Transcript- Episode 151: Leading a Thriving Region for All: How the LA Chamber is Reimagining Economic Growth with Maria S. Salinas, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce Episode 151

Maria Salinas [00:00:00]:

There was a lot of conversation around technology, the advent of AI and just how jobs were changing. And I can tell you that at that time I was like, we cannot miss out on this moment. We cannot have a generation of students be left out of that opportunity of knowing that jobs are changing, that work is being impacted.

 

Christina Barsi [00:00:27]:

The workforce landscape is rapidly changing, and educators and their institutions need to keep up. Preparing students before they enter the workforce to make our communities and businesses stronger is at the core of getting an education. But we need to understand how to change and adjust so that we can begin to project where things are headed before we even get there. So, how do we begin to predict the future?

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:03]:

Hi, I'm Salvatrice Cummo, Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development at Pasadena City College and host of this podcast.

 

Christina Barsi [00:01:11]:

And I'm Christina Barsi, producer and co-host of this podcast.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:29]:

And we are starting the conversation about the future of work. We'll explore topics like how education can partner with industry, how to be more equitable, and how to attain one of our highest goals: more internships and PCC students in the workforce. We at Pasadena City College want to lead the charge in closing the gap between what our students are learning and what the demands of the workforce will be once they enter. This is a conversation that impacts all of us. You, the employers, the policymakers, the educational institutions, and the community as a whole.

 

Christina Barsi [00:01:34]:

We believe change happens when we work together, and it all starts with having a conversation. I'm Christina Barsi.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:52]:

And I'm Salvatrice Cummo. And this is the Future of Work.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:01:57]:

Hi. Welcome back to the Future of Work podcast. I am your host, Dr. Salvatrice Cummoumo. Today's guest is Maria Salinas. Maria is the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. She made history as the first woman and the first Latina to lead the organization, bringing a wealth of experience from both the corporate world and the civic space. Today we'll be talking about what it means to rebuild Los Angeles, not just physically or economically, but in a way that supports long term opportunities for everyone who calls this region home.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:02:33]:

We'll also explore how public private partnerships and employer led workforce methods and models are shaping what's next for the work in LA. Maria, such a pleasure to have you here. Welcome back.

 

Maria Salinas [00:02:47]:

Thank you so much for having me. It's such a pleasure to be here with you.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:02:51]:

You bet, you bet. We're going to dive right in. I have the privilege of knowing who you are and your work and knowing about your journey. But for those who might be new to you, and the organization. Can you share a little bit about this is my favorite question, by the way, of all my guests, is how you got here. What led you to this point of CEO and president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, if you could share your journey for us?

 

Maria Salinas [00:03:16]:

Oh, absolutely. I think, you know, a leadership journey sometimes is definitely not, at least in my case, not planned. I know a lot of times we talk about, you know, the importance of planning, and I would say it's more the importance about being intentional about the work that you do. And I think for me, my whole career, when I look at, you know, being intentional about being in business, have a finance background and wanting to make sure that I understood all the different elements of, you know, finance, accounting, and how that really moves decision makers in business by just understanding the numbers. So, you know, that's how I ended up in my job with organizations like Ernst and Young and the Walt Disney Company and even to go off on my own and do my own consultancy with major organizations and to be able to be, again, intentional about, you know, the work that I was doing and how that could lead to greater decision making by business leaders. So through the course of that, you know, I developed an expertise in an area that was highly sought after in terms of serving on nonprofit boards, community boards, with civic organizations. And at the core of who I am, I've always been a person that wants to do more in community, whether it was through education or through some other kind of civic work. And just wanting to see the communities being lifted up, I think is in its broadest sense.

 

Maria Salinas [00:05:02]:

And so to me, the leadership journey was about bringing those two pieces together. My professional expertise and then love for community, and before I knew it, you know, was serving on some pretty big boards here in Los Angeles, had the opportunity to do some really sophisticated work in the business space. Mergers, acquisitions, sales, transactions, I mean, that all is really led to me even taking leadership roles on boards. I was the chairwoman of a community bank in Los Angeles. I had been the board chair of my alma mater, the University at Loyola Marymount University. Really high profile roles that really, you know, test your leadership, right? Because when you're in those boardrooms, you need to make decisions that are in the best interest of the organization that you're serving. I think that caught the attention of the Chamber. And when I was initially having the conversation about the role, my first instinct was, well, I'm not a Chamber executive.

