SAN GABRIEL VALLEY — Local Business Networking Brunch organizers brought companies and business organizations from four neighboring communities together Aug. 27. The inaugural gathering created another opportunity for San Gabriel Valley businesses to build relationships beyond city boundaries.
The El Monte/South El Monte Chamber of Commerce, Baldwin Park Business Association and Irwindale Chamber of Commerce presented the event at Georg Fischer Signet in Irwindale.
Organizers promoted the brunch as a way to support San Gabriel Valley business organizations while connecting professionals and community members. The program included guided networking, company introductions, brunch and Business of the Month recognition.
For participating businesses, the event reflected a regional economy in which customers, vendors and professional relationships often extend across municipal borders.
Looking Beyond Local City Boundaries
Local chambers and business associations typically represent specific communities. Their members, though, frequently conduct business throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
An El Monte company may serve customers in Baldwin Park, work with suppliers in Irwindale or hire professional services from another neighboring city.
Multi-chamber gatherings provide another way for businesses to make those connections. They can introduce owners and professionals who might not meet through events limited to one community.
The Local Business Networking Brunch brought together organizations representing El Monte, South El Monte, Baldwin Park and Irwindale.
For the El Monte/South El Monte Chamber, regional networking also aligns with its mission of representing businesses while promoting economic development, education and membership. The chamber serves companies across industries that include real estate, law, finance and marketing.
Information about its programs and upcoming events is available through the El Monte/South El Monte Chamber of Commerce website.
Regional Business Networking Continues Growing
The Aug. 27 brunch follows other efforts by local business organizations to create connections across city boundaries.
The El Monte/South El Monte Chamber has participated in other multi-chamber events, including a San Gabriel Valley holiday mixer involving 10 chambers. The organization is also promoting another regional mixer involving 14 chambers.
Those gatherings can give smaller companies access to potential customers, vendors and professional contacts outside their immediate market.
The chamber is also offering a Small Business Certification and Procurement Series. The program is designed to help companies prepare for possible contracting and procurement opportunities tied to major events coming to the Los Angeles region.
Those events include the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games.
The Irwindale Chamber of Commerce also provides networking, educational and business-development programs for companies in its community.
A Regional Business Community
The San Gabriel Valley consists of numerous cities with separate governments and business organizations, but commerce throughout the region remains interconnected.
The Local Business Networking Brunch reflected that relationship by putting representatives from four neighboring communities in the same room. It also gave participating businesses a chance to broaden professional networks without traveling far from their home markets.
Organizers have not announced whether the brunch will become a recurring event.
Its debut provided another example of local business groups working across municipal boundaries. For businesses in El Monte, South El Monte, Baldwin Park and Irwindale, those regional connections can create opportunities to develop relationships throughout the San Gabriel Valley.
