The Chairman's Corner

By: Patrick Longo

Chairman December 2015

This past month, I had the pleasure of spending a beautiful November Saturday morning with close friends and family walking on the field of my happy place: Angel Stadium in Anaheim, home to my beloved Angels. We were all walking as a team joining more than 5,000 supporters participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which benefits my Chairman’s Choice Charity — the Alzheimer’s Association. Team CMSA raised $5,530 (made the top 30 team contributors list) toward the fight to end the nation’s sixth-leading cause of death. I want to thank each and every one of you who were able to join us on the walk and those who posted donations on our site. I am extremely overwhelmed by your commitment to this cause and generosity. A special thank you goes out to our hardworking CMSA staff who initiated this team, the website page and for all that they did to make this terrific day happen. Thank you to Steve Weitekamp, Renee Hifumi, Brianna Wahlstrom and Gale Iwashita as well as their families. We appreciate you all so much. This event also inspired the Longo family to make it an annual family event to pay tribute to our late father, who suffered from this disease. We will continue to fight this for many years to come.

This month, I also attended the Independent Contractor/Workforce Seminar in Long Beach, hosted by CMSA President Steve Weitekamp and CMSA Counsel Mark Hegarty. Included in the event was an updated IC workbook drawn up by Steve and Mark, providing valuable information to our companies working with contractors. The workbook is really well-written and brings real value to our association. Great work, Steve and Mark. It turned out great.

Holiday season is officially here, ready or not. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoying special time with the family is one of life’s treasured gifts we all should take advantage of. So many things to be thankful for and too many to write out, but one thing I will reflect on is the ability we all have to respect and appreciate the business we are in. We have the opportunity to affect families like ours transition into the next chapter in their lives with a solid, professional and caring move. We should not take for granted the service we provide. I believe the first impression and smooth transition is tremendously important in how people transition into their next home, and we are a big part of that.

Look forward to seeing you at the Greater L.A. & O.C./Beach Cities Joint Holiday Party and I wish you all a very Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and a safe Happy New Year’s!

December 2015 - CMSA Communicator