A 5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce |
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COVID-19
An update from Michael Lauzardo, MD of UF Health
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UPCOMING EVENT
Lunch & Learn –
Marketing Refocus: Bigger Picture Thinking
Wednesday, October 21, Noon - 1 p.m.
Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed in the evolving, dynamic landscape of digital marketing?
Do you pour endless time, effort, and money into climbing the ranks of social media but maybe lose sight of why (or what) your posting in the first place?
Do you find yourself asking "am I doing it right?"
Digital marketing has always been a complex field, but now more than ever, we've got to get back to basics and focus on the bigger picture. Join Ginny MacKoul, owner of Impact Hive, as she shares her perspective on how to stay relevant despite innumerable dynamics at play. We hope to help elevate your thinking and perspective on how marketing should be handled.
During this session, you will learn:
- Tips for creating superb quality content
- The importance of strategy and examples of strategy mapping
- Additional best practices for creating a strong marketing and branding presence
This event will be held live on ZOOM.
Chamber Members: Free to Attend
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UPCOMING EVENT
Jumpstart Your Membership
Tuesday, October 27, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
Join us for a virtual presentation on your chamber membership!
Whether you are a new member or looking to get re-engaged, we are here to share some information & help you get more out of your chamber membership. We will also show how to navigate our online portal for your membership.
Learn more about your membership and meet other Greater Gainesville Chamber members. Thank you to BBVA for sponsoring the JumpStart Your Membership Event!
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UPCOMING EVENT
Leadercast Weekly Session: Magic Johnson
Wednesday, October 14, 8 a.m.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Basketball Hall-of-Famer, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
A five-time NBA champion, three-time league MVP, gold medalist and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Magic has successfully pivoted his skills and tenacity from the basketball court to the boardroom as chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate. Magic is co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers of MLB, Los Angeles Sparks of WNBA, Los Angeles Football Club of MLS and eSports franchise Team Liquid.
Sessions are available for 36 hours starting at 8:00 AM, are approximately 30 minutes long and feature a recorded session from the Leadercast 2020 Event held earlier this year.
Registration closes for this session on Friday at 11:00 PM.
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Celebrating our 50, 60 and 80-Year Anniversary Members
October is Member Appreciation Month, and we’re honoring members who are celebrating special anniversaries with us this year! We’re so grateful for all of our members, and we are happy to honor those celebrating anniversaries with us. This week, we're recognizing our members who have been with us for 50, 60 and 80 years:
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50 years:
Sonny’s BBQ
GW Homes
HUB International
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60 years:
Ilene’s Gator Store
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80 years:
Walker Furniture
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Member Appreciation Month is presented by |
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RECURRING EVENT
ALL IN GNV PIVOT Video Series
This year all our plans were affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic – including our ALL IN GNV Conference & Expo. In light of that, we have created the ALL IN GNV PIVOT Video Series, a professional development virtual response where we feature dozens of speakers and guests who share their ideas, experiences and reflections on how COVID-19 has affected them both personally and professionally as they learn to pivot through these new uncharted waters.
Our first video in this series brings back our keynote speaker from our 2019 ALL IN GNV Conference & Expo, Alexa Carlin. Alexa will share with us how the onset of a worldwide pandemic has changed her personally and professionally and how she has had to pivot to succeed.
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MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Ethics in Business Award Nominations Due Nov. 6
Each year, the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce collaborates with the Rotary Club awards the Ethics in Business Award to any individual who adheres to the highest ethical standards of honesty, integrity and consistency in dealing with employees, colleagues and customers. It is a very tangible way in which we apply the standards of the Four-Way Test. Rotary membership is not required either to be a recipient of the award or to make a nomination, however, members are encouraged to take the time to complete a nomination which can be found at this link. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Nov. 6 and all nominees should plan on attending the Jan. 12 meeting as guests of the club when the award will be presented.
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
USF School of Hospitality and Tourism Management offering free certificate program to help businesses
SARASOTA (October 16, 2020) – The University of South Florida School of Hospitality and Tourism Management is offering a free certificate program to help hotels, restaurants and other hospitality businesses navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for the post-pandemic environment.
The program, consisting of seven classes and called the Post-Crisis Hospitality Management Certificate program, will be held online and comes with a certificate upon completion. The classes are set to run Nov. 2 through Dec. 18.
“Our faculty members are donating their time to do this, and they are all doing this with one goal in mind, to help this important industry to recover,” said Cihan Cobanoglu, director of the M3 Center for Hospitality Technology and Innovation (M3 Center), which is organizing the program.
Visit the M3 Center to register and learn more.
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VOTING UPDATE
Visit our 2020 Election center for Candidate Interviews, Amendment Information, and our 2020 Election Guide
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The 2020 Election is upon us! The Chamber is here to help you navigate not only the high-profile national and state elections, but the equally important local elections and amendments on your ballots.
