Saipan Chamber to install new officers on Jan. 21

 The Saipan Chamber of Commerce will hold its 2012 installation dinner for officers and directors at the Fiesta Hotel & Resort Spa  on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Nine board members and officers will be sworn in by Superior Court associate judge David A. Wiseman.

Sworn in will be president Douglas Brennan, Microl Corp; vice president Vince J. Seman, Century Insurance; treasurer Mike Johnson, Deloitte; secretary Jolene G. Torres, MITA Travel; board members David M. Sablan, Century Insurance; Alex A. Sablan, Saipan Shipping Co.; Velma Palacios, IT&E; and Melvin Tenorio, Marianas Pacific Distributors.

The annual gala event will begin at 6pm for preliminaries and dinner will be served at 7pm. Attire is business formal and the event will be staged at the Fiesta Hotel and Resort Spa’s Hibiscus Hall.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Jerry Tan, president of Tan Holdings Corp. Tan, as president of THC and former chairman of the Marianas Visitors Authority, will present his prognosis for business within the CNMI in travel, tourism, future investment, and the emerging Chinese and Russian tourism markets.

The Chamber will also announce at the installation dinner its annual Saipan Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year Award. The 2012 nominees are Jim Arenovski of Delta Management Corp., Mike S. Johnson of Deloitte, James E. Nelson of Docomo Pacific Inc., and Tony Pellegrino of Saipan Sea Ventures.

The Businessperson of the Year selection is made based upon the nominee’s community involvement and contributions, support for the local workforce and active participation in the Chamber. Former awardees comprise a committee that notifies the Chamber directors and officers of their choice for Businessperson of the Year.

The 2012 installation dinner will continue with its tradition of holding a silent auction and raffle drawing to support fundraising for the Chamber’s Education Committee’s Student Scholarship Program. To date, DFS Galleria, Delta Air Lines, Hyatt Regency Saipan, IT&E, Saipan Grand Hotel, D&Q Saipan, Coca Cola Beverage Co. and Safety 1st Systems, Inc. have donated prizes for the auction and raffle. Others have committed and will be announced the night of the installation dinner.

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1976, is the largest private business organization in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Chamber works to promote and protect business, economic and civic interests, and the general health and welfare of our islands. (SCC)