’s bedlam at Van Nuys-based Dandy Don’s Homemade Ice Cream. The ice cream scoops weren’t delivered and the boxes from another truck’s shipment are wildly strewn across the cargo area. But founder Don Whittemore stays cool. Maybe it’s a result of the years spent in the pressure-filled music industry where he promoted the likes of The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and David Bowie. Or perhaps it’s the hundreds of gallons of ice cream in the walk-in freezer, a stone’s throw from his gold-plaque-adorned office. Either way, business is literally sweet at Dandy Don’s, a company that peddles ice cream and sorbet to over 150 restaurants and hotels in the Los Angeles area including Caf & #233; Bizou, Kate Mantilini, and the Saddle Peak Lodge. In addition to the wholesale game, Dandy Don’s caters 50-75 personalized parties, galas, and television and film sets each month. Despite revenues of just under $1 million a year, Whittemore prides himself on his altruistic spirit, donating much of the company’s time, energy, and ice cream to various organizations. Charities such as the L.A. Free Clinic, Children Affected by AIDS, the Concern Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Special Olympics have all been the recipients of Whittemore’s generosity. “It’s better to give than to receive,” the jovial Whittemore maintains. “It’s a great place to show people what we can do and to give back to the community. We do at least 20 events a year and we donate discount certificates to silent auctions.” The Concern Foundation spoke highly of Whittemore’s charitable spirit. “We have a block party each year and all the money goes to research. Don has been involved with our organization for 10 to 15 years and he is without a question one of the most charitable individuals that we have. He donates all of his ice cream and all of his time. He is always a big hit at our party. He is a wonderful man,” Derek Alpert, president of the Concern Foundation said. Founded in 1981 The company got its start in 1981, when Whittemore purchased The Creamery, a now defunct ice cream parlor on Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana. “It seemed like a great idea. I needed to get out of the music business because I couldn’t spend enough time with my family and I loved ice cream,” Whittemore said. “One day I saw them (The Creamery’s former owners) making homemade ice cream right in the window. I purchased the store foolishly without doing my research and I increased the business each year, but it’s very tough to support a family selling retail ice cream. We sold at a huge loss. If I had to advise anyone about business, I would say always do lots and lots of research.” Business didn’t fully take off until the company moved into new digs in 1994, switching locations from its earthquake-damaged location in Northridge to Van Nuys. Around the same time, a California businessman named David Tong approached Whittemore to take the Dandy Don’s brand to China. Currently, there are a Dandy Don’s factory and three locations located in Guangzhou, which pay licensing and royalty fees each year. But even if Whittemore’s business revenues grew exponentially, the man who once spearheaded drives to pick up trash off of Tarzana freeway off-ramps and remove the city’s graffiti says he would not abandon his benevolent ideals. “Working with charities of all stripes is a wonderful thing. Even in my personal life, I’ve donated 54 pints of blood. We do Concerned Foundation’s party each year and a woman hired us who had seen us working there four years previous. We catered a sundae party at her law firm, then when she switched law firms years later she brought us along,” Whittemore said. “It’s great to see that when you care for people they care right back.”

VEDC Offers Financial Resources, Expertise to Firms Publisher’s Award – Valley Economic Development Center By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter More than a quarter of a century ago, the Valley Economic Development Center was founded to revitalize the sluggish economy of Van Nuys. Its role today is largely the same, only the organization now serves San Fernando Valley and beyond. “We are the biggest small business development center in Southern California,” said Roberto Barragan, president of the VEDC, which has received the Business Journal Publisher’s Award for its work with small businesses. The organization’s budget has quadrupled since 1994 and it grew six-fold in the number of employees. Today, it has a budget of $4 million and 60 employees in nine offices throughout Southern California. Three of them are in the Valley, including the headquarters in Van Nuys and two branches in Pacoima. One of the Pacoima offices was opened immediately after the 1992 riots. VEDC proved instrumental to the survival of small businesses in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The organization helped hundreds of businesses secure Small Business Administration loans in addition to direct loans. Overall, VEDC has supplied more than 10,000 businesses with more than $100 million in loan financing in the last decade, Barragan said. A third of the VEDC budget is derived from the federal government, about 25 percent from the City of Los Angeles, about 15 percent from earned income and the rest consists of contributions from banks and individuals. VEDC can dole out loans from $1,000 to $700,000, depending on a particular business’ needs. Last year, VEDC gave out 400 loans worth about $10 million total. “It’s rare that we can’t find the money they need,” Barragan said. More than money But it’s not just all about loans at VEDC it’s got other resources for small businesses. It provides business consulting, accounting and personnel help and hosts more than 200 workshops per year targeting entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. Vickie Brooks, founder and owner of Mirror, Mirror, a Woodland Hills-based feng shui store, participated in the 11-week Entrepreneurial Training Workshop through VEDC. She did not have to pay for the workshop, which was fully subsidized by VEDC. Brooks, who opened her business in 2000, attended the workshop several months prior at the recommendation of a friend. She walked away with more ideas about what she should do and what not to do. “When you open up your business it’s