Bay County Chamber e-BIZ newsletter

Bay County Chamber of Commerce

March 7, 2017

We could not be more excited about Thursday's Board of Director's Block Party and Bed Races! We have a lot in store for you as this doubles as this month's Business After Hours event. We will have food, live music, demonstrations, activities for the kids and more, all of which are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

As the Legislative Session begins today in Tallahassee we encourage you to reach out to your elected officials (Representatives Trumbull and Drake) and encourage them to fight for Bay County and the State of Florida by opposing House Bills 7005 and 9. These bills are certain to be devastating to the entire State of Florida. Ongoing Economic and Tourism Development is crucial to every business and individual in the state. There is always waste in any business or government entity. However, you don't quit advertising your business and expect customers to keep coming in and the same can be said for advertising our state. We encourage an extensive evaluation of both Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida but shutting down those operations is not the answer.

We also have several other events coming up this spring, including our annual Tourism Appreciation Month Volleyball and Golf tournaments. See below for more information.

Additional topic in this newsletter include:

Block Party and Bed Race
Upcoming Events
Ground Breakings
Ambassador Spotlight
Military Affairs Committee

Much Success,

The Bay County Chamber of Commerce Staff

Thank you InkTrax, Inc. for providing t-shirts to every person who donates a boxed fan for Junior League of Panama City's Elderly Outreach Program.

Save the Date!

Public Speaking Seminar

Thursday, March 30^th

Bay County Chamber of Commerce Boardroom

8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Click here for the registration form!

Bay Young Professionals Social

Thursday, March 30 ^th

Trigo Mediterranean Grill

1031 W. 15th Street

Time: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

April First Friday

Friday, April 7 ^th

FSU Panama City Holley Center

Time: 7:15 a.m.

Sponsored by:

For sponsorship information, please contact Elizabeth Smith at Elizabeth@BayChamberFL.com or 850.215.3761.

Tourism Appreciation Month (TAM) Volleyball Tournament and Business After Hours (BAH)

Tuesday, May 16th

Barefoot Beach Club

4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

To register, please contact Elizabeth Smith at Elizabeth@BayChamberFL.com or 850.215.3761.

Grand Openings

Ocean Breeze by the Sea Resort

11004 Front Beach Rd.

Panama City Beach

Barefoot Bar and Grill

15405 Front Beach Rd.

Panama City Beach

Ace Hardware

520 Ohio Avenue

Lynn Haven

Jimmy John's

2205 Ohio Ave

Lynn Haven

The Wedding Shop

754 W. 23rd

Panama City

Grifols Biomat

1398 W. 15th Street

Panama City

Ambassador Spotlight

Jan Rains has lived in Lynn Haven most of her life. She has 3 children and 2 grandchildren. She has been doing embroidery for 30 years and started Ladybug Embroidery Designs & Gifts in 2009 doing logos for businesses, as well as monograms on shirts, jackets, caps, scrubs and more.

She has been a member and worked with the Bay County Chamber for about 20 years. She also serves as a member of the Emerald Coast Business Women.

Please help us in congratulating Jan if you happen to see her in public.

MAC Members: Is your Base Pass expiring? Passes need to be renewed on an annual basis. Please contact Brandi DeRuiter at Brandi@baychamberfl.com or 850.215.3759 to renew your pass.

Mark your Calendars: The Gulf Coast Salute Open House and Air Show will be held April 22-23, 2017. Click here for more information.