A 5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce |
|
|
First things first this morning: We'd like to give a shout out to our Administrative Assistant, David Bechtel, on the completion of one of his life-long goals! While many of us celebrated our 25th birthdays by bemoaning the fact that we were officially a quarter of a century old, David celebrated by riding his bicycle more than 300 miles over 3 days! He plotted a course from Gainesville to Jacksonville which would be impressive enough on its own, but that wasn't enough for David; in addition to the trip there and back, he also made 41 food deliveries in the Jacksonville metro area to further fund the trip! Congratulations on celebrating a milestone AND achieving your goal, David; your Chamber family is so proud! |
|
As Black History Month comes to a close, we encourage you to secure your seat to witness a conversation between two pivotal figures in the history of our nation.
The Hippodrome State Theater and ARTSPEAKSgnv is pleased to present “An Evening with Frederick Douglas and Captain John Brown,” starring Alachua County Poet Laureate E. Stanley Richardson as Frederick Douglass and Award-winning actor Shamrock McShane at Captain John Brown. Narrator is actress and talk show host Pamela Marshall-Koons.
It’s the eve of the Captain John’s raid on the federal arsenal Harper’s Ferry and the men gather to debate the methods to abolish slavery. The chemistry of the two men who are close friends is explosive.
Stay tuned for a special interview with the cast!
|
|
EVENT TODAY!!
CDS
Ribbon Cutting
Tuesday, February 28th
1:00pm - 3:00pm
3615 SW 13th St, Suite 7
Gainesville, FL 32608
Join us as we celebrate CDS!
CDS is a non-profit organization that for over 53 years has provided a variety of programs to help youth and families in crisis with the goal of "Empowering Youth & Building Strong Families for a Brighter Tomorrow."
CDS provides a variety of programs for FREE that includes a residential program for youth who are runaways, homeless, trafficked and truant and need a safe place.
Join us as we celebrate their re-branding with tours, music, refreshments and more! The ribbon cutting ceremony will commence at 1:15pm.
|
|
UPCOMING EVENT
Business After Hours:
SuperCharged -
The Final Lap
Wednesday, March 8th
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Gainesville Raceway
11211 N County Road 225
Gainesville, FL 32609
Join us for our final Gatornationals Business After Hours Event on Wednesday, March 8th to celebrate the kick-off to Gatornationals at The Gainesville Raceway for Chamber Business After Hours, one of the Chamber's most popular networking events. Mingle with business leaders and community members as you enjoy great food and refreshments.
This will be the last time we will be having this event at the track. Yes, the long-standing tradition of the largest Chamber networking event of the year is coming to an end so make plans to be there.
Chamber Members and their employees receive Free Admission to this event as a benefit of their Greater Gainesville Chamber Membership.
Limited sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact Steve Cannon for more info.
Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor:
|
|
And our supporting sponsors: |
|
UPCOMING EVENT
Lunch & Learn:
Hire and Retain More Superstars
Wednesday, March 22nd
12:00pm - 1:00pm
LifeSouth Community Blood Center
1121 NW 13th Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Technology has changed the options people have to earn a living. Virtual work options are becoming more and more commonplace.
For companies who are sticking with a traditional sense of the workplace, it is beginning to feel impossible to attract and retain engaged talent to come work in our buildings. With record low unemployment numbers, lack of ability to hire and retain talent is crushing many businesses.
People will always need to work, but will they work for you?
Join this session to learn about the current state of hiring and developing talent so your business can continue to thrive now and well into the future.
Session Take-aways
- Learn modern, best in class approaches to hiring and retaining talent in the era we are in.
- Takeaway tips you can implement to make your workplace more attractive so you can attract and retain more talent.
Presented by: Lila Ressler, HR Consultant and Owner of PeopleSolutionsNOW
|
|
UPCOMING EVENT
Business Before Hours
Tuesday, March 21st
8:30am - 10:00am
LifeSouth Community Blood Center
1121 NW 13th Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Join us for Business Before Hours, a structured yet relaxed environment for making effective connections within the Chamber business community. Participation in Business Before Hours is included in your Chamber Membership. You may find a strong referral source, a new vendor, the perfect client or simply get a foot in the door for connecting at larger events. Come build lasting business and personal relationships at Business Before Hours.
Participation is limited to 50 attendees. Thank you to our sponsor:
|
|
Showcase Your Business:
Host a Chamber Event in 2023!
Calling all businesses: hosting a Chamber Business Before Hours or a Business After Hours Event is a great way to build exposure for your company!
