Hector Pinto
As founder and CEO of Quality Material Handling, Inc., Hector Pinto’s dedication and determination over the past 31 years has taken his business from a small one-man show to the growing multi-million dollar company it is today.
Alex Strauss
Alexandra (Alex) Strauss was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. In High School Alex first encountered meth, which she later turned to after school, hanging around and out in South Central LA. During that time Alex found out she was pregnant at 19 years old, soon after she started going to school again at PCC, found a job, and concentrated on raising her daughter. Through severe medical conditions that her daughter was born with Alex found solace in God when she was tired and angry. As her daughter has grown Alex has found a love for hiking in the mountains, content creation, and photography.
Drew Girton
Coaching people is a hobby for some but, Drew has been coaching since 2001. He was one of the Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coaches at Western Michigan University from 2002-2004, then went on to personal training and management of a corporate gym from 2007-2013. In 2014 he founded and opened his gym Pendulum Fitness with his wife and business partner. Outside the gym Drew and his wife, Chris, have 2 children and he loves to pour over coffee, & Michigan Football.
Peter Chan
Monterey Park Council member Peter Chan was first elected to the City Council in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. He was the mayor three times in 2015, 2018 and 2020. Prior to his elected position, he graduated from La Salle College, Hong Kong and received a BA in Business Administration from University of Wisconsin. He is an accountant by profession.
Robert Simon
Robert Simon was born at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. He is a Cal (UC Berkley) graduate and a Chez Panisse alum. He is inspired by all things sustainable and organic when it comes to food. Robert has judged wine for 12 years and operated two restaurants in Napa Valley plus four different locations in San Gabriel Valley. He has two kids, Max and Rachel, 27 and 28 respectively. Robert and Deborah have been married for 31 years and operate and own Bistro 45 for 33 years.
Joanna Jimenez
Joanna M Jimenez was born in San Antonio Texas. She lived in Texas till the age of 6. Her family moved to Pasadena California in 1980 and that is where she completed high school. Joanna married her high school sweetheart right out of high school and had five children. Throughout her children’s education she volunteered in the PTA and was engaged in volunteering in her kids’ classrooms during their elementary school years. Joanna and her husband started a small swimming pool company which in time grew and became successful and is still in operation to this day. Joanna and husband also opened a small restaurant and two flower shops. The restaurant did not last long. However, the two flower shops were solely run by Joanna and became successful.
Nancy Davidson
Nancy Davidson is the Executive Director of The Foundation for Living Beauty, a Pasadena-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of women with cancer. After graduating from The University of Redlands, Nancy began working in the corporate world, but quickly learned that her passion was in helping nonprofit organizations flourish. She has spent the past 35 years in nonprofit management, serving as the Executive Director of Escalon School in Altadena and CASA Los Angeles before assuming the reins of Living Beauty in 2016. For seven years, Nancy also had her own consulting company, assisting nonprofit organizations in strategic planning, fundraising and board recruitment and training.
Joan De Souza – B4B for Small Businesses
Joan De Souza has 20 years managerial experience as the Customer Service Manager at the Los Angeles Times, managing and leading more than 200 staff. She was a decision-maker responsible for implementing a firm wide circulation system, which became the central hub of the subscription and delivery process. Currently she is the founder of a local business support group, Business4Business, which assists businesses to continuously succeed. Joan is extensively involved with her community. She served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce in which she was the Vice Chair of Membership.
Adela Angiuli & Paul Kwo | San Gabriel Educational Foundation
Adela Angiuli has proudly served as Executive Director for the San Gabriel Educational Foundation since 2012. In this role, Adela leads the Foundation, with a focus on building strong partnerships and engagement within the San Gabriel community. She strives to support the creation and implementation of strategies and initiatives across the Foundation’s focus areas. Paul Kwo opened his performing arts school ‘PopRock Academy’ in 2011 and has been educating a new generation of actors, dancers and musicians. He is also the current President of the San Gabriel Educational Foundation, helping the students of the San Gabriel Unified School District.
Dawnee Pitzer | Event Management & Planning in San Gabriel Valley
Dawnee Pitzer, owner of Events by Dawnee, is an event planner who believes that creativity is critical to happiness and success. Based in the San Gabriel Valley, Dawnee not only offers services in California, but destination events from Hawaii to New York and beyond. Dawnee has the ability to envision events from start to finish, execute every detail and come up with ideas that clients may not have imagined. With a staff of 10 incredible event planners, florists, servers and bartenders, let Dawnee and her team create something wonderful for you.