your perspective, but they give you many different perspectives,” Brooks said. One of the most useful recommendations Brooks received was about advertising. She said VEDC consultants advised her to use mailing lists, as opposed to advertising in magazines and newspapers, she said. She also praised the consultants’ style of presentation. “They really do think outside the box they draw from creativity,” Brooks said. “It’s stimulating and arousing to know you can have this.” Focus on Pacoima In addition to offering workshops, VEDC has focused its efforts on revitalizing Pacoima. Barragan, who has been president for 4 1/2 years, said the VEDC has focused on that impoverished region, helping train residents for jobs and nurturing small businesses in the area. Barragan said Pacoima has a 20 percent unemployment rate among its population, 30 percent poverty rate and 55 percent of students drop out before finishing high school. For these reasons, VEDC has “committed to making change” in the region, and has contacted L.A. City Councilman Alex Padilla to partner up. One of the projects already underway in Pacoima is VEDC’s Pacoima Workforce Development Initiative, which has instituted a medical profession training program called HEAT. Through the program, more than 200 Pacoima residents are helped in finding employment in office clerk, medical billing and admissions positions. The VEDC also “serves an advocacy role” for small businesses and hosts the Small Business Development Center, funded by the SBA, said Frank Brancale, spokesperson for the SBA’s Los Angeles District office based in Glendale.

After Slow Start, Online Advertising Is Gaining Converts By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter As more and more businesses opt to advertise their services online, several San Fernando Valley firms that facilitate the placement of the ads are seeing their businesses boom. After a number of years testing the waters, these ad agencies specializing in Internet related marketing say their clients are increasing their spending in the medium, in some cases contributing to double and even triple digit billings increases for the agencies. “People were experimenting with it when it first came out,” said Leslie Poliak, vice president of West Coast operations at KSL Media. “Because online can be tracked, there are so many possibilities that it opened for people online.” In the first quarter of this year, new Internet advertising placements drove the total amount spent on Internet advertising to record highs. Online ad revenues hit $2.3 billion total, a 39 percent increase over the first quarter of 2003, according to the Ad Revenue Report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Another study conducted by the Nielsen/NetRatings found that the boost in ad spending was led by a growing number of brick and mortar companies, rather than those that market exclusively online. Burbank-based marketing firm KSL Media experienced a double-digit, “possibly triple digit” windfall thanks to growth of online advertising, Poliak said, an increase she attributed to one of the main features of Internet advertising the ability to track the number of people who saw your ad. Tracking ability is key Tracking has helped online advertising to compete with conventional advertising on TV and in print, Poliak said. “You’re putting a TV ad on the air so you’re not quite sure of the effect it may have had,” she added. “You don’t really know the degree it’s had, whereas with online you know immediately.” Tracking viewership is one tool companies can use to show specific results for their advertising expenditures and, unlike television rating systems, which deliver results over longer periods, Internet advertising results are available immediately. They want “immediate results,” Poliak said. Internet advertising is very similar in growth and popularity to cable television, which emerged some 25 years ago. “When cable first came out, media planners were planning to give 10 percent,” of their spending over to the medium, Poliak said. “Now cable is a frontrunner.” Public relations and marketing firm TaylorMade Marketing sees Internet advertising catching on to a greater degree as well. The company is not placing ads online but as a design center, it has many requests to design Web site banners, said Scott Taylor, the firm’s president. Taylor said he heard it’s one of the “fastest growing fields.” KSL’s Poliak concurred, saying “online advertising is increasing faster than any other medium. “Last year’s increase was the largest, most significant,” she said. At Encino-based Inter/Media Advertising, a media buying and advertising firm with billings of more than $250 million in 2003, clients are also spending more on Internet ads. President Bob Yallen said about six percent of sales are attributed to Internet, a relatively small number on the surface but meaningful in context: “We’re seeing that grow, every year that number is getting bigger,” Yallen said. Yallen said he was not convinced Internet advertising makes sense as a single strategy. “I believe Internet advertising needs to be a part of a fully-integrated advertising execution,” Yallen said. He differentiated between direct marketing strategies that require the viewer to act, versus such tactics as banner ads, that just promote the brand name. Most Internet users are inclined to click off an ad that pops up on the screen to advertise a product, he said. Auto industry goes online One business sector that has increased its use of on online ads is the automotive industry, advertisers said. Internet spending among auto makers went up 90 percent to $57 million in the first quarter of 2003, compared to $27 million in the same quarter last year, Yallen said, quoting Nielsen/NetRatings statistics. The spending is a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the auto industry spends on other media, but the increase is significant, some say. “This gives you an idea that there are many, many industries that are embracing Internet advertising campaigns,” Yallen said. KSL’s Poliak also indicated the future looks bright for Internet advertising. “As more and more people become wired, and banking and shopping are done online, (that is) creating a huge opportunity for advertising, because you have more and more eyeballs,” Poliak said.

