The Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual membership meeting on November 20, bringing together nearly 80 members, along with community partners and local officials, at the Garry Marshall Theatre to reflect on another successful and record-breaking year, recognize outstanding members and look ahead to goals and priorities for the future.
Attendees networked and enjoyed a buffet spread courtesy of MA’s Italian Kitchen before settling in to hear Chamber president Taylor Montana deliver his year-in-review address highlighting the organization’s milestone achievements. These included the largest-ever Pancake Breakfast to date, which raised $10,000 for LAFD Station 86 and the Widows, Orphans, and Disabled Firefighters Fund; the biggest and best-attended Holiday Open House yet; the inaugural Community Howl dog walk and costume contest; and a banner campaign along Riverside Drive celebrating the Chamber’s 85th anniversary.
Montana also remarked on what’s next for the Chamber. “We want to build on the momentum from last year and keep finding ways to support and spotlight our members and community,” he said. Some of the key goals he discussed included a complete redesign of the Chamber website to better showcase businesses and events, improved social media and communication channels to keep everyone informed, expanded programming with regular community events and business activations, and the introduction of Chamber-branded merchandise through the new site to support its initiatives.
After Montana’s presentation, newly elected representatives District 2 L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian and 44th District State Assemblymember Nick Schultz each took the stage to introduce themselves to members and share their commitment to supporting Toluca Lake and working closely with the Chamber to keep making improvements. Several neighborhood groups and partners followed with important updates, including Don St. Clair of the Homeowners Association, Robyn Allyn of the Neighborhood Watch, Ryan Altoon of the Beautification Partners, Senior Lead Officer Kurtis Delbar of the LAPD and Officer Paola Campos of the Burbank Police Department.
The Chamber concluded the meeting by recognizing all the new members who joined the organization in 2024 and presenting a special certificate of appreciation to immediate past president Erick Garcia for his contributions.
“Since we’re a fully volunteer-led organization, we rely on community support — both financial and hands-on,” Montana said of how residents can help the Chamber’s 2025 visions become a reality. “Donations to our monthly cleanups or Holiday Open House, as well as volunteering on a committee, can go a long way in helping us achieve our goals.”
