Currently celebrating its 100th Anniversary, the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce traces its original roots to a group known as the Board of Trade, which was to act as the City’s official promotional organization.
More than a decade after forming, the Chamber officially became incorporated on July 16, 1934 and eventually absorbed members from other local business organizations, including the Arcadia Service Association and the ArcadiaBusiness Men’s Association.
In 1922, the Chamber successfully petitioned the Arcadia City Council to create the position of City Manager to keep up with neighboring towns like Monrovia, although it would be three more decades before Arcadia would hire its first City Manager.
Throughout the decades, the Chamber has sponsored various high-profile events such as Arcadia Day at the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco; the Arcadia Peach Blossom Festival, which ran three years from 1949-1951; the purchase of a 1926 American LaFrance fire engine, which has been re-stored to mint condition by Arcadia Firefighters and is housed at Headquarters Fire Station No. 105 on Santa Anita Ave; developing Taste of Arcadia in 1999, which is held at the L.A. County Arboretum and draws more than 1500 guests each year.
The Mission Statement of today’s Arcadia Chamber of Commerce shall be: “To play a critical and integral role in maintaining a healthy business environment, provide networking resources, valuable business connections, government advocacy and a transparent business climate, contributing to the economic growth of its members and the City.”
The economic stature and success of Arcadia as a City, owes much to the contribution by the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce.
