A 5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce

COVID-19 UPDATE

Free Drive-Thru Testing this Saturday

Saturday, July 25, 8 a.m.

Citizens Field

1000 NE Waldo Road

The City of Gainesville, the Community Foundation of North Central Florida and the Walmart Foundation again have partnered to deliver free drive-thru testing this summer.

No doctor’s note is needed. The Alachua County Department of Health will provide the free coronavirus tests. The University of Florida College of Medicine Mobile Outreach Clinic will administer the tests on a first-come, first-served basis. The first 1,000 individuals will receive an assortment of PPE including face masks, hand sanitizer and school supplies.

 

Free coronavirus testing also is available Wednesdays and Fridays by appointment at the former headquarters of the City’s Regional Transit System. Call 352-334-8810 to schedule an appointment.

The scheduled testing supports the East Gainesville COVID-19 Testing, Education and Relief Initiative (EGCTERI) which is dedicated to providing residents of East Gainesville with access to coronavirus testing, personal protective equipment and educational information in the fight against coronavirus.

 

For additional information, please contact Rossana Passaniti at 352-393-7842 or by email at  [email protected] .

To see an exhaustive list of updates, visit the Chamber's COVID-19 page or our Together page.

UPCOMING EVENT

Lunch & Learn –The Pandemic Paradox       

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Noon – 1:00 PM

Online

Would you like to get more creative while working remotely?      

Join us for an engaging discussion on the opportunities created by COVID-19 and explore how to innovate and be more creative.

During this presentation you will learn:

- How to add freshness to your thinking and find more ideas

- How to strengthen and cultivate your intuition when making decisions

- Embrace curiosity so fuels your creativity

- How to leverage momentum when everything seems to be slowing down

Presented by: Jim Harrision, an award winning creative director, brand strategist and speaker.

UPCOMING EVENT

Join us for Business Before Hours - Virtual Networking Event

Tuesday, July 28, 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, July 29, 4:00 p.m.

Online

This is a virtual edition of Business Before Hours is structured the same way as our past in-person events. Attendees will have opportunities to share in small groups who they are, what they do and who would make a good customer or referral for them. Come build lasting business and personal relationships at Business Before Hours.

Attendance is limited to 50 pre-registered attendees.

To ensure there is enough space for all our members who wish to participate, you may attend either the Tuesday, July 28, 8:30 AM event or the Wednesday, July 29 at 4:00 PM. Register for the one you wish to attend.

Space is Limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.  This event is open to Members Only . 

UPCOMING EVENT

Crossroads 2: Removing Operational Barriers to Diversity & Inclusion

Wednesday, July 29, 1:00–2:30 p.m.

Online

Join the Greater Gainesville Chamber and Gainesville Black Professionals virtually on July 29th at 1 p.m. for the latest episode of Crossroads: Exploring Intersections in Race and Business. 

Our next episode will focus on Removing Operational Barriers to Diversity & Inclusion. Attendees can expect to leave the talk with strategies they can implement to increase opportunities to grow the diversity of their teams. In coming days, we'll announce our speakers, so stay tuned!. ​

Crossroads will remain a safe space to productively comment and ask questions without having to be identified. You may   submit your anonymous comments and questions here .

Attendance is free, but   registration  is required. Feel free to share as you like - a flier with registration and comment links is available here.

Digital Advertising Opportunity

When searching for business, services and an overall feel to an area, people look to the Greater Gainesville Chamber. We are excited to now offer our members a limited number of Digital Advertising opportunities available on our website, newsletter and Chamber lobby display.

For information contact Steve Cannon at [email protected].

POLICY UPDATE

Make Your Voice Heard

Get to know your candidates

 As you know, one key step to ensuring the business voice is heard is to become informed on the issues that matter to our community and to vote. Though the pandemic has necessitated a new way of doing many things, we are committed to helping you make your voice heard. We are conducting Get to Know Your Candidate interviews as we speak, and we will be posting those later this week—look for the links in the eJournal next week, as well as on our website and our social media. Our candidates are anxious for you to get to know them better. Hear what they have to say here .

 

Your vote matters . Note these important dates for the August 18 primary election:

 

For more information about this election, a list of candidates on the ballot and voting procedures—including adjustments due to the pandemic—visit the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website at www.votealachua.com or call the office at 352-374-5252.

POLICY UPDATE

 Take the Able Trust Survey Today

Together, we can build a diverse workforce that provides opportunity for all Floridians.  The Able Trust , one of the Florida Chamber Foundation's  Community Development Partners , is dedicated to being a key leader in providing opportunities for successful employment for Floridians with disabilities - especially as we relaunch Florida through the changing COVID-19 workforce environment. 

Please take a few minutes to complete this  important anonymous survey  now, as it  closes Friday, July 17 . Please also share this survey with your chamber members, as well as other business leaders so they can participate in securing Florida's future. 

This survey will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020.

REMINDER

Are you hiring amid the coronavirus outbreak?

To ensure you find the best candidates, please contact Andrea Mender at [email protected].

REMINDER

Hot Jobs through CareerSource NCFL

Each week, CareerSource North Central Florida staff members identify current Hot Jobs that employers are eager to fill.

If you’d like a vacant position to be included on this list, please call (352) 244-5112.   ...See this week's Hot Jobs

To apply for jobs listed:

UPCOMING EVENT

Elevate Leader Chats Series

Wednesday, July 22 & Thursday, July 23

Online

 

The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce has been a proud sponsor of Leadercast Gainesville for nine years. We are excited to announce that we are joining Advantage Media Promotions as they pivot to their first annual virtual event, Elevate on September 17th, 2020, 

“Moving Forward with Courage.” 

This week, our members have two opportunities to learn about this event and also engage with two  of the Elevate speakers to grow in their leadership.

Wednesday, July 22, Noon

Eric Godet, President and CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber will be one of eight speakers on the stage. Join Eric on Elevate’s Leader Chats Series with Jill Nash, CEO of Advantage Media Promotions this Wednesday, July 22 at noon on the Elevate Leadership Facebook Page . Join us for an engaging discussion on leadership in our community and learn Eric’s personal 3 P’s for success.  

Thursday, July 23, Noon

(Free but Registration Required) 

Our members  can also join Jill Nash with  Elevate for a FREE special, live Lunch & Learn with guest Pete Vargas, this Thursday. Pete hosted a 23-day Rise Up Challenge earlier this year. His new Rise Up World Facebook page went from 0 to 93,000 followers in 3 weeks and he had 3000 people actively engaged on his daily Rise Up World Challenge. Not only was it  fun, but it was an interactive and engaging experience with great content, and he raised $700,000 for charities that help small businesses affected by the COVID pandemic.

This episode will be held on Zoom and you will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Pete. This is one you don't want to miss! All you have to do is register here .

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT

The Fight Against COVID-19

PT Solutions is now offering disinfection fogging services following EPA/CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting and using the proper personal protective equipment PPE. For more information, contact Daniel at (352)871-1546.