A 5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce |
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Did you know?
January was named for the Roman god Janus, known as the protector of gates and doorways who symbolize beginnings and endings. Janus is depicted with two faces, one looking into the past, the other with the ability to see into the future. We are looking into the future (well, at least a little ways) and we are excited for what this last week of January has to offer!
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UPCOMING EVENT
2022 Annual Meeting
Wednesday, March 2
Cocktail hour: 6 p.m.
Main event: 7 p.m.
Hilton UF Conference Center
1714 Hull Road, Gainesville
The Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 98th Annual Member Meeting on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at the UF Hilton Conference Center.
The Annual Member Meeting will include a cocktail hour, a plated dinner, a presentation from the outgoing and incoming chairman, special awards and recognitions, and special announcements. This will be followed by an after-dinner dessert and coffee reception.
Get your tickets, reserve your corporate tables, or find out more about sponsorship opportunities by visiting our website!
A big thank you to our event sponsors:
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RIBBON CUTTING!
Celebrating Swamp Boil
Tuesday, February 1, 4-7pm
Swamp Boil
2001 NW 13th St
Gainesville, FL, 32609
Join us as we congratulate Swamp Boil on over a year of successful business and their 2022 "rebirth"!
Swamp Boil doesn't just make food, they make experiences. Swamp Boil was built on the idea that food should foster meaningful connections and they carry that belief into everything that they do. Established in October 2020, Swamp Boil combines the exciting experience of Cajun seafood boils with the freshness and aromatics of authentic Vietnamese cuisine. The result is a hands on, high-energy culinary experience that immerses all 5 senses. They're perfect for family meals, gatherings and celebrations.
So, come celebrate Swamp Boil! Join us for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, giveaways, music and more! The ribbon cutting ceremony of their grand rebirth will commence at 5pm. They have added many new menu items and reinvented their kitchen and are excited to share this with the community.
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RIBBON CUTTING!
Engel & Volkers Expands to Tioga!
Thursday, February 3, 4-7pm
13085 SW 1st Lane, Suite 40
Newberry, FL, 32669
Join us as we congratulate Engel & Volkers Gainesville on opening their shop in Tioga Town Center! Engel & Volkers is a global real estate brand with a network of local specialists in more than 30 countries. They are able to provide the highest level of personalized service to more buyers and sellers as they achieve their real estate goals.
Come and congratulate the Engel & Volkers Gainesville team while enjoying hors e'oeuvres, music and more! Registration is required for this event.
The ribbon cutting ceremony will commence at 5pm.
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LUNCH WITH A SIDE OF KNOWLEDGE
Lunch & Learn
Creating Optimism:
The Power of Resilience
Wednesday, February 16th, Noon - 1 p.m.
LifeSouth Community Blood Center
2nd Floor Conference Room
1221 NW 13th Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Everybody needs it, some already have it, and using it makes a world of difference in a post pandemic world. Cultivating optimism and resilience is about acknowledging the past with all its challenges, while creating a mindset open to opportunities and growth. We all know Einstein’s definition of insanity, doing things the same old way and expecting different results. And post pandemic growth revolves around giving employees tools to foster confidence, handle setbacks and provide an environment with strategies to nurture optimism and sharpen risk-taking prowess.
Presented by: Jennifer Webb
Register below or pay at the door; either way, we can't wait to see you back in person!
Please note that in order to maintain safety, masks will be required inside the LifeSouth Blood Center facility.
Thank you to our sponsors: Carr, Riggs, & Ingram
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REGISTER FOR OUR NEXT
Business Before Hours
Tuesday, February 8th, 8:30 - 10 a.m.
Virtual event
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.
See you there!
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SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY
2022 Sponsorships & Advertising Options Available! Announce Your Support for the Gainesville Business Community
Sponsorship and partnership opportunities with the Greater Gainesville Chamber are some of the best ways for your business to gain exposure in the Gainesville region. By aligning your business with a 5-star chamber of commerce with sponsorship or advertising, you help immediately grow your company’s prestige, reputation, exposure, and bottom line.
From the 12-month sponsorship opportunity offered through our Circle of Champions to an event specific sponsorship, businesses gain exceptional exposure throughout the year with a variety of benefits and price points to fit any budget.
