All About Our Members

March 2022 - May 2022

301 Kwikie, Inc 99 Bottles Abundant Blessing Consulting Services, LLC Actuarial & Financial Consulting Adventure For All Akron Bio Align Right Realty SRQ Opulence American Torch Tip Company Anthony’s Cooling Heating Electrical Around the Way Transportation Art & Soul Dance Company Avelo Airlines Beane Street Windows & Doors Berlin Patten Ebling, PLLC Big Finish Car Wash Bloom Organics Day Spa & Boutique Body By Bungee Braille Battery Inc. Bright Future Electric Circle The Sun Fitness Coco’s Bistro Compeer Sarasota Conley Buick GMC Dapper Bowtique, LLC Dentistry on Fruitville Dickinson & Gibbons, P.A. Discover Sarasota Tours DonVos Services Elite Home Watchers Energage EVERYDAYPLUMBER.com Final Touch Counters Fisher & Phillips LLP FloridaRentals.com Freewheeling Travel, LLC Fundraising Agency Management Grow Financial Federal Credit Union HALO - The Perfect Promotion Hannah McGowan Coaching Happy Helpers Moving Co Hotwire Communications House Calls For Kids JOYELY Kelly’s Roast Beef King HR Services Inc Ladies’ Shot Bartending LLC Margwine Organization, Inc Mary Butler, LLC Mise en Place Design, LLC MISSION BBQ MKM Sarasota Morgan Stanley - Phil Peters Nano Hydrate Inc. Norman Love Confections Noto International LLC Onplace Opus Restaurant & Lounge Paradise Dermatology Pastry Art Cafe Pestmaster Services PopStroke Reyna’s Taqueria RI5E Sports Performance Ringling Moving LLC Sarasota Concert Association Screaming Goat Taqueria SeaSucker, LLC Skyway Classics Southern Cross Contracting,

Inc. Southwind Adventures, Inc. SRQ Premier Realty Stacey’s Sandcastle Cookies, LLC Sun King Brewery Sarasota Teakdecking Systems, Inc. The Granite Place The Love Vault LLC T-Mobile Tom Bury Total Background Reporting

DBA Total Reporting Total Therapy Florida U. MAGAZINE FLORIDA Waxwing Corp., DBA Independent Jones WJ Architects

Did You Know? Chamber Members who refer other businesses get $50 off their renewal! If you know an organization that will benefit from a Chamber membership, contact zhenkel@sarasotachamber.com

As of May 31, 2022

Akron Bio Congratulations to Akron Bio for recently launching a new, state-of-the-art cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) plasmid DNA manufacturing facility in Sarasota, Florida. akronbiotech.com

Align Right Realty SRQ Opulence Officially cut the ribbon! Align Right Realty SRQ Opulence is so proud to be a part of the Greater Sarasota community. arropulence.com

Atlas Fiduciary Financial Congratulations to Atlas Fiduciary Financial on your Grand Opening! Please visit their new location at 1577 Fruitville Road. atlasfiduciary.com Gapin Institute for High Performance Health Thank you Gapin Institute with Dr. Tracy Gapin for celebrating your Grand Opening with us! gapininstitute.com

KRS Southern Merchant, LLC DBA Avis Budget Welcome to Sarasota KRS Southern Merchant, LLC DBA Avis Budget! Stop by and say hello and welcome them to the Chamber or when you need to rent a car. avis.com

PopStroke Congratulations to PopStroke for their ribbon cutting and grand opening! Great entertainment for all ages and level of skill. popstroke.com

Dentistry on Fruitville Smiling as we welcome Dentistry on Fruitville to Sarasota! They are celebrating the opening of a familyfriendly dentistry that offers quality dental care to individuals of all ages. dentistryonfruitville.com

Have a grand opening or change in location coming up?

Celebrate your business milestone with a Chamber Ribbon Cutting. Contact Kelly Monti at kmonti@sarasotachamber.com to schedule.

