By Michael YEGHIAYAN

The Glendale Chamber of Commerce named Scott Drolet as its newest chairman of the board earlier this month at the organization’s Masquerade Gala in Glendale. A longtime executive with Forest Lawn Memorial, Drolet will assume the role for the 2013-14 fiscal year.

Drolet has served on the Glendale chamber board since 2008 and became an officer a year later. He also held the chair position of the chamber’s Business and Workforce Development Division. In addition to his work with the chamber, Drolet served as a chair of the board for the Crescenta Valley-Glendale Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Accepting his chairmanship at the chamber’s annual gala, Drolet showed appreciation for the work of his predecessors while looking to the future potential for economic growth in the city.

“The chamber’s accomplishments come from the efforts of those that came before me,” said Drolet at the gala. “Today we celebrate those that say ‘we can’ and ‘we will.’”

Drolet joined Forest Lawn in 1996, ultimately being promoted to the position of senior vice president of operations in 2007.

Outgoing chairman Dennis De Pietro praised Drolet and expressed an optimistic outlook for the future of the chamber. He characterized the Forest Lawn vice president as an inclusive worker who brings ideas together.

“You can see that his organizational skills are really good in his professional work. It’s an extremely helpful trait,” said De Pietro. “He works extremely well with other people while maintaining a calm and straightforward disposition.”

In his acceptance speech, Drolet stressed the importance of cooperation in building a successful business community.

“The chamber is not a faceless institution putting things together by magic, it is all of us working hard to build a business,” said Drolet. “No one of us is as powerful as all of us. We must work together to help us succeed.”

The Glendale Chamber was founded in 1910 and serves over 850 member businesses and organizations.

  MICHAEL YEGHIAYAN