Promoting Business Growth & Success Since 1925
2022 ANNUAL REPORT & 2023 PRIORITIES
597 S Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34285
941.488.2236
venicechamber.com
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO Dear Venice Area Chamber of Commerce Member, Thank you for being a valued member of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce. Your investment in the Chamber tells other business owners, residents, and visitors that you believe a vibrant business community is the foundation for a thriving and prosperous Venice Area. The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to support you and assist in the development and growth of your business and the regional economy. These efforts include our newly designed Community Guide & Preferred Business Directory which quickly became the “go-to” guide for area information. We continue to serve as a community resource and gave out 7,700 member referrals to lobby visitors and callers in 2022. This past year, we also launched a variety of new initiatives aimed at tackling important issues that impact most of our members. Two of the most pressing being labor shortages and the need for more workforce housing. Through a great collaboration with Venice High School, we launched programs aimed at connecting students with member businesses to address today’s job openings and future opportunities. And, together with our community partners, we support efforts to find meaningful solutions to the housing shortage that makes it difficult for those that work in the community to live in the community. We have many wonderful programs and resources designed to provide opportunities for our members to showcase their business, make meaningful connections and attend professional development seminars. I invite you to visit our website to learn more about our entire program of work at venicechamber.com. As the voice of business, we’ve also advocated at local, state, and federal levels for public policy making on issues that align with our mission. This included the Chamber championing its support in favor of the Surtax referendum, and it passed with a 77.92% vote along with the Surtax Bond referendum passing with a 69.19% vote. No recap of 2022 would be complete without mentioning Hurricane Ian. This natural disaster impacted everyone in the Venice Area in some way. During recovery efforts, we shared knowledge and resources from the state, local, and federal partners on our website as quickly as they became available. We also answered countless calls from people looking to connect with reputable businesses to help them during their recovery efforts. I am so proud of how our entire community came together during this difficult time and of the part our Chamber played in these relief efforts. We appreciate your continued support of the Chamber, the regional economy, and the Venice Area Community. Respectfully,
OUR MISSION Promoting Business Growth & Success Since 1925
Kathy Lehner
OUR WHY The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce believes in creating a thriving, vibrant, and prosperous business community for the greater Venice Area.
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THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 VALUED INVESTMENT PARTNERS TITANIUM Absolute Aluminum, Inc. • Absolute Window & Door Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Sharky's on the Pier • Fins at Sharky's • Snook Haven
PLATINUM Alliance IT/Ring Authority • BrewBurgers • Brew-Za-Bagels • BrewBurgers Back Porch Classic Creations in Diamonds & Gold, Inc. • Nau-T-Girl Jewelry • Compass Property Management Evolution Marketing • Gulfside Mortgage Services • Hazeltine Nurseries, Inc. Herald-Tribune Media Group • Home Instead • Honest Air Conditioning of Venice, Inc. J2 Solutions Inc. • Lightspeed Voice • Pop's Sunset Grill • Shuck n' Ale • Smoothie King Venice Gondolier Sun • Venice Print Center
GOLD Babe's Plumbing, Inc. & Fire Sprinklers • Beachcomber in Venice Berlin Patten Ebling, PLLC, Attorneys At Law • British Open Pub • Caldwell Trust Company • Culver's Englewood Bank & Trust • First International Title, Inc. • Gulf Coast Community Foundation Inc. HCA Florida Englewood Hospital • HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital Health Insurance Marketplace USA • Hill & Hill Plumbing Co James Griffith Salon • Matthews-Currie Ford • Montgomery's CarpetsPlus ColorTile MoseSys & Associates • PGT Innovations • Sabal Palm Bank • SouthState Bank Sunshine Electrical Services, Inc • Village On The Isle • Willis Smith Construction
SILVER Boone Law Firm • Contemporary Hearing • Corporate Cleaning of Venice, Inc. • Farr Law Firm Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning • Hough & Company, PA, CPAs • Lueanne Wood, PA Merrill Lynch • Payroll Vault
THANK YOU TO OUR RETIRING 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jeff Boone, Boone Law Firm Debbie LaPinska, PGT Innovations Mary Elizabeth Petty, AAA - Venice Branch Sandra Pridemore, Sandra K. Pridemore, CPA, PA Chuck Walker, Alliance IT/Ring Authority
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2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Advocacy Developed a list of legislative priorities that supported local business growth and presented them to both the Sarasota and Tallahassee delegates.
200+ Golfers 70+ Sponsorships
In partnership with the Florida Institute for Political Leadership hosted a virtual Campaign School & Community Leadership Training program – “Tomorrow’s Leaders Start Here”. More than 100 community members attended our “Meet the Candidates” Hob Nob event hosted by the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce in partnership with South County Tiger Bay and Venice Area Board of Realtors.
