2015 Military Appreciation Banquet
Chamber Welcomes Gov. Rick Scott as Keynote Speaker
 Please join us on Wednesday, February 25 as we honor our community's military personnel at the 2015 Military Appreciation Banquet. This year's banquet will feature a keynote address from Florida Governor Rick Scott.
After attending high school and community college, Gov. Scott enlisted in the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Glover as a radar man. He attended college on the G.I. Bill, graduating from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in business administration and Southern Methodist University Law School. As Governor, he signed legislation known as the 'Florida G.I. Bill,' which allows veterans and active duty service members to attend Florida colleges and universities as in-state students.
This year's event marks the 17th year the Chamber will honor our community's military personnel. Following the keynote address by Gov. Scott, annual awards will be presented in these categories: Business Partner, Bob Cutler Volunteer of the Year, Department of Defense employee, ROTC Cadet, Officer and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year for each military branch. Click here to register for this year's banquet! Thank you to presenting sponsor Bright House Networks.
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Now Accepting Nominations for the 35th Annual SBOY Awards
Deadline to Submit a Nomination is Friday, March 6
Who represents the best of the best in Tampa's small business community? Nominate your favorite company today for the Chamber's annual Small Business of the Year Awards, which recognizes outstanding companies for their achievements in financial success, community involvement and ethical business practices. The awards will be handed out on Friday, September 18 at the Small Business of the Year banquet.
All nominations must be received by Friday, March 6. Click here to complete the online nomination forms and get complete details on eligibility, categories and evaluation criteria (click the "Register" button to submit your nomination form). Questions about nominations and sponsorship opportunities should be directed to Staci Fraser at 813-276-9453 or sfraser@tampachamber.com.
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Legislative Kickoff Reception Recap
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(Pictured l. to r.) Public Policy Committee Co-Chair Steven Bernstein, Rep. Shawn Harrison, Chamber Chair Ronald Christaldi, Rep. Dan Raulerson, Rep. Janet Cruz, Joe Waggoner of the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, Sen. Jeff Brandes & Public Policy Committee Co-Chair Patrick Baskette.
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The Chamber released its 2015 State Legislative Agenda to a room of Tampa business leaders and members of the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation at the Legislative Kickoff Reception on January 27. This year's top priorities include supporting a Florida-specific solution to health care reform, supporting funding for the construction of the USF Health Downtown Tampa Initiative, and supporting fair and safe regulations for ride sharing companies that protects consumers. In attendance were Sen. Jeff Brandes, Rep. Janet Cruz, Rep. Shawn Harrison, Rep. Ed Narain, Rep. Dan Raulerson and Rep. Dana Young. Click here to view the entire 2015 State Legislative Agenda.
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Now Accepting Nominations for the 2015 Woman of Influence Award
The Chamber is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Dottie Berger MacKinnon Woman of
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2014 WOI award winner Chief Jane Castor, City of Tampa Police Department
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Influence Award. Do you know an exceptional woman who exemplifies outstanding professional values, demonstrates the ability to go above and beyond the normal expectations of a leader, and serves as an inspiration to the community? Click here to download the official nomination form. The deadline to complete the nomination form is March 2. Questions about the award or nomination process? Please email atimmel@tampachamber.com.
The award, established by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce's Women of Influence Committee, will be presented at the annual Women of Influence Luncheon on April 2, 2015 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion. The luncheon will feature keynote speakers Emily Nunez Cavness and Betsy Nunez, co-founders of Sword & Plough, a fashion company that works with veterans to make fashionable and durable bags from recycled military fabrics. Sponsorships and corporate tables for the luncheon are currently available for sale by contacting sfraser@tampachamber.com. Individual tickets will go on sale in early February.
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Startup Scholars Feature: LilyPad Solutions
 While working as the Executive Vice President of Actsoft, a Tampa-based technology company, Eric Rabinovitz and his team uncovered a trend that would spark the initial idea for LilyPad Solutions.
"Sales teams were implementing Actsoft's GPS tracking solutions with little success," Rabinovitz said. "At the same time, sales leadership at Actsoft was using a customized version of the product in an effort to rely less on GPS tracking and more on daily activities."
The LilyPad app, an activity management platform for professional workforces, bridges the gap between the office and the field, allowing management to motivate and coach like never before.
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 Ambassador of the Quarter: Terry R. Kuhn, CPA
Congratulations to Terry R. Kuhn, a certified public accountant with Brimmer, Burek & Keelan, LLP, for being our Ambassador of the Quarter! Terry's love for his hometown and the community he grew up in sparked his interest in becoming more involved with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. As an ambassador, his role allows him to further reach out to the local area and help businesses make the most of their Chamber membership by identifying opportunities to utilize services available through the Chamber. Read more...
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Chamber Ribbon Cutting Celebration
Member Marks Milestone with Chamber Ambassadors
All Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine hosted a ribbon cutting and grand opening for its newest outpatient care center in South Tampa on January 21. Local families in the South Tampa area will benefit from the range of specialized pediatric services, including pediatric specialty physician visits. The new outpatient center is one of 11 All Children's Outpatient Care Centers with locations in eight counties throughout west central Florida.
