All-American City
July 2019 • Published monthly by the Paramount Chamber of Commerce (paramountchamber.com) • Serving the community since 1947
Paramount heritage abounds with parade and festival
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long a mighty length of Paramount Blvd. on June 1, the City’s past and present were in full bloom as the Third Annual Heritage Festival was preceded by the first-ever Paramount Heritage Parade. The Festival celebrates Paramount’s history from the hay and dairy days to the vibrant, attractive community of today. Part of that history for many years included a variety of parades down Paramount Blvd. But it’s been a long time since these kinds of processions have been held—until now. A creative and enthusiastic group of residents came together early this year with the idea of producing a parade once again to celebrate Paramount. They decided to hold it in conjunction with the City’s festival. Completely starting from scratch, these 12 determined people gave themselves about six months to pull it off. And they hit it out of the park. There were over 60 entries with marching bands, horseback riders, vintage vehicles, dancing groups and more. Committee members were Isabel Aguayo, Johnny Alcarez, Margaret Garcia, Rebecca Guillen, Cynthia Guillen-Nelson, Mike McKown, Miriam Mercado, Margaret Mondragon, Brenda Olmos, Karla Rodriquez-Picasso, Dora Sanchez and Vilma Stallings-Cuellar. They all deserve a special round of applause. All this hard work paid off with a wonderful display that exceeded all their hopes—none of which would have been possible without 14 gracious sponsors (see page 16 for a special acknowledgment to these sponsors.) At the Festival, entertainment was provided by performers from Paramount High, the Mokler Folklorico and dancers with the Latinas Arts Foundation, plus special performances at the Hay Tree and by Rolling Stones, Mana and Caifanes tribute bands. Paramount High School students with the highest grade point averages this year in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades were recognized by the City Council and Assemblymember Anthony Rendon (see PEP Talk on page 4 for details). There was also a Kids Zone (including inflatables, a petting zoo, and cowmilking demonstrations), games, A Taste of Paramount and a beer garden. It was a big day of Paramount pride and a continuation of vintage traditions.
Young dancers from Latinas Art Foundation (see page 7).
[Please see many more photos from the parade and festival on page 14.]
Chamber presents annual business awards and installs new officers
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Ben Berg and Jon Tanklage
he Paramount Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding local businesses and individuals and swore in a new slate of officers at its annual Installation and Awards Luncheon on June 27 at Progress Park Plaza. Ben Berg of Transcom Telecommunications (at left) became our new Chamber President. He brings “Southern country-boy” charm to the office and comes in with enthusiasm and a list of goals to make the next 12 months productive and exciting. As a board member, Ben has already shown how much he enjoys reaching out to the community and networking with Chamber members and residents. Outgoing President Jon Tanklage of Marukan USA (at left) was recognized by Mayor Tom Hansen and other government officials in attendance, as well as his fellow Chamber members, for his outstanding leadership and for great strides that the Chamber has made during the past year, including the well-received “Meet Your Los Angeles County Leaders Luncheon” last November. The Paramount Chamber of Commerce serves as a valuable bridge between businesses and the community by
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providing services and events that help bring people together and build a stronger local economy. Since this could not be done without our members, volunteers and sponsors, each year the Chamber offers special recognition to companies, organizations and individuals that have sponsored events, provided services and made other distinct contributions to the well-being and growth of our organization and our community throughout the year. Award of Excellence—WaveFront Technology, Inc., won this annual award for their ongoing support of the City and the Chamber. Over the last few years, WFT has consistently gone the extra mile, sponsoring the Annual Job Fair here in Paramount, coaching job seekers, supporting Paramount High School sports programs, donating science equipment to Williams Elementary School, providing scholarships to six annual winners at the Institute of Arts, Music & Science, and sponsoring the annual Paramount Heritage Parade, as well as the Chamber’s Annual Golf Classic and Annual Poker Tournament. WaveFront Technology has set an exemplary standard for community service.
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[Please see Chamber Awards Luncheon on page 8.]
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From the Mayor’s Desk................................................................3
Chamber Awards Luncheon continued)........................8
Public Safety: Homelessness.....................................................4
Ribbon-cutting ceremonies................................................10
Paramount Chamber of Commerce PEP Talk: Top students recognized ........................................4 15357 Paramount Boulevard City Council news..........................................................................5 Employment opportunities........................................................6 Paramount, California 90723 Membership renewals & Calendar of events......................6 Telephone: 562-634-3980 Networking Breakfast on July 25 ...............................................7 Latinas Art Foundation Art & Dance Festival .....................7 paramountchamber.com
Business Corner.....................................................................12 Portuguese Parade & Celebration...................................12 Business card directory........................................................13 Heritage Parade & Festival photos.................................14 CityScape: Summer Concert Series...............................15 Heritage Parade sponsors...................................................16