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Reserve Ad Space in the 2012 Visitors Guide/ Business Directory
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The Sumter County Chamber's 2012 Visitors Guide and Business Directory reaches thousands of residents and visitors to our area. Your business can reach potential new customers through distribution to new and current residents and vacationers seeking local information, as well as to local businesses. Deadline for ad contracts is October 15. Read More Here>> |
Ribbon Cuttings
Tuesday, September 27, 10am
Country Pride Restaurant
556 E SR 44, Wildwood (attached to the TA Travel Center right next to I-75)
Come to the grand reopening after their total store remodel and see their new 57-seat meeting space! Stick around for your chance to dip a store manager in the dunk tank!
Thursday, September 29, 5:30pm
Connie Mahan Real Estate Group
at Norman Adams Home Builder
3816 US Hwy 301, Bushnell
Norman Adams Home Builder and Connie Mahan Real Estate Group are hosting a business after hours reception and ribbon cutting event on Thursday September 29th from 5:30pm- 7pm. Please join us for an evening of festive beverages and delicious catering provided by Odd 'Cup'les Café. Door prizes and tours of the model homes will be available. Please call Connie Mahan at 352-457-7553 or Ricky Hibbard at 352-303-3619 for additional information or to RSVP.
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Leads Groups Grow Your Client Base
LEADS LUNCH
every Monday (except holidays) at noon
Beef O'Brady's, 2586 W. CR48, Bushnell
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LEADS SUNRISE
every Tuesday at 7:30AM
Steeplechase (new location),
12029 County Road 103, Oxford
These groups are active networking and referral groups of local business people, providing a variety of products and services. You are invited to attend a meeting. Bring business cards, brochures, etc. For details call the Chamber office at 352-793-3099.
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Did You Know?
 Traffic on the chamber's website (www.sumterchamber.org) has jumped 400% in the past year. This makes advertising on the site an even greater marketing tool for your business.
The chamber has new advertising opportunities available on the website, and on this newsletter. Ad prices fit any business' budget. Contact Andy Cripps at the chamber at (352) 793-3099 or via e-mail.
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Sumter County Chamber E-News
Monday, September 19, 2011
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"A Taste of Simply Sumter" to showcase distinctive restaurants and shops; raise funds for scholarships
"A Taste of Simply Sumter," Thursday, October 6, 5:30-8pm at Continental Country Club, 50 Continental Blvd. in Wildwood, is an evening of food, music and boutique shopping that celebrates the businesses that make Sumter County a wonderful place to live work and play.
Among the businesses that have already agreed to participate are:
ˇ Athens Restaurant in The Villages
ˇ Catfish Johnny's Restaurant in Lake Panasoffkee
ˇ City Fire American Oven and Bar in The Villages
ˇ Continental Country Club in Wildwood
ˇ Cotillion Southern Café in Wildwood
ˇ Herb and Peg's Bakery and Deli in Bushnell
ˇ Hollywood Café in Wildwood
ˇ La Hacienda Catering in Lady Lake
ˇ LicketySplits Ice Cream Shop in Bushnell
ˇ Polly's Pantry & Tea Room in Wildwood
ˇ Southern Cider Company in Oxford
ˇ Steeplechase in Oxford
ˇ University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Office in Bushnell.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Funds raised from ticket sales and the silent auction will go for 2012 scholarships to seniors at South Sumter High School, Wildwood Middle-High School and The Villages Charter High School.
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Get Info and Advance Tickets Here or contact the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce at 352-793-3099 or via e-mail at info@sumterchamber.org. |
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Beef and Boogie Festival Update
Preparations for the first Sumter County Beef and Boogie Festival, Thursday to Saturday, November 3 to 5 at the Sumter County Farmers Market in Webster, are underway. The event has turned into an exciting community-wide project with many local businesses and organizations involved. It begins Thursday, November 3, 6pm with the Miss Beef and Boogie Pageant. Then Friday evening and all day Saturday there will be live music, beef cookoffs, kids activities, exhibits, Cow Chip Bingo, food, craft and flea market vendors, a beer garden and more. Read More at the Beef and Boogie Website>> |
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Florida Approved for Small Business Credit Initiative
 Last month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved Florida's application for State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding. Through the SSBCI, Florida will receive nearly $97.7 million to help small business gain much needed access to capital and create jobs.
There are three main components to the SSBCI:
1) Capital Access Program administered by Department of Economic Opportunity will protect lenders against losses on small business loans,
2) Venture Capital Program administered by Enterprise Florida (EFI) allows for investment through a venture-capital fund,
3) Small Business Loan Support Program administered by Enterprise Florida and implemented by Florida First Capital, Florida Export Finance Corporation, and EFI is the small business loan/loan guarantee component.
Any small business interested in applying for money under the State Small Business Credit Initiative should visit Enterprise Florida's website here.
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Member News
Events and information from your fellow chamber members.
Parsons Circle Community Outreach will hold a Job Fair on Tuesday, October 11, 10am to 2pm. It will be held at 860 N. Main Street in Bushnell, in the county government complex. Workforce Central Florida's mobile unit will be on site to assist with job placement. For more information, call 352-568-0580.
The Daily Commercial will host a digital marketing solution workshop on Wednesday September 28 at Continental Country Club. It is a FREE workshop and will cover making great websites, getting found on Google, how to make Facebook & Twitter work for you, and Maximizing your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The speakers are Internet professionals coming from California and New York. There are sessions at 7:30-9 am and at 5-6:30pm. For details and reservations, call Sandy Lenoir at (352) 365-8248 or e-mail her at Sandylenoir@dailycommercial.com
 The Villages Honor Flight is a program to help World War II veterans visit the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. Allison Metcalf of Mission Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care and Tom Davis of LifeSouth Blood Centers are among those raising money for the inaugural mission for veterans in The Villages in spring of 2012. Read More Here>>
New and Established Business Owners Will Benefit from Lake-Sumter Community College's Entrepreneurial Institute. The Entrepreneurial Institute, presented by the college' Business Resources Center, starts its next series of classes on October 5, in the Leesburg Campus' BRC Building. Read more here>>
There is still time to register for the 5th Annual Kinship Conference, presented by Kids Central, Inc. on Friday, September 30th and Saturday, October 1st. September 30th is for professionals in the community that work with or provide support to relative caregivers. October 1st is for relative caregivers. Read more here >>
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Holiday Shopping Idea: Sumter Cookbook makes a great gift
 Recipes and Reminiscences is the first Sumter County cookbook produced by the Sumter Chamber. The beautifully bound hardback cookbook includes recipes from local restaurants like Cotillion Southern Café, Senator Alan Hays, longtime South Sumter High School principal C.L. Brooks and many more. In the south you can never have a good meal without a good story and Recipes and Reminiscences gives you both. Read rumors about what started the fire in the original county courthouse, find out about a famous Baseball Hall of Famer who called Sumter County home, and many more from the residents who lived it. Letters, photos, and infamous headlines decorate the pages of what is sure to become a favorite in your home. The first run of Recipes and Reminiscences sold out in two months, but IT'S BACK. Contact the chamber office at 352-793-3099 to reserve your copy for only $13.00 (including sales tax) today. |
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Remember, our chamber of commerce is here to serve you and your business. If you have a suggestion for how we can help, please call us at 352-793-3099 or e-mail us at sumter-coc@sumterchamber.org.
Sincerely,
Andrew Cripps, Executive Director
Sumter County Chamber of Commerce
 
Visit our website at
www.sumterchamber.org
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