New Leadership Installed at the 128th Annual Meeting
 The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce marked the 128th anniversary of its Annual Meeting today atthe Tampa Convention Center. More than 750 attendees came together to celebrate the Chamber's 2013 achievements. 2013 Chamber Chair Gregory J. Celestan of Celestar Corporation passed the gavel to 2014 Chair Robin DeLaVergne of Tampa General Hospital. This year's aviation theme was inspired by the upcoming centennial of the first commercial flight taken by Tony Jannus from St. Petersburg to Tampa on January 1, 1914.
DeLaVergne offered a preview of the Chamber's priorities in 2014, including a glimpse into the three-year strategic plan to guide our organization. This plan was developed with input from our Chamber membership survey, several focus groups and our Annual Leadership Retreat. Three key areas of the strategic plan will be advocacy, transportation and workforce. You can read the entire strategic plan by clicking here.
DeLaVergne also introduced the Chamber's 2014 Executive Committee Members, including:
Chair-Elect Ronald A. Christaldi, Esq., Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
Treasurer Joseph Meterchick, PNC Bank
Finance Committee Co-Chairs: Thomas Feindt, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union Corey Neil, The Bank of Tampa
Community Development Co-Chairs: Mark House, The BECK Group Bemetra Simmons, BB&T
Innovation Leadership Co-Chairs: Doug Pace, Bayshore Solutions Susan Stackhouse, Stellar Partners, Inc.
Marketing Committee Co-Chairs: Bill Carlson, Tucker/Hall, Inc. Bruce Faulmann, Tampa Bay Times
Membership Development Co-Chairs: Mike Griffin, Vertical Integration, Inc. Guy King, III, M.E. Wilson Co., Inc.
Military Council Co-Chairs: Jon Bayless, Tandel Systems, Inc. Brian Murphy, ReliaQuest, LLC
Program Co-Chairs: Stephanie Agliano, Agliano Utility Solutions Jamie Harden, Creative Sign Designs
Public Policy Co-Chairs: Sandra W. Callahan, TECO Energy, Inc. Lee Nelson, Shutts & Bowen LLP
Legal Counsel Steve Bernstein, Esq., Fisher & Phillips, LLP
The Chamber also presented the 2013 H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award to Harold "Hal" W. Mullis. The award, established in 1997 by Leadership Tampa Alumni, a program of the Chamber, is presented annually by the Chamber to recognize an individual whose leadership made a positive impact within the greater Tampa community.
President of Trenam, Kemker, Scharf, Barkin, Frye, O'Neill & Mullis, P.A., Hal is known in our community for his character, fair-mindedness and sense of integrity. He has served in a leadership role in a number of different community organizations including Chairman of the Boards of Berkeley Preparatory School and Tampa General Hospital and as a member of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the University of South Florida Board of Trustees.
In addition to the announcement of the 2013 Executive Committee and the H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award winner, the Chamber announced its second class of Startup Scholars. The 2014 Startup Scholars include: Ambrosia Global, BambinOz, Gurus, KeriCure and Valet Boss. We also announced the speakers for our largest and most highly anticipated event each year, the Women of Influence Luncheon. This year's speakers are Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush! Mark your calendars now for April 23. Tickets will go on sale in 2014. Sponsorships are available now! Please email Staci Fraser for sponsorship details.
Thank you to all of our attendees, Chamber members, elected officials and the Tampa Bay community for making 2013 another excellent year for the Chamber. We look forward to what 2014 has in store! | 