Tidewell Treasures Tidewell Treasures celebrated the grand opening of its second store in Sarasota! It features home decor, household goods, name-brand furniture and clothing, accessories, and more. tidewellfoundation.org

Ribbon Cuttings are benefits exclusive to our Chamber Members. For non-members interested in a ribbon cutting, please contact zhenkel@sarasotachamber.com

ringling.edu May to July

Celebrating milestone anniversaries of members who have been with us for 25 years and above

fcci-group.com lakewoodranch.com

adamsandreese. com floridaroofing. com icorr.com sarasotaford.com

horizonmort.com themeadowssarasota.org

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation board approves $6.3 million in grant funding. The recently approved grants will address areas such as hunger and food insecurity, support affordable housing opportunities, and promote projects that enhance diversity, equity, and civil rights in the region.

Children First recently launched a college savings plan for at-risk youth. While the mission of Children First is to strengthen children and families in our community by providing a strong foundation for children ages birth to five, our work does not stop there. The CFC College Fund was recently started by two of very dedicated donors in order to give Children First’s young students a “Head Start” as their families begin planning for their college educations.

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida)

is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2022 US Best Managed Company. Sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, the program recognizes outstanding U.S. private companies and the achievements of their management teams.

Goodwill Manasota is proud to not only provide jobs for team members who may have barriers to employment but also offer on-the-clock coaching, training and education to boost employees’ job skills and earning potential. Goodwill’s efforts to provide financial literacy skills training to its team members, through its GoodPartner Coach program, were supported with a $10,000 grant from Wells Fargo Foundation.

The Here4YOUth Initiative of Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation have awarded JFCS of the Suncoast a $50,000 grant for the expansion of the Adolescent Diversion and Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP provides prevention and intervention services to Sarasota County residents ages 11 to 17 who have been charged with a crime or are at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system. Kerkering, Barberio & Co., Certified Public Accountants, is pleased to announce Bethany Silvis, the firm’s Marketing Supervisor, has been selected as the Rookie of the Year by the Association for Accounting Marketing. A marketer on the rise demonstrating distinction in the field, the Rookie of the Year shows creativity, initiative, and ambition in their firm.

Lakewood Ranch Medical Center (LWRMC)

was one of only 350 hospitals in the United States recognized on Newsweek’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2022 list. This elite award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

Music Compound is committed to educating all year long, including when school is out for the summer. In addition to hosting an in-person summer camp, Music Compound launches the Rock Your Summer Reading initiative each year on June 1.

The SouthTech Data Dump collects 11,905 pounds of recyclable electronics. The Data Dump is a community favorite, as it is an effective way to recycle electronics, and securely destroy remaining data. The electronics are sent to the Quicksilver Recycling Services facility in Tampa to be reused, resold, or recycled. Recyclables get sent to metal refining companies for urban mining.

Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County is proud to continue their community partnership with the Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Soccer Fund. A new $15,000 grant awarded by the Foundation will support powerful college readiness and mentor programming for economically disadvantaged students to transform their college dreams into reality.

Members- Want the chance for your press release to be featured? Email communications@sarasotachamber.com to find out about using our FREE press release tool!

Joining a council is a great way to connect with other members who have similar interests and to share your thoughts on community needs.

Chamber Ambassadors

Contact: cmcgonigal@sarasotachamber.com

Governmental Issues Council (GIC)

Contact: hkasten@sarasotachamber.com

Event & Programming Council

Contact: croper@sarasotachamber.com

CareerEdge Industry Councils

Insurance Council, HVAC Council, Automotive Council, Regional Workforce Council, Public Policy Committee, Healthcare Council, Manufacturing Council Contact: hkasten@sarasotachamber.com

Leadership Sarasota Council

Contact: srachon@sarasotachamber.com

Young Professionals Group Council

Contact: srachon@sarasotachamber.com

The Affordable Housing Task Force has Officially Launched!

Individuals from various industries, private, public, and non-profits, with specific knowledge, expertise, and passion about the topic will convene over months to collaborate on ways the community might address the impact of affordable housing on attracting and retaining talent. To learn more about this council, contact hkasten@sarasotachamber.com.

Ambassador of the Quarter

About Michelle: Born and raised in the heart of the Midwest, community has always been important to her. Growing up in the suburbs of Omaha, Nebraska to moving half way across the country to Sarasota, Florida was a perfect fit! Joining the Chamber and eventually becoming an ambassador has been an incredible experience and where she has met some amazing friends!

