Sharon
Kaplan, our newly elected President, was recently profiled in
a L.A. Downtown News article titled "Taking On City Hall".
Following are excerpts.
Under
Kaplan, a senior executive in the engineering firm Psomas, LAHq's
first order of business will be to establish a new set of objectives,
she said. "What our charge or niche is, relative to other
business organizations, is unclear right now," she said.
"It is really important to get that clear."
Founded
40 years ago as a gathering of Downtown's major corporations,
the Los Angeles Headquarter Association (LAHq) today would seem
an anachronism. Fortune 500 firms have largely moved their headquarters
out of the nation's second largest city, shifting to the suburbs,
out of state or overseas. Large and medium-sized firms have
replaced them.
The idea,
Kaplan and [Past President John] Stem said, was to help members,
many of them officials at influential businesses, understand
what the private sector could do to improve the business climate
in the region. Kaplan plans to continue the seminars, focusing
on regional issues and looking at developments such as the new
entertainment district to complement the Staples Center.
With about
500 members from 150 business, which run the gamut from real
estate brokers to studio executives, the organization's potential
influence with elected officials is huge.
"Our
members really care about the future of Los Angeles," Sharon
said. "In many cases, they're the ones building future
projects people will be living in or working in. They can make
a difference".
Members
will work directly with city officials to push for projects
and legislation to improve the business climate and affect development
Downtown and elsewhere. With Mayor James Hahn in office and
a host of new faces on the City Council, she said, now is the
perfect moment to do so.
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Sharon Kaplan
is congratulated by outgoing President John Stern and Bob Mosier
(far 1.) who will assume a Vice-President spot.
Kaplan's
own background brings political savvy to the associationan unusual
history for association presidents, who have come largely from
the ranks of development and real estate firms.
The Los
Angeles native, who is not an engineer herself, is vice president
of government relations for Psomas, a half-century-old firm
that has been involved in design and permitting for major projects
that include the California Science Center, LAX, the Disney
Concert Hall, the Staples Center and Fox Studios.
Her specialty
is navigating the tricky waters of government permitting and
relations with the community around a large project. Kaplan
herself has overseen the firm's work on the Playa Vista development,
the Howard Hughes Center and the Fox Studios.
Thanks to
Sean Scull of the Downtown News.
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Fourth
graders from Utah Street School recently visited the San Gabriel
Mission on a field trip sponsored by LAHq. The students concentrated
their studies this year on California history and the lessons
were brought to life when they visited the first Spanish settlement
in the area. |
Barbara
Trister (a 3-term Past President) receives a thank you gift
from John Stem, outgoing President and only other 3-term President.
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| The
energy crisis was the subject of a popular program. Gerri Stryker,
California EPA (far 1.) and Robert Laurie, Commissioner, California
Energy Commission (far l.) who are key experts, are thanked by
Marian Harvey, Chair of Program, and newly elected president,
Sharon Kaplan, for their comments. |
Through
the efforts of John Stern, LAHq has donated computers to the school
this year which brings the total to more than 50. LAHq has also
funded technicians to get classrooms online and connected to other
schools throughout the system. Thanks to John Stern and Bob Mosier
for their involvement in this program. |
P.O. Box
86325
Los Angeles, CA 90086
Tel: 3231663-5242
Fax: 3231663-5171
E-mail: LAHq4U@aol.com
www.laheadquarters.com
Focus
is a publication of the Los Angeles Headquarters Association.
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