HOLLYWOOD : Chamber of Commerce Names New Director

The troubled Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has named Leron Gubler, a veteran administrator of the San Pedro Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, to be its new executive director.

Gubler will replace Brooke Knapp, an aviator and former business executive who was terminated in June after less than a year on the job. Her predecessor, Larry Kaplan, also lasted a year.

Chris P. Baumgart, chairman of the Hollywood business group, said that Gubler’s 12 years as head of the San Pedro organization will help him redirect the Hollywood chamber, which suffers from internal divisions and has been losing money and members in recent years. The group barely ended its most recent fiscal year in the black, Baumgart said.

The chamber sponsors the Hollywood Christmas Parade and holds merchandising rights for the Hollywood sign and the Walk of Fame.