A 5-Star Accredited Chamber of Commerce
October 6, 2020
COMMUNITY NEWS
Alachua County Safe Stay Pledge

Alachua County’s Visitors and Conventions Bureau, Visit Gainesville, Alachua County, in partnership with the Alachua County Hospitality Council, have created tools for area lodging and tourism partners (via the Visit Gainesville, Alachua County Safe Stay Pledge) to show a unified commitment to the health and safety of those who live, work, and visit Alachua County.

The Alachua County hospitality community is committed to standing out as a safe choice for visitors, as guests are welcomed back to our community for business, medical, outdoor recreation, summer break, league sports events, and visiting friends and family.

“At all times, and especially during the time of COVID-19, the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau provides the information and tools that our visitors need to navigate our destination,” said Tourism Development Manager, Jessica Hurov. “The Safe Stay Pledge is another way to provide information to help inform the personal travel choices that individuals need to make during their stay. In addition, the VisitGainesville.com website provides links to CDC guidelines and the Alachua County emergency orders to create a one-stop information center for travelers to Alachua County.”

The hospitality industry represents approximately 8.1% of the County’s workforce and includes hotel, restaurant, attraction, and travel personnel, who are all committed to the safe return of visitors to our destination.

“We are pleased to join Visit Gainesville, Alachua County, in support of the Safe Stay pledge,” said Alachua County Hospitality Council President Rebecca Lamb. “Our lodging properties remain ready to welcome visitors and to ensure that our guests are confident that best practices are being followed for their health and safety. Now, more than ever, we are all in this together.”

The Safe Stay pledge has been signed by owners and managers at 33 of Alachua County’s hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts.

Safe Stay lodging properties agree to:
  • Follow CDC Standards of Cleaning and Sanitation
  • Wear Face Coverings
  • Wash Hands Frequently and Have Hand Sanitizer Available
  • Follow Social Distancing and Capacity Guidelines
  • Conduct Wellness Screenings of Employees
  • Train Employees on COVID-19 Safety Procedures
  • Work Toward Contactless Payment
UPCOMING EVENT
Join us for Business Before Hours - Virtual Networking Event
Tuesday, October 13, 8:30 a.m.

This is a virtual edition of Business Before Hours is a member event 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. Space is Limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Pre-registration is required. 
UPCOMING EVENT
Gainesville Chamber Leadership Book Club
Tuesday, October 20, 8 - 8:45 a.m.

Lifelong learning is what differentiates performance over time.
 
Join us for our next Leadership Book Club Virtual Meeting where we will be discussing the book:
Book Name: Good To Great
Author: Jim Collins

The leadership book club creates diversity of thought as you’ll read books you might not have picked. It creates accountability as you have a deadline to read or listen to it. The discussion reinforces the takeaways from each book and how members are implementing them in their lives and workplaces. 

Contact Steve Cannon with any questions you may have at stevec@gainesvillechamber.com.
MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
Welcome New Members!
We are excited to welcome the newest members of the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.
Please remember to do business with your fellow Chamber members!
 
Together we are Stronger.
Together we are GNV.
 
 
UPCOMING EVENT
Leadercast Weekly Session: Richard Montañez
Wednesday, October 14, 8 a.m.
 
With Richard Montañez, VP of Multicultural Sales & Marketing, PepsiCo North America

Richard started his PepsiCo career at Frito-Lay in 1976 as a janitor in its Rancho Cucamonga plant. He is recognized as the creator of the Flaming hot line of products including Flaming Hot Cheetos, which influenced future ethnic products and the first Frito-Lay Hispanic marketing team. He was named the 2019 Executive of Influence by Hispanic Lifestyle magazine.
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.
Presented by
Celebrating our 10-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 10 years:

Advantage Personnel Resources, Inc.
Ameriprise Financial Services
Battery Source
Continental Imports
Fracture, Inc.
Gainesville Buick GMC
Harbor Chase of Gainesville
Hunters Crossing Place Assisted Living
Irving Publications, LLC / Giggle Magazine & Wellness 360 Magazine
M. David Gracy Jr. CFP, LLC
Mercedes-Benz of Gainesville
Mid Florida Credit Union
PASSAGE Ministries, Inc.
Power Production Management
Quality Design Works, Inc.
Solar Impact, Inc.
StartGNV
Traffic 2 Revenue, Inc. DBA SwampRentals.com
Treweek Insurance Agency, LLC
Westlab Pharmacy
MEMBERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
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 stevec@gainesvillechamber.com.
UPCOMING EVENT
Elevate - Pete Vargas, Founder/CEO of Advance Your Reach
Friday, October 9, Noon

Speaking is one of the most powerful ways to build and grow your business. Over the last 13 years, Pete Vargas and his team have been responsible for booking 25,000 stages across the world and leveraging those stages to see $50,000,000 + in products and services sold as a direct result of those stages. One single stage accounted for over $1.7 million in consulting and services alone. Speaking is fastest way to grow your business!

With Pete’s help you will be able to start winning stages in the next 24-48 hours! In this session, Pete will teach the three critical steps you need to implement in your business to be able to begin leveraging stages and use your story to scale your business. By implementing Story, Stage and Scale into your business, you will achieve greater reach than you could have ever imagined. This session is especially for speakers, entrepreneurs, organizations and nonprofits that are looking for a powerful medium to grow your business.

This Elevate Event is free to Chamber members and is presented by Advantage Media Promotions.
VOTING UPDATE
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3

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. Candidate interviews for local races will be updated and posted on our website in the coming weeks.
 
Your vote matters. Note these important dates for the November 3rd election:
  • Last day to register to vote: Monday, October 5
  • Early voting takes place: Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 31
  • Deadline to request a mail-in ballot: Saturday, October 24 by 5:00 p.m.
  • Election Day: Tuesday, November 3
  • Deadline to return mail-in ballots: Tuesday, November 3 by 7:00 p.m.
 
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.
EDUCATION UPDATE
Take Stock in Children Applications now being accepted

Take Stock in Children applications for fall 2020 are now being accepted!

The Education Foundation of Alachua County’s Take Stock in Children Program provides deserving low-income children in Alachua County with college or vocational-technical scholarships and an adult mentor to meet with them once per week at school. In addition, each student is assigned to a Take Stock in Children College Success Coach who monitors their school performance and mentor meetings. Students are selected between 7th and 8th grade and must sign contracts promising to remain crime and drug free, maintain satisfactory grades and exhibit good behavior.

Applications for 7th and 8th grade students are now open! 

To be eligible to apply for Take Stock in Children, students must:
·     Attend an Alachua County Public School
·     Be in 7th or 8th grade
·     Have a 2.5 GPA and above
·     Be in good standing with academics, behavior and attendance

If you know of any 7th or 8th graders who fit the criteria, please provide them with the application and income eligibility guidelines.

The deadline for 7th and 8th graders to apply is October 23, 2020

Applications can now be completed digitally through ScriptApp. Families can access the digital Take Stock in Children student application here.

To request a paper application, please email cherryap@gm.sbac.edu.

If you have any questions, please contact Student Services Coordinator Au'Vian Cherry at cherryap@gm.sbac.edu.

For more information, please click here.
EDUCATION UPDATE
NHRA Youth & Education Services Program

Take Stock in Children applications for fall 2020 are now being accepted!

The Education Foundation of Alachua County’s Take Stock in Children Program provides deserving low-income children in Alachua County with college or vocational-technical scholarships and an adult mentor to meet with them once per week at school. In addition, each student is assigned to a Take Stock in Children College Success Coach who monitors their school performance and mentor meetings. Students are selected between 7th and 8th grade and must sign contracts promising to remain crime and drug free, maintain satisfactory grades and exhibit good behavior.
 
Applications for 7th and 8th grade students are now open! 
 
