Parvin takes on Chamber leadership
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Local residents are invited to attend the 2008 Moorpark Chamber of Commerce Installation Dinner slated to take place at the Moorpark Country Club on Fri., Jan. 25.

In addition to good food, social networking and installing new board members, the event, themed "A Night in Casino Royale," will feature opportunities to play games of chance and win attractive prizes.

"It will be a fun night. We promise not to make long speeches and emphasize on fun," said Dale Parvin, who was selected to lead the Chamber's board of directors for the next two years.

Cost to attend the event is $75 per person. Reservations are required and must be made through the Chamber office at (805) 5290322 by Jan. 18. The charge includes gaming and prizes.

During the event, organizers will recognize the Chamber's business of the year and business Person of the Year and hand out the Visionary and Legend awards to preselected recipients.

Parvin, who began his term on Jan. 1, replaces Debbi Aquino who served as chairperson for the Chamber board since 2006. Patrick Ellis of Farmers Insurance was selected to serve as chairman elect.

Parvin is a past president of the Rotary Club of Moorpark and cofounder the Civil War Reenactment event. He's served on the Chamber board of directors for about four years and was chair elect for the past two.

"My goals are to provide more education to small business owners to give them access to more information and help them improve sales and marketing techniques," he said.

The Chamber aims to develop economic prosperity in Moorpark and it works to improve relations between business stakeholders and local government, said Parvin.

"A strong economy is very important to a community and it creates jobs," he said.

The organization is made up of volunteers and two paid staff people who put their energy and time into creating economic growth in Moorpark. Members also support one another and provide assistance to other local businesses, Parvin said.

The Moorpark Chamber of Commerce was established 92 years ago and it now has more than 380 members, said Parvin, who's married to Janice Parvin, a Moorpark City Council member and vice president of a local company.

Dale Parvin is a retired police officer. He worked for the city of West Covina and ventured into a second career in real estate development with his wife. The couple owned Parnell Properties in Missouri for 20 years.

Although they moved to Moorpark in the mid-1980s, the Parvins continued to run the Missouri based company remotely.

Dale Parvin commuted to and from Missouri to manage the real estate development business until he retired in the late 1990s. Since then, Parvin has dedicated his time to Rotary Club affairs and for the benefit of local business owners as a Chamber leader.

Other 2008 Chamber board directors include, Debi Aquino, Black Star Graphics; Wendy Dormer, Proline Mortgage;, Ben Gilbert, Welcome to the Neighborhood; Debbie Heaslip, TBM Event Services; Doug Ridley, Quisenberry, Ridley & Shiffman LLP; Lynda Rummelhoff, State Farm Insurance, and Paul Walker, Empire Cabling.