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POLICY UPDATE
Checking in on Race, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Thursday, October 28, 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Join us for the next episode of Crossroads: Exploring Intersections in Race and Business. This time, we want to check in with you to share what work has been done since we started Crossroads in June. We also want to hear from you how things are going in your companies in relation to race, diversity, equity and inclusion, and hear more about the questions and observations you have at this point. For example, how are you faring in attracting and retaining diverse talent? Have you employed any of the strategies or tactics discussed on a previous Crossroads call? What needs do you see coming down the pike in the areas of race and business as 2020 comes to a close? We are planning to both delve into conversation for this session and use the feedback anonymously to inform upcoming episodes.
As always, Crossroads is formatted to connect businesses, professionals, and the community with expert perspective, best practices and a safe space to productively comment and ask questions without having to be identified. The event is open to businesses, employees and the community, and we will accept questions and comments in advance and anonymously. If you submit a question or comment using the link below, even we won't know who you are, so please feel free to provide your most honest feedback or ask your most sensitive questions.
There is no cost to attend, however, registration is required. We hope you'll join us!
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EDUCATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Community input sessions on elementary school rezoning scheduled
Wednesday, October 21, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Alachua County Public Schools has scheduled two community meetings to give the public an opportunity to provide input on draft plans for redrawing some elementary school attendance zones.
Zone lines must be redrawn to create a student population for the new elementary school currently under construction in the southwest Gainesville area. Elementary School I will open in the fall of 2021.
The first of the two community-wide meetings will be held Wednesday, October 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. via Zoom. The second will be held in person from 4 to 8 p.m. at a still-to-be-determined location. Both meetings will also be live streamed on the district’s YouTube channel.
The Zoom coordinates for the online input session are available on the district’s Facilities/Rezoning page. The page includes an interactive map that shows the five draft plans and allows residents to type in their address to see how it would be affected. More information about rezoning, including details about the impact of each plan on surrounding schools, is also available on that page.
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EDUCATION UPDATE
Revitalizing Alachua County Public Schools
Thanks to the citizens of Alachua County, the work of creating high-quality learning environments for all our students is now underway.
With the revenues from the Half-Cent for School and local property taxes, major facilities improvements are coming to all Alachua County Public Schools. Many of those projects are already completed or underway. You can learn more about our district-wide progress here. You can find a complete, school-by-school list of all the work planned, timeliness and additional updates at our Story Map.
On this site you'll also find information about the independent citizen's oversight committee that is reviewing all expenditures from the Half-Cent for Schools to ensure the money is being spent as voters intended.
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EDUCATION UPDATE
Alachua County Public Schools to donate buses to local churches, non-profits
To support the community, Alachua County Public Schools is launching a new initiative, ‘Operation Moving Forward,’ to donate school buses to local churches, non-profit groups and governmental entities.
The district recently purchased 80 new school buses, which means its fleet is now one of the newest in the state. Typically any surplus buses would be auctioned off to the highest bidder. But Superintendent Karen Clarke has decided to offer 40 ‘retiring’ buses to community groups instead.
“We know this pandemic is hurting many churches and non-profits,” said Clarke. “Like us, they are in the business of serving the people of Alachua County, and we want to help them do that.”
All of the buses are in working order and have been maintained on a monthly basis.
The district will be accepting applications from churches and 501 (c) (3) non-profit organizations through 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21. Forty eligible applications will be selected through a random drawing. Those selected will be invited to inspect the buses during the week of October 26. The giveaway will then be held on October 28.
More information about the giveaway and the application form are available here. Anyone with questions can contact Assistant Superintendent Paul White at (352) 955-7400, ext. 1401 or [email protected].
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TALENT & EDUCATION UPDATE
How to Create a Successful Apprenticeship
Apprentice Florida, a collaborative effort of CareerSource Florida, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, launched in July 2019 to increase business participation in registered apprenticeship programs.
We are pleased to provide you with another resource to assist in sharing the proven value of apprenticeship programs – a “how to” video. This video, in chapter form, walks viewers through the process of initiating, building and launching an apprenticeship program, step by step.
Watch the tutorial here:
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MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Beyond Bourbon Cocktail Competition
Submissions due Sunday, October 25
Livestream Friday, November 8, 6:45 p.m.
Get ready for the Beyond Bourbon Gainesville cocktail competition! It doesn’t matter whether you’re an expert cocktail mixer or an at-home aficionado; what matters is that you’re ready to have fun, get creative, and design your own cocktail. To qualify, you need your Beyond Bourbon Gainesville box with its three bourbon samples; from there grab your phone, any extra ingredients, then let the mixing begin! The winning cocktail king or queen will have their winning recipe featured at Embers Prime Steaks Wood Grill restaurant for a year and will have their drink recipe shared with all the participating guests of Beyond Bourbon Gainesville.
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