To be eligible to apply for Take Stock in Children, students must:
·     Attend an Alachua County Public School
·     Be in 7th or 8th grade
·     Have a 2.5 GPA and above
·     Be in good standing with academics, behavior and attendance
 
If you know of any 7th or 8th graders who fit the criteria, please provide them with the application and income eligibility guidelines.
 
The deadline for 7th and 8th graders to apply is October 23, 2020
 
Applications can now be completed digitally through ScriptApp. Families can access the digital Take Stock in Children student application here.
 
To request a paper application, please email cherryap@gm.sbac.edu.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Student Services Coordinator Au'Vian Cherry at cherryap@gm.sbac.edu.
 
For more information, please click here.
UPCOMING EVENT
Cox Media "Ask The Experts" Webinar Series
Thursday, October 8, 2:00 p.m.

In this episode, our guest speaker and digital media expert, David McBee, will tell us more about addressable targeting and highlight what makes it so effective for local advertisers, including:
 
·         Building totally custom audiences
·         Using exclusions to eliminate wasted impressions
·         The elimination of DMA, radius and ZIP code restrictions
·         Measuring online and offline conversions
·         Real-time optimization

To join, simply click the link below to register. Can't make it? No problem. Just click the link to register and we will send you the recording.
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Newk's is Open for Business
Newk's Eatery
4041 Plaza Blvd, Gainesville

We are pleased to announce that Newk’s Eatery located in Butler North is open for business. Newk’s Eatery originally opened as a corporate-owned location. The grand re-opening brings us a local owner who is dedicated to the success of this location and the passion to serve the family recipes that make Newk’s Eatery a great place for lunch and dinner with your family.

Newk’s Eatery is open from 11 AM – 9 PM every day of the week, offering dine-in service, curbside pickup and takeout.
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENT
Ship That Box partners with Premier PPE to deliver Hand Sanitizer stands
Ship That Box has recently partnered with Premier PPE supply to deliver these hand sanitizer dispenser stands to the City of Gainesville. If you would like a free sample of hand sanitizer or virus disinfectant, please call 888-504-1002 or email info@premierPPEsupply.com.
UPCOMING EVENT
James Moore named #1 Accounting Firm for Women nationally

Accounting Today has named James Moore & Co. #1 in the nation on their 2020 Top Firms for Women list!
 
In July, Accounting Today recognized James Moore as one of the 100 Best Firms to Work For in the U.S. From this list, the publication chose the 10 Best Firms for Women based on the responses of their female staff to a comprehensive employee survey. James Moore has been ranked top in the nation on this list! (James Moore & Co. is also the only firm on the list with majority female management, and one of just two with a woman in the chief executive role.)
UPCOMING EVENT
Florida Museum hosts online plant sale October 10 - 15

The Florida Museum of Natural History will host a curbside plant sale with roughly 100 species of difficult-to-find and pollinator-friendly plants as part of October’s Pollinator Palooza. Orders can be made entirely online from Oct. 10, 4 p.m., to Oct. 15, 5 p.m., and customers can choose a time for curbside pickup between Oct. 16 and 18. Accent, host, native and nectar plants are available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Florida Museum’s “Butterfly Rainforest” exhibit. For more information or a list of available species, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/event/online-plant-sale.
UPCOMING EVENT
Dale Carnegie offering 8-week course on Effective Communications and Human Relations in Gainesville
Tuesdays, October 20 - December 18, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Hotel Indigo at Celebration Pointe
5020 SW 30th Lane, Gainesville

Dale Carnegie University is coming to Gainesville this October. The course will be taught by one of their top-rated instructors, Bob Ganzak. Freddie Wehbe of Make It Happen Marketing will be the assistant instructor. This is an in-person, 8-week course starting October 20th at Hotel Indigo in Celebration Pointe. 

In this course, you will learn how to build trust and motivate people to project an enthusiastic attitude, communicate logically, clearly, and concisely. It will help you energize and engage listeners. You will also learn how to become a better leader, manage stress, and minimize worry while encouraging positive thinking and achieving continuous improvement.