 

Maria Salinas [00:06:17]:

As I looked into it further, it really resonated with me, the impact that a role like this, leading an Organization as prestigious as the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the impact that that could have in the broader Los Angeles community in lifting that up, in lifting up members and communities together alongside each other for the benefit of having greater economic mobility in Los Angeles.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:06:52]:

I love that. I mean, you're leading a group of collective to create that impact. And your role in lifting up the community takes a strong effort to do a lot of the collaborative work of the Chamber. And again, you know, bringing thought leaders such as ourselves in one space to figure out how do we create greater impact, how do we have broader reach, how do we solve XYZ problem? And that leads me to kind of think about, of course, again, so I have my own lens, right through my lens, I know very well the work of the Chamber and the value and the impact and how wonderful the Chamber to have a Chamber of Commerce, LA Chamber of Commerce specifically within our community. And for those who may not understand or quite get the concept around chambers or, or sometimes, you know, we may think we have an idea of the work of a chamber and certain things get overlooked, it'd be really great for our audience to truly understand what the Chamber actually does. You know, again, I have a close look at it, but some of our audience members may not. It would be great to hear from you. You know, what does the Chamber actually do?

 

Maria Salinas [00:08:02]:

Absolutely. Yes. So the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce is actually a regional chamber. So it's one of the largest chambers by far in Los Angeles. Very influential across the state and also across the country. It's recognized as one of the chambers that oversees one of the largest economies that we have here in Los Angeles. I mean, the state is recognized now as the fourth largest economy. But when you really look at the greater Los Angeles area, it's a big driver of being that fourth largest economy.

 

Maria Salinas [00:08:43]:

So, you know, at its core, the Chamber is the business advocate. We represent the interests of businesses. But I think that the LA Chamber goes deeper than that. The LA Chamber is really about the broader Los Angeles region and everything that it includes. We have a vision that says a thriving region for all. It doesn't say a thriving region for business. It's a thriving region for all. And so when I think about that, and I think about all the great thought leadership that came into the Chamber to define that vision.

 

Maria Salinas [00:09:23]:

It was about realizing that we're the caretaker of this region and the caretaker of an economy as well as the caretaker of a community, of the well being of the community. So we define it a little broader than maybe others might be thinking of just, you know, strictly focused on that business lens. I think we go broader in that regard and understanding that every element of a community has an impact on the regional economy. So if you're in the education field, you are developing the workforce of the future, and that is something that is very critical to businesses. If you are in government, you are developing the policies that businesses need to operate in, so you become a very important constituent stakeholder for a chamber. So when I think of the role of the Chamber, it is in its broadest form as being a caretaker of this region. And I think we do it through ways that, you know, we always talk about our convening power. We can bring together multiple views and come to the table to provide a solution.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:10:45]:

I love that. You know, with that said, you and I have seen, and our audience, I'm sure our members have seen as well, that Los Angeles has gone through quite a bit between pandemic recovery, natural disasters, economic shifts. What role is the Chamber playing specifically in that regard in helping LA rebuild?

 

Maria Salinas [00:11:05]:

That is like our core work. It really is. You know, if everything that you just mentioned, the economic shifts, how are we making sure that we understand those shifts, that we understand how to respond to shifts that are happening? That to the extent there are policies that are enacted, how do we make sure that there's a good education of the broader ecosystem that understands and can implement policies that are enacted more recently? The wildfires, you know, itself on the rebuilding, there are so many different implications for an organization like the Chamber to be an advocate for home building, to be an advocate for the environment, and to be an advocate for preparedness in general. I mean, these wildfires really took a toll on the economic landscape of these particular neighborhoods. And so how do we make sure that we restore that as quick as possible? That may mean having policy changes. And that's where the Chamber comes in to weigh in, to speak to elected officials, to state organizations, to meet with local leaders and ensure that they are hearing the voice of maybe small businesses or maybe neighborhood associations or maybe residents that are seeing pain points. Insurance is one that comes up a lot. And organizations like a Chamber of Commerce lean into those pain points.

 

Maria Salinas [00:12:57]:

That's what we do. That's our job.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:12:59]:

Thank you for sharing how the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce is really aiding in the rebuild because of all these shifts that we have been faced with, as we mentioned earlier, pandemic recovery, natural disasters, and now the rebuild. And. And of course, our economic shifts. And we've had our attention taken away from what's right around the corner from us in exactly three years, maybe a little bit less, are the Olympics. And so big moments like the 2028 Olympics are just right around the corner for us. How are you thinking about these events not just as a global spotlight, but as an opportunity to build lasting infrastructure and create opportunities for la.

