John Bwarie is the CEO of the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce. His role is to provide leadership and direction to the organization and fulfill its mission to strengthen the business community, help businesses thrive in the city, and create a stronger community overall in Alhambra.
6 AM: I wake up & get my kids ready for school.
I’m not lucky enough to live in Alhambra, I live in Burbank. My day starts usually around 6 am when I wake up and start getting my kids ready for school. I spend the morning making sure they’re not late for school. Most days, immediately after I drop them off I start my first call.
8 AM: First call of the day — Alhambra Chamber’s Executive Committee Meeting.
I started the day with our executive committee meeting, where our board meets to talk about key policies and policies and programs that the Chamber will be undertaking and what the board needs to vote on, while at the same time addressing critical urgent issues and setting some expectations for what the Chamber will be representing in meetings later today.
We have monthly board meetings and monthly executive committee meetings. We spend the week before putting together the financials of the organization and key issues that have bubbled up since the last meeting in order to prepare our volunteer leaders to make the best decisions in support of the organization’s mission and the community.
9 AM: I spoke at the City Council Annual Strategic Planning Session, provided public testimony in support of business priorities as the City Council seeks to set their budget and goals for the year. We want to make sure they’re including key innovations and best practices that the city can undertake — what we asked for was to make a decision to become the most business-friendly city in the San Gabriel Valley.
12 PM: I had an agenda-setting meeting for the Economic Development and Land Use Committee, which discusses upcoming projects and policies that can enhance the business community and grow the economy here in the City of Alhambra. That discussion revolved around key topics like zoning and how to make it easier for businesses to open their business in Alhambra.
LUNCH: I enjoy trying out new restaurants near the Chamber in Alhambra. Typically, I fit lunch in wherever I can. Sometimes, that means a granola bar. When I can, I try to try a new restaurant in Alhambra — we have so many to choose from here. Today, I went to Auntie Qiu Kitchen on Main Street and got an assortment of dumplings and other items that I shared with staff back at the office.
2 PM: LA Regional Shop Local Campaign Meeting.
I participated in a regional fire-recovery task force around developing a regional shop local campaign to support businesses that were directly impacted and the rest of the businesses in LA County that may be suffering because of the January fires.
With the county and city of Los Angeles, as well as the City of Santa Monica and the City of Pasadena. Because of my unique position, I was the only non-city staff member in the meeting.
2:45 PM: I presented on the structure of government in Alhambra and compared it to other cities in the county and how that’s structured.
4 PM: Last meeting of the day with the Chamber’s International Business Affairs Committee.
We’re planning a trip to visit Alhambra’s sister city Kirishima with a small delegation to look for businesses to do business in Alhambra and strengthen that relationship, as well as make it easier for our local businesses to export, which at this time is an important topic that even a local community like Alhambra is tackling to make sure that those companies that do import or export are in the best position for success in the face of a dynamic environment.
5 PM: After my last meeting, I went home and had dinner with family.
WINDING DOWN: I typically spend time with my family, we try to do a family game night or work on homework. Once the kids are asleep, I usually open up my computer again and try to catch up on emails and reports and plan for the next day and the coming weeks.
OUTCOMES: This was a typical day and the outcomes were incrementally moving policy forward to support businesses and the community at large. And, hopefully, raising the reputation of Alhambra in the regional setting as a key partner and a community that is part of the larger Los Angeles and Southern California region, that’s ready to receive resources and be a part of solutions that are critical to the success of any community, but especially how we can succeed here in Alhambra.
BALANCE: Weekends offer an opportunity to be with family. I try to plan activities with my kids so that we can continue to have those meaningful memories and experiences together. I understand that the role that I have in as a leader of this organization means that sometimes I have to sacrifice some things that are more personal because the role that I have requires me to take advantage of the moment to support our local businesses, the local economy, and regional priorities that make it viable for our communities to exist in an extremely dynamic environment.
IDEAL WORKDAY: Whenever I can bring people together to have conversations about new solutions or new ideas that can really support local businesses and entrepreneurship and economic mobility of individuals in the workforce. I would have those meetings all day long, if I could.