Porn Biz Skirts Workers’ Comp by Hiring Independents By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter With the recent outbreak of HIV in the adult entertainment industry, you might think producers have turned their attention to the health care and related benefits available to these performers. They haven’t. The vast majority of employees working in the multi-billion dollar porn industry, much of it centered in the San Fernando Valley, are not covered by health or workers’ compensation insurance, industry insiders say. The majority of adult entertainment production companies hire actors as independent contractors, and as a result, they are not required to carry workers’ comp insurance for these workers. Most do not offer any health insurance benefits either, but brokers who work with some of these companies say that adult entertainment actors are not likely to carry health insurance, even when offered such programs. Adult industry performers typically work for many production companies, and the firms are not required to cover them as a result. “The vast majority of the 1,200 people that make a living performing in the movies are not employees – they are independent contractors,” said attorney Jeffrey Douglas, who is a member of the Free Speech Coalition, an industry advocacy group. There are some exceptions. Independent contractors Douglas said that a handful of companies, including Chatsworth-based Wicked Pictures and Van Nuys-based Vivid Entertainment, “have talent under contract” and on a payroll. But Douglas estimates that those companies represent only about 10 percent of all the talent working in the porn industry. The adult entertainment industry will hold one of its largest conventions, Erotica L.A., at the Los Angeles Convention Center next weekend. In response to the recent outbreak of HIV within the industry, after several actors and actresses tested positive for the disease, the industry participated in a two-month moratorium on film production. That hiatus was lifted on June 8. Neither Wicked nor Vivid was affected by the outbreak. Both companies require condom use to protect against HIV. Neither company returned phone calls for comment. An insurance broker with San Clemente-based Greg Zeboray Insurance Services, who asked his name be withheld from publication, said major adult entertainment production companies carry workers’ comp. His insurance company sells various types of insurance to the porn industry. The representative said he believed workers’ comp should be extended to all adult performers, just as it is in mainstream feature film production. “You can’t make a mainstream movie on a 1099,” he said, referring to the IRS income reporting form used for independent contractors. While workers’ comp is out of their reach for reasons they cannot control, most adult performers have the option of health insurance, albeit self-paid, but decline it, the Greg Zeboray representative said. He said PPO insurance plans with no deductibles were available for about $65 per month, but only about 100 to 150 “older performers,” who were not in the business anymore, had signed up. “Most (new) people think insurance is a waste of money,” he said. “The older generation that was in the business two or three years ago is more responsible. The new kids are 18 and 19 and think nothing will ever happen to them.” The representative said “the biggest problem” for insurers is that many insurance brokers lie to insurance companies to get a lower quote. “It comes back to bite people,” he said. Free Speech Coalition’s Douglas said about six years ago the porn industry “was viewed as being uninsurable” and companies couldn’t even get production insurance, much less health insurance for the talent. “It was an absurdity because of the conditions of the filming permits through the City of Los Angeles,” Douglas said. “The insurance industry was essentially forcing the industry underground.” Policies available The times have changed, Douglas said, primarily because of the Coalition’s lobbying effort. Beginning with dental insurance, insurance carriers began offering individual policies to adult performers. Douglas said that makes complete sense from the insurance carrier’s perspective, because “the claims from an adult movie are less than those that would arise from filming” mainstream features. Bill Margold, the chairman of North Hills-based P.A.W. Foundation, which stands for Protecting Adult Welfare, often counsels adult performers on how to take better care of themselves and offers information on health insurance. He said only two people had show interest in getting a policy. “The problem with most of these kids is they don’t have common sense,” Margold said. He said the industry should do a better job regulating itself and instilling awareness. “I think the industry should take care of itself internally,” Margold said.

Bobrick Washroom Purchases Division Of Koala Corp. By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter North Hollywood-based Bobrick Washroom Equipment, a manufacturer of commercial washroom accessories to building owners and suppliers domestically and internationally, has acquired a division of Colorado-based Koala Corp. The division, acquired in May for $15.6 million, manufactures baby diaper-changing stations commonly installed in public bathrooms. The manufacturing facility has 35 employees and is located in Englewood, Colo. The new owner has renamed the Koala division Koala Kare Products. Since 2001, Bobrick had a plan in place to actively pursue worthy acquisitions; the acquisition of the Koala division marks the first such move. “This particular division fit right in into our particular criteria,” said Mark Louchheim, president of Bobrick. Koala Corp., however, has fallen on hard times financially. Bobrick assumed $1.2 million in accounts payable and other liabilities. Bobrick also agreed to a minimum one-year lease of the Colorado facility. Koala chose to sell off its baby changing division to reduce debt and “improve our balance sheet and financial position,” said James Zazenski, Koala’s president and CEO in a statement. “Our baby changing stations and the other products in our Koala Bear Kare line have played an important role in establishing the Koala brand. However, during recent years, our KoalaPlay Group modular play equipment business has emerged as our principal revenue channel, and we believe it represents our greatest opportunity for growth,” Zazenski said.

