The Ladera Rancho Chamber, a newly formed chamber of commerce serving Ladera Ranch, is making big plans for the future, according to its president Peter Cross.
Peter Cross: President of the newly formed Ladera Rancho Chamber
Cross, owner of Ladera-based ISU Insurance Services Tasman, said members of the board of the Ladera Ranch Chamber of Commerce – formerly under the South Orange County Regional Chambers of Commerce – began holding planning meetings in July of last year in order to plan for the future of the chamber in a difficult economy.
We assessed “where we were, what we were doing, what was in the best interest of the businesses,” Cross said.
The board members – including Barbara Parker of Barbara Parkers, Inc., Johnny Marino of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cathie Berlin of Front Street Realty, Michael Smithers of The Goddard School, Claire Shepard of Infusion Restaurant and Brian and Melissa Svoboda of Partyland – decided it was important to plan for the next 20 years, according to Cross.
“Talk to any forty-year-old, twenty years happens fast,” Cross said, adding that the Ladera Chamber decided to officially “secede” from the South Orange County Regional on May 1.
Cross said the newly-constituted Ladera Rancho Chamber will focus on supporting the community and new businesses, particularly after the Rancho Mission Viejo housing developing southeast of Ladera is built out.
In the short term, Cross said the Ladera Rancho Chamber is focused on supporting the community of Ladera.
“We’re not just about the community’s consumption with us,” Cross said.
The chamber of commerce supports the Ladera Ranch Education Foundation, the Tinkerbell Guild, Ladera Ranch Little League and local schools.
The chamber of commerce supports the Ladera Ranch Education Foundation, the Tinkerbell Guild, Ladera Ranch Little League and local schools, Cross said.
Cross said he will be returning 15 percent of his gross revenue as a business owner to local schools last year. He plans to present the first check to the Ladera Ranch Education Foundation next month. He said he wants to compete for the business of Ladera residents and, in turn, “we’d like to … give that money back.”
The Ladera Rancho Chamber has held two mixer events, one at Newport Rib Co. in the Mercantile East Center and another at Hamilton Oaks Vineyard and Winery in Trabuco Canyon.
The next event is the State of the Community breakfast Friday, Aug. 21, featuring Assemblyman Jeff Miller, Orange County Supervisor Pat Bates, Sheriff Sandra Hutchens and members of the boards of Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corp. and Ladera Ranch Community Services.
For more information on the Ladera Rancho Chamber visit: http://www.laderaranchochamber.org/
For more information about Ladera Ranch and Ladera Ranch homes for sale contact Robert Prophet and the Robert Prophet Group. Send us an email or visit our web site: RobertProphet.com
Written by Rashi Kesarwani of The Orange County Register
