NETWORKING WITH A NEW VIEW FOR A NEW YEAR Now that the holiday hustle and bustle have subsided, & Grill | Vicky Bakery Coral Gables... and more! it's time to re-connect and re-fresh your business relationships. There's no better place to start than at our Want to start 2017 off on the right note? Bring your 2017 New Year's Networker. entire staff! Treat them to a night above the town and don't worry, we'll do all of the work for you! Tickets Join us on Thursday, January 12th as we take in the sights can be purchased in packages of five for $100 (saves of The City Beautiful and transform the rooftop of the $25) and ten for $200 (saves $50). Individual tickets are newly minted Lennar Foundation Medical Center into available, as well. our very own Winter Wonderland - just how George Merrick imagined it! A night like this isn't possible without the support of our sponsors! Our title sponsor is our host UHealth Attendees will enjoy unlimited bites and libations pro- and supporting sponsors include Infiniti of Coral Gavided by the Gables' hottest restaurants, including: bles, Benjamin Douglas, Espirito Santo Marketing 5411 Empanadas | BULLA Gastrobar | Café at Books Solutions, EWM Realty International, Home Financing & Books | Cao Chocolates | Crema Gourmet Espresso Center, Inc., Let's Eat Magazine, Smiles & Sonrisas and Bar Copper 29 Bar | Inner Fire Grill | La Taberna Giralda Alma Wines. Morton’s the Steakhouse | Pincho Factory | Ploma Seasons 52 | Shula’s 347 Grill | Tarpon Bend Raw Bar For more information, visit coralgableschamber.org and check out the view for yourself!
IN THIS ISSUE: Thoughts from our Chair Page 2 President’s Perspective Page 3 Trustee Talk
Page 5
Upcoming Events
Page 6
Membership Highlights Page 8 Calendar of Events
Page 9
Sponsor Recognition
Page 10
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
THOUGHTS FROM OUR CHAIR John Allen
Chair of the Board, CGCC Home Financing Center johna@homefinancingcenter.com
Happy New Year! It seems the holiday season was upon us before we knew it, and now it’s time to ring in the New Year of 2017, a year which will also mark the 92nd anniversary of our Chamber’s founding in 1925! I hope everyone had a terrific holiday and took the opportunity to patronize our fine stores, especially those on Miracle Mile, before enjoying a holiday meal at one of the terrific restaurants on Giralda’s famed restaurant row! Since the last Chamber CONNECTion, we enjoyed the 6th annual Burgerlicious at Ponce Circle Park. The mouthwatering affair was a tremendous success, featuring over twenty restaurants vying for the chance to be this year's People's Choice and Best-In-Bun Award winners. Choosing one meaty masterpiece was almost as difficult as downing all of those sliders, but our judges stood strong and chose Pincho Factory as Best-in-Bun for the second year in a row, followed by ROK BRGR, winner of the People's Choice Award. Over 1,800 Chamber members and guests made this ever-growing signature event as terrific as ever. We started December with the Chamber’s prestigious Diamond Awards, with over 250 guests at the Coral Gables County Club. These awards recognize outstanding businesses which are either located in Coral Gables or are members of our Chamber, in a variety of categories, ranging from small non-profit organizations and large for-profit companies. The judges had their hands full singling out just one Diamond per category from an outstanding group of the best and brightest! Congratulations to all the finalists and honorees for the well-deserved recognition! We're head full steam ahead into January! Don’t forget, applications for the annual AXA Advisors Businesswomen of Year Awards are due by January 27th. Take this opportunity to nominate someone you consider most deserving in one of several categories (and don’t feel shy about nominating yourself!). The honorees will be recognized at the AXA Advisors Businesswomen of the Year Awards Luncheon in March, so don’t delay in getting those applications in soon! We are very excited to host our annual New Year's Networker on Thursday, January 