A Hard ‘Goodbye’ but Also a Wonderful New ‘Hello’

We are starting off 2022 with a hard goodbye to our 2020-21 MVCC president Raffi Ashdjian. Raffi brought a multifaceted perspective to the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce. Between his experience at the Glendale Area Schools Credit Union as the director of Marketing and Business Development and as a realtor at Archetype Realty, in addition to being a loving and devoted husband and father to two, Raffi was able to lead us through two of the hardest years we’ve experienced here at the MVCC with the essential tools and positive mindset needed for our organization to triumph. While we are not at the end of the pandemic just yet, we are proud to say that our “boutique” chamber of commerce has succeeded in remaining a leading resource for our business community. On behalf of our MVCC members and board of directors, we sincerely thank Raffi Ashdjian for his dedication to our cause and for leading us with the confidence and focus that we so needed during this unsettling time. You will be greatly missed but we look forward to having you join us at our future events with our other 99 years of MVCC past presidents!

Raffi leaves us with this: “A sincere ‘thank you’ to our entire community. My time as the president of the Montrose Verdugo Chamber of Commerce has been nothing short of an amazing experience. It has given me the opportunity to meet, engage and know our community on a more personal basis and, for that, I am grateful. Please remember to continue to shop local to support the small business owners. Here’s to a healthy and successful 2022!”

Now when one door closes, the saying goes, another one opens. As such, we are delighted to introduce you to our 2022 MVCC president, Adam Franko.

Adam is the association director of Operations at the YMCA of the Foothills and has served on the MVCC board as the 2021 treasurer and a director for the past two years. Adam is a constant supporter of the community and you have more than likely been assisted by him at the YMCA Christmas Tree Lot with a friendly demeanor and a big inviting smile. It is this same cheer and devotion that Adam contributed to the MVCC that we know will make him an exceptional president. Adam joins a roster of 99 years of extraordinary and inspiring past presidents who continue to show up for our community at ribbon cutting ceremonies and mixer events. Thank you for accepting this new role, Adam; we look forward to working with you because, just as the YMCA”s mission states, “We are stronger together!”

A statement from our 2022 president Adam Franko: “First, I’d like to thank Raffi for serving as president of the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce for the past two years. Your service and dedication to this chamber is greatly appreciated. With that, I look forward to serving as the president and working with our executive director Mavil Aghadjanian, and our board and chamber members to continue and strengthen our Chamber by increasing our members and fundraising efforts so that we can continue to service our community.”

Meet the newest business members of the MVCC

Optum is a leading information and technology-enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone. (818) 545-7117.

LA Musica Therapy provides individualized and group-based music therapy interventions, clinical based music lessons for special needs individuals and music lessons for typical learners. (818) 605-8441.

Nettechy provides data recovery, network installations, IT support, software installations, web development and computer repair. (818) 233-3860.

And welcoming back renewing members

Janssen’s Floor and Fabric Care is currently offering 20% off services (carpet cleaning, area rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning, wood cleaning and fiber and fabric protection services) all of February 2022. (818) 249-1175.

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital provides personalized, high-quality healthcare relevant to their patient community. (818) 352-9010.

Andy’s Transfer and Storage In 2021, Andy’s celebrated its 100th year in business and to this day continues to provide quality, full-service moving and storage solutions to the community from expert movers. (818) 405-0270.

Sierra Sign Images takes pride in crafting quality signage for nearly 20 years. (818) 957-5608.

MVCC and Member Updates/Upcoming Events

On Sunday, April 17, it’s the MVCC 2nd Annual Easter “Egg My Home.” Let the MVCC scatter eggs on your lawn early Easter morning for a fun surprise for your kids, grandkids or even adult neighbors. One golden egg will have a big surprise. Who will be the lucky winner? Orders can be placed via our website starting in March.

Our Craft Beer Fest 2022 is scheduled to move forward this year. If you are a brewery or a local business interested in participating, showcasing your business or sponsoring our upcoming events, reach out to events.mvcc@gmail.com.

Special Thank Yous …

To the Glendale Area Schools Credit Union for its support in a multitude of different capacities these past few difficult years. Also to the YMCA of the Foothills for constant support of our organization and community. The YMCA provides a variety of different programs that benefit our community of all ages. Thank you!