Long Beach philanthropists Mark and Claire Guillen recently presented a $50,000 check to the Belmont Shore Business Association.

“Although any amount given to BSBA would have been appreciated,” Mark Guillen said in a phone interview, “we wanted our gift to be at a significant level to effect positive impact this year and beyond, hopefully encouraging others to give at this level as well. It’s a gift, but also a challenge.”

A portion of the donation — $5,000 — will become the first seed funding for “For the Shore,” a new community foundation initiative. Mark Guillen said he plans on helping guide that mission and plant a seed for the future — an investment that “will outlive me.”

The couple’s donation will also make an impact immediately.

“Mark and Claire cherish the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade and how it brings the community together,” BSBA Executive Director Heather Kern wrote in an email to association members, “and their generosity will give us the opportunity to elevate this year’s Light Up the Night parade on Dec. 5 while keeping everything that makes this decadelong tradition so special.”

Mark Guillen, the BSBA email said, is the principal of Guillen Consulting, a Long Beach government relations and public affairs firm. His career has included 28 years with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, serving as national civic engagement director at Molina Healthcare, nearly nine years as public affairs director at Crown Castle, and his current role leading external affairs for California at Zayo Group.

He has also spent years helping raise money and resources for organizations such as Cal State Long Beach, the Long Beach Community Foundation, the YMCA, the Ronald McDonald House and the Long Beach Accelerator. Mark Guillen has also served on numerous boards, including for the YMCA, the Long Beach Museum, the Long Beach Symphony, Long Beach City College, the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership.

Mark Guillen is a native of the greater Long Beach area. His family is well respected in the region for their generations of leadership and civic service. He has been married to Claire Guillen for more than 25 years, and they have two daughters, Abigail and Sophia, who have attended local Long Beach schools.

“Long Beach has given so much to us, and we believe strongly in giving back to the community we love,” the couple said in a joint statement. “Belmont Shore is such a special part of this city, and we’ve been impressed by the work the Belmont Shore Business Association is doing and the energy behind where it’s headed. We’re excited to support that work, help make this year’s Christmas Parade even more special, and be part of an investment in Belmont Shore that we hope will have an impact for years to come.”

BSBA history

In 1933, a Press-Telegram article about the forerunner of the BSBA — the Belmont Shore Businessman’s Association — revealed that a fundraiser paid for some Belmont Shore signage and the association had asked the city manager for increased police protection in the area. The association that noted the police substation closed at noon and only one man was on duty late at night.

Signage and public safety remain part of the group’s charter today.

In the mid-1930s, the group dropped the “man” from their name and became the Belmont Shore Business Association.

By 1940, the City Council established a two-hour parking zone on Second Street from Livingston Drive to Bay Shore Drive, and instructed the Planning Commission to report on the feasibility of creating a special car parking zone, which was new to Long Beach.

With customer parking key to business success, merging parking management with the business association was logical.

The Belmont Shore business improvement district — formally the Belmont Shore Parking & Business Improvement Area — was created in 1983, when the Long Beach City Council established an assessment district to support and promote the Second Street commercial corridor. That 1983 formation is the key historical milestone, when Belmont Shore became one of Long Beach’s earliest formal business districts, decades before Midtown, Uptown or Zaferia had structured parking and business programs.

A BID in Long Beach is a defined commercial area where local businesses pay an extra assessment to fund services and improvements above the city’s baseline. Currently, the BSBA is the organization Long Beach contracts with to operate and manage that area’s BID.

There are nine BIDs in Long Beach, according to the city’s official listing.

Correction

In last week’s column, there was an error regarding tiki bar ownership. Ron Hodges owns Secret Island Tiki Bar and Restaurant, 209 Pine Ave., in downtown Long Beach, while Kevin Larsen owns the Bamboo Club, 3522 E. Anaheim St.

Larsen and his team are busy transforming the Bamboo Club into the spooky scary tiki bar dubbed “Tremble Club” — a haunted tropical hideaway filled with eerie décor.

The Bamboo Club’s Halloween alter ego will take over from Monday, Sept. 28, to Nov. 3. The bar will mix cocktails along with some special Halloween activities and entertainment all through spooky season.

Reservations are strongly encouraged. To do so, go to bambooclublb.com.