On behalf of our Board of Directors and Staff, I want to thank you for your support of the Chamber. Your investment allowed us to continue our efforts to support the development and growth of our members’ businesses and the regional economy.
As I reflect on our accomplishments of 2023, I want to highlight the following:
As the voice of business, we worked with our Public Policy Committee to craft our 2023 legislative priorities. These priorities focused on business-friendly policies that align with our mission and the impact on our members’ industry. After the member input period, input period, these priorities were presented to local and regional officials As reported by Justin Taylor, VACC Board Member & Public Policy Chair, many of the priorities members told us were important to them had successful outcomes Building on this momentum, we hosted our first Community Scorecard event which brought together the business community, county, and city officials to discuss local issues and opportunities. We are committed to maintaining these relationships and keeping these conversations going throughout the year in support of our mission to create a vibrant and prosperous business community.
We continued to focus on promoting our member businesses through print, digital, and in-person referrals. Chamber staff and volunteers are committed to being an extension of your marketing team and we actively promote your business to visitors, residents, and newcomers. I hope that all of you are taking advantage of these great member benefits by ensuring we have your rack cards for display in our lobby and that you have added content to your business directory listing. We had an impressive number of visitors in our lobby and to our website, so please make sure you are making the most of these marketing tools to tell your story.
I am pleased to report that through our 501(c)(3) Foundation, we continued our great collaboration with Venice High School. Our Real World Wednesday program and the High School Job Fair, both of which are aimed at connecting students with member businesses, work to address today’s job openings, and future opportunities for growth. We also graduated another class of Leadership Venice, a program designed to expose current and future leaders to all aspects of our wonderful community
New in 2023, we held a Buying Local Pays Back community event which incentivized the purchase of goods and services in our service area by offering cash prizes to shoppers This event ran for 22 days in late November/early December and generated over $125,000 in receipts which translated to a $1 25 million economic impact to our Venice Area businesses This was a great example of collaboration between the Venice Chamber Board members, who generously donated their money to fund the cash prizes, Venice MainStreet, and the Venice Gondolier
In the coming pages, you will read about the wonderful programs and resources we designed to provide opportunities for our members to showcase their business, make meaningful connections, and attend professional development workshops. I invite you to visit our newly designed website to learn more about our entire program of work as I believe you will find something that piques your interest and aligns with your business goals.
I am excited to see what 2024 has in store for the Chamber, our members, and the Venice Area community. As always, no matter what challenges lie ahead, we hope to remain one of the most valuable resources for you and your business. We look forward to working and growing beside you!
Respectfully,
OUR MISSION: Promoting Business Growth & Success Since 1925.
OUR WHY: The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce believes in creating a thriving, vibrant, and prosperous business community for the greater Venice Area.
2023 DIRECTORS
Michael Bacon, Bacon Brands
Annette Boone, Boone Law Firm
2023 OFFICERS
David Joyner
Chair of the Board, Joyner Family Insurance
Dane DeSantis
Chair Elect, Hallmark Business Brokers
Tish Scott-Murphy
Treasurer, Seacoast Bank
Seth von Marschall
Immediate Past Chair, Appliance Specialists, LLC
Kathy Lehner
President & CEO, Venice Area Chamber of Commerce
Matthew DePalma, Capstan Financial Consulting Group
Karen Fordham, AMA Health Providers
Jess Fronckowiak, J2 Solutions Inc
Lourdes Fuller, Lightspeed Voice
Randy Kendrick, Venice Print Center
Christine Masney, Wellen Park
Justin Taylor, MRT ACE Lawn and Garden Center
Beau Walker, Home & Condo Rentals and Property Management, Inc.
Window & Door
al - Venice
ky's • Snook Haven
g & Heating
Alliance IT/Ring Authority • BrewBurgers • Shuck N’ Ale • Brew-Za-Bagels
Classic Creations in Diamonds & Gold • Nau-T-Girl Jewelry • Coins, Pawn & Collectibles
Compass Property Management • Evolution Marketing • Hallmark Business Brokers, Inc.
Hazeltine Nurseries, Inc. • J2 Solutions Inc. • Lightspeed Voice • Pop's Sunset Grill
SCYBER IT Managed Services • Smoothie King • Sunshine Electrical Services, Inc.
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
Englewood Bank & Trust
• First International Title • Gulf Coast Community Foundation
HCA Florida Englewood Hospital • HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital
Health Insurance Marketplace USA • Hill & Hill Plumbing Co. • Home Instead
Hough & Company, P.A., CPAs • James Griffith Salon • Lee Evans, P.A. Law Offices
Matthews-Currie Ford • Montgomery's CarpetsPlus ColorTile • PGT Innovations
Seacoast Bank • SouthState Bank • Village On The Isle • Willis Smith Construction
SILVER
Boone Law Firm • Contemporary Hearing • Corporate Cleaning of Venice, Inc.
Farr Law Firm • Lueanne Wood, P.A. • Merrill Lynch • Payroll Vault
- Justin Taylor, Public Policy Chair
Joe Gruters, State Senator