Wells Unit Acquires Speare By SHELLY GARCIA Senior Reporter One of the largest insurance brokerage companies in the San Fernando Valley has been acquired by a division of Wells Fargo & Co. Acordia Inc. has purchased Speare & Co. in Sherman Oaks for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition doubles the size of Acordia’s Southern California operation. “Our goal in Southern California is to provide a pretty significant amount of growth because Wells is so big in Southern California,” said Alan Shirek, managing director of Acordia. Chicago-based Acordia has been on an aggressive acquisition track since it was acquired by Wells three years ago as it seeks to take advantage of what executives believe is a cross marketing opportunity with the bank. “We want to be able to serve more bank customers than we are serving now,” said Shirek. “We continue to attract new clients through referrals. At the same time, we are getting referrals through the bank, and those are probably just as significant. The bank is a very important part of our growth.” Speare & Co., a 50-year-old insurance brokerage that had been privately owned, carries over $100 million in insurance premiums, according to published reports. The company, with 80 employees, provides a full spectrum of products including property, liability, life, health and accident insurance. With the acquisition, Bob Bryar, who has been president of Speare & Co., will assume responsibilities as managing director of Acordia Southern California. No layoffs are expected. Shirek, who had held that position, will remain managing director but will become more closely involved with identifying strategic opportunities for the insurance brokerage at Wells.

UCC Honors Small Businesses In Gathering of Area Chambers By JEFF WEISS Contributing Reporter With red, white, and blue balloons at every table and the recent death of President Ronald Reagan garnering mention at various junctures throughout the ceremony, the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, held their annual Small Business Awards on Friday, June 11. Taking place at Woodland Hills’ Warner Center Hilton hotel, a total of 17 awards were handed to businesses deemed exemplary in their vision, accomplishments, and contribution to the quality of life in their communities, by 16 of the Valley’s Chambers of Commerce and the Valley Economic Development Center. Among others, California State Assemblymen Lloyd Levine and Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine, and representatives of Congressman Brad Sherman, Councilman Greig Smith, Mayor James Hahn, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the festivities. UCC Chairman Joel M. Simon spoke at the ceremony, giving tribute to the award winners’ business abilities. “This year’s honorees are superior examples of excellence in the small business community. They have demonstrated perseverance, leadership, significant growth, service to their chambers and the communities of the San Fernando Valley,” Simon said. “We take great pride in honoring these outstanding small businesses. They each understand that their participation and volunteerism is, as Martin Luther King stated ‘The rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.’ These honorees represent the best of America’s most valuable but underutilized resources small business.” Each chamber nominated one business to receive an award. Businesses winning awards included: Thousand Oaks’ Cisco’s Restaurant, Calabasas’ Donald L. Lucove C.P.A., West Hills’ Henri’s Restaurant, Chatsworth’s A Symphony of Flowers, Encino’s Bearsworth Communications, Granada Hills’ White Oak Family Dentistry, the Northeast Valley’s Proforma Promotes Sales, Pacoima’s Wells Fargo Bank, Reseda’s Allen’s Flower Shop, Sherman Oaks’ Robert L. Cohen DDS, Sun Valley’s D M Graphics, Sunland’s Moore Bros. & Sons, Toluca Lake’s The Packaging Store, the Universal City/North Hollywood Chamber’s Blair Promotions, Winnetka’s Minuteman Press of Northridge, Woodland Hills’ Rocky Roaster, and Arleta’s Golden State Magnetic & Penetrant Lab Inc. Sharon Blair, owner of Blair Promotions, spoke highly of the ceremony. “I think the best thing about these awards is that it is a direct result of what my business does best, promoting and branding itself. The awards do the same. The association with the chambers has and should be a mainstay for any business, not just small businesses,” Blair said. UCC Chairman Simon came away pleased with the morning’s event. “I think the award went very well. It’s one of the most important activities the UCC does because it gives us a chance to single out the businesses that work day in and day out in the Valley and contribute to make this a better place,” Simon said. “It’s a unique experience to be able to single out the people doing the work. They aren’t selected by the UCC, each chamber picks their own recipient. It’s really a grassroots acknowledgement of people that do things and don’t normally get recognized. We really take a lot of pride in being able to help put that together.”