 

Maria Salinas [00:13:43]:

Yeah, thank you for asking that question because I think this is LA's moment, probably not the only moment, because we're LA, but LA28 is going to be one of the largest Olympics, the biggest Olympics by far in Olympic history. There will be five new sports that are introduced. There are 206 countries that will be participating in the Olympics. This is a no build Olympics. So meaning Los Angeles has all the venues and facilities that will be available for to carry out these Olympics. This will be the Olympics that will have more female athletes than in prior Olympics. So those are just a little, little few facts that I have garnered as I've met with the LA28 team. I think it's incredibly important for all of us to play a role in the preparation of the region to host the Olympics, to host visitors that are expected to be somewhere.

 

Maria Salinas [00:14:54]:

I think it was shared that we expect to host 15 million tourists that will be coming into the region for the Olympics. So I think that that's says a lot about the importance that Los Angeles is going to have on the world stage. The LA Chamber is committed to be a good partner with LA28, with the City of Los Angeles and all the ancillary groups involved to make sure that we have the best experience not only for the visitors, but for the residents of this region as well. That means that we want to make sure that people can participate, that people can attend, that people can go to activations that there are tickets that are affordable. I understand there'll be something like 13 million tickets and about a third of those will be under $100 that our businesses are ready to enter, contracting and to do work in preparation for the Olympics. And if those businesses aren't that, that they're ready to have the influx of visitors, that they've got the inventory and that they've got a little marketing and signage and that they understand the paths, the transportation paths to head into, you know, the venues that you have. These venues are not concentrated just in the downtown LA area. It's, you know, Pasadena will be a venue here.

 

Maria Salinas [00:16:30]:

There are many, many opportunities for members of this region to participate. And at the end of the day we believe that it's an economic opportunity for many. And again, how do we lift up communities to take advantage of being on the world stage? So it's going to be a very exciting time. And I tell my team, I'm like, this is a moment in history. And to be part of the Chamber during this moment, moment in history, is very important for us to play a role, and we will play a role.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:17:10]:

Thank you. There's so many moments, so many moments that the Chamber is playing an incredible role in the history of Los Angeles as a region. And I'm glad you mentioned the small vendor community and the small businesses that are being impacted. I mean, this is going to be another example of how an event, anything massive happening to Los Angeles creates economic shifts, creates lasting infrastructure, and probably calls out some of the things that we thought, well, it's going to call out areas of improvement. Right. And that's okay. And that's okay. That's the natural part of evolving as a region.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:17:48]:

And then kind of tying the loop around private public partnerships is, if I'm not mistaken, I believe our Women's Business Center is working collaboratively with your team on a vendor stadium accelerator so that we can prepare the small business community to compete for spots within the stadium. Oftentimes, you know, you and I see it all the time. We see the small business community wanting to participate in such large, beautiful events, and it's the greatest thing for them in all areas of business. However, it requires a certain amount of access to capital, it requires a certain right amount of employees, it requires efficiencies in their processes, and the list goes on and on. So we thank you, too. Thank you for allowing the team to work with our team on that accelerator. I think it's going to be fantastic.

 

Maria Salinas [00:18:39]:

And you know, the other thing to mention, you know, you talked about the public private partnership, the get in the game. We launched the game initiative to help specifically those small businesses, those local small businesses that are looking to understand what that procurement process is. So we wanted to be a little fun about it and we said, we want you to get in the game. And we know that training is important, that technical assistance is key, and the access to capital that you mentioned, all those elements are really important.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:19:15]:

Yeah, thank you for doing that. I mean, that's a huge thing. I mean, the procurement process in itself is complex for those who are in it day to day, like you and I. But then you have a vendor small business who wants to get in the game, and it's layered with so many different variables and processes, and it's like, how do we navigate this thing?

 

Maria Salinas [00:19:35]:

You know, absolutely. And I think a lot of that, what we're trying to do with our get in the Game initiative is to make sure you're clear on what the rules are, like, what your compliance requirements are. But to also understand that it's not just these Olympic items. There's so many other things that are mentioned, like all those countries, all the sponsors that will be doing activation will need support. That's right, the supply chain here in Los Angeles, so.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:20:07]:

That's right. I mean, it takes a community. Well, this full circle, full circle. It's going back to what you started with, which is it takes a community to uplift a community. And you're leading that effort for the region. And. And it's beautiful. Thank you.