These popular series of networking events draw attention from the professional community and are an excellent opportunity to showcase your business to entrepreneurs and customers from across our community. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to give your business more exposure and to become a familiar face in our community!
|
|
The 2023 Opportunities Book is now available! Take a look and see where you'd like to get involved this year. Partnership opportunities range from joining the Circle of Champions to hosting a Business Before Hours at your location and everything in between! |
|
DIGITAL ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY!
Introducing Trihelix!
The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce and Trihelix are excited to share a new digital advertising opportunity for our members! This opportunity will enable you to precisely target your desired customers based on real-world behaviors, create the ability for you to reduce your cost of acquiring customers, and allows you to track how many potential customers received your marketing message!
|
|
Cash For College Event Held At Eastside High School
The Gainesville Chamber Foundation and its local partners continue to host Cash For College campaigns to promote Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion as students and their families to make plans for education beyond high school. Last week's event, held at Eastside High School, offered students and parents guidance through the application process. The next one will be held at Santa Fe High School on April 6th, from 5:50-7:30.
|
|
Florida Chamber Hosts Legislative Fly-In
The Florida Chamber hosted its annual Fly-In last week to kick off the state’s Legislative Session, which begins March 7th and is scheduled to end May 4th. The Fly-In is an outstanding opportunity to network with Chamber executives, business leaders and policy makers around the state, while learning about the policy action important to our elected representatives as they work through Committee Weeks.
On hand at the two-day event were Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R, District 28) who outlined her proposal to ensure all Floridians can “Live Local;” Senator Alexis Calatayud (R, District 38), who discussed ways to develop more attainable workforce housing; and Representative and House Judiciary Committee Chair Tommy Gregory (R, District 73), who reported on proposed legislation designed to fix Florida’s bottom-five-in-the-nation legal climate; as well as several panel discussions devoted to cradle-to-career education. Infrastructure, healthcare and rural community needs were also among the Legislative priorities.
Look for our Legislative Priorities and kick-off summary in your in-box this Thursday, March 2nd, with our Weekly Legislative Update starting up next week on March 9th. If you are not on our e-mail list and would like to be, or if you have specific issues you would like us to follow, please reach out to Vicki Gervickas, Director of Public Policy and Grassroots Engagement, at vicki@gainesvillechamber.com.
|
|
Please join us for our third Spirit of Charity Golf Tournament – on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida. All proceeds will benefit our programs and services that provide financial assistance and other basic needs to families and individuals struggling to make ends meet.
Breakfast and lunch are included. Refreshments will also be available on the course throughout the tournament. Plus, we have fantastic prizes for winners in multiple categories (more detail will be available soon). All golfers will receive special gift bags. And, to add to the fun, golfers will be able to purchase mulligans, raffle tickets and tickets to a drawing for a one of a kind 19th hole gift basket.
In these challenging times, your support is all that more important. We have several sponsorship opportunities available. If you would like to participate but can not make it for that day please consider becoming a hole sign sponsor or make a donation to our tournament. We encourage you to share this email invitation with your friends and family. We rely upon generosity of our sponsors and events such as this to provide the funding necessary to continue our programs. Thank you!
|
|
First Federal Bank Named Best Small Bank in Florida by Newsweek for the Third Year in a Row
For the third year in a row, First Federal Bank was named in Newsweek’s America’s Best Banks 2023 as the Best Small Bank in Florida.
This distinction is the result of Newsweek evaluating their annual Best Banks rankings. With the assistance of LendingTree, Newsweek assessed more than 50 different factors from thousands of FDIC-insured banks and credit unions, including the savings and checking accounts they offer, to select the best-in-class institutions based on 26 different categories.
|
|
Mayor Harvey Ward Speaks at Welcoming Gainesville Annual Dinner
Newly elected Mayor Harvey L. Ward confirmed that Gainesville will continue to be a Welcoming Community in his first official speech to a local organization at the Annual Dinner Meeting of Welcoming Gainesville & Alachua County on January 18, 2023, Mr. Han’s Restaurant. Mayor Ward said that it is the highest compliment to a community when someone chooses to move to your city to live.
Outgoing WG&AC President Barbara McDade Gordon presented the Mayor with one of the organization’s popular yard signs printed in English, Spanish, and Arabic: “No matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor.”
Dr. Richard Macmaster, one of the founders of WG&AC in 2015, was honored for his long-term service and his commitment to immigrants’ rights and well-bering when they move to our area.
Ethan Maia de Needell of Gainesville Immigrant Neighbor Inclusion Initiative (GINI) gave an update on the program which is funded by grants from Welcoming America and the City of Gainesville.
WG&AC elected officers for 2023-2025 at the meeting: President Saeed Khan, Vice President Agnes Ngoma Leslie, Secretary Robin Poynor, and Treasurer Barbara McDade Gordon.
|
|
Did you know that as a member you can post your open job listings on our website?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
