Second in a series
Re “When the Chamber and (the) Rose Began to Bloom”
When Steve Rose determined at the end of 1986 that he had to surrender the family business he had been operating for the sake of his health, he did not have a Plan A, much less a backup.
Enter serendipity.
Thirty days later, Dave Peredis, head of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce, announced he was resigning to take the same position in Santa Monica.
Mr. Rose’s parents had been Chamber members for almost 30 years. That was one reason he was asked to take charge until a permanent replacement could be hired. He has stayed for the rest of his working days, and last weekend marked his 25th anniversary as Chamber President and CEO.
Were his primary temporary duties administrative or communal?
Then and now, he says, “it is a balance that constantly changes, day to day, week to week.”
Turning to the culture of his niche, Mr. Rose said that “it is difficult to describe my job as business director and CEO. Chamber execs only tell secrets to other execs. Businesses have secrets. They tell them to each other, not anyone else. If you start spreading secrets, you don’t last.”
For years, he has been Culver City’s best known conservative political personality. Must he submerge those feelings in the job that has consumed the second half of his professional life?
“My political views do come into play,” he said. “When you are asked to give your opinion, you give it. But when writing a staff report, you try to give both sides.”
The 65-year-old Culver City native and two-term former City Councilman has presided over two historic eras, Before the Internet and the Internet Age.
“Prior to the internet, cellphones and Twitter,” he said, “Culver City was very different from today. Probably one of the biggest losses over 25 years is the loss of a truly Culver City newspaper. There used to be papers that would print the story of City Council meetings on a regular basis. Those papers seem to be gone. This is not just a Culver City issue.
Evaluating the New Looks
“Some changes are good, some aren’t.
“The community has changed because of the ability of people to go to different areas. When I was a kid here and a young man, your insurance man lived and worked here. Your barber did, too.
“Those days are different now. People are much more mobile.
“The cost of housing has changed because Culver City has become a more desirable community.
“The business community has changed,” Mr. Rose was saying. “At the studios, they used to have craftsmen, woodworkers who would build huge sets. Now everything is digital, and those people still are here.
“They are more highly paid, and they can afford more. There is such a difference in the lifestyles today.
“We used to have machine shops that made parts for the space industry and for the military. They aren’t here anymore. You have fashion houses and architects.
“This community really has changed.”