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ELECTION UPDATE
Reminder: City of Gainesville Special Election Run-off TODAY!!!
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. The City of Gainesville Special Election Run-off to fill the vacant At-Large Commission Seat will be today, January 25.
Visit the Supervisor of Elections website, www.votealachua.com, for everything you need to prepare for this election.
We encourage our members to be informed. Visit www.gainesvillechamber.com to view our candidate interviews with Cynthia Chestnut and Matt Howland.
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REAL ESTATE NEWS
Colliers Successfully Sells Former Optym Headquarters Building in Gainesville
Colliers’ GNV Commercial Advisory Team in collaboration with the Hurst & Harrell Team has successfully represented Innovative Scheduling, LLC, the seller, in the sale of 29,400± SF of combined office buildings located at 7600 NW 5th Place. This is another large office building coming off the market in Gainesville, a trend they have seen repeat since COVID. The resiliency of the office market has been encouraging and they anticipate this activity to continue throughout 2022.
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TELL US WHAT YOU THINK
CareerSource Employer Survey
We need employer input!
Education Strategy Group, in partnership with the Florida Department of Education and the Credentials Review Committee managed by CareerSource Florida, is requesting input from Florida employers on credentials important to hiring decisions and promotional opportunities. Results from the employer survey, linked below, will help ensure the product resulting from this collaborative effort has been vetted by business board members throughout the CareerSource Florida network and our key partners.
This is an important survey and should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Your responses will help build recommendations for strengthening Florida's workforce training to better address workforce demands. Surveys should be completed by February 9th.
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HOMETOWN TALENT
Bucholz Senior Anjana Balachandar Among 300 Scholars in Regeneron Science Talent Search
The Regeneron Science Talent Search, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, named Buchholz senior Anjana Balachandar as one of 300 scholars.
Balachandar was selected from a pool of 1,804 applicants from 603 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and eight other countries. For her placement as a scholar, Balachandar and Buchholz will each receive a $2,000 prize.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and novel discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges.
The title of Balachandar’s work is Extending the Boundaries of 3D Printing of Soft Matter.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity,” Balachandar said. “I’ve been working on the research for about two years now. It has been a long process and I’m just really excited to potentially present it in the future and show my passion for how excited I am about (the research).”
On Jan. 20, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. The finalists will then compete for more than $1.8 million in awards during a week-long competition taking place March 10-16.
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APPLY NOW!
reThink Service Launches Virtual Fellowship
Applications are now open for high school students to apply for our ReThink Service is a 12-week virtual fellowship program.
reThink Service is a fellowship program for teens who are passionate about serving their community. Youth fellows will have an opportunity to design their very own community service project and lead their peers to better the communities in which they reside.
rethink’s 12-week program is divided into three 4-week modules that provide classroom lessons, multiple assessments (both self-and community-needs), and a reporting element (vlog entries). In addition, fellow students will have mentors, and community business leaders will provide real-world guidance.
Interested candidates may complete an online application that details an idea they would like to implement to better their home communities.
Criteria for applying: Enrolled as a student in good academic standing at a participating Alachua County High School and able to spend a minimum of 3 hrs per week dedicated to meeting with assigned mentor and other program activities
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Wild Game Feast to take place March 3
Thursday, March 3, 5 p.m.
Hatch Creek Conservation Area
4841 NE 118th Drive, Gainesville
Over the past 36 years the Wild Game Feast has become not only the largest annual fundraising event for the Gainesville area Rotary Clubs, but also one of the most highly anticipated and well attended such event in the entire Gainesville area community. During that time the Rotary Clubs of Gainesville Foundation has raised over $2.25 million for worthy local charitable organizations. The event began in 1985 when a group of Alachua County Rotarians got together to raise money for the Scholarship house – to provide support for UF students in need of room and board assistance. The pursuant fundraiser was held at a site east of Gainesville known today as the Rotary Conservation Area at Hatchet Creek. With its vast open layout and rugged natural outdoor beauty, the site has proven to be an elegant venue for Rotarians, friends and other community members to enjoy superb, unique food and casual, genuine fellowship as we support wonderful local charities.
