MPCC - Volunteers of the Month

February 2012 - Max Feldman, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust

Max Feldman is the Corporate and Community Relations Officer for Santa Barbara Bank & Trust’s Northern region. He’s a born and raised Californian, transplanted from Palm Springs into Monterey by way of CSUMB. He was lured in by the ocean, sports cars, skate parks, and cooler temperatures. Along with his CSUMB alum wife, Celia, Max now considers Monterey his home.

Max graduated from CSUMB’s undergraduate business program with a marketing concentration. He enjoyed his experience so much that he returned to CSUMB and completed his MBA. He is excited to continue his involvement with the school as a graduate and looks forward to seeing the campus grow.

As an Ambassador for the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Max has the opportunity to work with all members of this historic community and look for ways to support it. As an MPCC Ambassador and an employee of Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, Max is always volunteering for causes that help build a strong local economy. Some of Max’s primary responsibilities with Santa Barbara Bank & Trust include: facilitation of a regional contributions committee, the Northern launch of a program RAVE (Really Awesome Volunteer Employees), and the management of a non-profit utilized Community Partner Center.

November 2011 - Dave Nickles, N aval Postgraduate School

“Although the biographical sketch is about me, this award, which I’m honored and humbled to receive, is dedicated to all those true volunteers who gave their time and tireless efforts to make the first Monterey area Expanding Your Horizons conference a reality and positive experience for the young women and their teachers who attended.”

Growing up in Illinois, Dave earned a Bachelor’s degree in Forest Science at the University of Illinois before loading up the truck (literally) and moving to California in 1979 with Colleen and daughter Jennifer, where his focus turned to a science education career. After three decades of work as a California educator Dr. Nickles now serves as the Naval Postgraduate School Director for Research Communications and Outreach.

Much the same way he learned how to build a house, systematically from the foundation up, Dr. Dave’s passion for science education continues to guide the events he organizes so they promote understandings of the natural world through experiential learning. For example, a highlight of his tenure as Monterey County Science and Math coordinator was directing the County Science & Engineering Fair. As a volunteer Dave was president and treasurer of the Contra Costa Association of Science and Math Educators, organizing its first three annual teacher conferences and he has enjoyed serving with child-centered organizations, like Sea Lab Monterey Bay, and organizing events like Monterey County Mathletics. Dave cherishes the opportunity to create engaging events for kids like Girls Day In and the Expanding Your Horizons conference. He believes these kinds of activities have the potential to provide life-changing experiences for children during their K-12 education, especially for those who are underserved.

September 2011 - Barry Kilzer, Kilzer Wealth Management

Barry Kilzer serves as a Chamber Ambassador, and helps foster business connections through his duties and his presence at Chamber events, as well as his assistance with our 2011 Monterey Bay Business Expo.

Barry has lived on the Monterey Peninsula for over 28 years and has owned his business, Kilzer Wealth Management, since 1984. As a registered investment adviser, Barry utilizes active money management to help individual investors weather today's volatile markets. His clients have the peace of mind of knowing the investments they have worked hard to accumulate are being monitored on a regular basis and adjusted as needed.

Barry has a Bachelor's in Business from the University of Notre Dame, a Master's in Management from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor from Southwestern University. He chose to volunteer with the dynamic people at MPCC to help our local economy survive and prosper. He is also a member of Carmel Valley Rotary and lives in Carmel Valley with his college sweetheart Nicole. He has two grown children who have flown the coop.

August 2011 - Ileen Groves, Bookkeeping Express

Ileen Groves was chosen as the Chamber’s August Volunteer of the Month for the many hours she dedicated to the planning and setup of MPCC’s Business Excellence Awards dinner. A proven process expert with years of experience in project management, Kaizen, and waste elimination initiatives, Ileen Groves recently left her logistics role with Fortune 500 company Owens Corning to open the first California franchise of BookKeeping Express. Ileen and her husband Barry fell in love with Northern California while traveling for business and pleasure over the past 20 years and it had long been their desire to live and work in Monterey County. Opening a BookKeeping Express office here has allowed them to fulfill that dream while providing much needed services to the small-business owners in the area. Consistently recognized for on time delivery and superior change management, Ileen has brought her passion for people to the small business community of Monterey County. Her work as a supply chain expert has taught her that the most successful companies concentrate on their core competencies, and outsource other necessary functions to trusted partners. She believes that the small business owner’s survival and growth depend on their ability to forecast accurately and plan accordingly. Without accurate, relevant, timely data, intelligent planning is impossible.