12th on the rooftop of The Lennar Foundation Medical Center. The Special Events Committee will go all out to transform this already spectacular venue into a Winter Wonderland, sans snow of course! It will no doubt be a “don’t miss” reception, so make sure your register right soon before this is sold-out! On February 12th, members of the Business & Government Affairs Committee head off to Tallahassee for our 2017 Fly-In to meet with our legislative leaders to discuss your priorities for the coming year. If you have an item you’d like to see brought up, let us know…or better yet, join our delegation! Over the course of two days we will meet with our legislators and government officials! Check with the Chamber for more details. As always, thanks to our President Mark Trowbridge and his amazing staff for making all the moving parts that make up these events fall perfectly into place! We couldn’t do it without them! Have a great New Year’s holiday, have fun, be safe, and make it a great Chamber day! Sincerely,
John R. Allen, Jr. Chair, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
2016 - 2017 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board John Allen, Home Financing Center, Inc. Chair-Elect Martha de la Pena Rojas, Florida Blue First Vice Chairman Patrick O’Connell, EWM Realty International Treasurer Ana Chaoui, Coconut Grove Bank Parliamentarian Carlos Garcia, Hancock Askew & Co., LLP Immediate Past Chairman Wayne Eldred, Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill Vice Chairman-Global Business Affairs Arthur Freyre, Poblete Tamargo LLP Vice Chairman-Community Affairs Jon Ridley, Honeywell Vice Chairman-Business & Economic Dev. Nelson Penalver, LOI Marketing, Inc. Vice Chairman-Member Affairs Sara Hernandez, Bank of the Ozarks Vice Chairman-Special Events Jessica Wilcox, J. Wilcox Consulting Vice Chairman-Gov’t & Legislative Affairs Bruce Bounds, Bounds Law Offices Trustee Council Chair Brian Barakat, Barakat Law, P.A. Chairman’s Appointee Nelson Lazo, Doctors Hospital President & CEO Mark A. Trowbridge BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elected-term expires 2017 Andria Hanley (Camillus House) Raquel Hickey Matthias Kammerer (The Biltmore Hotel) Barbara Norland (YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade Inc.) Anabella Smith (Zyscovich Architects) Elected-term expires 2018 Thad Adams (The Allen Morris Company) Nikki Deas (Vine Communications) Charles Knight (Florida Power & Light) Yesenia Moreno (Albion Staffing Solutions, Inc.) Rene Negron (AXA Advisors, LLC) Elected-term expires 2019 Pilar Araoz (Smiles & Sonrisas) Amy Donner (Miami’s Community Newspapers) Christie Grays (Baptist Health South Florida) Zachary Sulkes (Bacardi USA) Nicole Waters (Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables) Chairman’s Appointees-term expires 2017 Frank Fernandez Alex Jimenez (Apollo Bank) Christopher Spuches (Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderin Attorneys at Law) Ben Riestra (UHealth) Cinthya Urena (City National Bank) EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS City of Coral Gables Commissioner Patricia Keon City of Coral Gables Javier Betancourt, Director Business Improvement District F. Michael Steffens (Neville Steffens Architects, PA) Coral Gables Community Foundation Mary Snow, Executive Director The Beacon Council of Miami-Dade
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - A GREAT ESCAPE Mark A. Trowbridge
President & CEO Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce mtrowbridge@coralgableschamber.org
of what is so special about the movies - the power to move us in ways we only ever dreamed of.
The holidays are my favorite time of the year and not because of family or friends or gift giving or stockings hung by the chimney with care. I love the holiday season simply because of the amazing movies that are released just in time for a little extra holiday cheer.
Yes, the holidays can be stressful and the world can seem as if it has spun of its axis, but we will always have the great escape when we go to the movies.
