|
Greetings!
Can you believe we are only a few days away from Thanksgiving? We hope you all have a safe and memorable holiday. Our offices will be closed Thursday, November 28th, and Friday, November 29th.
Congratulations to the City of Panama City for taking the first steps toward a Panama City Bed Tax. To read more on the issue, click here.
We encourage you to shop at local member businesses for all your holiday gifts. Small Business Saturday is November 30th, and details on how you can get involved are below.
Good news on the jobs front here in Florida, the unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent, far below the 7.3 percent national average. This is the eighth consecutive month that Florida's unemployment has been below the national average, and the 39th consecutive month that our state has seen positive job growth.
Florida has created 440,900 private-sector jobs since December 2010. In fact, in September and October alone, Florida added more than 67,000 private-sector jobs. To view more on how Florida is doing overall, click here.
Congratulations to Capt. Anderson's and Firefly for their Florida Trend Golden Spoon Awards. Both restaurants were voted the best places to dine in the state!
Our Color Vibe 5k run was a huge success, thanks to you! Over 3,900 runners participated, and thousands of others came out to enjoy the colorful experience. Check out this video by one of our members, Ronik Films.
Last week, members of our staff attended the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals Regional Meeting. Chamber professionals from all over Northwest Florida discussed issues facing the region and how we can better serve each of our members. We all look forward to facing the challenges and opportunities 2014 will bring.
You'll find more information in this issue on
- Shop Small Business Saturday
- December First Friday
- December Business After Hours
- Annual Dinner & Awards Ceremony
- Junior Leadership Bay Silent Auction
- Grand Openings
- Sponsorship & Advertising 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
|
|
The Bay County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce we will be partnering with American Express to promote your small business.
Small Business Saturday® is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide. To view participating Bay County Chamber of Commerce small businesses, click here.
It's not too late to sign up. Contact Kevin at 850.215.3757 or Kevin@baychamberfl.com. Watch your e-mail tomorrow and Friday for the Passbook, inviting you to shop at local small businesses. If you participate, you could win a prize!
|
|
Join us for December First Friday
Friday, December 6th
Networking and Coffee 7:15 a.m.
Program 8 a.m.
FSU-Panama City Holley Academic Center
(4750 Collegiate Drive)
Program: Chairman, Board Recognition & Holiday Program
Sponsored by:
|
|
Join us for our December Holiday After Hours
Tuesday, December 10th
5:30-7 p.m.
FSU-Panama City Holley Academic Center
(4750 Collegiate Drive)
Entertainment by: Massalina Cargo
Sponsored by:
|
Save the Date
Our Annual Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Friday, January 24, 2014
Silent Auction & Cocktails - 6 p.m.
Program & Dinner - 6:45 p.m.
There is special pricing for sponsorships if you reserve before December 31st, 2013. Click here for the benefits of your sponsorship.
Thank you to our sponsors:
Platinum
Gold
|
Sponsorship and Advertising 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 850.215.3761.
Our Bay Biz Magazine is taking on a fresh, new look in 2014! Ad sales are now underway for the quarterly publication, including discounts for multiple issue advertisements. Contact Brittany at 850.215.3755.
Sales are wrapping up for the 2014 "Guide to Discovering Bay County". The deadline to commit for a spot in the Guide is November 29th. Contact Bubba at Boyd Printing at 850.814.2926. Click here for a rate sheet.
|
|
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 850.215.3757 or Kevin@baychamberfl.com. Proceeds from the silent auction help sustain our Junior Leadership Bay program.
|
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.
|
$ 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!
|
Bay County Chamber of Commerce, Local, and International History from 2005-2009
We are getting closer to present day in our look back at the past 100 years. It's a bit easier to remember where we were and what we were doing between 2005 and 2009. During that time, our chamber had great leadership with Chair Elizabeth Walters, Glen McDonald, Steve Southerland, Andy Phillips, and Sean McNeil.
Of course, we are surrounded by technology. Many of the things we use every day now, first saw their start during this time period. We were first introduced to Twitter and YouTube during this time. We were also first able to purchase Apple iPhones and the Amazon Kindles.
Disasters such as the Virginia Tech massacre and Hurricane Katrina occurred and we wept with those who were affected.
Bay County itself was affected by Hurricane Katrina as some of those impacted by the devastation took refuge and stayed in our area.
Also in 2005, Leadership Bay created Bay Young Professionals, which is still going strong today. In 2009, Carol Roberts was selected as the "Chamber Professional of the Year" by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP).
by: Tricia Pearce, Life Management Center
|
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.
|
|
|
|
CHAMBER |
Click here to view upcoming Chamber events. |
| COMMUNITY |
Click here to view more upcoming community events. |
|
| |
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!
|
|
Welcome
New Members
| |
Thank you to Clear Channel Radio for our new member radio spots!
|
Thank You Renewing Members
Member Anniversaries
| |
1 Year
- Gravestone Cleaning Service
- Island Air Express
- Phoenix Performance Fitness Center
- Academy of Eye Care
- American General Life & Accident
- At Home Comforts Pet Sitting
- Bacot Academy
- Bay Health Foundation
- Bond & Associates, Inc.
