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Greetings!
Indian Summer is upon us. This has been a beautiful fall and I know all of our local outdoor event planners have been thankful. Still a lot more events ahead of us. Be sure to go out this weekend and support our friends at the PC Beach Chamber for their Annual Panama City Beach Seafood and Music Festival.In addition, we have been blown away at our registrations for the ColorVibe 5k Run. We now have over 2,500 registered. Check out the details by visiting thecolorvibe.com .
October 11th was like drinking from a fire hydrant. Who planned that day?
On that day Gulf Coast State College officially opened our new Advanced Technology Center (ATC). What a beautiful facility! Congratulations to Dr. Kerley and his team. Our October Bay Biz focuses on the ATC. Click here to view the online version.
Then we moved from their to the Bay EDA Annual Luncheon, where Gray Swoope, President/CEO of Enterprise Florida was the keynote. Neal Wade, Scarlet Phaneuf and Polly Jackson did a wonderful job planning this year's event. To view a special presentation from the "Recipe for Success" event, click here.
Our next stop was Tyndall Air Force Base for the Reactivation of the 95th Fighter Squadron. Col Max Marosko, III welcomed Lt Col Erick Gilbert who assumed command. Gilbert will serve as Chief of Program Integration, 325th Fighter Wing of which is responsible for the bed down of 24 F-22s; 20 T-38s; and more than 100 QF-16s in support of new mission as part of the 325th Fighter Wing transition to Air Combat Command (ACC). Lt Col Gilbert and his office will lead multiple base agencies while directly coordinating with ACC and Headquarters Air Force to ensure over $30M worth of new construction and infrastructure are ready for new mission operation. Lastly, the Program Integration Office prepares Team Tyndall and Bay County, Florida for the addition of nearly 1100 families in the coming year.
The final stop was a visit with Governor Rick Scott as he shared his continued vision and mission for the State of Florida to create jobs for its citizens.
Other activities/highlights for the past two weeks-
Congratulations also goes out to:
- Gulf Coast Medical Center for the opening of the much needed new Critical Care Wing
- Port Panama City for their announcement tolease 75,000 square feet within its new distribution warehouse to AAdvantage North American
- In addition, Port Panama City has a second distribution warehouse under construction of which will be operated by Fedex Ground on an adjacent site within the Port Authority's Intermodal Distribution Center
- Gulf Power's Annual Economic Symposium held in Sandestin. It was a huge success with nearly 600 attendees from the region. The main focus of the event was the addressing of the lack of a qualified workforce. Hats off to GP leadership Stan Connally, President/CEO for identifying and addressing this critical need.
Thank you for investing in your community and supporting our efforts to make Bay County a great place to live, work and play!
You'll find more information in this issue on:
- October Business After Hours
- Upcoming BYP Social
- November First Friday
- Color Vibe Race
- Junior Leadership Bay Silent Auction
- Grand Openings
- Sponsorship Opportunities for 2014
- 100th Anniversary T-Shirts
- Money for Members Contest
- 100th Anniversary
- Military Affairs Committee
- Business Referral Network Group Meeting Dates
Much Success,
The Bay County Chamber of Commerce Staff
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Join us for Business After Hours!
Tuesday, October 22nd
5:30-7 p.m.
St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club
218 Bunkers Cove Rd.
Enjoy networking, drinks, food, fun, live entertainment by Massalina Cargo, door prizes and more!
Sponsored by:
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Save the Date for the Upcoming BYP Social
Friday, November 13th
Gulf Coast State College Advanced Technology Center
5230 West Highway 98
5:30-7 p.m.
Partnering with the Panama City Beach Chamber's hYPe
program for this event
Sponsored by Mercedes Benz of Dothan
For Sponsorships, or more information, contact Kevin at 215-3757 or kevin@baychamberfl.com .
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Join us for November First Friday
Friday, November 1st
Networking and Coffee 7:15 a.m.
Program 8 a.m.
FSU-Panama City Holley Academic Center
(4750 Collegiate Drive)
Program: Superintendent of Schools, Bill Husfelt
Come celebrate the decade of the 2000's!
Sponsored by:
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Chamber Foundation Hosting Color Vibe Race
The Bay County Chamber Foundation announces 2,500 registered to date for the Color Vibe 5k Race on Saturday, November 16th. The race will take place at the former Bay County - Panama City International Airport.
To register or learn more about the event, visit www.thecolorvibe.com. For more information contact Elizabeth Smith at 850.215-3761.
Thank you to our Official Race Place to Stay & Registration Sponsor:
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Sponsorship Opportunities for 2014
Planning for 2014? Don't forget to budget in our annual events such as First Friday, Business After Hours and our Annual Dinner. For more information on how you can sponsor, contact Elizabeth at 215.3761.
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Junior Leadership Bay Silent Auction Contributions
The Junior Leadership Bay Steering Committee is seeking items for its annual silent auction to be held during the Chamber's Annual Dinner. The event is scheduled for January 24, 2014 at Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort. Participants will receive recognition in the dinner program.
If your business is interested in contributing an item or gift certificate, please contact Kevin at 215-3757 or Kevin@baychamberfl.com. Proceeds from the silent auction help sustain our Junior Leadership Bay program.
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Ribbon Cuttings
Business Innovation Center
FSU Panama City Campus
The Village Healthcare Center
819 E. 11th St. (A.D. Harris Learning Center)
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100th Anniversary T-Shirts for Sale
100th anniversary t-shirts are now on sale for $13 (includes tax)! They come in navy, sizes S-XXL. Call 785.5206 to buy one today. Hurry before they run out! Shirts are only available until the end of the year.
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$ Money for Members $
Don't forget to send us your leads! You can win some cash and have fun competing with other Chamber members.
