By Staff Writer
Photos by Steve Peterson
On Saturday, December 12, hundreds gathered at the historic U.S. Grant Hotel for the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce’s 5th Annual Fundraising and Awards Gala. With the Harlem Renaissance as the backdrop theme, not only did the chamber celebrate the history of the black renaissance in its décor and in the attire of those who attended, it also used the opportunity to honor Mr. Jesse Knight as a “Knight of Renaissance,” giving him a Lifetime Leadership Award. A retired Sempra Energy Executive, Knight served as the company’s Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chairman of two of the $12 billion San Diego energy service companies’ subsidiaries – San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas Company.
With News/Sports Anchor/Reporter Phil Farrar serving as the Master of Ceremonies, the evening was filled with memorable stories about Knight and numerous accolades, about him and other notables who have contributed to San Diego’s business community. Mayor Kevin Faulconer kicked off the evening with comments about America’s Finest City, noting San Diego’s strengths and great opportunities afforded those in commerce in the city. “You’re the backbone of our economy. You’re the ones that make it work,” he said. “I’m proud that we’re here tonight celebrating. We’re a city of opportunity and a city of growth.” He extended a heartfelt thank you to the chamber for the work they’re doing stating “The brightest workforce will come from our diverse workforce. You have a mayor that stands with you and supports you.” Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce President, Mr. Jerry Robinson also greeted the crowd sharing “Tonight, we thank you for taking time to come out. Join us in leading this organization into 2016.”
In addition to Mr. Knight, the evening’s honorees included the late Mr. Robert McNeely, whose widow, Ms. Delores McNeely, received the Humanitarian Award in his honor. She shared “Bob was thoughtful, community centered and the love of my life. Thank you Central San Diego Black Chamber for being committed to economic growth.” Mr. Rudy Johnson, president of the Neighborhood House Association received the Community Service Award and shared “The Neighborhood House Association is a great body of work. I’m not just the President and CEO, I’m a former client. It’s this body of work that makes our team great.” George Hanible, director of Contract Compliance and EEO Officer, received the Corporation of the Year Award for Skanska USA Civil stating they are the 6th largest company globally in their industry. “We’re encouraging more African Americans to apply… we’ve spent $90 million in diverse hiring,” he said. Cats Excavating, received the Small Business of the Year Award, thanking individuals like Mr. Reese Jarrett, who have afforded them opportunities to stay in business and be successful.
As the evening progressed, Vice President of External and State Legislative Affairs for SDG&E, Eugene “Mitch” Mitchell, shared a plethora of humorous stories about Jesse Knight, allowing dinner attendees more insight into Knight’s comical side, but also the side of him that is always teaching a lesson. “He loved the word panoply,” jested Mitchell, “but he’s teaching every single moment. Jesse is a consummate teacher. He would often say ‘Mitch think big!’,” he reflected. “He was the example of what great is under pressure. He would say ‘get out, be active and make this community better’,” Mitchell shared.
Former Governor of California and Mayor of San Diego, Mr. Pete Wilson, made an appearance to express his appreciation for Knight, and reflect on all the work he’s done. “When I left office I thought well you know one of the nicest things about this job has been appointing people to positions of real authority where they could make decisions and would have to make decisions that were critical to the future of the state. Little did I realize not too long thereafter would I have the opportunity to again work with ‘Jess’ in the Southern California Leadership Council,” he shared. “Whatever Jess did, he did superbly, he did it with integrity and he did it with fairness; and with the kind of long range thinking about what the consequences would be that resulted in the best decisions that could be made. Jesse Knight is not only someone I admire, but we’ve become close friends,” Wilson said.
As the evening came to a close, the Chamber enshrined Knight’s legacy in the form of a scholarship named the “Jesse Knight, Jr. Leadership and Scholarship Award”, awarded to three deserving high school scholars, in the amount of $2,000 each. The award recipients were Timothy “Tim” Harrison, Megan Route, and Va’Trelle Stokely. The overall holiday gala was a success. Though the air was brisk, the room was inviting, filled with celebration and merry hearts.
With the mission of promoting commerce for the advancement of economic development within the San Diego community and the greater San Diego County, the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce seems to have ended the year on a high note, with promises of starting 2016 off strong. For more information on the organization, you can visit their website at www.sdblackchamber.org
