10:00am | by Randy Gordon | Shaun Lumachi worked for the Chamber for over a decade, as our VP of Governmental Affairs for three years and the last seven years as a Public Policy Consultant. I knew when I hired this 23-year-old right out of Sacramento State that he was something special — but never did I ever dream he would one day be the community leader than is today. Shaun had this incredible ability to make friends with almost anyone. Even when our public policy position was very different with an elected official, even when we had to take them to task on behalf of business, even when we had to list their anti-business voting record in the aggressive way that we have become famous for… Behind the scenes he remained friends with these elected officials and their staff. Shaun had taken over the reigns of our Governmental Affairs department and single-handedly brought it to the next level and beyond.  The many awards we received from the California Chamber — the best Governmental Affairs program in the state for four consecutive years, the many other accolades and honors we received for our quarterly newsletter, Your Advocate or our CA Visionaries or National Leaders Luncheons — Shaun had his hand prints all over them. 
 
Shaun’s vision of us having a website for advocacy only (www.LongBeachAdvocacy.Biz) led us to being the first Chamber in the US to have a separate advocacy site. That site received several honors and recognition from state and national associations. His understanding even ten years ago of the social media movement was uncanny and he was so far ahead of his time in this area.  To no surprise he won the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (17 state regional association) Staff Person of the Year several years ago. He had left our employment about seven years ago to start his own company Chamber Advocacy, to assist many small- or mid-size chambers that couldn’t afford to hire a staff person to do their Governmental Affairs work.  I knew right away he was destined for success in this very niche business opportunity.  Even after he left the Chamber as a staff member, he continued to be a part-time consultant and a couple of years ago when our staff member left, I decided to allow Shaun to do all of our Public Policy work as a consultant.  It was decision I never regretted as he brought so much value to our organization.
 
When he and Robert Garcia started the Long Beach Post, I simply knew it would be a success. Having known Robert for a long time and how successful Shaun had been with our Chamber, there was no doubt in my mind that this new media news source would be successful.
 
He also was our staff person for our Political Action Committee and was the brains behind our endorsement process for school board, city council, state legislative races, and just last year, our first ever US Senate Race. He was always preaching to us that our process must be fair and equitable to all candidates we interviewed. He was always concerned about our image and he worked very hard to protect it at all times. Quite frankly: we are where we are today in the Public Policy arena because of Shaun. He taught me so much in this area. He was so good at it and many Chamber leaders from around the state and the nation understood this and he was a very popular speaker at our regional and national associations. I remember the first time I ever saw him speak at a conference break out session. He walked to the middle of the room and had a baseball in his hand and started by saying, “The first rule in baseball is that the ball must be pitched.” He used that comparison to our political process in the Chamber world, that we must first get into the game and make the pitch, to take on the issue or endorse the candidate or hold the elected officials accountable. I remember being so impressed with this 25-year-old’s speaking ability and his calmness and confidence in a room full of experienced Chamber professionals. To say the least, I was extremely proud of him.
 
Personally, he was like a third son to me and we enjoyed many good times together. Sometimes we would just talk for an hour or so about what he envisioned we should be doing in the Public Policy area or even with our big events. He was probably the smartest young person I had ever met and I always respected his suggestions. He was also one of the most popular employees I have ever had in my 30-year Chamber career. Every one of my staffers over the years truly enjoyed him and respected him — even at such a young age. I never heard anybody say anything negative about Shaun nor did I ever hear him say anything negative about anybody else… Such a rare quality for anyone in today’s world. I’m honestly devastated at the loss of such a fine young man who had given so much to the many non-profit organizations he was involved in and was taken from us at such a young age of 33. I will miss him so much and feel so blessed that he was a part of my life.
 
One of my favorite author of business books Price Pritchett said this about adding value to an organization, “Make enough difference so that everybody would know that something every important is missing when you leave.” Today, Long Beach Elected officials, community leaders, and many residents know tha without Shaun Lumachi, there is something very important missing in our city. Someone at the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade held up a sign this last Saturday night that simply said, “We love you, Shaun Lumachi.” I wish I knew who that was so I could thank them and tell them there are many folks that feel the same about this very special young man.