P a r a m o u n t
pulse Beat
August 2016
Serving the Community Since 1990
www.paramountchamber.com
Paramount Chamber of Commerce Installs New President
Newly elected Chamber President Gary Johnson (center), with his wife Kellie Johnson (left), Gary Johnson, and Gen Perez (right).
Born in a small farming town in Minnesota, Gary Johnson was always fascinated with photography and the visual arts. His pursuit of a career in com-
mercial photography brought many interesting twists and turns that led to his current role working along-side his wife Kellie Johnson, president of ACE
Clearwater Enterprises. ACE is a 200+ employee, family-owned and operated “build-to-print” manufacturer specializing in “Complex Formed and Welded Assemblies for the Aerospace and Power Generation Industries.” Serving as Vice President of ACE for the past 22 years, Gary has been instrumental in growing the company’s business base through qualifying ACE as a direct-to-Government supplier, proposing and executing the company’s strategic acquisition of Honeywell’s metal forming facility, and bringing in over $50 million of new business. Prior to joining ACE, Gary served as Creative Director/ Producer for Mattel Toys’ Hot Wheels division – a position that
opened up many opportunities for travel and media promotion. Before joining Mattel, Gary was Creative Director for a small boutique graphic design company, working primarily on annual reports and promotional media. In the early 80’s, Gary served as Creative Director on a project for the Government of Indonesia – moving there to design, create and produce the Indonesian World’s Fair exhibits in Tsukuba, Japan and Vancouver, Canada. He was responsible for forming and directing a team of inexperienced but highly talented Indonesian artists and craftsmen, working together to promote tourism in their country. Gary has worked in the creative field of radio, corporate
video, commercials and related media, including three years with KEZY AM/FM radio in Anaheim, California as a reporter and Public Affairs Director. He has also worked as a civilian photographer for the United States Air Force, spending two years at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. Gary is an active member of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), The Manufacturing Institute, the California Metals Coalition, the Precision Metal Forming Industry, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Visit the Paramount Chamber Facebook page for more photos and video of the event.
For Employees of the AltAir Paramount Refinery Working Safely is More Than Just a Catch Phrase In July, the refinery celebrated a safety milestone; during a 7 year period refinery employees logged more than 2.7 million work hours without a missed work day injury. Joining AltAir Paramount employees to celebrate this extraordinary achievement was Congresswoman Lucille RoybalAllard, Steven Napolitano representing Supervisor Don Knabe, Paramount Assistant City Manager Kevin Chun and numerous city commissioners. The AltAir Paramount Refinery leadership received certificates of recognition from the Congresswoman and Supervisor Knabe’s office. AltAir Paramount has become an innovative manufacturer of renewable fuels using animal fats and vegetable oils in place of
Michael Oster CEO, AltAir Paramount, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mohsen Ahmadi, Plant Manager and Jimmy Crosby Sr. VP Alon USA Refining
crude oil. The Company was formed when portions of the Paramount Petroleum Refinery were converted to produce renewable “green” fuels. It’s the first renewable fuels facility in the United States to exist in a repurposed crude oil refinery. Michael Oster, CEO of AltAir Paramount said, “The Paramount Refinery has been a part of this City for a long time and we have watched the community
Paramount Chamber of Commerce
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15357 Paramount Boulevard, Paramount, CA 90723
grow around us. The City of Paramount is a great place to work and live. We value the relationships with our neighbors and our standing in the community. Our safety and environmental record is evidence of our commitment to be a good neighbor and earn the trust of those who live or work near our plant. The development of AltAir Paramount and shift to “green” fuels is another chapter in our mutual story.
Steven Napolitano Aide to Supervisor Don Knabe, Jimmy Crosby Sr. VP, Mohsen Ahmadi Plant Manager, Michael Oster Sr. VP.
Together we are working to fuel a better future and grow an even greater community.” The Paramount Refinery has been part of the community for more than 70 years and is recognized as a strong supporter of many community programs. Paramount Petroleum was the first Platinum Sponsor of PEP (Paramount Education Partnership) and benefactor of the Paramount Petroleum Community Learning
Center at Spane Park. The Company also sponsored Paramount Petroleum special use facilities at the Los Cerritos YMCA and the Fairfield Family YMCA. More recently the Company has been a leader supporter, with the Red Cross, of the Prepare Paramount Safety Campaign, the Long Beach Ronald McDonald House, Paramount High School Student Forum and the Paramount Job Fair.
What’s inside Ask The Expert..........................10 Business Card Directory.............12 Business Corner.........................11
Cityscape..................................15 Mayors Corner.......................... 3 Members Only...........................14 New Members...........................12
On Patrol...................................... 4 PEP.................................................6 Service Clubs..................................13