Members wishing to host a ribbon cutting announcing a new opening or expansion of your business should contact Tracy Wilson at twilson@tampachamber.com.
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New Members
The Chamber welcomes the following companies who have recently become members:
Advanced Surgery Center of Tampa, LLC - Medical Services
Dr. Stephen Abrams - Medical Services
IDRGroup - Computer Software | Network Security
Uber - Technology & Tech Consultants
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Member Highlights: January 25 - 31, 2015
Click here to view more details on this week's member highlights including:
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Want to include your organization's news in Member Highlights? Send a brief description of your news or event to news@tampachamber.com. |
Open Position at the Tampa Chamber: Events Manager
We are hiring! The Chamber is currently accepting resumes for the following position:
Please click on the above link to download the detailed job description and required qualifications. To apply for the Events Manager position, please submit the following to resumes@tampachamber.com:
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Two business writing samples
- Three (3) references
Applicants will not be considered if all of the requested items are not received. No phone calls please. Due to the anticipated response, we may not be able to respond to every candidate.
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Chamber members must login when registering to take advantage of discounted member pricing for Chamber events.
Forgot your login? Click here to have your credentials sent to you.
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Member Orientation
Wednesday, February 4, 2015 | 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 201 N. Franklin St., Suite #201
Member Orientation is the first step to getting the MOST out of your Chamber membership! We will cover topics such as events and registration, marketing and communications and your member benefits. There will also be a chance to network so bring your business cards! Light refreshments are provided. This event is FREE! Click here to register. Special thanks to our 2015 Member Orientation sponsor, Office Depot.
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Get Connected
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 | 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Troy University, 5201 W. Kennedy Blvd., Suite #110
Get Connected is a facilitated networking program designed to give members the opportunity to make 25+ new business connections in less than an hour! Think of it as "speed networking." Each person is seated at a table with fellow participants and given two minutes to introduce their product, organization or service to the small group. FREE for FITs One & Two; $15 for all other Chamber members; $30 for non-members. Click here to register. Hosted by Troy University. |
Return on Relationships
Thursday, February 12, 2015 | 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 201 N. Franklin St., Suite #201 
During this interactive session featuring Clint Babcock of Sandler Training, you will learn how to get the most out of the networking opportunities at Chamber events, including:
- What to say when asked, "What do you do?"
- How to be comfortable introducing yourself to someone you don't know
- How to build relationships with the Chamber membership
- Goal setting for any event
- How to professionally end a conversation
- How to transition the conversation to the next step (i.e. a phone call or meeting)
Click here to register! Chamber Members $15, Non-Members $20. FREE for FIT One members. |
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The Buzz 
Thursday, February 12, 2015 | 5:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
CI Group 511 N. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602
Join Emerge Tampa Bay for our monthly networking event for young professionals hosted by Elevate, Inc. at CI Group. Drinks and light appetizers will be provided. This event is free for Emerge Tampa Bay members and $10 for potential members. Click here to register. Thank you to our sponsors CI Group and Elevate, Inc.
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Education Connection: How to Develop a Quality Internship 
Tuesday, February 17, 2015 | 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 201 N. Franklin St., #201
Join us and members of Tampa Bay's academic community for the next event in our Education Connection Series on developing quality internships.
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Competitive Edge Series: How to Communicate as a Leader
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, 201 N. Franklin St., Suite #201
Join the Chamber for our monthly Competitive Edge Series featuring Rick Gallegos, CEO of Dale Carnegie Tampa Bay. As a leader in your organization, you must be able to communicate your ideas in meetings and in front of large groups. Your communication skills can help you motivate, inspire and quickly move up and gain more responsibility. Join Dale Carnegie Training to learn how to take your presentation skills to the next level.
Attendees will learn how to: 
- Communicate with the traits of a strong leader when asked to present
- Prepare for a powerful presentation
- Build confidence to perform more effectively
- Sell ideas in front of large groups so that people want more information
- Become more interesting in front of a group
- Tell powerful stories that create impact
Click here to register or for more information. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Verizon. FREE for FITs One, Two and Three; $35 for all other members; $50 for non-members.
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The Young Professional's Guide to Time Traveling 
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 | 5:30 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
HCI Group, Inc. 5300 W. Cypress Street, Suite 100
Join Emerge Tampa Bay for the first 2015 professional development event! Through the use of better time management and creating routine we are able to create a better balance of our work/personal life. Vince Cassidy, CEO, Majesty Title Services, LLC and Holly Tomlin, President, Tomlin Talent Solutions will provide their tips and tricks to achieving better work/life balance. Click here to register. Thank you to our sponsor, HCI Group, Inc.
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2015 Military Appreciation Banquet 
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
TPepin's Hospitality Centre, 4121 N. 50th Street
Please join us in honoring our community's military personnel at the annual Military Appreciation Banquet featuring a keynote address from Florida Governor Rick Scott. General admission is $85. Corporate tables of 10 are also available. Click here to register. Thank you to our presenting sponsor Bright House Networks!
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