 

Maria Salinas [00:20:22]:

Exciting.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:20:23]:

Very exciting. Incredibly exciting. And I've seen it in action and have been a part of some of those conversations. And it goes without being said that the LA Chamber does impressive work around advocacy like no other organization I've ever seen, to be quite honest. And I'm not biased, I'm not just saying that because you're sitting here in front of me and as a member of your board. But I'll tell you what, I mean, anytime we, as a city, as a region, Los Angeles region, have stumbled across a pain point, the LA Chamber has always been there, front and center, trying to figure things out, specifically around the arena of policy. And so we thank you very much for those efforts because it creates strides, it solves problems.

 

Maria Salinas [00:21:09]:

Thank you for saying that. Because I think it's important that there's an organization and there are several others that can lean in to things that are hard and rebuilding is hard, global are hard. There's so many things that are hard. But you need an organization that can kind of be your firefighter, you know, in the context of the public policy landscape. Because some of these things are not easy to figure out. But when you know that, okay, this is a state issue, so we need to follow up at a state level that's important for us to recognize.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:21:55]:

Yes. Speaking of complexities, you and I have been in this conversation about workforce development, which is very different from economic development and the Chamber, you specifically talk about employer led workforce development. And so what I thought what we talk about a little bit is really what that means. I've seen you advocate for employer led workforce development. Let's talk about, you know, really what that means and how it's really helping people prepare for jobs, for the jobs of tomorrow.

 

Maria Salinas [00:22:26]:

Yeah, no, definitely. And I think I completely enjoy working with our educational institutions. I think a lot of people know that I have a special place for community colleges. I used to actually sit on the state commission, the student aid commission. And I think it really honed in my understanding of the role of the community college system, the CSUs, the UCs, and just kind of how that functions statewide. And there's a deep appreciation for the educational systems, the pipelines that are being created there. But one of the things that I started to notice is that, you know, for the employers, they're kind of on the receiving end. And there would be employers that were saying, you know, I need to retrain when they come into entry level jobs, or they were creating their own programs to extend training because of a particular field.

 

Maria Salinas [00:23:30]:

And I have long held, like businesses have so much to offer to that population of students that are going through the pipeline. Employers have so much to offer even to the youngest. Right. You know, whether it's mentoring or whether it's inspiring them on the jobs that they have available, you know, and that could happen at a very young age. And so I've often said, you know, the employers have an opportunity to reach back into the educational systems and play a bigger role, whether it's mentoring at that young age or doing shadow days and then showing them what an engineer does, what a nurse does, whatever the occupation is, and then really being present during those formative collegiate years, whether it's the first couple of years, giving hands on experience. So when we talk about employer led, to me it's like engagement, deepening the engagement within the educational system. When I also talk about employer led, I also think it's a paradigm shift. And I've called it a paradigm shift.

 

Maria Salinas [00:24:54]:

And in fact, we've got a little project that we're working on specifically on can we pilot work that is employer led with educational institutions that lead to jobs where employers can commit, but the educational institution can also be speaking directly with the employer on the needs, on the specifics related to actual jobs and work. So it's a big initiative at the Chamber and we call it a paradigm shift. Because if we can show that by just deepening engagement from employers into the academic systems, that yields a better result, a better pipeline, or a pipeline that has greater ease to reach a job, to realize a full time job, that would be great success.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:25:52]:

That's right. That's right. And you and I like to call that private public partnerships too, right?

 

Maria Salinas [00:25:58]:

Absolutely. That's exactly what that is. And I mean, that's at the core of what the Chamber does, bringing groups together. So when I speak about this particular initiative that we're working on. I thought the chamber is so well suited to do this employer-led work because we have the employers, we have major employers that are members of the chamber, that are very active with the chamber, but we also have academic institutions, we also have community colleges that are represented. You know, so tapping into those resources that are at our fingertips was something that I thought, let's pilot, we can prove it here and then see what kind of results we can get.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:26:49]:

Yeah, I love that pilot, by the way, and thank you. Thank you for initiating that. And private public partnerships are complex. You know, they're delicate too. And there is sometimes there's not an alignment between systems. Right. Where are you seeing, based on past examples, the effort within the pilot that you're creating where we're still kind of needing a little more alignment, where us as educational institutions can aid in that or employers can step in and maybe rise up a little bit in the alignment process. Where are you seeing some of the gaps?