From the story of a heart so broken it may never completely heal in a lifetime or a First Lady who for 1,000 days inspired and intrigued and captivated us or a group of animated animals with incredible talent that they literally make our hearts sing, or a young gay man coming of age in our very own Miami and This year has yet to disappoint, with such great mov- of course, my favorite, a boy who has the heart of a ies - and featuring gut-wrenching performances - as lion as he finally finds his way home after being lost "Manchester by the Sea", "Jackie", "Sing", "Moon- for 25 years. light" and the Australian film "Lion" released wide Won't you make plans to join me in 2017 as we launch right before the New Year. a new program that celebrates the enduring human Added to the mix of all of these current flicks is the spirit through great movies. Stay tuned for a very peranticipation of the amazing story of a group of Afri- sonal preview in January. can American women working at NASA in "Hidden Figures." Throw in some A-list actors you love to see Happy New Year, everyone, and thank you for all you on the big screen and you have the perfect antidote do! to the chaos of the Christmas season. Now, to be clear, I didn't grow up going to the movies. Weekends were reserved for household chores and church and well, there wasn't much time in between for a frivolous escape at the local cinema. Plus, my parents weren't big fans of the cinema - they preferred waiting for "The Sound of Music" to come on TV each Easter or, once we owned a VCR, to borrow old movies from friends that no one ever wanted to watch. So, that may be why I now have my own on-going love affair with the movies. I love the escape, the adventure, the emotion. I am not afraid to admit that I often cry during the previews. Movies can bring that out in me, and I suspect some of you, and there is no greater joy or release. Recently, we welcomed a new theater to the Gables - Landmark Cinemas – located on the 3rd floor of the Shops at Merrick Park. This new seven-screen cineplex complements our already amazing art cinema, a wonderful movie house and hyper-local theater that I have been a member of for many years. During the ribbon cutting ceremony at Landmark with Mayor Cason, I shared that even in a time of divisiveness and political rancor, we will always have the movies. The greatest stories of our time - and even of a bygone era - have the ability to bring us together, to provide us a moment of solace and to remind us coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
TRUSTEE TALK Brian Barakat
Chair, Trustee Council Barakat Law, P.A. brian@triallawmiami.com
As we say goodbye to 2016, I can’t help but wonder what a different world we will experience next year. With a new President and a stunning dearth in 80's pop icons, 2017 will certainly be a year of change for all of us. Let us embrace the change that awaits us together, as a community and as a Chamber. We closed out the year with a tremendous Trustee Reception. I was so impressed with the Hyatt Place Miami Airport - East. What a beautiful hotel for our event. It is newly constructed, modern, functional and beautiful. The pool was fantastic. I’ll be putting my mother-in-law there for each subsequent visit.
Networking with a view! Trustee members gathered for some last-minute networking before the holiday hustle on the balcony at Mercantil Commercebank, N.A.
We plan to bring in the New Year in style. Our first Trustee Reception of 2017 will be on Tuesday January 10th, at 5:30 p.m. at Girarda Place. Come join us as we take a look at these beautiful new residences, located right in the heart of downtown Coral Gables, as we bring the New Year in together, as a Chamber. By the time our first Trustee Luncheon occurs, you will all be used to writing 2017 on your checks. Join us for lunch at Coral Gables' most posh senior living facility, The Palace Coral Gables with guest speaker Michael Harrington, President and Chief Operating Officer of Nicklaus Childrens Hospital. We are excited to see you there on January 25th at 11:45 a.m.
Trustees enjoyed a night of crisp air, live music and bustling business-to-business activity at our November Trustee Reception.
TRUSTEE EVENTS:
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER Trustee Members joined for us for a spirited reception on December 13th, poolside, at the Hyatt Place Miami Airport - East.
Sponsors of our November Trustee Luncheon, the team from Florida Blue, led by Chair-Elect Martha de la Pena Rojas, pictured with Chamber President & CEO, Mark A. Trowbridge.
If you haven't visited their campus, now is the time to check out the Hyatt Place Miami Airport - East. Host of our December Trustee Reception, this hotel has all of the luxuries you expect from a Coral Gables property, nestled just minutes from the airport.
