12:30 Club swears in officers at luncheon

The 12:30 Club swore in new officers during a meeting at the Greenhouse Cafe last month.

The club, which was founded in 1925, is made up of Bay Ridge businesspeople who try to help the community. 

Gary E. Hanna, Esq., the new president and “Big Chief,” said the group arranges for speakers to visit luncheons to speak about their professions or specific industry. 

“We’ve had a distinguished group of members over the years and we have about 60 current members as we meet over 20 times a year over lunch,” Hanna said. “It’s really just an organization to associate, be friendly, help each other, educate our members and really try to help the Bay Ridge community.”

Other new officers are “Little Chief” Walter Ochoa, treasurer Ross Helrich and secretary Brian Chin.

The club, which is named for its traditional meeting time of 12:30 p.m., holds its luncheons primarily at the Greenhouse Cafe and other neighborhood restaurants such as Ponte Vecchio and Baci. 

St. Patrick’s Day, Coney Island Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas luncheons are the highlights of the year. The club also holds an annual golf outing and dinner cruise with live entertainment.