Covina Chamber president outlines new office, events and business outreach

Sandra Benavides, president of the Covina Chamber of Commerce, told the city council the chamber reopened an office off Roland Avenue in October and held a ribbon cutting in November.

Benavides, who said she became chamber president after her predecessor left in April, described the organization’s recent activities, including a board installation gala on Jan. 29 and awards naming Reynolds GMC and Grand Printing as business honorees and Charter Oak Education Foundation as nonprofit of the year. She said the chamber’s new office address is 377 East Roland and invited residents and small businesses to visit during regular hours.

Benavides walked the council through a calendar of upcoming programming: an e‑waste recycling event at Smart & Final on Azusa Avenue, a March 18 breakfast club (proposed at Maurizio’s), a March 19 coworking and cocktail mixer at Casa Moreno, an April lunch‑and‑learn, a State of the City event on March 26 and the Taste of Covina on June 25. She also said the chamber hosted recent cybersecurity and insurance presentations for small businesses and added three new board members: James Chung (Team Logic IT), Crystal Alice (Alice and Alice Attorney in Law), and Janice Mendez (Learning Lab).

Council members thanked Benavides for the update and encouraged residents and businesses to support chamber events. Mayor Linares and other members praised the chamber’s role in local economic activity and community events.

The council did not take formal action on the presentation; Benavides said the chamber will continue quarterly updates to the council.