Message From The Chair

Feliz Navidad -

I want to take this opportunity to wish all Ybor City Chamber members and their employees a happy & joyous Holiday Season.  Although economic times have been hard, our members, leaders and staff have pulled together to make the first half of my term not only successful, but truly satisfying.  Please come celebrate the Holidays with us at one or both of the Ybor Chamber's upcoming events:

 Annual Holiday Luncheon featuring the HCC Jazz Ensemble.  Our guest speaker will be Keith Norden, President and CEO of the new Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, who will be presenting the findings and recommendations of their just completed Economic Development Study.  This is the second of two presentations on advancing the Bay Area's economy.  In November, Rick Baker head of the USF Innovation Partnerships, spoke about his new program.

 Chamber Holiday Party, hosted by Centro Asturiano, sponsored by UBS Financial Services and featuring catering by Wayl of a Time and music by the Fumundo All-stars.  This is an "open house" format that runs from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, so I hope that members who can't easily attend lunch will be able to stop-by this evening event.  Admission is a toy for Metropolitan Ministries' - Holiday Food & Toy Drive.

I know this is an important time of the year for the cigar industry and I want to extend my wishes to other Ybor merchants, that this will be a productive and profitable Holiday season for you and your business.  2011 will start-off with a bang with the Outback Bowl Parade on La Setima and the accompanying Pep Rally on New Year's Eve.  I can't wait to see what teams are selected - "teams that travel well" bring a lot of business to our "fair city."

Hasta la proxima (until next time)!

Arturo Fuente, Jr.