feb 08 nl - wochamber.com
TRANSCRIPT
2008Community
Trustees
BankFIRST
Bright FutureElectric, LLC
Castle & Cooke
DeWitt Excavating
Embarq
First CommercialBank of Florida
GrayRobinson, P.A.
Health Central
Lowndes DrosdickDoster Kantor &
Reed, P.A.
Manheim Orlando
McCree Designed & Built Right!
Miller, South & Milhausen, P.A.
PrismOne Group, LLC
Progress Energy
Regions Bank
SunTrust Bank
The MiddlesexCompanies
Veranda Partners
Walt Disney WorldCompany
West Oaks Mall
Our Mission: To Develop, Support and Promote Chamber Member Businesses and Our Community.
Chairman’s MessageJulie Kleffel, 2008 Chamber ChairmanBankFIRST
February 2008
Happy New Year!
I cannot believe that we have turned another page in history and that I have offi cially begun my service as your new West Orange Chamber of Commerce Chairman for 2008. I am so excited about all the opportunities that are before us as a Chamber and as a community. West Orange County is a wonderful community and it is my absolute pleasure to be associated with a local Chamber that is committed to supporting its members by continuing to drive home our mantra of “Chamber members doing business with Chamber members”. It is my sincerest hope that each chamber member will focus on assisting the Chamber with its ongoing growth by celebrating how the Chamber has made a difference in our community and in our businesses all throughout the year.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all of our loyal Chamber members that have helped make 2007 a huge success and that have renewed their fi nancial commitment to the chamber for 2008. I specifi cally want to say thank you to all of our Discover magazine advertisers because without your support the Chamber would not be able to produce the magazine with the level of excellence we have all grown accustomed to over the past several years. Thank you also to Progress Energy for providing the chamber staff with the demographic information that was included in the publication and thank you to Joe Alarie of Alarie Design Associates for his magnifi cent cover artwork and design. As always there are many ways that you and your business can support the Chamber whether it is with membership fees, sponsorship dollars, or simply your time and energy. There are still sponsorship opportunities available for 2008 at all levels. Please be sure to contact your chamber staff to fi nd out the best way to showcase your business and maximize your chamber membership.
In closing, I want to extend a special thanks to Russ Salerno, my predecessor. Russ has put countless hours into making the Chamber and our community a better place. I want to welcome our new board members for 2008. They are Chesta Hembrooke, Jeff Milhausen, John Murphy, Shelly Weidenhamer, Bob Hennen, Ken Dwyer, Kitty Phiillips, David Sylvester, and Commissioner Bob Buchanan.. As always, our Chamber board and staff are dedicated to providing you with the best service possible and stand ready to assist you in any way we can in the coming year.
I am looking forward to serving you, your business, and our community!
Best regards,
Julie KleffelWest Orange Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors Chairman, 2008
Jacqueline Siegel (local Philanthropist and wife of Timeshare Tycoon David Siegel), Michelle Damon(wife of the New York Yankee Johnny Damon), Tina Wong, Mrs. Orlando America, Michael Waldrop, a Purple Heart Recipient and Vice President of Business Development at McCree, Designed and Built Right! Danny Treanor, local weatherman from Channel 13 and Bert Roper, inventor of the Tree-See Control System, Benefactor of the Roper YMCA and Citrus Industry Entrepreneur. The Who’s Who of West Orange, what do they have in common?
West OrangeChamber
Board of Directors
Joe Alarie
A. Kurt Ardaman
Mayor Gary Bruhn
Comm. Bob Buchanan
Debbie Clements
Jim Densmore
Ken Dwyer
Louis Fazio, Jr.
