Pat Means, a long time member of the Black Los Angeles business community and former publisher and co-founder of Turning Point magazine, has died after an extended illness.
Just prior to her death, Means served as Director of Communications and Community at AltaSea located at the Port of Los Angeles. AltaSea is a nonprofit organization focusing on developing innovative partnerships between public entities, private companies and the public to explore, incubate and sustain ocean-related business; and pioneer new ocean-related education programs.
Means also served as a sponsorship consultant for the Tall Ship Festival held every three years in San Pedro.
She handled the festival duties as part of her involvement in her company Turning Point Communications.
Turning Point was also the name of a business magazine Means co-founded in 1992 after the civil unrest that rocked Los Angeles. Created to offer readers positive images of Black businesses statewide, the publication grew to serve a national audience within 13 short years.
In addition to the magazine, Means created a number of programs designed to help readers keep abreast of what was going on in the business world including the National African American Business Summit, the Access to Success Business Tour(R), and the Turning Point Business Minute Radio program.
Means was recognized with a number of awards for her achievements by organizations such as the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-LA); the Small Business Administration, which in 2005 named her an SBA Advocate; Woman of the Year by the Professional Women in Business in 2000; and as a woman who made a difference by the Los Angeles Business Journal in 2000. In 2001, she was also honored as an Outstanding Alumna by the USC Black Alumni Association.
The San Pedro resident graduated from USC with a bachelor of science in business administration with a special emphasis in marketing and communications and an MBA also with a specialty of marketing and communications.
Means is survived by her daughter Carla, her son Carl and six grandchildren.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adjourned in her honor on Jan. 10 at the behest of Supervisor Janice Hahn.
