by John Hawkins,
President and CEO, The Club
Let me introduce you to David and Marie Jamgotchian, two people you’ve known for more than 15 years, but might not realize it.
David and Marie of JJLA Associates art-directed this month’s gorgeous Club Store Christmas feature, and last December’s. They have designed and produced every Alive! since the Club’s beginning in October 2002 … the membership cards you carry … some of the literature you receive from us … the Club logos you see on Club materials … and many other things. I’ll spare you all the details, but it’s quite a feat putting Alive! together every month from a production standpoint. There’s a lot that goes into producing the newspaper you love, and we have David and Marie to thank for pulling it off every month.
I bring this up not only to shine a light on talented people working on behalf of City employees, but also to preview what is to come next month: Alive! on the Web, the exciting development we’ve been talking about for months now. David, Marie and their team at JJLA have been pulling double-duty, continuing to produce the print version while creating our new Web product. Combined with a streamlined print Alive!, Club Members will have the best of both worlds: a very appealing print product, plus a Website that reflects the way you live your lives now. No other municipal employee association in the country that we know of is producing anything like this. It truly will give Club Members more – more room for photos and videos, more opportunities for sharing and for your comments; more timely posting; and other benefits. As we move into the future of Club communications, I want to thank David and Marie on your behalf for all the hard work they’ve done, for their dedication and professionalism, and for their commitment to producing the awesome content that celebrates your lives.
We might not have planned these changes with this in mind, but I think it’s significant that we’re modernizing in this, our 90th year of operation. Ever reliable, but ever new, the Club keeps innovating to bring you the best benefits, and that includes great communication. Let us know how we’re doing, what you like about our new Web Alive!, and what we can do better. We do it all for you, and we look forward to continuing it for the next 90 years, and beyond.
Speaking of longevity, I wanted to mention a few people:
Congratulations to Club Member Karl Guder, who just retired from General Services after
32 years of City service. Karl appeared on our October 2014 cover and has contributed to Alive! many times. Enjoy your retirement, Karl … and congratulations to Patricia Novak, Building and Safety, who just retired after 52 years (!) of City service, and Keiji Okimoto, Public Works, who just retired after 55 years. That’s incredible dedication; here’s to your well-deserved retirements!
We know many of you are raising families, and budgets can get tight over the holidays. Our awesome Club discounts help make your holidays more affordable and lots of fun in the process. Take advantage of our great deals on gifts, See’s Candies, Honeybaked Hams, and my favorite stocking stuffers, the holiday ticket packs. Save money!
This December issue is packed with stories of people doing good: the Custodian Appreciation Day; LAPD’s Above and Beyond; the City toy drives, and so forth. There are a lot of good things going on in the City, and I’m glad we can tell you about them.
With that, from my wife, Kelley Hawkins, and me, and from everyone here at the Club, we wish you a joyful Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Don’t forget those in need, and then enjoy your time with your loved ones.
— John
