Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
Yesterday afternoon, the Boca Raton City Council interviewed more than 30 applicants seeking to fill the council seat vacated by Jeremy Rodgers, due to his Naval Reserve duty in the Middle East. Thank you, Councilman Rodgers, for your service to our Nation and community. Your voice is missed here in Boca Raton, but we are grateful that you are serving in defense of our freedoms and liberties. We pray for your safety and expedient return back home to your family and our community. With tremendous response from so many with a desire to serve the City of Boca Raton, Mayor Singer and members of the Council have a large group to select from. Among the applicants, there are some with relevant experience that would allow them to hit the ground running on day one and immediately contribute to the City Council team. The vote will take place tonight during the City Council meeting.
This past Friday, we held our first ever virtual Business Awards Celebration and recognized three special business leaders and their businesses. After listening to each of the recipients during their acceptance speeches, it’s clear that Boca Raton, and our entire region, is in good hands with the talent, commitment and passion the honorees have for their organizations and the community. In addition, we recognized the tremendous leadership of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, under the strong and steady leadership of Chairman Michael Daszkal. Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and all of South Palm Beach County is extremely fortunate to have the level of Leadership and commitment to our region’s economic growth and dedication to enhancing the mission of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor - Office Depot and Award Sponsors - AT&T, Gunster and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
Congratulations to the 2020 Business Awards Recipients:
Small Business Leader of the Year
Ahnich Khalid-Maggiano’s Little Italy
Business of the Year
Therapeutics MD
Business Leader of the Year
Pastor Bill Mitchell-Boca Raton Community Church
The Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections is reporting that more than 34% of voters in Palm Beach County have already cast their ballots. More than 70,000 people have voted early in-person, and more than 283,000 mail-in ballots have been received. You can track your mail-in ballot status by clicking here. The Supervisor of Elections website shows when your mail-in ballot has been received, counted, and will indicate if there was any issue regarding its receipt. Early voting in Palm Beach County runs until Sunday, November 1st. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. each day. You can also deliver your mail-in ballots to one of 25 Supervisor of Elections vans located throughout the county that have secure, sealed drop boxes. To see a list of early voting locations and drop boxes in Palm Beach County, click here. Palm Tran, the County’s public transportation system, announced Monday that buses, Palm Tran Connection and Go Glades will operate at no cost on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd. Please Vote!
A priority of the Chamber’s Business Leaders United Political Action Committee (BLU-PAC) is to elect pro-business candidates, who understand what it takes to operate a business and support policy that allows businesses to be successful. Below are the BLU-PAC Endorsements in key races in the upcoming General election:
- Brian Norton – Florida State Senate (District 29)
- Kelly Skidmore – Florida State House (District 81)
- David Silvers – Florida State House (District 87)
- Michael Caruso – Florida State House (District 89)
- Joseph Casello – Florida State House (District 90)
- Sayd Hussain – Florida State House (District 91)
- Joseph Abruzzo – Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller
- Ric Bradshaw – Palm Beach County Sheriff
- Anne Gannon – Palm Beach County Tax Collector
- Dave Kerner – Palm Beach County Commissioner (District 3)
- Maria Sachs – Palm Beach County Commissioner (District 5)
- Mack Bernard – Palm Beach County Commissioner (District 7)
Last week the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners designated $4.24 million through the county’s CARES Act funding to meet the needs of qualifying 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(19)’s nonprofit organizations affected by Covid-19. These funds will be prioritized for organizations providing health and human services as well as veteran’s services within Palm Beach County. Organizations providing critical services in an under served area will also be prioritized for funding.
In an effort to limit the spread of Covid -19 and maintain a healthy and safe environment for it's students, faculty and staff, Florida Atlantic University joined dozens of other Universities that will be canceling their Spring Break in 2021. FAU said the school year will end one week earlier to make up for no Spring Break.
Looking for an easier way to find an event, register for an event, and receive popup notifications of important Chamber, Palm Beach County, City of Boca Raton and City of Boynton Beach information? Download the Boca Chamber App – found on the App Store and Google Play Store. Keep your Chamber at the tips of your fingers!
You can also stay up to date on all Chamber activity by visiting us at bocachamber.com. We continue to provide you with valuable educational webinars and virtual experiences with most being recorded and are available for you to access on the Boca Chamber’s YouTube Channel. Hit the subscribe button to find out when new content is posted on our channel.
Below is a list of our upcoming virtual experiences:
10/27 - 12:00 p.m. Virtual Smart Talk for Women
Topic: Do’s and Don’ts of Effective Networking
Speaker: Nancy Proffitt, Founder and President, Proffitt Management Solutions
10/27 - 5:00 p.m. Live After Five: Virtual Happy Hour
Topic: Network with Fellow Chamber Members, Connect with Clients and Build Solid Relationships at the Boca Chamber’s Live After Five Monthly Networking Event!
10/29 - 8:30 a.m. Virtual How to Wow
Topic: Are you ready to...Create an endless stream of prospects, Network more effectively, Leverage partnerships, Build your personal brand and Truly maximize your Chamber membership?
Speaker: Greta Schulz, President & CEO, Schulz Business
10/29 - 11:00 a.m. Virtual Boca Raton Regional Hospital Expansion Presentation
Topic: Keeping the Promise-Boca Raton Regional Hospital Campus Expansion.
Speaker: Lincoln Mendez, CEO, Boca Raton Regional Hospital
11/03 - 12:00 p.m. Virtual International Business Alliance Round Table
Topic: Cross Cultural Communication
Speaker: Armando Garcia-Sanschez, Independent International Human Capital Consultant
11/06 - 8:30 a.m. Virtual Prime Professionals Group Round Table
Sponsored by: Allegiance Home Health
Topic: Prostate Cancer – Lies, Lies, and Damn Lies
Speaker: Jonathan Silberstein, MD, Chief, Urologic Oncology Memorial Healthcare System
11/10 - 5:00 p.m. Live After Five: Virtual Happy Hour
Topic: Network with Fellow Chamber Members, Connect with Clients and Build Solid Relationships at the Boca Chamber’s Live After Five Monthly Networking Event!
11/11 - 12:00 p.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Lunch and Learn
Sponsored by: Ithink Financial
Topic: How using Leading-Edge Technology Track Predators and How Your Support Can Help Rescue More Children Across the Globe.
Speaker: Alex Ortiz, Director of Advancement & Sustainability at Child Rescue Coalition, Inc
Join us on Thursday, October 29th at 11:00am to hear from Boca Raton Regional Hospital President and CEO Lincoln Mendez for a program titled “Keeping the Promise-Boca Raton Regional Hospital Campus Expansion”. This expansion adds to the many assets on the hospital campus and enhances the world class healthcare facilities. The story of the beloved Boca Raton Regional Hospital continues. Don’t miss the opportunity to see what is in the next chapter!
Please remember to continue to be Responsible, Safe and Respectful. And as always, thank you for making Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and all of South Palm Beach County the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play!
Moving Business Forward,
