Angelo Damante leads San Diego North Chamber
Longtime North County businessman Angelo Damante has worked with many groups over his 30-plus-year career, but he seems especially excited about the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce as he takes the position of board chairman this July.
Describing the San Diego North Chamber as unique in its diverse roster of businesses, as well as its “very passionate” leadership and highly active members, Damante said he hopes to add to an already strong chamber.
“When something’s new, there’s more passion to it,” said Damante, founder of Mercedes-Benz of Escondido. “There’s a lot of excitement. A lot of people want to get involved with what they think is going to have a leadership role in the community.”
The relatively young age of the San Diego North Chamber — it formed in 2005 when the Diamond Gateway Chamber of Commerce merged with the Rancho Bernardo Chamber of Commerce — is a big plus for the new board chairman. The people involved treat it like a full-time job on top of running businesses, he said, and have a rare, positive spirit that’s “contagious” and “refreshing.” He noted examples such as outgoing chairwoman Trudy Armstrong and chamber president and CEO Debra Rosen.
San Diego North Chamber of Commerce is a regional chamber for local businesses spanning across the county, including Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, Sorrento Mesa, Miramar, Tierrasanta, and Torrey Highlands. The chamber operates as a steward for the business community, offering educational programming and focused committees on economic development, public policy and health.
Damante’s top goal in his new role is education of businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities. The chamber itself can provide answers to everyday business questions, as well as coordinate interactions between business owners so they can share experiences and give guidance to each other.
In that regard, the chamber is more important now than ever, he said, as businesses work to survive the current recession.
“You just can’t shoot from the hip anymore. You have to have a plan,” he said. “And the chamber can help by putting those people in touch with other businesses. If people can leave their egos at the door and are willing to listen, they can benefit.”
Another of Damante’s goals is to increase awareness of San Diego North and its unique role as a regional chamber. Because it serves and consists of businesses from all over the county, educational opportunities are greater than in a single-city chamber, as this wider diversity of businesses can provide more insight across more areas, he said.
As a regional chamber, it also has a greater sphere of influence, such as with interacting with local government.
“That’s what attracted me to it,” he said. “It’s a bigger challenge but the rewards are greater for everyone that’s involved.”
As for the business outlook, there still exists much marketplace anxiety because of uncontrollable factors, he said. Learning to adapt with the ever-changing economic climate is key to surviving the recession, he noted. Also, working together is not only going to help businesses come out of this dip quicker, but will make them stronger and better educated, which he is optimistic will happen.
“In the past you could just worry about your own world, but now everyone’s world is connected,” Damante said. “Just with that understanding, people are going to have to work together much more.”
In addition to being owner of Mercedes-Benz of Escondido for the past 23 years, Damante has been involved in numerous civic activities throughout San Diego County for over 20 years. He is a former president of the Escondido Rotary Club and previously served as chairman and president of the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. He has also been involved with the Boys & Girls Club of Inland North County and other charitable organizations including Boy Scouts of America, Palomar Family YMCA, and more.
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