You will receive $25 cash or credit on your Chamber account for each lead that joins.
Click here for more details on how you can participate!
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Bay County Chamber of Commerce, Local, and International History from 1992-1995
The year 1992 will be remembered as the year Homestead, FL, was wiped out by one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the United States - Hurricane Andrew. In that same year, Bay County welcomed Sallie Mae to the area, and Bill Clinton defeated George Bush in the presidential election. A 1993 raid by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the FBI ended with the burning of the Branch Davidian Ranch outside of Waco, Texas, in McLennan County. David Koresh, the religious group's leader, 54 other adults and 28 children were found dead after the fire.
Here at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, the first female Chair, Anne Dick, served in 1994. Although controversial at the time, the Chamber supported locating the new Bay Correctional Facility in the Highway 231 Industrial Park, which proved to be a wise decision after 100 jobs were created. Currently, over 500 inviduals are employed in the Bay County Industrial Park including companies such as EnGen, Coca Cola Bottoling Co. Consolidated and Corrections Corporation of America.
In 1995, The Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Council (EDC), and the City of Lynn Haven recruited TRANE to the area. Unfortunately, Hurricane Opal made landfall that same year in our area of the Gulf Coast, with extensive damage and change for Bay County and the 'World's Most Beautiful Beaches'. Later that year, the Oklahoma City bombing kills 168 people and wounds 800. The bombing was the worst domestic terrorist incident in U.S. history, and the investigation resulted in the arrests of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Retired professional football player O. J. Simpson is acquitted of two charges of first-degree murder in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. The trial, which lasts nine months, received worldwide publicity. by: Gina Osborne, Communications Dept. Intern
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The Military Affairs Committee (MAC) of the Bay County Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1946, and is rich in the history of providing good public relations between our military bases and the business community.
The mission of MAC is to develop understanding, support and goodwill between our men and women in uniform and the local business and civic leaders. The committee stages various events and receptions to welcome visiting military officials and guests to the Bay County area.
If you are interested in joining MAC and supporting our local Military Installations, contact Tamara@baychamberfl.com or 850.215.3791.
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CHAMBER |
Click here to view upcoming Chamber events. |
| COMMUNITY |
Click here to view more upcoming community events. |
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PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS ON THE CHAMBER WEBSITE
for rates and more information.
Did you know as a Chamber member you can post your job openings for free online? Also, if you have an upcoming event, you can also post that for free. Take advantage of the great items our website has to offer!
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Welcome
New Members
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PM Cat
Couch Ready Mix, USA
Badcock Furniture & More
Los Rancheros
Anita DeSonia, MS
Schwan's Home Delivery
Charilie Pettis Pest Services
Klever Media Works LLC
Bennigan's
Williams Communications, Inc.
Thank you to Clear Channel Radio for our new member radio spots!
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Thank You Renewing Members
Member Anniversaries
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1 Year
- Hope Radiation Cancer Center
- Panhandle Orthopedics
- St. Andrew Bay Center
- BrightStar of Bay County
- DR Horton
3 Years
- Cubic Global Tracking Solutions
- William B. Price, P.A.
5 Years
- Sleep Inn & Suites
6 Years
- Sea Breeze Health Care
7 Years
- Panama City Living Magazine
- Sheltair
- Tarpon Dock Fish Market
8 Years
- Simon Property Group
9 Years
- GM Appliance
10 Years
- Boatyard Restaurant
- Unity of Panama City
12 Years
- Panama City Dental Center
15 Years
- Landrum Professional Employer Services
24 Years
- Bauman Chiropractic Clinic
27 Years
- Bay County Board of Commissioners
- P.C. Development Group Inc.
28 Years
- City of Panama City Beach
- Workforce Center
40 Years
- Neil Graham
62 Years
- Van Horn Transfer & Storage
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Need New Customers? | |
Business Referral Network (BRN) provides an opportunity for groups of business professionals to come together to network, share business leads and referrals with other group members.
BRN is available to any member in good standing with the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.
They must attend the scheduled bi-monthly meetings and one referral or lead is requested at each meeting. Members are encouraged to bring one guest (guest may be non-member).
A member may only join one Business Referral Network group. The Business Referral Group also makes sure no single business will be in direct competition with another member of the group. (For example, only one person in banking can be in each group.)
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Business Referral Network Groups Meeting Dates
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Four different Business Referral Network (BRN) groups meet bi-monthly for lunch meetings to network and share business leads/referrals with other group members.
Only one member of each group may belong to a particular business/trade, i.e. only one person in banking, to discourage direct competition.
Group A
El Jalisco
12:00 p.m.
El Jalisco
12:00 p.m.
Ferrucci Ristorante
12:00 p.m.
November 13th
Group D
Sonny's Bar B Q (Hwy 77 location)
12:00 p.m.
November 6th
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Include Your Business in our Relocation Packet Program |
Each year the Bay County Chamber of Commerce provides relocation guides to individuals and businesses looking for information on relocating to our area. In addition to the relocation guide, we have created a way for our members to market to these individuals who may soon need their products and services.
For more information on how you can get involved, contact Brittany at brittany@baychamberfl.com or call 215-3755. |
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Support Bay County and its Businesses!
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Place copies of the "Bay Biz" and "Guide to Discovering Bay County" in your business lobby/office to support and promote our area to your clients and customers.
Call 785-5206 to get your supply of these FREE publications that lets visitors, newcomers and potential businesses know Bay County is a great place to live, work and play.
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Get Discounts on Products and Services While Supporting Other Members!
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"Member to Member Discounts" are posted on the Bay County Chamber of Commerce's website. You can access the link by clicking here. To pick up your Membership Discount card, call the Chamber at 785.5206.
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