The San Gabriel Valley Leads Group, a bi-weekly networking lunch for chamber members across the region, has opened its doors to Altadena Chamber of Commerce members, giving small business owners in fire-affected Altadena a fresh route into local business circles. The next meeting is Tuesday, May 19, at 11:45 a.m. at Villa Gardens in Pasadena.
Leads groups operate on a straightforward premise: a small, recurring circle of professionals from non-competing fields trades referrals, advice and introductions over a regular meal. For Altadena business owners still navigating recovery after the Eaton Fire, the expansion offers a low-friction way to widen a professional network beyond Altadena’s borders.
The Altadena Chamber of Commerce, incorporated in 1924, has long focused on the unincorporated community north of Pasadena. The chamber’s outreach has intensified since the January 2025 fire, including a Shop Local registry, a commercial recovery survey and the ongoing fiscal partnership with the Pasadena Chamber to channel wildfire-related donations to Altadena small businesses. Adding the San Gabriel Valley Leads Group to that toolkit gives chamber members a regular, in-person venue for the kind of word-of-mouth business that can reopen a storefront or fill a contractor’s calendar.
Villa Gardens, the host site at 842 E. Villa St., is a continuing care retirement community a few blocks east of Pasadena City Hall, easily reached from the 210 Freeway and the Lake Avenue Metro A Line station. The setting, an established Pasadena fixture itself, lends the gathering the kind of low-key, conversational atmosphere that good networking thrives on.
The San Gabriel Valley Leads Group will meet on Tuesday, May 19 at 11:45 a.m. Villa Gardens, 842 E. Villa St., Pasadena. For more information, visit altadenachamber.org.