- Chartwells School Dining Services
- Childers Fine Jewelry
- El Jalisco
- French & French
- Garner IT Consulting
- Glass Doctor
- Harley Davidson of Panama City Beach
- Honda of Bay County
- Hope Radiation Cancer Center
- Meadows & Kelley P.A.
- North Florida Coins and Collectibles
- Panhandle Orthopaedics
- Pyne Law Group, P.A.
- St. Andrew Bay Center
- The Krystal Company
- VBA Design, Inc.
- Wal-Mart #3075
- Allstate Insurance- Baytown Agency
- BrightStar of Bay County
- DR Horton
- Emerald Coast Insurance
- Florida Architects, Inc.
- KT Social Media Inc.
- LockMasters USA
- Super Cuts
- The Grand Theatre
- Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
- W.B. Riggins Tallow Co.
3 Years
- BASIC of NWFL, Inc.
- Cubic Global Tracking Solutions
- Kerigan Marketing Associates, Inc.
- Pirates Island Adventure Golf
- Siemens
- Southern Earth Sciences, Inc.
- St. Dominic Catholic Church
- William B. Price, P.A.
4 Years
- CareSouth Homecare Professionals
- Comfort Suites
- Gulf Coast General & Pediatric Surgery
- Hampton Inn
- Sleep Inn & Suites
- Spine Care Plus
- TownePlace Suites
- Vascular Associates
5 Years
- Bay County Republican Party
- Sleep Inn & Suites
6 Years
- Glen Cove Nursing Pavilion
- Henkle Law Firm
- Mad Hatter Automotive Care
- Sea Breeze Health Care
7 Years
- Panama City Living Magazine
- Representative Jimmy Patronis
- Sheltair
- Tarpon Dock Fish Market
- Universal Engineering Sciences
8 Years
- Anderson & Associates Construction, Inc.
- Simon Property Group
9 Years
- Eye Center South
- GM Appliance
- Innovations Federal Credit Union
- Legacy by the Sea
- MidSouth Bank
- Neves Media Productions
- Party America
- Paul Harris Insurance Agency
10 Years
- Arthritis & SportsCare Center
- Boatyard Restaurant
- Emerald Coast Answerphone
- Gulf Coat Triathlon Foundation
- State Farm- Michael Lovchuk
- Tommy Smith Elementary
- Unity of Panama City
11 Years
- Citynet
- Cox Pools
- Gulf Marine
- Lockheed Martin Aeronautics F-22
12 Years
- Disability Resource Center
- First Command Financial Planning
- Hatch Mott MacDonald
- Landever Estates
- Life Management Center of NW FL
- Panama City Dental Center
13 Years
- Airman & Family Readiness Center
- Children's Home Society of Florida
14 Years
- Southerland Family Funeral Homes
15 Years
- Jensen USA, Inc.
- Landrum Professional Employer Services
- Metabolic Research Center
- Second Chance of Northwest Florida
16 Years
- Advanced Sign Solutions
- Bay, Franklin, Gulf Healthy Start Coalition Inc.
- Coastal Business Products
- Tillman Investments, LLC
- Tom Gladstone Homes, LLC
17 Years
- Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Inc.
- Nations Real Estate
18 Years
- Junior Achievement of NW Florida
- King Aerospace
22 Years
- GCSC Small Business Development Center
23 Years
- Kedrick Cerry Inc.
- Tyndall AFB Public Affairs
24 Years
- Northrop Grumman
- Bauman Chiropractic Clinic
27 Years
- Bay County Board of Commissioners
- P.C. Development Group, Inc.
28 Years
- City of Panama City
- City of Panama City Beach
- Bryant & Higby
- RockTenn
- Workforce Center
34 Years
- Smith Miles & Company
40 Years
- Neil Graham
62 Years
- AT&T
- Van Horn Transfer & Storage
|
|
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.)
|
|
Business Referral Network Groups Meeting Dates
| |
Group A
El Jalisco
12:00 p.m.
El Jalisco
12:00 p.m.
December 12th
Ferrucci Ristorante
12:00 p.m.
December 11th
Group D
Sonny's Bar B Q (Hwy 77 location)
12:00 p.m.
December 6th
|
|
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. |
|
Support Bay County and its Businesses!
| |
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.
|
|
Get Discounts on Products and Services While Supporting Other Members!
|
"Member to Member Discounts" are posted on the Bay County Chamber of Commerce website. You can access the link by clicking here. To pick up your Membership Discount card, call the Chamber at 785.5206.
|
|
