Karen S. Kim
GLENDALE -- It wasn't hard for Julie Burroughs Shermer to follow in
the footsteps of her mother, Genevieve Sultenfuss, who served as the
first woman president of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce.
Shermer said she spent many days in her youth watching Sultenfuss
receive awards for community service at different luncheons.
"It definitely rubbed off from her," Shermer said.
Now Shermer, with years of service and awards of her own under her
belt, has received the additional honor of being named the Glendale
Chamber of Commerce's Woman of the Year.
The Glendale native volunteered for the chamber from 1978 to 1997. In addition, Shermer has served on a long list of community boards,
including the Glendale Family YMCA, Soroptimist International of Glendale
and Verdugo Hills Business and Professional Women.
She is the president of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services
Commission and has runs her business Glendale Connection, which provides
different fund-raising and organization services to local organizations.
"I like to be the conduit between city organizations and businesses,"
Shermer said. "I want new businesses, to get involved in community
activities."
Shermer's desire is shared by the chamber's Man of the Year, Bill
Boyd.
Boyd, who has worked in commercial real estate in Glendale since 1981,
has had a hand in many local organizations, including the Glendale Assn.
for the Retarded, the Alex Regional Theatre Board and Glendale Community
Foundation.
The Crescenta Valley High alumnus maintains his heart for Glendale
though he lives in La Canada.
"It's a big part of my philosophy to give back to the community I work
in," Boyd said. "I think it's very shortsighted of people to only be
takers and not contribute back into the community in which they work."
Chamber Executive Director Judee Kendall agreed, "Both Julie and Bill
have dedicated years of service to both the business community and to
nonprofit organizations, and they've put a lot of time outside of their
job to doing this."
Boyd owes that to his wife of 23 years, Susan, he said.
"She almost single-handedly runs our family and that allows me the
time," he said.
