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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Hip Hop Beverage Corp. Honored at Chamber Gala

In a year with lots of references to pit bulls, and stiff competition from national and international energy drinks, Hip Hop Beverage Corporation was awarded Small Business of the Year by the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce at their annual gala on Nov. 7. It’s just one of many accolades the Pacoima-based company has received since it was founded in 2002, including being named “Best Up and Coming Small Business” in 2004 by the Business Journal. Marketing and sales director Tamara Clark accepted the award on behalf of Hip Hop, the company that manufactures and distributes energy drinks, energy bars and a new powdered formula under the brand name Pit Bull. “Being a member of the chamber has helped us because it’s brought more publicity to the company,” Clark said. “We do thank John Chiang for acknowledging us as well as the governor’s office.” The company’s products are now carried nationwide and internationally with major retailers such as Costco and 7-11 being counted among their customers. State Controller John Chiang was the keynote speaker for the event. The Business Journal had a chance to speak with him briefly about his tussles with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over the technical difficulties involved in solving California’s current budget crisis. “The governor wants to cut $2.5 billion from education but schools don’t have enough notice,” said Chiang. “For one thing, you can’t just lay off teachers, because of union contracts.” He is still awaiting a decision on the court case that would determine the legality of the governor’s proposal earlier in the year to slash a broad range of state workers’ salaries to minimum wage. “I told the governor, we have to get a court decision on this,” said Chiang. “If we go ahead and do it, and we’re wrong, the state will be facing $3.6 billion in penalties.” After the event, chamber executive M.C. Townsend said she was very pleased with the turnout. “Between the business owners and certainly the celebrities in the house and our elected officials all joined together under one roof with our regional coalition,” said Townsend, “Certainly this was one of the best events the chamber has pulled off.”

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