We’ve Got to Keep Meeting Like This

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Shannon Kelly, 28, and her husband, Sean, 30, like to get together Sunday evenings to compare their busy schedules of after-work events for the week.

Since they work in different industries, their plans rarely align, although they try to go to each other’s mixers and networking events when they can. Shannon is vice president of marketing at event planning firm Choura Events in Torrance. Sean is chief executive at snack food firm Human Healthy Vending in Culver City.

But they got a surprise last month when Shannon said she had a Tuesday event at Mr. C in Beverly Hills – and Sean did, too. As it turned out, both their firms were to be honored Nov. 12 at the Business Journal’s Fastest Growing Private Companies event, which ranks the top 100 fastest growing private firms in Los Angeles by revenue growth.

But neither knew where their company ranked until a countdown that night. As the field narrowed, Kelly stood with her co-workers and rooted for Choura, which ranked No. 56. But she said she was also quietly pulling for her husband’s company, which ranked No. 7.

“It was funny secretly cheering for my husband,” she said.

Taking to Airwaves

Jesse Torres, chief executive of East L.A.’s Pan American Bank, has always been a bit more connected than the average bank chief executive. He tweets, he blogs and he posts on the bank’s Facebook page.

But his latest media venture, a new radio show, has drawn some good-natured ribbing from his staff.

“Yeah, they’re calling me the new Howard Stern,” said Torres, 46. “I get that pretty often now.”

Since last month, Torres has hosted “Money Talk,” a weekly one-hour show on San Bernardino radio station KCAA-AM (1050). The bank pays for the airtime, and Torres uses the show to interview the bank’s small-business clients, discuss general business trends and talk about loans and services offered by Pan American.

After the show airs, Torres stays up, often until 2 or 3 a.m., editing clips of the show that he then posts on Facebook and on his blog, JesseTorres.com. He also emails clips to bank clients, who in turn post clips on their social networks.

Torres said it’s good marketing for the bank and for his clients.

“The more successful my borrowers are, the more likely they are to pay me back,” he said. “Their success begets my success.”

Staff reporters Jonathan Polakoff and James Rufus Koren contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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