July 2011 - Doug Lumsden, Monterey Movie Tours

Doug Lumsden was selected as the July 2011 Volunteer of the Month for his many contributions to the success of the Business Excellence Awards dinner. Doug was born and raised in Salinas and went to local schools through his freshman year in high school when his family moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1962. Doug graduated from Pacific Grove High School and went on to MPC and then Fresno State. He worked in the banking industry in the Fresno and Lake Tahoe areas for over 24 years before launching Monterey Bay Scenic Tours in 1999 which became Monterey Movie Tours about 8 years ago. Monterey Movie Tours has been recognized nationally in several feature articles as one of the most unique scenic tours in the country and Doug personally has been featured on several local and regional media TV shows. He’s a past board member of Monterey County Film Commission, Monterey County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. He has co-hosted an afternoon radio show called “For Locals Only” on KRML radio station in Carmel and is currently hosting a locally produced TV show on the Coastal Television Network called Monterey Movie Moments.

June 2011 - Jennifer Filzen, Rock Star Marketing

Jennifer Filzen is a talented gal with loads of enthusiasm and good energy! Jennifer owns Rock Star Marketing, which serves businesses who need help with online marketing (Website SEO content, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube management) and telemarketing services (helping businesses reach out to new leads and customers). Together, she and her husband, Rene Arreola (who works for Martella Printing), own The West Coast Swing Dance Company and teach dance lessons at The Carmel Woman's Club every Wednesday. When she's not busy with those two businesses, she's running her third business, managing the California tour of fellow Grammy-nominated musician, Cofield Mundi, a South African Adult Contemporary singer/songwriter.

May 2011 - Tom Carr, SignWorks

Tom Carr is a licensed, C-45 electrical sign contractor and owner of SignWorks in Monterey. Tom has worked in the sign industry for 20 years. Tom and his wife, Victoria have 9 beautiful children, in addition to 7 full time employees. Tom graduated from UCLA in Design and worked for the renowned firm of Sussman/Prejza in the late 80’s. While at Sussman, Tom wrote the sign manual for the City of Philadelphia! Tom gives credit for his great products to his experienced staff, including Dona and Kevin, employed at SignWorks for a combined total of 30 years! Tom’s experienced team consistently produces the highest quality work and offers a speedy turnaround time. SignWorks is a long-term sponsor of projects for CASA and Rancho Cielo. Tom wants chamber membership to be inspirational and FUN! Volunteering for the MPCC Economic Vitality Committee, Tom has been instrumental in launching the new “LocalMotive” campaign inspiring peninsula residents to BUY LOCAL!!

April 2011 - Julie Ann Lozano, Monterey Bay Systems

Julie Ann Lozano is a life-long resident of the Central Coast. Her commitment to the community is exemplified by her volunteerism with local non-profits and events. In addition to working full-time at Monterey Bay Systems as an account executive, Julie Ann volunteers for the California International Airshow, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and other organizations. She also coordinates the volunteer and sponsorship programs at Monterey Bay Systems with owners Kellie Murphy and Armando Gonzales. Julie Ann is married to Mike Lewis. Her son Matt Lozano plays baseball for the Clarke Crusaders at Clarke University in Iowa.

February 2011 - Joe Smith, Bratty & Bluhm Real Estate

Joe Smith is a true native of the Monterey Peninsula. He spent several years in the mortgage and hospitality industries before owning and operating two candy/ice cream stores in Carmel and Monterey. The past decade he has embarked on a new career and has become a leading Monterey Peninsula real estate professional, having obtained the Top Producer award at Bratty and Bluhm.

Joe has served on the local Realtor Board as well as the California Association of Realtors. He is currently serving on the local Government Relations Committee. In addition he is involved with the Kiwanis, volunteers at several triathlons around California and the AT&T National Pro-Am. He also remains active in his church and many family gatherings.