THE LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE HOSTS BUSINESS CIRCLE BREAKFAST
AT THE SURF & SAND RESORT ON THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2007
Keynote Speaker Melinda Masson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Merit Companies, will deliver Keynote Address on The Importance of Business and the Arts
FEBRUARY 19, 2007 - LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Network with members of the business community, experience a motivational talk by one of Orange County’s key corporate executives, and enjoy breakfast at a noted Laguna Beach resort when The Laguna Playhouse hosts a Business Circle Breakfast at the Surf & Sand Resort and Spa on Thursday, March 29, 2007.
Registration for the Business Circle Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m., followed by the breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Keynote speaker Melinda Masson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Merit Companies, will give a presentation at 8:30 a.m. on The Importance of Business and the Arts.
The Business Circle Breakfast is included in Business Circle membership. Cost for non-members is $25 per person. Breakfast fee is waived for those who join the Business Circle at this event. The Surf & Sand Resort is located at 1555 South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach. RSVP by Friday, March 23 to Greg Patterson at (949) 497-2787 ext. 216, or at gpatterson@lagunaplayhouse.com.
ABOUT MELINDA MASSON
Melinda Masson is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer for The Merit Companies, which includes Merit Association Services, Inc., Community Technologies, Inc., and Merit Property Management, Inc. (one of the largest privately-held community association management companies in the country). She has served in various capacities to advance the Community Association Institute (CAI), a national industry organization, and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1989. A founder and past chair of CAI's California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC), she has served on the Building Industry Association's Department of Real Estate Committee, and is a founder and past three-term chair of the California Association of Community Managers (CACM), which provides a certification program for property managers of which she was instrumental in launching. In 1994, she was the recipient of CACM's President's Award and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
• In 1990, Masson was a Small Business Administration’s Women of Enterprise Award Finalist, and the following year was named as Inc. Magazine’s 1991 Regional Entrepreneur of the Year. She was inducted into the American Institute of Entrepreneurs in 1991. Since 1996, the Orange County Business Journal has named Masson one of the county’s 50 Most Influential Business People, and in 1997 she was selected for the Business Journal’s Women who Mean Business Award. Masson was named Woman of the Year by the Southern California District of Business and Professional Women, and received the Women of Excellence Award from the Orange County Council, Boys Scouts of America. In 2001, Working Women’s Magazine honored Masson with their Overall Excellence Award for the State of California and Honorable Mention for the nation.
Masson was the 2005 Orange County Campaign Chair for United Way and is a member of Women in Philanthropy, a unique program within United Way. She is the founder of the St. Mary’s Leadership Program developing young leaders at the K-8 school level and awards the Masson “Young Leader” Scholarship annually. Masson currently sits on the boards of Mission Hospital and Chapman University, and is a trustee at Laguna Playhouse. Masson has been active as a keynote speaker for Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC), Urban League Institute (ULI), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Community Association Institute (CAI), and numerous civic and business organizations.
Masson is a graduate summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota. She resides in Laguna Beach with her husband, Maurice, and their three children.
ABOUT LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE BUSINESS CIRCLE
Designed specifically for the Orange County business community, the new Business Circle program is an introduction to higher levels of sponsorship for large companies and an accessible avenue for small companies to network through The Laguna Playhouse. It is an opportunity to build business contacts, promote brand image, and show the consumer community that your company supports the arts. Members enjoy lively networking breakfasts featuring industry leaders and motivational speakers, discounted tickets for employees, gala opening night tickets to a Laguna Playhouse production, an opportunity to host a private company reception, and more.
Corporate Committee Chair for the Business Circle is Jeffrey Sharpe, Vice President of Brokerage for
Cushman & Wakefield. Corporate Committee Members include Larry Cripe (IBM), Sal DiMascio (Playhouse Trustee), LaVerne Friedmann (Friedmann & Friedmann Insurance), Chris Lange (Citizens Business Bank), Kurt Mulville (Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe), and Karyn Philippsen (Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau).
For more information on the Laguna Playhouse Business Circle, visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