Rob Frank
Ron Garrison
Bob Gosselin
Pamela Gould
Chesta Hembrooke
Bob Hennen
Comm. Teresa Jacobs
Julie Kleffel - Chairman
John McReynolds
Jeff Milhausen
John Murphy
Linda Osterberg
Dan Petro
Kitty Phillips
Stephen Precourt
Russ Salerno
Paul Sexton
Dianne Southwell
Mayor Kathy Stark
Lynetta Steed
David Sylvester
Jim Thomas
Dr. Diane Trees
Micheal Waldrop
Shelly Weidenhamer
Member to Member Testimonial
The West Orange Chamber has done a wonderful job to expand the perception and sell the image of West Orange County to out-of-town vacationers, business guests and newcomers. They also provide accurate demographics to help attract new business to our area that will enhance our economic development.
Judy BlackMain Street Realty International
Th e Deed is Done
For those of you who have been with the chamber for over a decade, you will remember the intensive building fund campaign that was established in pursuit of the purchase of the Chamber building. This campaign encompassed corporate and private donations, the selling of bricks and much more that lasted for the past 10 years. It started back in 1997 when Lake Apopka Natural Gas (former residents of the Chamber building) and the city of Winter Garden worked out a property swap and then offered the property at 12184 West Colonial Drive to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce for a lease option to purchase.
The Chamber was in desperate need of a structurally sound, centrally located home. Many of the Chamber’s community partners enabled that to happen. The City of Winter Garden took the leadership role and offered the site and then asked other municipalities and private businesses to help in this venture. Oakland, Ocoee, and Windermere each contributed to the fund. BankFIRST, Florida Power (now Progress Energy), Health Central, Dan Petro and Walt Disney World also contributed by making annual contributions. Veranda Park contributed a small portion of their residential sales proceeds to the fund for a year. The West Orange Committee of 101 was instrumental in keeping the fund growing. So very many of you helped to make it happen and on January 14th, the Chamber became the proud owners of the building at 12184 West Colonial, the Chamber’s home.
This is not the end of the road. Now that we proudly own the building, we plan to expand the parking lot allowing our facilities to be more accessible to our members and the community.
For those that have never been to our offi ces or even if you have, we would love for you to stop in and check us out, you are always welcome in our home.
A Great Way to Mix Business and BreakfastEvery community has them and without them we would be at such a loss; West Orange is no exception and could very well have the best ones when it comes to volunteers, those willing to give back to their com-munities. West Orange exceptional community leaders were recently honored at the Chamber’s Business & Breakfast sponsored by Bright Future Electric and Bistro Gourmet at McDonald’s. Russ Salerno, the 2007 WOCC Chairman had the pleasure of presenting a variety of awards for contributions to the Chamber and the greater West Orange Community. The auditorium was fi lled with community and Chamber members as we honored: Kay Behrens and Jim Neumayer – Lifetime Directors; Neal Harris – Sam Hovsepian Award; Pam Gould - The Mary VanDevener Award, “The Spirit of West Orange”; Paul McGarigal – The George Bailey Award; Randy June – The Bert Roper Award; Derek Blakeslee with the Bond Foundation – The Jerry Chicone Award; Regions Bank – Member of the Year; Shelly Weidenhamer – Chairman’s Award and JoAnne Quarles – The Ambassador of the Year award.
After the prestigious Chamber awards were handed out, the attendees got a fi rst hand glimpse of the recent property tax legislation that came before the voters on January 29th on Presidential Preference Primary day. Bill Donegan, Orange County Property Appraiser, gave a concise and informative presentation on how the tax cut would impact individuals as well as the governments. What a great way to mix business with breakfast.
Longwood407-767-6411
MetroWest407-398-7730
Winter Park407-645-4350
Your eyesare yourwindowto theworld.
Robert S. Gold, M.D., F.A.A.P.David B. Auerbach, D.O.Louis C. Blumenfeld, M.D., F.A.A.P.Victor B. Thomas, M.D.Larry S. Lewis, O.D.
www.eyephy.com
EYE CARE. WE CARE.
The West Orange Chamber knows,that you know,
that we know Small Business, but, does everyone else know,
what you know about you?
Take advantage of Member only Benefi ts…• Web Enhance Marketing (WEM)• The Chambers Data Base on labels or on Disc• Fax Blasts• Advertising on the Chamber‛s Website
Contact the Chamber at [email protected] or 407-656-1304 to fi nd out how you can be in the know.
