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The leadership change comes as the 137-year-old business organization continues its focus on economic development and services for its more than 1,150 member businesses in today’s challenging economic environment.
Girardot will be installed during the Chamber’s annual gala at the Langham Huntington Hotel. He is known in the Pasadena area for his tenure as the editor of the Pasadena Star-News from 2010 until his departure in 2015.
“The Chair has a unique opportunity to shape and direct Chamber policies and programs during their year leading the Board,” said Chamber President and CEO Paul Little.
Barchowsky led the organization through the 2024-25 fiscal year, balancing economic development initiatives with civic engagement while prioritizing small business services, Little said.
The Chamber will also install four new board members: Roger Huang of East West Bank, Brandon Stansell of waste-management company Athens Services, Ray Asad of Fuller Theological Seminary and Roger McCarty of California Pizza Kitchen.
The Friday evening event reflects the Chamber’s broader community role. The organization will award scholarships to emancipated foster youth transitioning to four-year universities, with law firm Womble Bond Dickinson providing an additional scholarship.
“The scholarship presentations are a high point of the evening,” said Little. “Providing assistance to young people who have no other resources is rewarding to us and their stories are heartfelt and very moving. We greatly appreciate Womble Bond Dickinson for adding a scholarship of their own.”
The Chamber’s foundation will distribute grants from SoCalGas to two small businesses displaced by the Eaton Fire to help with reopening costs. A Corporate Citizen of the Year award will recognize a member with more than 100 years of continuous membership.
Corporate sponsors include Kaiser Permanente, LA Fire Justice, the Langham Huntington Hotel, Rose Bowl Stadium and Wells Fargo as gold-level backers. Athens Services, the City of Pasadena, Optimum Seismic and Womble Bond Dickinson are silver sponsors.
Founded in 1888 as the Board of Trade, the Pasadena Chamber has been instrumental in developing the Southern California city’s business climate. The organization serves as both an economic development engine and civic engagement platform.
The gala begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner and the installation ceremony at 7:30 p.m.
Information is available at: www.pasadena-chamber.org/
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