41 Non-Profit Members 200+ Attendees
Education The prestigious Celebrating Leadership & Business Excellence event recognized our Chamber Board of Directors and honored our Member businesses in five award categories. There were over 275 guests in attendance. At our sold out Economic Outlook Breakfast, Dr. Jerry Parrish, Economist, Florida State University, spoke about the Florida economy concentrating on the outlook for the Sarasota region. Wise Guys is an annual educational event which covers a variety of topics specific to men in a casual atmosphere and sells out each year. We hosted two sold out Women Empowering Women events during 2022. These events empower others through conversations and panel discussions. During our signature WEW event we also presented the annual Empowering Woman of the Year award.
Connections Leads Exchange Groups exclusively for members looking to further their business growth. In 2022, these groups generated 1,316 referrals totaling almost $1 million dollars.
5 Events 295+ Members
10 Events 400+ Members
50+ Celebrations Connecting Members & Community
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2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS Let it Glow: Holiday Lights Contest is a family friendly annual event that the entire community enjoys. This free event is a good way for participating members to introduce themselves by showing off their holiday spirit! On average we have about 20 member businesses who participate in this community event. VENICE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
JOB FAIR
IN COLLABORATION WITH
ENICE HIGH SCHOOL
Hosted a Job Fair at Venice High School to connect our member businesses with high school students who were actively seeking employment opportunities. This event resulted in a number of job offers and hires.
Launched the newly designed Community Guide & Preferred Business Directory to showcase our members business and community in an exciting new way. Over 15,000 distributed.
5,198
Phone Calls Received
7,700
Member Referrals made by Chamber Staff and Volunteers
10k+
Social Media Followers
6,530 Lobby Visitors
3,100+ hours
Visitor Experience Volunteers Actively promoting our members on the phone & in-person
176 New Members
84%
Member Retention
43K
Chamber Website Views 5
2022 FOUNDATION ACCOMPLISHMENTS The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, leads the educational initiatives of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Programs.
FOUNDATION CHAIR: SETH VON MARSCHALL Two Leadership programs are currently located within the Chamber’s Foundation. The Adult Leadership program graduated its fourth class in 2022 with over 20 members. The class joined together to add a GAGA ball pit at Mundy Park as their class project leaving their legacy in the community. Leadership Venice has graduated a total of 88 participants since the inception of the program in 2019. The Teen Leadership Class of 2022 graduated an inaugural class of 23 sophomore and junior high school students. Our 1st annual fundraising event, Chamber Has Talent was a huge success! With over 150 people in attendance and some INCREDIBLE Talent in our Chamber! We raised over $10,000 and increased our sponsors for the Teen Leadership program.
2023 PRIORITIES
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Advocate and be the voice for business at local and state levels of public policy making
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Promote a vibrant business environment through community engagement and convenings
GOAL
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Educate members on topics and issues important to business including threats to business
GOAL
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Enhance the member experience
GOAL GOAL
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2023 PROGRAM OF WORK MEMBER ENGAGEMENT
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Coffee Connections Business Connections Business Celebrations Tri-Chamber Connections
Business Educational Programs Work Force Development Google Workshops Job Fairs
ADVOCACY Public Policy Economic Outlook Tallahassee
LEADS EXCHANGE GROUP A noncompeting leads group exclusively for chamber members looking to further their business growth. This is a great opportunity to make contacts and connect with other businesses.
CEO ROUNDTABLE A CEO peer advisory group with diverse backgrounds and experiences helping each other make strategic decisions.
ANNUAL EVENTS Celebrating Leadership & Business Excellence Golf Tournament Wise Guys Women Empowering Women (WEW) WEW Spring Luncheon
COMMUNITY Business Showcase Hurricane Expo Non-Profit Rally Shark Week Let it Glow
Leadership Venice Teen Leadership Focus on Venice Real World Wednesdays VHS Trades Academy
The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce has a balanced and fluid program of work. Where do you feel you could make a difference?
2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS David Joyner
Michael Bacon, Bacon Brands
Chair of the Board, Joyner Family Insurance
Annette Boone, Boone Law Firm
Seth von Marschall
Matthew DePalma, Capstan Financial Consulting Group
Immediate Past Chair, Appliance Specialist, LLC
Karen Fordham, AMA Health Providers
Dane DeSantis
Jess Fronckowiak, J2 Solutions, Inc.
Chair Elect, Hallmark Business Brokers
Lourdes Fuller, Lightspeed Voice
Tish Scott-Murphy
Randy Kendrick, Venice Print Center
Treasurer, Seacoast Bank
Christine Masney, Wellen Park
Kathy Lehner
Justin Taylor, MRT Lawn and Garden Center
President & CEO, Venice Area Chamber of Commerce
Beau Walker, Home & Condo Rentals and Property Management
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THANK YOU TO OUR VALUED INVESTMENT PARTNERS TITANIUM
PLATINUM
GOLD
SILVER Boone Law Firm • Contemporary Hearing • Corporate Cleaning of Venice, Inc. • Farr Law Firm Lueanne Wood, PA • Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning • Merrill Lynch • Payroll Vault
597 S Tamiami Trail, Venice, FL 34293
941.488.2236
venicechamber.com