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
LifeSouth Community Blood Center Joins Nations First Emergency Blood Reserve
Facing an increasingly unsteady blood supply, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers has helped found a first-in-the-nation partnership to prepare Florida for emergency situations where blood needs are high.
As part of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC), LifeSouth joins blood centers across the country to an on-call rotation. If a large-scale crisis occurs, such as a shooting or natural disaster, during the time LifeSouth is on-call, they will send blood to that location to help the local blood center provide hospitals treating victims. BERC members helped during the recent school shooting in Michigan and the devastating tornadoes that struck the South and Midwest.
“COVID exposed the reality that our national blood supply is unstable when there is catastrophic need,” said Kimberly Kinsell, CEO of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. “In the face of disaster, BERC will provide a safety net securing the blood necessary for immediate transfusion need. BERC provides Florida and our partner states a ready-to-go supply of blood allowing us to be proactive in our disaster response efforts.”
The nation’s blood centers have faced widespread blood shortages in recent months, creating a severely strained national safety net for mass traumas and other high casualty disasters. As one of the state’s primary blood supplier, LifeSouth Blood Center helps BERC to be proactive in its emergency planning, rather than rely on an increasingly unstable back-up supply plan.
To donate blood, donors can make an appointment here.
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Covey Kitchen + Cocktails Earns a Coveted Spot in Yelp's 'Top 100' in the U.S.
Covey Kitchen + Cocktails, located at Hotel Eleo at the University of Florida in Gainesville, earned a coveted spot on Yelp's annual list of Top 100 Restaurants in the United States.
Led by Chef Charlie Keller, Covey Kitchen + Cocktails, featuring New American cuisine with international influences, placed 69th on the list. The restaurant, which opened in 2020, has received rave reviews on Yelp, an online crowd-sourced online site that provides information and reviews on businesses across the country.
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Annual Homeless Point-In-Time Count To Take Place
United Way of North Central Florida and partner agencies will conduct the 2022 Homeless Point-in-Time Count in Alachua County on Thursday, Jan. 27. The annual count will identify the number of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness throughout the county with results available later this spring.
United Way of North Central Florida has served as the Lead Agency for the North Central Florida Alliance for the Homeless & Hungry, FL-508 homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) since 2018. The CoC catchment area includes the counties of Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Putnam.
“The count gives the CoC the ability to identify trends in homelessness within the catchment area which helps track the progress of the CoC’s collaborative efforts with local service agencies,” said Patrick Dodds, Director of the Continuum of Care. “The surveys will also provide an assessment of service needs in the community.”
The 2021 Point-in-Time Count showed a 38 percent reduction in homelessness throughout the CoC’s service area and a 21 percent reduction in homelessness in Alachua County.
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Welcoming Gainesville Seeks Small Businesses
Welcoming Gainesville & Alachua County, Inc., (WG&AC) is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit dedicated to making Gainesville, Florida, an inclusive community that welcomes immigrants, international students, and refugees and celebrates diversity as a source of strength and innovation. Part of the nationwide Welcoming America network, WG&AC accomplishes this mission by creating and promoting immigrant-friendly policies, communicating welcoming principles and the benefits of inclusion among residents, and organizing programs and events that unite individuals from a variety of backgrounds.
The vision for WG&AC is to establish a city in which individual residents, local government, businesses, nonprofits, faith communities, institutions of higher learning, and other organizations work together to create a climate that welcomes immigrants and supports their long-term integration into our community. This vision is founded in the principles of eliminating prejudice, celebrating diversity, and assisting newcomers in becoming established in our community.
It is with this vision in mind that WG&AC is looking for a selection of small, local businesses with storefronts to act as pilot sites for our new Welcoming Business Initiative. The Welcoming Business Initiative is designed for three purposes: to solidify stronger and more numerous partnerships between the WG&AC’s organization and the Gainesville community, to instill confidence in Gainesville’s newcomers that designated businesses will be welcoming and inclusive, and to spread awareness of WG&AC’s mission within the greater Gainesville population.
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Did you know that as a member you can post your open job listings on our website? Your position shows up for the more than 30,000 unique visitors our site receives monthly!
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