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
UPCOMING EVENTS
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
SAVE THESE IMPORTANT DATES Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - 5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday Host: Ruth’s Chris Steak House 2320 Salzedo Street, Coral Gables Sponsored By: MAPFRE Insurance & The Keyes Company Partner: Coral Gables Bar Association Cost: $25 Chamber, Bar Association & #YoPro Members by 12/30; $35 Guests & Members after 12/30 Friday, January 6, 2017 - 8:30 AM Trow Knows... CEOs Sponsored & Hosted By: BDO USA 2121 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, 11th Floor, Coral Gables Featuring: John Richard, President & CEO, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Cost: $20 Registration Fee *Space is limited to the first 25 registrations Tuesday, January 10, 2017 - 5:30 PM Trustee Reception Exclusively for our Trustees! Sponsored & Hosted By: Giralda Place 2222 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Suite 150, Coral Gables Complimentary registration for Trustee Members
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - 3:45 PM IMPACT: A Seminar Series for Small Business How to Save Money on Taxes and Accounting This Year - Designed especially for Small Business Owners Location: Fetes & Events 270 Catalonia Avenue, Coral Gables Sponsored By: Mercantil Commercebank, N.A. Bites Provided By: Vicky Bakery Coral Gables Presented By: Andrew Jacobs, Andrew S. Jacobs, P.A. Cost: $25 Chamber Members; $35 Guests Thursday, January 19, 2017 - 7:30 AM Good Morning Coral Gables Location: The Biltmore Hotel 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables Series Sponsor: UHealth Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gillian Hotz, Director, KiDZ Neuroscience Center; Director, WalkSafe, BikeSafe, Concussion Programs; Department of Neurosurgery and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis Topic: Why All the Talk About Concussions Gables Act of Culture: Area Stage Company Children’s Choir from the Conservatory Program Cost: $25 Chamber Members by 1/13; $40 Guests
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 - 11:45 AM Thursday, January 12, 2017 - 5:30 PM Trustee Luncheon New Year’s Winter Wonderland Host & Location: The Palace Coral Gables Re-connect, refresh & recommit! Celebrate the start 1 Andalusia Avenue, Coral Gables of 2017! Sponsored By: Calas Group Location: Lennar Foundation Medical Center Keynote Speaker: Michael Harrington, President & 5555 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Rooftop, Coral Gables Chief Operating Officer, Nicklaus Childrens Hospital Presented & Hosted By: UHealth Cost: $45 Trustee Members by 1/20; Supporting Sponsor: Infiniti of Coral Gables $55 On-site Registration & Guests Participating Sponsors: Alma Wines, EWM Realty International, Benjamin Douglas, Home Financing Center, Wednesday, February 1, 2017 - Noon Espirito Santo Marketing Solutions, Smiles & Sonrisas, RE-Connect Luncheon Let's Eat Magazine Location: Mortons the Steakhouse Participating Restaurants (to date): 5411 Empanadas 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Coral Gables Sponsored By: Barakat Law, P.A., EPGD Attorneys at Café at Books & Books | Cao Chocolates | Crema Law, Michael Forman DOM, Sora Global Insurance & Gourmet Espresso Bar | Copper 29 Bar | La Taberna Consulting Giralda | Inner Fire Grill | Morton’s the Steakhouse Cost: $25 Luncheon Fee - Must be paid in advance Pincho Factory | Plomo | Seasons 52 | Shula’s 347 Grill Online payment and registration is now required in Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill | Vicky Bakery Coral advance! Gables Cost: $25 Chamber Members | $35 Guests Bring the whole office! $100 for Five Tickets (save $25) $200 for Ten Tickets (save $50) Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - Noon Women’s Business Network Luncheon Location: Hyatt Regency Coral Gables 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables Sponsored By: My Vida Spa & Wellness Center A/V Sponsor: The Brand Protected Keynote Speaker: Tony Villamil, Co-Founder & Principal, The Washington Economics Group Topic: The 2017 Economic Outlook Cost: $40 Chamber Members by 1/13; $50 On-Site Registration & Guests
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coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS SPONSORSHIP / INVESTOR HALL OF FAME
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS
Through December 2016
November - December 2016
$5,000 and Above • The Allen Morris Company • AXA Advisors, LLC • Bacardi USA • Baptist Health South Florida • Brown-Forman Beverages • Business Improvement District of Coral Gables • City of Coral Gables • City National Bank • Doctors Hospital • EWM Realty International • Florida Blue • Florida Power & Light
