Capt. Edward. Ramirez of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station swears in the Chamber of Commerce board of directors at the annual installation meeting at La Boheme (Photo by Jon Viscott, courtesy of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce)

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (WHCC) held its annual member meeting and board installation at La Boheme Brassiere and Bar.

At the meeting, the Chamber acknowledged its outgoing board members, installed its new 2020 board of directors, distributed the annual report, and got a preview of the upcoming program of work for 2020. The event raised $21,000 for the WHCC, a nonprofit business association.

Arlen Andelson

The Chamber also took a moment to celebrate the life of Arlen Andelson, who died last year. Andelson, who died in October at the age of 75, was a WHCC board member and member of the board of governors for decades. He also had been a member of the board of trustees of the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), an organization that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to pursue a cure for AIDS. He endowed the Sheldon W. Andelson Public Policy Scholars program at amfAR’s Washington, D.C. office in honor of his brother who died of AIDS-related causes in 1987

Andelson provided the first seed money to buy a building for an LGBT clinic that later became the LGBT Center, as well as the first “gay” bank, as it was coined, where US Bank stands today in West Hollywood. His wife and daughters were present as Chamber member Christopher Bonbright recalled his legacy.

The Chamber also acknowledged Keith Kaplan with its 2019 Ray Reynolds Award.

Chamber board chair Nick Rimedio presents the Ray Reynolds Award to Keith Kaplan (Photo by Jon Viscott, courtesy of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce)

“Keith has called West Hollywood home for over 30 years and his passion for the community and causes affecting the community have led him to engage with a range of local organizations and charities,” the Chamber said in an announcement of the award. “In the early years of the AIDS epidemic he chaired an HIV/AIDS organization, the Foundation for Educational Research, that funded outreach, education and research programs in the L.A. area. He has also worked closely with Project Angel Food since 1991 serving on the Divine Design planning committee for eight years and now on the board of directors. He has participated as a rider in several of the SF-LA AIDS rides. And, for the past four years he has served as chairman of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce …”

Kaplan is a licensed realtor who works with Sotheby’s International Realty representing buyers and sellers of residential real estate with a focus on West Hollywood, the Hollywood hills and the westside of Los Angeles. He also is president of the Kaplan Group, a firm specializing in marketing, public relations and public policy work for luxury lifestyle products.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of individuals who share years of experience in a wide variety of business industries.

Board members Don Zuidema (2014 – 2019), Hany Haddad (2009 – 2019), Ralph Barnes (2014 – 2019) Tom Doherty (2016 to 2019), and Mona Mohammadi (2019) were recognized by WHCC last night and received multiple commendations from elected offices.

The 2020 board of directors, which was installed by Capt. Edward Ramirez of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, is as follows. (* denotes new board members.)

Officers of the Board

Immediate Past Chair – Keith Kaplan, Sotheby’s International Realty

Chair – Nick Rimedio, La Peer Hotel

First Vice Chair – Fred Anawalt, Anawalt Lumber

Secretary – Raja Sannidhi, Capitol Drugs/Power Zone

Chief Financial Officer – Alexander Bazley, West Hollywood Gateway

Vice Chair, Governmental Affairs – David Dickerson, kitchen24

Vice Chair, Membership – David Wood, David Wood Insurance Agency

Vice Chair, Events – Maxine Tatlonghari, Vanity Girl Hollywood

Members of the Board of Directors

John Adler, Phyllis Morris Originals

Mylena Christina, Sotheby’s International Realty

David Cooley, The Abbey*

Sean Dabirpanah, Wells Fargo*

Sherri Franklin, Urban Design Center

Tess Ferguson, Native Design & Development *

Rod Gruendyke, Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas

Deborah B. Kallick, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Layne Lawson, Clear Channel Outdoor

Mark E. Lehman, Law Offices of Mark E. Lehman

Lee Maen, Innovative Dining Group

Carol Massie, McDonald’s

Dimple Thakkar, Synhergy Marketing *

Renne Simoes, Dogpound *

Tom Kiely, West Hollywood Travel + Tourism

Madonna Cacciatore, CSW / LA Pride

Board of Governors

Hany Haddad, US Bank and Don Zuidema, former LASC owner, joined the board of governors this year. The full roster includes:

Steve Afriat, Afriat Consulting

John Altschul, Attorney at Law

Christopher Bonbright, Avison Young

David Eichman, Law Office of David Mason Eichman

Todd Elliott, Truman & Elliott, LLP

Nathan Goller, Phyllis Morris Originals

Hany Haddad, US Bank*

Joan Henehan, financial advisor

Ronald S. Kates, Ronald S. Kates & Company

James W. Litz, BH/GLAAR Assoc. Of Realtors

Tony Melia, National Business Insurance Agency

Mark Montgomery, Montgomery Management Company

Gene R. Smith, Gene Smith + James Litz

Russ Wilson, Koontz Hardware

Don Zuidema, former owner LASC*