»Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce “Our Business is Your Business”

Run when you can.
Walk if you have to. Crawl if you must. Just never give up.

~ Dean Karnazes

The Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce invites you to the annual Running the Foothills 5K Run-Walk and Kids Fun Run. Like the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It.” Join hundreds of other runners for this annual event on Saturday, Sept. 20 at Two Strike Park, 5107 Rosemont Ave. in La Crescenta. All ages are welcome and the event benefits the schools and organizations in the Crescenta Valley! Come early and you can register at the event; however, due to its popularity, pre-registration is highly recommended! Entry forms are available online at CrescentaValleyChamber.org/5k or register in the chamber office. For more information, please call the chamber office or email info@crescentavalleychamber.org.

The Foothills Community Business Expo is coming up soon. This annual event is hosted by the Crescenta Valley, La Cañada Flintridge and Montrose-Verdugo City chambers of commerce. It is held at the USC-Verdugo Hills Hospital fourth floor community rooms on Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Enjoy complimentary food from Angeles National Golf Club, Dream Dinners, Frank’s Famous Kitchen & Catering, Gio’s Baguettes and More, Montrose Bakery & Café, Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant, Straw Hat Pizza and Thee Elbow Room. Also there is free document shredding courtesy of Allied Waste Services (limit 10 boxes). Showcase your business! There are still a few spaces available. Hope to see you there! For more information, please visit our website, call or email the chamber office.

Networking goes hand in hand with running a successful business. Entrepreneur magazine has some great tips for networking.

1. Resist the urge to arrive late. Showing up early at a networking event is a much better strategy than getting there on the later side. It’s calmer, quieter and it’s easier to find other people who don’t have conversation partners yet.

2. Ask easy questions. Don’t forget to listen intently to their replies. Listening can be an excellent way to get to know a person.

3. Ditch the sales pitch. Remember, networking is all about relationship building.

4. Share your passion. Talking about what you enjoy is often contagious. When you get other people to share their passion, it creates a memorable two-way conversation.

5. Don’t hijack the conversation. The most successful networkers are good at making other people feel special. Be a conversationalist, not a talker.

6. Remember to follow up. It’s often said that networking is where the conversation begins, not ends. Get in touch within 48 hours of the event to show you’re interested and available, and reference something you discussed, so your contact remembers you.

Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce is open Monday thru Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and is located at 3131 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta. Give us a call at (818) 248-4957 and check out our website at www.crescentavalleychamber org.