Chamber announces new leadership and board members

The Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors will welcome three new members to its seated officials at its April Board meeting. The chamber board also acknowledged that HB Digital owner Domenic Iorfino, Cornerstone Real Estate president Ed Mountford and Michael Grant Construction Services owner Michael Grant will start additional three-year terms on the board.
“All three of these individuals have played key roles in making the business community of Huntington Beach one of the best,” Chamber President and CEO James O’Callaghan said. “We look forward to their ongoing contributions.”
Jose Perez from AES, Sheik Sattaur from Union Bank, and Beth Hambelton from MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center will bring relevant knowledge and expertise to the board as they begin their three-year terms.
Perez has been with AES for more than 15 years. In the past year, he rose to Southlands operations director and narrowed his focus to root cause analysis. His process-solution inclination will afford the board a new operational edge and allow for effective long-term planning.
Sattaur serves as the chamber’s ambassador committee co-chair with local business owner Victoria Alberty. Sattaur actively engages in the community at Chamber events by emceeing ribbon cuttings and networking events. He brings to the board both his financial expertise and digital insight to increase the chamber’s online presence and appeal.
Hambelton serves as MemorialCare’s Senior Program and Community Outreach Liaison, representing the nonprofit hospital and health system on various boards and committees that provide services to the community and local businesses. She has been serving on the Huntington Beach Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee for several years.
Hambelton is responsible for outreach with elected officials and their staff, as well as collaborations with other organizations and employers to help fulfill shared missions of wellness, health improvement, access to care and service to the community.
Additionally, the board’s nominating committee presented the 2018 Executive Committee slate, which included Boeing’s Barbara Mason as continuing board chair, CIELO CEO John Hobson as chair-elect, Republic Services’ Shannon Clark as CFO/Treasurer, HomeSmart/Evergreen Realty realtor Teri Miles, Michael Grant Construction Services owner Michael Grant, and Cornerstone Real Estate president Ed Mountford.
Although the chamber’s board chair historically served a one-year term that started and ended in March, recent changes made to enhance pecuniary planning will lengthen the board chair’s term this year.
The chamber shifted the beginning of its next fiscal year from March to January 2019 to align its operating year with many local businesses. This change resulted in a 10-month fiscal year in 2018, and to smooth the financial transition, the position of board chair will change hands in July this year. At that time, current board chair Barbara Mason will finish her 17-month term as chair-elect John Hobson begins his own.
“This leadership transition plan ensures the chamber has continuous sound leadership for the coming two years,” O’Callaghan said.
John Hobson brings to his new role as chair-elect experience and expertise with companies of various size and stages of growth. For ten years, he has developed and sold several companies here in Orange County, while also serving as the CEO of CIELO, an organization dedicated to assisting career builders and entrepreneurs maximize their potential. In addition, John served on numerous boards as those companies underwent major transitions.
Both AIM Office Solutions owner Jim Duncan and AES plant manager Weikko Wirta completed their second term on the board this year. Wirta guided the chamber through a period of leadership transition and set a course for future development with the board. At the same time, Duncan chaired the ambassador committee as his successor Sattaur does now, and brought his passion for developing the next generation of leaders.
As Duncan and Wirta leave the board, both the chamber board of directors and staff express gratitude for their time, dedication and contributions in advancing the organization’s mission.
In accordance with the chamber’s bylaws, a nominating committee of board members put forth the new and renewing board member names and developed the slate of executive committee officers for approval.
Additional candidates for directors can be nominated by petition bearing the genuine signatures of at least 20 Chamber members in good standing for each candidate petitioned.

About Us

Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based business advocacy and networking organization that represents 675+ businesses, employing more than 160,000 employees in Huntington Beach and Orange County.

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Phone (714) 536-8888

15744 Goldenwest Street
Building A Room 137-138
Huntington Beach CA, 92648