The Chamber knows!
HOT TOPIC – Wednesday, February 13th7:50 am – 9:00 am
BankFIRST Community RoomThe “Hot Topic” will be Marketing Your Business On and
Offl ine by Royall Media, Inc. The presentation will be broken into two sections, the fi rst relating to the general marketing
and advertising including an overview of strategy & planning, targeting a demographic, dominating a medium through
frequency and repetition, and the media buying process. The second section will cover search engine optimization techniques
and other ways of building web traffi c to your website and marketing yourself online. This event will be held at
BankFIRST in their new Community Room. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Space is limited; please R.S.V.P. to Chris Eckert at 407-656-1304 or [email protected]!
AMBASSADOR ACCOLADES & ANTICS
The Ambassadors recently participated in the following events:
RIBBON CUTTINGSWorld Market
3227 Daniels Road, Winter Garden Global Counseling
120 W. 6th Avenue, Windermere,West End Safe & Lock
855 E. Plant Street, Ste 1000, Winter GardenHillcrest Insurance
37 N. Boyd Street, Winter GardenCouture Cleaners
348 Moore Road, OcoeeLola’s
505 Main Street, Ste B, Windermere Techmart
356 Moore Road, Ocoee Jos. A. Bank
3279 Daniels Road, P-102, Winter GardenZelmar Kitchen Designs
1107 S. Clarke Road, OcoeeDynasty Gallery & Gifts
1053 S. Clarke Road, OcoeeUno Chicago Grill
3167 Daniels Road, Winter Garden
ANNIVERSARYSundax Florida (1st)
890 Carter Road, Ste 180, Winter Garden IHOP (1st)
13603 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden
Mark your calendar forthe 6th Annual Best Fest
“A Taste of West Orange”Th ursday, April 17, 2008
5:00 – 8:30 pm“Th e Residences” at Veranda Park
3rd fl oor, Rain or Shine
Vendors Wanted
Contact Lauren at [email protected]
New MembersAPARTMENTS
Winterwoods Apartment HomesJane Gibbons
(407) 877-2110www.epmapartments.com
BAKERYParty Flavors Custom Cakes
Priscilla Lucas(407) 578-2082
www.orlandocustomcakes.com
BANKSRegions Bank
Jill DeVita(407) 656-3125
BUSINESS CONSULTINGBuild A Business, LLC
Jason Walker(407) 489-6017
www.buildabusiness.biz
CHOCOLATES & GIFTSPeterbrooke Chocolatier
Phil Bresson(407) 877-0048
www.peterbrooke.com
CLEANING SERVICESVanguard Cleaning Systems
John Long(407) 373-6058
www.vanguardcleaning.com
COMPUTER - SALES/SERVICE/CONSULTANT
TechmartJohn Ricketts
(407) 905-3560www.techmartfl .com
COSMETICS & SKIN CAREMary Kay CosmeticsAudrey Harris White
(407) 227-2439www.marykay.com/alwhite
DENTISTBR Dental
Brian Ramski(407) 299-9967
DENTIST - COSMETIC & FAMILY
West Orange Dental GroupDr. Tejumade St. Matthew-Daniel
(407) 290-9588www.westorangecosmeticdentist.
