Message From The Chair 

Greetings fellow members,

Wow, my term as Chair is off to a great start!  As an ex-officio member of all committees, I have tried to attend as many as I can in the beginning of the new Program Year.  This has included: a session of our Marketing Committee focusing on the new website; a debriefing for the Golf Tournament, the first event of our program year; and the initial meeting of our Membership Committee, with new Vice Chair, Richard Chad.  I am both pleased and impressed at the level of professionalism we have at the Committee level.  Yes, the Board is rock-solid and the Executive Board is a dynamo, but we have also built a strong, bottom-up organization.

I want to invite all members and potential members to our next event - Ybor Expo: Business Showcase.  This is our bi-annual "business to business" marketing opportunity that features Ybor's service-oriented businesses in an intimate networking setting at the Columbia Restaurant.  Twenty-some Ybor organizations will have table-top displays of their services and products.  This is our version of a "buy local" program.

Our next internal activity is our Annual Board Mini-Retreat.  As Chair of the Board, this is my opportunity to set the tone for the year and for my Vice Chairs to share ideas and information across division lines.  GTE Federal Credit Union will be hosting this planning event and graciously providing refreshments for the Board social.

And, they told me summer was the slow time in Ybor City - not at the Chamber!

Until next month- Andrea White

P.S.  Did you see the watershed article "Ybor Rising" on the front page of last Sunday's Times - Business Section (Tom tells me that it was three months in the works).

Chamber Happenings

July 13-Ybor Chamber Summer Business Expo, Tues. 11:30AM- 2PM-  The Ybor Chamber is prepped and ready to host its next Summer Business Expo at the Columbia Restaurant.  This event features many of Ybor's top businesses and has become an expected draw for businesses ready to share news and new opportunities with fellow chamber members.  For reservations, contact Anna Ramos at 813.248.3712 x22

August 9- Ybor Chamber Monthly Membership Luncheon, Tues. 11:45AM- 1:15PM- The Ybor Chamber annually awards Hillsborough Community College a check for the Lois Gaston scholarship dedicated to the Ybor Campus' Motion Media Program.  Come out to hear about the program's successes. 813.248.3712 x22  

Ybor Chamber Member Spotlight

There is a little secret in Ybor City called Al's Finger Licking Good Bar B Que. Located in a converted casita one block off 7^th Avenue on Angel Oliva Sr. Street, Al's serves up the best made from scratch BBQ sauce, vegetables and desserts. Open Wednesday through Saturday, this family owned and operated restaurant opened in Ybor two years ago. Al cooks up beef, chicken, pork and turkey legs on his famous outdoor smoker, using only oak or pecan wood. The secret to the taste is his "special meat rub."

You can't beat their $5.99 luncheon specials, their Turkey Leg Thursdays or their Friday Mac & Cheese. Made from old family recipes, their sides and desserts are delicious. From spicy collard greens to Sweet Potato Pie, it is hard to choose what to order.

As one satisfied customer said, "It tastes like you're eating in Grandma's southern kitchen." With Al behind the counter chopping smoked pork for you, maybe we should say it's like eating at Grandpa's southern kitchen!

Al & Jacqueline Reynolds

Al's Finger Licking Good Bar B Que

1609 Angel Oliva Sr. Street

Tampa, FL 33605

813-443-5030