by Robert Larios, CEO, The Club
Club Members with eagle-eye vision – or even regular-person vision! – might notice that I am not in the main photo you see in this blog. You are welcome to thank (or blame) the omicron variant, which shut down the Port (and most of the City) to outsiders halfway through producing this month’s cover story.
When the Alive! team began work on this story in October 2021, the City was opening up. But by January 1, when it was time to complete our photographic sessions and finish our work, the Port’s Harbor Administration Building was closed to the public. (We understand and agree.) Join me in sincerely thanking Port videographer Don Haynes, who gracefully stepped in to capture our cover image. He saved a very important and timely story, namely, how the Port has managed to ease the supply chain crunch during this late-stage pandemic. As I write this, the eyes of the world remain fixed upon the Harbor’s Wharfingers and Cargo Marketing teams, led by Damien Young and Eric Caris, to continue to unlock the record-setting cargo through our Harbor. The situation has cleared somewhat but is not yet over, so I will let you read all about it. We also thank Rachel Campbell at the Harbor for her assistance in breaking our photographic logjams to bring you this story.
My Vision
Regular readers might recall that last month I began sharing my vision of the future of the Club with you. I continue this month by reiterating a promise of protecting your privacy online. I pledge, as my predecessor John Hawkins did, that the Club will never sell your data. We will also protect it to the best of our ability. Related to that, I congratulate our Director of IT, Petros Khachatrian, who is now a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). Earning this certification is no small effort and one that is most difficult to pass. Some might say it is like earning a CPA license, but for cybersecurity. This is a huge win for Club Members. Well done, Petros!
A Library Story
Speaking of technology, I present a fun question: Are more books loaned in hard copy or digitally at our amazing LA Public Library? The answer: digitally, by a factor of seven in 2021! (Physical libraries were closed for about half the year. This year might be different. Thanks to the Library’s Susan Lendroth for this tidbit.) Give it a read yourself on the Alive! Website at the bottom of this story.
Until next month, and in expectation that our lives continue to open and ease, I say gracias por leer.
