For the 39th time, on Friday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m., the annual Seal Beach Christmas Parade will begin with a ribbon cutting featuring the mayor, the parade grand marshals, and junior grand marshal. (Streets will close at 5 p.m.) The Christmas parade committee recently announced that Greg and Gina Phillips are the 2017 grand marshals.
Together, Greg and Gina, have showcased for our community dedication to service and a relentless drive to give back.
“This year, the grand marshals presented an obvious choice for our parade,” said Scott Newton, the parade chairman. “Lion Gina Phillips and her husband Greg, both of whom I serve with on the Seal Beach Police Foundation board, are incredible givers from coordinating for four years the Foundation’s annual golf tournament, to bringing the Lions and Leos to ‘uptown’ as they refer to College Park East. They are community bridge builders.”
Greg and Gina have been long-term residents of Orange County, with Gina growing up in Anaheim with six brothers and sisters.
Greg has been a resident of Seal Beach his whole life and is part of the fourth generation of founders and team at Phillips Steel, where he is the Vice-President of Operations. They both have children, Dominic for Gina and Emily for Greg. The Phillips family loves world travel and exploring new places. They recently returned from Israel and the holy land, a destination many folks have on their bucket list.
Gina has served in many ways both on the board and as the director of operations for the Chamber of Commerce, along with being a grand juror in 2013-14. She also had a 21-year career with a major telecommunications firm and then branched out to be a school bus driver for the Los Alamitos Unified School district.
For Greg and Gina, the meaning of being grand marshals of the parade is simple but powerful.
Gina said, “It means people appreciate the efforts we put forth in the community, and we are so honored and grateful to be participating in our community spirit in this way.”
Greg echoed what Gina said about their most meaningful contributions they have made in Seal Beach. Greg said, “We both are very proud to chair the annual golf tournament for the Seal Beach Police Foundation, as our tournament raised the money to be able to purchase carrier vests that our police officers wear today. Also, working together to continue the legacy of Run Seal Beach as the ‘little race with a big heart’ is incredibly powerful because it is a trust we hold for the community as our race collectively.”
The Phillips said, “One of the real joys this holiday season is the opportunity to say thank you and wish all of our citizens, friends, visitors, and family the very best for the new year.”
Look for your official Christmas Parade Guide by the Sun News, which is the parade’s media partner.