 

Maria Salinas [00:27:26]:

You know what? I think a lot of it, it's like anything, get rid of that bias that you might have, get to know your partner, and I will bet you you will have many things to align on. And so when I speak to business leaders, you know, I hear their perceptions and I try to dispel that because I hear education leaders and they might have a perception, you know, of employers or business. So I think the coming together and getting to know each other and facilitating a place of trust, I think is where the Chamber can lean in on that as well. And I mentioned that because it was even brought to my attention by one of our college presidents because we were like, okay, yeah, let's just do this meeting, you know, the next steps meeting. And he says, you know, you need to probably do a pre meeting where we can all get in a room and we can all meet each other and understand each other. So there's that element of trust going into the meeting that you're going to. You want to have.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:28:37]:

That's right, yes.

 

Maria Salinas [00:28:38]:

And you know what? I think that was enlightening to me that we can't just assume that everybody's on the same page of where we sit, that there are different perspectives that might, you know, have a different approach. And being open to having conversation and getting to know each other is probably a big part of bringing things in alignment.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:29:05]:

That's right. That's right. And speaking of perspective and alignment, when we think about the future of work, you know, we talk about that a lot. There's data that's coming in front of our desks all the time around the occupational growths in specific sectors, the gaps in wages, etc. Where are you saying to yourself, as a regional leader in this space, who does regional strategies? Where are you saying to yourself, salvatore, there's hope. There's hope in this? And then I'm also kind of curious about what causes you pause and what kind of keeps you up at night when we think about the future of work.

 

Maria Salinas [00:29:39]:

Yeah, and I would say was about three years ago now that we kicked off our year and we started said, the future is here. You know, there was a lot of conversation around technology, the advent of AI and just how jobs were changing. And I can tell you that at that time, I was like, we cannot miss out on this moment. We cannot have a generation of students, whatever their level in the education systems are, be left out of that opportunity of knowing that jobs are changing, that work is being impacted. And that was when we started looking at what is the paradigm shift that we need to see. We need employers to get more involved. So that definitely, like, if you would have asked me that, I would have said that keeps me up at night. Like, because we have thousands and thousands of students here in the Los Angeles area in a variety of amazing institutions, academic institutions.

 

Maria Salinas [00:30:50]:

How do we make sure that they're not missing out, they're not missing out of the changing trends that are happening? So that was definitely a concern. The optimism that I have is that the opportunity. Highlighting the opportunity. The opportunity. And with leaders like you, Salvatri and others, and institutions that stay close to the business trends, I'm very hopeful. You know, I meet with chancellors and provosts and presidents of universities. I always take those meetings because if they're meeting with me, I know that they're thinking about the future of the pipeline that they have in classrooms today. And that is so important that we connect those dots, because the future is going to be different and it's going to move faster.

 

Maria Salinas [00:31:49]:

And the agility that, you know, students will need to work with is only going to become more important. So to the extent that we can have business leaders, academic leaders in the same space talking about this stuff, I'm optimistic about that. I've seen it done. I've seen leaders like yourself lean in and hopefully, like, you are taking information from us at the chamber that is helpful in the work that you're doing. Absolutely. So I am very optimistic about that.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:32:24]:

Yeah, absolutely, 100%. And we're always in a constant state of improvement, whether we are an educational institution, an Economic Development Agency, et cetera, Chamber. I pose the question all the time to our partners, what could we do better? Where could we be doing better as it relates to the future of work and preparing the future workforce? These again, it's fast, it's fluid, it's complex, it's layered. But I'm curious, through your lens, where do we have an opportunity for growth as a community college system?

 

Maria Salinas [00:32:53]:

And again, I'm the biggest fan of the community college systems. I think that there's such great opportunities for students to really find themselves in these spaces, but to be trained and to have the skills that will take them to the next level. And, you know, to answer your question, I think, you know, there's an opportunity with organizations like the Chamber to lean in on the work, to hear firsthand from business leaders, from civic leaders in terms of what are they grappling with? Right. And a lot of times, it's that grappling that leads to something. It's shaping the future, the environment that we're going to be in. And I think you could find that at the Chamber. I think that's up place where the Chamber offers that up to be able to then let you or others take away, like, oh, this is what's happening. This is what's new.