Michelle has been working with Thryv for almost five years. As a business advisor, her job is to help your business get found, get credit, and get paid. Thryv has multiple solutions available from the Real Yellow Pages, to software, to digital marketing, and more. She loves helping local businesses!

Michelle Leonard

“It is an honor to be able to be a chamber ambassador, where I can volunteer for unique opportunities, serve our community, help others feel welcomed at our different events and create relationships to last a life time! When people ask what I love about Sarasota, it’s the community that I feel is enlarged because of the amazing chamber we have standing behind us!”

Presented by:

Business and Community Market Place

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce hosted its inaugural Grand Expo - Business & Community Marketplace presented by Sam’s Club, at Robarts Arena on Thursday, April 14. The afterhours networking event linked chamber members’ products and services, and non-profit organizations to other local companies and the residential community.

"We connected with several non-profits and businesses that we can potentially partner with,” says Ginger Diegert-McLean, AlongSide U. She adds, “when we go to networking events we look for one nugget, if we get one nugget it was worth our time… well we got an entire 'happy meal' at this Expo!”

Attendees enjoyed complimentary tastes from Der Dutchman, Hotel Indigo Sarasota, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Manatee Technical College Culinary and Baking, as well as Sam’s Club, and frozen daiquiris from Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar. Gecko’s Grill & Pub provided a cash bar sponsored by Willis Smith Construction, Inc., and DJ entertainment was sponsored by Music Compound. A fun photo booth was provided by Complete Weddings + Events. In addition, the event featured the Tiny Home built by students who recently earned certifications with the help of CareerEdge Funders Collaborative, a Sarasota Chamber program, and Suncoast Technical College (STC).

“Step away from an emotional decision in the moment. Remember that not everything is a crisis; it’s not always on fire. Give it time.”

“If you have the power to do it, you should. Be accessible. You may be a mentor and not even know it.”

- SHAWNY - CHRISTINA

“Be humble. You can’t be bigger than the people you serve. You may have walked in their shoes at a point in your life - you need to remember that - be self-aware.”

Women Breaking Barriers in Business

On May 6, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion on Women Breaking Barriers in Business at their annual Women at Work luncheon. The Chamber continues to be a resource for our business community's professional development; the event featured women who shared insight on their professional journey, breaking stereotypes, and excelling in industries and positions not typically held by women. The women featured represented careers in politics, law, sports, and the non-profit sector.

Nugget of wisdom :

Moderator:

Lisa Carlton, Esq. Former Florida Senator - TELESE Keep in mind when the door doesn’t open, you may be at the wrong door.

Panelist:

Shawny Robey MS, MBA, President & CEO, First Step of Sarasota Inc.

Telese L. Zuberer Shareholder/President, Icard, Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen & Ginsburg, P.A.

Christina Shaw Senior Director Special Events & Hospitality, Atlanta Braves Spring Training Complex

Presented by:

2022 Small Business Awards

Small Business Award Medium Business Award Large Business Award

Rising Star Award Woman-Owned Business Award Workforce Development & Innovation Award

Winner: Trade Mark Interiors -IAS Marketing Services -Wealth Strategies Partners

Winner: J2 Solutions, Inc. -Ramos Center for Interventional and Functional Pain Medicine -Sirius Day Spa, Salon & Med Spas Winner: PGT Innovations -Bank of America -Trulieve

Winner: Dapper Bowtique® -Atlas Fiduciary Financial, LLC -Bone Dry Roofing Winner: Grapevine Communications -Luhrsen Goldberg, Law Powered By Women® -Operation Warrior Resolution Winner: Goodwill Industries Manasota, Inc. -360 Orthopedics -HBK CPAs & Consultants

Presented by:

Community Impact Award Minority Business Award

Winner: Lightspeed Voice -Catalist Realty -Michael Saunders & Company®

Winner: Around the Way Transportation -Abundant Blessing Consulting Services, LLC -King HR Services Inc.

Winner: Children First -Senior Friendship Centers -Teen Court of Sarasota, Inc.

Non-Profit Award

Congratulations to all!

Over 500 individuals gathered to celebrate the best in local business at the 32nd annual Frank G. Berlin, Sr. Small Business Awards on Friday, June 17. Within 9 categories, 27 businesses were honored. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists who create opportunities for everyone and make Sarasota the best place to live and work.