com
HEALTH AND WELLNESSIsagenix International
Page Thall(407) 929-2814
pagethall.isagenix.com
INSURANCE - GROUP & HEALTH
Austin InsuranceFred Austin
(407) 963-2270
MORTGAGE LOANSCountrywide Home Loans
Stacy Chester(407) 883-0687
www.countrywidebank.com
ORGANIZATIONS - NON-PROFIT
SCORE Orlando ChapterRich Jaeckle
(407) 420-4893
PHOTOGRAPHYClix Portrait Studios
Rick Rocha(407) 466-3136
www.clixorlando.com
PHYSICIANS - INTERNAL/PREVENTIVE
MEDICINEWintermere Internal Medicine
Dr. Adnan Khan(407) 654-2727
PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTSKB SmartwearAndre Smart
(407) 649-1685www.kbsmartwear.net
REAL ESTATE - APPRAISINGDeRango, Best & Associates
Daniel DeRango(407) 895-6650
www.derangobest.com
REAL ESTATE - ASSOCIATESDorcas Dillard - Portfolio Homes
& Investments, Inc.(407) 694-2057
www.refer2dorcas.com
Myra Waterman - Stirling Sotheby’s
International Realty(407) 509-6364
www.AtHomeWithMyra.com
RESTAURANTSChili’s
Megan Dempsey(407) 877-0796www.chilis.com
Longhorn SteakhouseDaryl Baer
(407) 654-0272www.longhornsteakhouse.com
Planet SmoothieClayton Beamer(407) 656-6574
www.planetsmoothie.com
Saris RestaurantEnrique Vives
(407) 654-6912
Smokey BonesJohn Murphy
(407) 245-5383www.smokeybones.com
Tambora’s Grill CafeVicky Curiel
(407) 340-7927
Texas RoadhouseAmber Agnew
(407) 253-4224www.texasroadhouse.com
SCHOOLSMontverde Academy
Kasey Kesselring(407) 469-2561
www.montverde.org
Rate Relief SolutionsJim Mesh
(407) 869-8900
Windermere Preparatory SchoolGreg Stone
(407) 905-7737www.windermereprep.com
SEPTIC TANK INSTALLATION & REPAIR
Brownie’s Water SolutionsPenny Woodruff(407) 841-4321
http://brownieseptic.com/
SHOPPING CENTERSWestside Crossing
Eleanor Wong(407) 298-6678
www.orlandochinatown.com
SIGNSSigns & Embroidery
Abraham Ucin(407) 656-7699
TRAVEL AGENCIESSeaMaster Cruises
Teresa Knox(407) 290-2469
www.teresaknox.com
Renewed MembersACCOUNTANTS - CERTIFIED PUBLICGillard Financial Solutions, LLCOsburn, Henning & Company
APARTMENTSCountry GardensInland Seas Apartments
ARCHITECTUREJWB ArchitectsKZF Design, LLC
ASSOCIATEElizabeth M. ErvineKate OatesTheo Graham
ATTORNEYSFishback,Dominick,Bennett,Stepter,Ardaman,Ahlers & Langley, LLPJohn W. Rodgers, Attorney at LawLynn Walker Wright, P.A.
AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPSOrlando Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Inc.
BANKSFirst Commercial Bank of FloridaOrange Bank of Florida
BATTERY-SALESG.J. Batteries, Inc.
BROCHURE DISTRIBUTIONF.P.I.S., Inc., Brochure Distribu-tion & Travel Marketing
BUILDERS/CONTRACTORS/DEVELOPERSCastle & CookeR. C. Stevens Construction CompanyRabCo Corporation TheRyland Homes
CATERINGBig City Catering, Inc.
CHURCHESCornerstone Community ChurchPeople of Faith Lutheran Church
CITIES & TOWNSTown of Windermere
CITRUS BUYERSP. H. Freeman & Sons, Inc.
CITRUS COOPERATIVESouth Lake Apopka Citrus
CITRUS GROVE MANAGEMENTWinter Garden Citrus Growers
CITRUS GROWERSHolland Properties, Inc.
CITRUS PACKERS/COMMERCIAL/GIFT SHIPPERSConoley Citrus Packers, Inc.
COMPUTER - SALES/SERVICE/CONSULTANTTechnology Solutions of AmericaTerrito Information Systems
CONCRETE CONTRACTORSThe Middlesex Companies
DENTIST - ORTHODONTISTRobert T. Ogden, D.D.S.
ELECTED OFFICIALSFlorida Senator Daniel WebsterOrange County Clerk of the Courts
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORBright Future Electric, LLCTerrito Electric, Inc.
ENGINEERS-CONSULTING/CIVILJune Engineering Consultants, Inc.
