Preparing for our Installation Banquet

We are one week away from our Installation and Community Awards Banquet and we hope you are going to attend. It is a great event in Montrose that brings together people from Montrose, La Crescenta and Glendale. It is your chance to connect with people you don’t normally get a chance to see. To RSVP, please contact the Chamber office and we will be happy to assist you.

This year’s award winners are an eclectic group of business owners, community organizations and members, law enforcement members and educators. Here is a complete list: Business of the Year – Andy’s Transfer and Storage; Organization of the Year – Glendale Police Foundation; Business Person of the Year – Julie K Stallcup, owner of Revolution Dance Center; Volunteer of the Year – Steve Goldsworthy; Chris Waldheim Oktoberfest Volunteer of the Year – Ernie Muraoka; Educator of the Year – Dr. Linda Junge, principal of Crescenta Valley High School; Peace Officer of the Year – Glendale Police Detective Jeff Daniels; Firefighter of the Year – Glendale Fire Dept. Station 28; Beautification Award – Arbitrage Realty and Esquire Law Firm; Community Enhancement Award – City of Glendale; Community Endearment Award – Jane Kane of Podley Properties; President’s Award – Scott Trulik; In the Line of Duty – Glendale Police Dept. Detective Eric Meyer; and the Frank Roberts Award – Montrose Shopping Park Assn. We are proud of each one of our winners and are honored to recognize them this year.

Our In the Line of Duty award goes to Detective Eric Meyer from the Glendale Police Dept. This award is a special one that is not given out every year, but is presented when a peace officer has gone above and beyond. This award description reads, “Recognition of a moment of exemplary performance of duties by a peace officer to benefit the citizens of the Montrose-Verdugo City and Crescenta Valley areas.” Detective Meyer has a great story to tell, but to him it was all in a day’s work.     He was working from home due to an injury and in the process helped law enforcement apprehend one of LAPD’s most wanted. The headline read, “Fugitive, one of LAPD’s most wanted, is caught; cops saw him on Facebook.”

According to U.S. Marshal Service Deputy Laura Vega, one of Glendale’s detectives (Eric Meyer), who was on light duty because of an injury, found Rodriguez’s picture through his associates’ Facebook accounts. When Rodriguez’s images showed up on his fiancée’s Facebook account, they tracked him down to the Riverside address and began monitoring the house. When Rodriguez left for work soon after this, authorities closed in.

“You could see that moment when he knew what it was about and he just gave up. He saw the cars, he gets his hands up…he still had his tattoos,” Vega said. Now that is a story worth telling and honoring. You don’t want to miss this! Thank you to Detective Eric Meyer and the Glendale Police Dept. for showing us that the law knows no boundaries.

Don’t forget to sign up for our free social media class with Tom Lorenz, the director of Communications & Community Relations for the City of Glendale. You will have a hands-on tutorial complete with a computer workstation at the PDC in Montrose where you will learn how to take advantage of the social media world. The class will be held on Thursday, Jan. 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. For reservations, please contact the Montrose Chamber office.

Upcoming events
Installation & Community Recognition Awards Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 22 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Oakmont Country Club, 3100 Country Club Dr., Glendale.

Free social media class on Thursday, Jan. 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at PDC, 2340 Honolulu Ave., Montrose. Call office to reserve your spot.

February “Valentine” business mixer on Wednesday, Feb. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Etc… Gourmet Kitchen, 3600 Ocean View Blvd., Montrose.

City of Glendale election candidates forum on Monday, March 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Sparr Heights Community Center, 1613 Glencoe Way, Sparr Heights.

  melinda clarke