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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

VICA ‘Hall of Fame’ Honors Pioneers

Universal City The Valley Industry & Commerce Association (VICA) in Sherman Oaks will have its inaugural San Fernando Valley Business Hall of Fame dinner June 12 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. Wells Fargo is presenting the event, during which the first-ever inductees , Bob’s Big Boy, Daily News of Los Angeles, Bob Hope Airport, Voit Development Company and William Mulholland , will be honored. “These inductees are truly amazing and have done so much to contribute to the region’s economic prosperity and unique civic culture,” stated VICA Chair Greg Lippe. The late William Mulholland has the distinction of being the only individual VICA is honoring. The former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power head designed the first Los Angeles Aqueduct that delivered water to the City of Los Angeles from the Owens Valley. VICA credits this move with allowing the Valley to grow into a major economic center that is home to 1.8 million people. Bob’s Big Boy has roots dating to 1936, when Bob Wian opened a 10-seat diner called “Bob’s Pantry” in Glendale. Today, the restaurant’s oldest location is in Burbank, and it continues to attract hundreds of car-enthusiasts on Friday night, dubbed “Cruise Nights.” Known as United Airport when it opened in 1930, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank was home to a number of aerospace companies through World War II and the Cold War. Today, it serves millions of travelers on commercial and private flights, linking them to hundreds of nationwide destinations. The Daily News of Los Angeles is the oldest organization VICA will honor. It started as the “Van Nuys Call” in 1911. Older Valley natives may remember the Daily News as the Valley News and “Green Sheet,” which featured an extensive classified ad section. Since 1981, however, the publication has been called the Daily News of Los Angeles. Despite the new moniker, the paper continues to cover the Valley extensively. The youngest organization named as an inductee is commercial real estate services company Voit Development, founded by Robert D. Voit in 1971. Voit has the distinction of having developed Warner Center Plaza and Warner Center Business Park, in addition to Van Nuys retail center, “The Plant,” and the Marvin Braude Constituent Center. For information on the Business Hall of Fame Dinner, contact (818) 817-0545 or www.vica.com. SAN FERNANDO VALLEY Burbank Construction: Healthcare builder McCarthy Building Companies Inc. has completed construction of the steel structure for the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center, located at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center. McCarthy is building the four-story, 57,469-sq.-foot center facility with a moment frame structure in order to withstand seismic events. This construction is challenging due to the tight site; the building is only eight inches away from an existing parking structure on two sides, according to the company. Interesting features include three-foot-thick walls will surround two linear accelerators and one tomography suite, and a cooling system with thermal storage tanks, that will produce ice at night and use the ice as a chilled water source during peak daytime cooling hours. La Crescenta Winner: Clark Magnet High School in La Crescenta is one of three Los Angeles-area winners of the $50,000 Lexus Environmental Challenge, a national competition promoted by Lexus and Scholastic to educate teens on the environment. Nationally, 55 teams competed for the final prizes which were awarded to 14 schools. The school will receive a grant for $10,000; the teacher-advisor will receive a $5,000 grant; and the team of five students will share $35,000 in scholarships. The five-student team from Clark created a presentation on the effectiveness of “no-take zones” in the preservation of marine life, using Geographic Information System (GIS) software to compare and document biodiversity inside and outside of marine protected areas. North Hills SFVAAC: More than 80 students in Monroe High School’s School of Engineering and Design visited 16 aviation and aerospace businesses in the San Fernando Valley April 3 and were offered internships or positions with the companies. Participating businesses included Gorko Industries Inc., Hawker Beechcraft Services, Northrop Grumman Corp., Pentastar Aviation, Plateronics Processing; Pratt & Whitney, Schrillo Company and Syncro Aircraft Interiors Inc. All businesses belong to the San Fernando Valley Aviation-Aerospace Collaborative (SFVAAC), the nation’s first regional industry-specific collaborative to partner with a public high school to promote aviation and aerospace careers for students; and to create a new community development agenda that understands, supports and values the re-emergence of the San Fernando Valley’s Aviation-Aerospace industry and its contribution to the region’s socio-economic health. Northridge Screening: Oscar-winning filmmaker Ari Sandel presented his 20-minute musical comedy “West Bank Story” April 28 in the Oviatt Library of California State University, Northridge. The film explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict explained through the fast-paced, fast-food world of competing falafel stands. During his visit to CSUN, the director explained his quirky perspective on the Middle East conflict. Panorama City Launch: Kaiser Permanente celebrated the opening of its new hospital in Panorama City this weekend with an event called “Festival of Health” April 26. The festival included healthful eating and active living demonstrations, children’s activities and entertainment such as yoga, salsa dancing, a bounce house, rock wall and a hula-hoop contest. Kaiser Permanente leadership, health educators and community members participated in the event, which took place at Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, 13651 Willard Street, Panorama City. Van Nuys Gala: Valley Presbyterian Hospital (VPH) is hosting its 50th Anniversary Gala May 21, 6 p.m., to benefit new technology improvements at the hospital. The event, honoring David W. Fleming, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Valley Presbyterian, will be held at the LACMA’s new Broad Contemporary Art Museum, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Jason Alexander, best known for his role as George Costanza on the TV series, Seinfeld, will emcee. The gala will feature an old-fashioned razzing of Fleming and special recognition of Valley Presbyterian’s former chiefs of staff. Guests will enjoy cocktails, dinner and reminisce to the sounds of a live do wop band. Tickets, sponsorships and tables are currently available for the business attire gala. To become an event sponsor or to purchase a table at the event, contact the Foundation Department at (818) 902-2980 or [email protected]. Woodland Hills Farmwalk: The Agriculture Department of Pierce College presents its annual Farmwalk, May 4, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the college, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills. Councilman Dennis P. Zine will be the featured guest and sponsor. Firefighters will also be in attendance with their fire engines. The fire department and forestry division will also be in hand. The event will include several animals, sheep shearing, wool spinning, live music, cow milking, a petting zoo and more. Donation is $5. Children under 12 do not pay an admission fee. ANTELOPE VALLEY Palmdale Honor: Three City of Palmdale employees were honored with certificates of recognition for their years of public service April 16 at the Palmdale City Council meeting in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Mayor Jim Ledford made the presentations to Administrative Technician Sandra Woolbert for her 25 years of service and to Supervising Building Inspector Dennis Dininger and Assistant City Manager Laurie Lile who each have 20 years of service with the City. “We recognize employees that have significant time with the City,” Ledford said. “The strength of our organization is fabulous because we have great people capable of doing great things working for us.” CONEJO VALLEY Thousand Oaks Training: California Lutheran University trained counselors and others to respond to shootings and other violent situations on school campuses April 26 during an event called “Responding to Critical Incidents in Educational Settings.” Organizers invited CLU Counseling and Guidance Program students and counselors already working in schools, as well as college student affairs professionals to participate. Some campus safety administrators and teachers also took part. In the morning, James Graves, Performance Management Associates, trained participants to diffuse and debrief students. In the afternoon, K-12 counselors received training in Violent Intruder Police Educator Response from police facilitator Gene Bennett. Philip Mullendore, director of The Institute for Campus Safety and executive director of the California College and University Police Chiefs Association, covered college safety and preparedness.

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