ENVIRONMENTAL- CONSULTINGBiosphere Consulting, Inc.
FINANCIAL ADVISORSAXA AdvisorsJenemi Associates, Inc.
FINANCIAL SERVICESLegacy Financial Solutions
FLOOR COVERING COMPANIESFloors Direct
GAS COMPANIESLake Apopka Natural Gas District
GRAPHIC DESIGNAlarie Design Associates, Inc.
HOME HEALTH CARECare America, HHC
INSURANCEState Farm Insurance – Joseph McClellanState Farm Insurance – Tom Mullins
LANDSCAPEImage Landscaping & Mainte-nanceU.S. Lawns of Orlando
MANUFACTURERLambert Corporation of Florida
MANUFACTURERS - MARINETeak Isle, Inc.
METAL WORKSFlorida Metal Craft, Inc.
MORTGAGE LOANSCountrywide Home Loans
MOVIE THEATREWest Orange 5
NEWSPAPERSOrlando Business Journal
ORGANIZATIONS - CIVICRotary Club of Windermer
ORGANIZATIONS - HEALTH (NON-PROFIT)Community Health Centers, Inc.Florida’s Blood Centers, Inc.
ORGANIZATIONS - NON-PROFITEarly Learning Coalition of Orange CountyHenry Nehrling SocietyS.T.A.R.S. of West OrangeThe Gift of Swimming
PEST CONTROLHome Team Pest Defense
PETROLEUM GAS TANKS & GENERATORS -SALES & SERVICEDon Wood, Inc.
PHARMACIESMedicine Shoppe, The
PHYSICIANS - ORTHOPAEDICWest Orange Orthopaedics
REAL ESTATELand Plus, Inc.Suzi Karr Realty, Inc.
REAL ESTATE - DEVELOPMENTApex Commerce Center, LLCAquaterra Development, Inc.
REAL ESTATE - INVESTMENTIRM Investments, Real Estate & Management
RECREATIONAL VEHICLES SALES/SERVICEGiant Recreation World
RENTAL PROPERTIES - COMMERCIALWhite Buffalo Holdings, LLC
RESTAURANTSMcDonald’s Of Winter Garden
RETAILBest Buy
RETAIL - HARDWAREACE Hardware
SCHOOLSDillard Street Elementary SchoolFoundation Academy - North CampusGotha Middle SchoolHiawassee ElementaryMetrowest Elementary SchoolOcoee Elementary SchoolPalm Lake Elementary SchoolSouthwest Middle SchoolSpring Lake ElementaryUniversity of FloridaWest Orange High SchoolWestside Tech
SIGNSThe Original Sign Factory
SKILLED NURSING FACILITYQuality Health Care Center
STORAGE UNITSMaguire Road Self Storage
TITLE INSURANCE SERVICESEquitable Title Agency, Inc.
TRAVEL AGENCIESGo Travel
VETERINARIANSOcoee Animal HospitalWinter Garden Animal Hospital
JOIN.MEET.GROW.
Waste Management Donates Recycled Tables to Tildenville Elementary
Waste Management Inc. of Florida Public Sector Services Manager Jim Swan (seated, center) and Waste Manage-ment Recycle America Municipal Manager Larry Dalla Betta (standing behind table) receive thank-you cards from Tildenville Elementary kindergartners for the recycled-plastic picnic tables the companies recently donated to the school. Each table is made from 5,760 recycled milk jugs and requires no maintenance other than washing. Waste Management Inc. of Florida is one of Tildenville Elementary School’s Partners in Education and in the past has donated thousands of pencils and rulers made of recycled materials to the students and books on recycling and the environment to the school library.
THE WHO’S WHO OF WEST ORANGE ARE DANCING What do Jackie Siegel, Michael Waldrop, Danny Treanor, Michelle Damon, and Tina Wong all have in common? They are all hard at work learning ballroom dancing at the Central Florida Dance Center in preparation for the West Orange Chamber’s Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off! But look out folks, West Orange’s own Bert Roper is dusting off his dancing shows and joining the ranks as he too will “cut a rug” and vie for the bragging rights as the best dancer in West Orange County.
The Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off is a premiere fundraiser event for the West Orange Chamber and a $1.00 of each ticket sold goes directly into the Chamber’s Scholarship fund for area High School seniors who plan to attend Valencia Community College or Westside Technical School. The competition is all in fun, but you would never know it by the level of intensity the dancers have shown while rehearsing. Guests of the event will be treated to outstanding dance performances, providing for a most entertaining evening. Professional judges will oversee the event, but the audience will be able to vote and ultimately dictate the winner.
The presenting sponsors for the Big Orange Ball are Progress Energy, DeWitt Excavating and Technology Solutions of America. Also sponsoring the event are Ace Hardware, DRB Benefi ts Group and dance lessons along with studio time are provided by The Central Florida Dance Center.
Come out and support the Chamber while cheering on your favorite dancers. The evening will also include both silent and live auctions. Reservations are required and may be made at [email protected] or by calling 407-656-1304x5. Seats are limited.
CHAMBER CHATTER
Joy McGinty, founder of The Gift of Swimming, was honored with The Humanitarian Award for 2007 by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Community Action Board and Head Start Policy Council. The Annual Awards Dinner was held on November 9th
at the Orange County Convention Center. Her accomplishments were achieved through an exceptional partnership with The Gift of Swimming, SouthWest Aquatics and the Orange County Head Start program. This partnership gave 412 children the opportunity to learn water safety skills through swimming.
Julie Kleffel, Chairman of the Chamber, in addition to her current position at BankFIRST as Area President was also promoted to Senior VP of Commercial Loan Sales.
Plaudits! was recently awarded a Reader’s Choice Award by The Orlando Business Journal for Best Corporate Gift Company in Central Florida. Rave Reviews Magazines also named Plaudits! in their Top 100 List.
2008Supporting
Trustees
Ace Hardware
Alarie DesignAssociates
Dyer, Riddle, Mills& Precourt, Inc.
Fishback, Dominick,Bennett, Stepter,
Ardaman, Ahlers & Bonus, LLP
Plaudits!
Publix
Sines, Girvin,Blakeslee & Campbell
Technology Solutionsof America
The Huber Group
The Robins & Morton Group
The West OrangeTimes
Universal Orlando
University of Central Florida
Waste Management, Inc. of Florida
Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves
West Orange Chamber of Commerce12184 W. Colonial DriveWinter Garden, FL 34787Ph: (407) 656-1304 Fax: (407) 656-0224Web site: www.wochamber.com
Presorted StandardU.S. Postage
PAIDPermit No. 257
Winter Garden, FL
FEBRUARY
Wednesday, February 13thHot Topics
Presented by Royall Media “Marketing Your Business On and Offl ine”
7:50-9:00amBankFIRST Community Room
Free for current Chamber Members; by RSVP only
Thursday, February 21stLead & Feed
Zia’s Grill & Pizza12:00-1:30pm
Cost: TBA
Friday, February 22nd The Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off
Sponsored byDewitt Excavating, Progress Energy and Technology Solutions of America
Rosen Centre6:30pm – 11:00pm
$96.00 Members, $116.00 Non Members
Thursday, February 28thBusiness After Hours
Sponsored by and located atFirst Commercial Bank
5:30pm – 7:00pmFREE
MARCH
Thursday, March 13thLead & FeedTaverna Opa12:00-1:30pm
Cost: TBA
Tuesday, March 18th – Wednesday, March 19thCapitol Connection
Sponsored by Universal Orlando$350.00 per person
Thursday, March 20thNew Member Orientation
Sponsored by Strombeck Consulting, CPA’sChamber Offi ce
3:30pm – 4:30pmFREE
Thursday, March 20thBusiness After Hours
Sponsored by and located atAPEX Commerce Center
5:30pm – 7:00pmFREE
Thursday, March 27thPower Networking
Sponsored by and located at Courtyard by Marriott8:00am – 9:00am
FREE for current Chamber Members; by RSVP only