• Hancock Askew & Co., LLP • Home Financing Center, Inc. • LOI Marketing, Inc. • Marquis Bank • Mercantil Commercebank, N.A. • Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables • Photo Offset, Inc. • South Motors BMW • Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill • University of Miami • UHealth
$2,500 - $4,999 • Apollo Bank • BankUnited • BDI • Coconut Grove Bank • Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderin Attorneys at Law
• Espirito Santo Marketing Solutions • Gulliver Schools • Samuel Adams - Boston Beer Company • Southern Audio Visual
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AMR - American Medical Response ARC Plastic Surgery Avatar Enterprises of South Florida, Inc. Blanco Law, P.A. Bonalt IT Consulting, LLC Brown Label California Pizza Kitchen Castellon & Company, PL Coral Gables Executive Physicians Edward Jones Eisenberg Lehman, PLLC Flower Fanatic HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Miami Infiniti of Coral Gables Intelsat Corp. Le Provencal Restaurant Melissa Shoes USA Miliancorp, Inc. Office Edge Coral Gables Pan American Zinc, LLC Pecan's Day Spa Planet Smoothie Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. PSB Miami Richards Goldstein LLP Scheckner & Hetenyi, PL ServPro of South Miami & Cutler Bay Sherwood Chamberlain Stephen Schaefer Suero Law, PLLC The Flanagan Law Firm, P.A. The Janet Group @ RE/MAX Advance Realty The Miami Foundation Village Montessori Wash Club Miami, LLC Wells Fargo Private Mortgage Banking Zucca Miami, LLC
* BOLD denotes Trustee member
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
EVENTS CALENDAR
‘17
January | February
Monday
Tuesday
2 OFFICE CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF NEW YEAR'S
Wednesday
3
Thursday
Friday
4 8:00 AM 5 6 8:30 AM 12:00 PM Chairman’s Ambassadors Committee Meeting Trow Knows... CEOs RE-Connect Luncheon featuring John Richard, 9:00 AM Adrienne Arsht Center for 5:30 PM the Performing Arts Wind Down Wednesday Women’s Business Network Committee Meeting
10 8:00 AM 11 12 Business & Gov’t Affairs 8:00 AM Committee Meeting M-Team Committee Meeting 9:00 AM Cultural Affairs 5:30 PM Committee Meeting New Year's Networker 4:00 PM 5:30 PM Rooftop @Lennar Foundation Small Business Trustee Reception Medical Center Committee Meeting
9
8:00 AM Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting
13
16 17 18 19 20 3:45 PM 7:30 AM OFFICE CLOSED 8:00 AM INAUGURATION IN OBSERVANCE OF S.E.E. Green DAY! IMPACT: A Seminar Series Good Morning Coral Gables MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Committee Meeting for Small Business 9:15 AM 20/30 Group 11:30 AM Committee Meeting Women's Business Network Luncheon
23
24
25 26 27 Noon 8:00 AM 11:45 AM Applications Due for the Business & Education Trustee Luncheon AXA Advisors Committee Meeting Businesswomen of the Year Awards
30
31 1 8:00 AM 2 3 12:00 PM 8:30 AM Chairman’s Ambassadors RE-Connect Luncheon Trow Knows... CEOs Committee Meeting featuring Jose Cueto, 9:00 AM 5:30 PM International Finance Bank Wind Down Wednesday Women's Business Network Committee Meeting
8:00 AM 8 9 Business & Gov’t Affairs 8:00 AM Committee Meeting M-Team Committee Meeting 9:00 AM Cultural Affairs Committee Meeting 5:30 PM 4:00 PM Trustee Reception Small Business Committee Meeting 13 14 15 16 3:45 PM 7:30 AM IMPACT: A Seminar Series Good Morning Coral Gables for Small Business 9:15 AM 20/30 Group Committee Meeting Tallahassee Fly-in • Tallahassee Fly-in
6
8:00 AM Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting
7
20 21 22 23 8:00 AM OFFICE CLOSED 11:45 AM 8:00 AM IN OBSERVANCE OF S.E.E. Green Trustee Luncehon Business & Education PRESIDENT'S DAY Committee Meeting Committee Meeting
10
17
24
11:30 AM WBN Luncheon
27
28 1 8:00 AM 2 3 12:00 PM 8:30 AM Chairman’s Ambassadors RE-Connect Luncheon Trow Knows... CEOs Committee Meeting 5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday
9:00 AM Women’s Business Network Committee Meeting
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017
SPONSORSHIP RECOGNITION WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER
GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES
DECEMBER
SERIES SPONSOR
NOVEMBER
WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON
TRUSTEE RECEPTION
NOVEMBER
AV SPONSOR NOVEMBER / DECEMBER
TRUSTEE LUNCHEON
DECEMBER
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK
DECEMBER
IMPACT SEMINAR SERIES
NOVEMBER
RE-CONNECT LUNCH
BURGERLISCIOUS
Developing Business Building Community
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DIAMOND AWARDS
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LEGISLATIVE PREVIEW
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2017