Chamber head passes two-decade mark

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- Workers were planting flimsy saplings along Jamboree

Road that day. Newport Beach was not yet home to a Four Seasons hotel. A

$100-million renovation of Fashion Island was only a dream. A group of

residents was battling the Irvine Co. over ownership of their rental

properties.

And Richard Luehrs sat facing 12 to 15 members of the Chamber of

Commerce, trying to convince them they should hire him as the new chamber

president.

Starting with this intimidating interview, Luehrs has racked up a

20-year history with the chamber. In that time at the helm of the

1,000-member business association, Luehrs has seen Newport Beach change

in ways that nonetheless prove its heart will always be the same.

“This is a special community,” Luehrs said. “The dedication and

commitment of the people here really make it what it is.”

Luehrs came to Newport Beach after 4 1/2 years with the North

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce -- a stint that helped him understand what

he was looking for in a home and a career.

“They were dealing with issues like graffiti abatement, vice was a big

issue, adult entertainment; that job was about trying to hang on to a

standard of living that was eroding in a hurry,” he recalled. “I was

looking for an opportunity to make a positive impact on a community

rather than cleaning up after some people who were doing damage.”

He was convinced that Newport Beach was a place where he could do

this. In preparation for the interview, he studied the city’s history and

issues. As he read, he learned about a place where a small-town, family

ethic had persisted despite the city’s growth. It’s a mentality Luehrs

says lives to this day.

“It’s a small-town atmosphere,” he said. “The things I think

characterize Newport Beach is that the community is willing to get

involved, people are willing to roll up their sleeves to maintain or

enhance the community standard.”

Some would say Luehrs deserves some of the credit for keeping things

this way.

Unlike a lot of other cities’ chambers of commerce, Luehrs has led a

chamber that balances business concerns with quality-of-life issues that

are sometimes at odds with business.

“Because of that quality-of-life issue, we’re opposing the expansion

of John Wayne Airport, supporting the extension of curfew and flight

restrictions, and supporting El Toro,” he said. At the same time, though,

the chamber under Luehrs advocates growth, supporting projects such as

the Koll Center expansion, which was defeated by voters in the city’s

first Greenlight election.

Luehrs listed the Greenlight Initiative as one of the biggest issues

affecting the city’s future. Fighting airport expansion and supporting

water-quality efforts are other issues he expects to be ongoing parts of

his job and the community’s.

“Richard is the kind of person who makes the people around him want to

give 110% because you see him doing that daily,” said Lula Halfacre,

chairwoman of the chamber’s board of directors for six years.

The board’s current chairman, Roger Alford, said this year’s Taste of

Newport festival is a perfect example of Luehrs’ skillful leadership. The

event was scheduled for Sept. 15 to 17 -- a plan that was thrown into

turmoil by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“It was Richard’s consensus-building skills that resulted in moving

the festival date and making it a huge success,” Alford said.

Luehrs said he’s looking forward to facing new challenges.

“For the last 20 years, there’s always something new and exciting in

this job,” Luehrs said. “I anticipate that continuing for the next 20

years into the future.”