Ybor's Next Generation - Ready for Business!

Hola -

We had one busy week at the Ybor City Chamber. It started with an incredible Membership Luncheon with guest speaker Timothy Roberts, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Ybor City's new start-up, Savtira a "cloud commerce" company. Savtira could just be the fastest growing high-tech firm in the Bay Area. Expansion plans for the next 18 months included the addition of 265 new jobs.

The vibe at the September luncheon was intense (in a good way) with the announcement that USAmeriBank is coming to Ybor City and will be renovating the historic Columbia Bank Building on the corner of 21st Street and 7th Avenue. It was great to see Manny Alvarez back in the Historic District with his staff that will be running the Ybor branch of this "community bank."

Lunch was sponsored by Innovaro, headquartered in Ybor City with offices in Chicago and York, UK. They provide innovation consulting to fortunate 500 companies world-wide. Innovaro has a proprietary technology data-base and can forecast future industry trends on behalf of their clients in Europe, the US and most recently, Asia.

If that wasn't enough, that afternoon the Mayor held a grand opening/ribbon cutting for C.H. Robinson, a transportation logistics firm. C.H. Robinson brings 72 new employees into the District. We also went-live with our new state-of-the-art website developed by Tampa Digital. This event-oriented website has "all the bells and whistles" and will allow us to promote the Historic District and our member businesses more effectively than ever before.

This Saturday we held the Chamber's 46th Annual Gala. The Gala features the presentation of the Adela & Cesar Gonzmart Award, the most prestigious recognition in Ybor City. This year's Gonzmart Award went to the More' family, owners and operators of La Segunda Central Bakery for almost a century. I was very moved to see Andrea Gonzmart and her cousin Casey Gonzmart, Jr. present this year's award to Copeland More' and his family. Andrea and Casey are 5th generation members of the Gonzmart family that own and operate the Columbia Restaurant and Copeland More' is the fourth generation of his family to run La Segunda Central.

No need to worry about Ybor City's future, our next generation is ready to do business for the next 100 years.

Ciao - Tom Keating

Chamber Happenings

September 22- PM Networking at Sunday's Fine Dining, Thurs. 5:30PM- 7:30PM- Get to know other chamber members over a few drinks and noshes at the next PM Networking Event, while enjoying the hospitality of one of Ybor's newest dining establishments, Sunday's Fine Dining. $5 at the door. 813.248.3712 x25    

September 28- Initial Guavaween 2011 Merchant Meeting, Wed. 6:30PM-  The Ybor City Chamber has taken over production of Guavaween this year and invites the merchants and residents of Tampa's Historic Latin quarter to attend a meeting in the Cantina of the Italian Club on Wednesday, September 28th beginning at 6:30 PM. We will discuss exciting changes that are being put in place this year.  In addition, businesses and residents inside the gated area will be able to sign-up for tickets. 813.248.3712 x25  

October 1- 2nd Annual Ybor OktoberFest Pub Crawl, Sat. 4PM- 8PM- How does sampling beer at 18 of Ybor's patio bars and pubs sound to you?  For this second edition, we are adding 5 more bars to the list of spots to visit during the event. Come and sample OktoberFest and premium beers at your own pace.  The Ybor OktoberFest Pub Crawl is sponsored by Beck's Beer, Yellow Cab, and media sponsors Creative Loafing and Play 98.7FM.   

October 11- Monthly Membership Luncheon, Tues. 11:45AM- 1:15PM- Kimberly Faulk, Vice Chair for the Florida Festivals and Events Associations, will be on hand to speak on the importance of special events to Florida's economy.  The luncheon is sponsored by Event Show Productions. 813.248.3712 x22   

Ybor Chamber Member Spotlight

 An Ybor tradition since 1929, Tony's Ybor Restaurant never disappoints. Third generation, Larry Scaglione, along with his father Tony, are there to greet you with a smile on their face and good food for your plate. Tony's is open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, from 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM and offers an array of fresh vegetables to choose from and always a daily special on their hot buffet.

Patriarch Nick Scalione started Tony's at its 22nd Street location 82 years ago, under the original name - The Americus Restaurant - offering Spanish, American and Italian cuisine. His nine children grew up in the restaurant and when Nick passed away, his son Tony changed the name, but not the great food and service.

Not only does Tony's provide breakfast and lunch, they also have a thriving catering business, as well as a private dining room and bar, the Mariel Room, which is available for business meetings, receptions, family reunions or game watching parties.

One of my favorite things about Ybor is the people and one of my favorite people is Tony Scaglione. He is always there to greet you, say a kind word and serve you a great lunch. Mangia!

-Michele Keating

Tony & Larry Scaglione

Tony's Ybor Restaurant 

2001 N. 22nd Street

Tampa, FL 33605

813-247-7283

www.tonysyborrestaurant.com