The Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce (GLAAACC) will host the 26th Annual Economic Awards Dinner on Friday, March 8. This event recognizes individuals, small businesses and corporations who have contributed to the economic growth and development of the African American small business community. Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) chief executive officer, Deborah Flint will deliver the keynote address, and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson will serve as master of ceremonies. The event will be held at the JW Marriott LA Live, 900 West Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles, at 5:00 p.m.
Keynote speaker, LAWA CEO, Deborah Flint, will discuss the creation of a customer-focused airport environment through LAX’s $5.5 billion Landside Access Modernization Program (LAMP). LAMP is the largest public works project in the history of the city of Los Angeles.
Components of the project include the Automated People Mover (APM), Consolidated Rent-a-Car Center (ConRAC), Intermodal Transportation Facilities (ITFs) and comprehensive roadway improvements. Working in partnership with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the system will provide travelers with a seamless connection to public transit. The Airport Metro Connector will link the LAX/Crenshaw Line and the Green Line to the APM via Metro’s new 96th Street /Aviation Boulevard transit station.
Flint has experience with successfully implementing a large capital project under similar circumstances. As aviation director for the Port of Oakland, she delivered the $480-milliion BART Airport Rail project after years of effort and challenges.
Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson will once again be the master of ceremonies for the evening. Wesson has served as the president of the Los Angeles City Council since November 2011 and has represented Council District 10 since 2005. Wesson is the first African American to hold the position of Council President in the city’s history and has been re-elected three times to lead the city’s legislative body. During his tenure as Council President, Wesson has presided over monumental policy initiatives making Los Angeles a better place to live, work and raise a family. His local policy initiatives include raising the minimum wage, pension reform and consolidating city elections to increase voter turnout.
Wesson chairs several committees including the Board of Referred Powers and the Ad Hoc Committee on the 2024 Summer Olympics.
He is the vice chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Comprehensive Job Creation. As chair of the rules, elections, intergovernmental relations, and neighborhoods (REIRN) committee, Wesson has facilitated the empowerment of neighborhood councils while finding new and innovative ways to engage the public and promote civic engagement.
GLAAACC’s Economic Awards Dinner is widely considered the business networking event of the year for small businesses, and this year is no exception.
“Our keynote speaker, Deborah Flint, is one of the top public sector executives in the country. Our master of ceremonies, Herb Wesson, is one of the top public officials in the state, and we’re honoring some of the top community leaders in Los Angeles.” Said GLAAACC Chairman Gene Hale. “This is definitely the event where information is shared and connections are made.”
For more information on GLAAACC’s 26th Annual Economic Awards Dinner, visit GLAAACC.org or call (323) 292-1297.