 

Maria Salinas [00:33:57]:

It's no different than how I kind of keep my finger on the pulse of what's going on in the economy. Not just, you know, what we're seeing, like on our shelves, but what is the shipper doing, what is happening at the port, you know, all those. Those things. There's a downstream impact of that. And, you know, it's important to kind of keep your finger on the pulse of things like that.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:34:22]:

That's right. That's right. Thank you. Thank you for that. And for those who are listening, whether they're educators, business owners and students, there's one thing you'd like for them to take away from this conversation. What would it be?

 

Maria Salinas [00:34:34]:

It goes back to a little bit about what you said, Salvatrice, about the public private partnership and how valuable that is, always having that frame of lens, that that's an important part of what we do. You know, we can be siloed in our own system, no matter what it is, whether it's an industry or whether it's anything else, but when you explore beyond your comfort zone, you're going to yield different results. And, you know, I like to apply that model to a lot of different things that I do. I'm trying to understand something, and I'm not really getting the answer, I kind of take a look. I'm like, oh, I'm in the same space. So I'm just hearing from myself. Or the same people over and over again. Let me go somewhere different.

 

Maria Salinas [00:35:27]:

Right. And that's uncomfortable. That can be uncomfortable. To try to venture out into a new space, a new area, unknown territory. But sometimes that's where I've received the best thinking.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:35:42]:

That's right.

 

Maria Salinas [00:35:42]:

Is to really think about things differently than my own little echo chamber.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:35:48]:

Yes, yes. It's easy to do. It's easy to stay within our own arena of comfort. Right. But that goes back to leaning into areas that we are. Are uncertain for us because we just don't know. We don't have the knowledge or expertise. But if we lean into it and feel a little uncomfortable, then what we're originally trying to solve gets answered.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:36:07]:

Because we're looking outside.

 

Maria Salinas [00:36:09]:

Absolutely. And that's why I mentioned earlier, like, when I meet with education leaders or when I get calls, you know, from the provost, the chancellor, or some of our board members from universities, I take those right away because I know that they're outside of their comfort zone.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:36:30]:

Right.

 

Maria Salinas [00:36:31]:

That says a lot to me about, you know, what we can offer in terms of collaboration.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:36:38]:

That's right. Thank you. Thank you so much. And before we wrap up, I know you're busy. You're incredibly busy, busy leader leading massive strategies for the entire region of Los Angeles. I mean, just to wrap our heads around that is. Is an undertaking. Right.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:36:53]:

You're incredibly thoughtful and we are very grateful to have you as our leader and in this space with solving some of the most complex workforce issues. And thank you for. For advocating on behalf of employers, institutions and the community at large. We really, really thank you and those listeners who would want to get more involved in the chamber work, where would be the best place for them to access that information. And we'll be sure to enter that into the show notes.

 

Maria Salinas [00:37:23]:

Our website is lachamber.com and there's good links to becoming members or signing up for our newsletters. Our team, including myself, I think you can find our emails on there. If there's anything in specific that people, you know, want to follow up with. There should be a calendar of events on our website that has, you know, activities that we're doing. We do an education summit where we try to really think about the future of work. We'll be doing that on November 18, but we do other things as well, like the state of LA business. You know, that's something that we'll do in August. So there's definitely a lot of forums that are created to bring a lot of these things that we've talked about to our members, our community members and people within the Los Angeles area.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:38:17]:

Well, thank you so very much. I will see you at the State of LA business address. And we look forward to continue working together not only as an institution of Pasadena City College, as we have our own internal efforts about how we play a role in rebuilding Los Angeles, specifically Altadena. We look forward to the continued partnership. And thank you again.

 

Maria Salinas [00:38:40]:

Absolutely. And thank you. I do know the work that you're doing specifically around workforce development in Altadena, and you're part of that community that needs to be empowered to really make sure that rebuilding happens. So thank you for your work as well.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:38:57]:

You're very welcome. You're very welcome. All right, Well, I will see you soon and thanks again. Have a beautiful day.

 

Maria Salinas [00:39:03]:

Thank you, Salvatrice.

 

Salvatrice Cummo [00:39:04]:

Bye Bye bye. Thank you for listening to the Future of Work podcast. Make sure you're subscribed on your favorite listening platform so you can easily get new episodes every Tuesday. You can reach out to us by clicking on the website link below in the Show Notes to collaborate, partner or just chat about all things future of Work. We'd love to connect with you. All of us here at the Future of Work and Pasadena City College wish you safety and wellness.