File - Key West Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER CHOWDER©
510 Greene Street ~ 1st Floor, Key West
Chamber Celebrates the
Community’s Success
Key West Chamber of Commerce President Nicki Will, far right, presented a special award
to the founders and creators of the recently completed Vietnam Living Memorial and Veterans
Memorial Garden at Bayview Park. The founding committee included, from left to right, Scott
Cates, Billy Wiliams, Henry Fuller and Jerry Hughes.
nvestment, improvement and enterprise. At its Dec. 16th awards
luncheon, the Key West Chamber of Commerce celebrated all three
qualities, honoring the people and projects that made Key West better
in the past year.
Two individuals were introduced as Key West Stars for their volunteer
efforts and tireless commitment to their community.
Joyce Benavides, who works with the Key West Chamber, Rotary,
Silverliners and a host of other organizations, was honored as a Key West
Star, along with Jack Niles III, whose name is synonymous with Key West
baseball and youth athletics in general.
Five resorts were renovated or newly built, a restaurant returned and a
real estate company restored a historic Old Town home.
Key West Chamber of Commerce President Nicki Will presented the
organization’s Business for Beauty awards to seven local businesses.
“The Chamber’s Business for Beauty Award is presented for capital
projects or extensive renovations that add to the beauty of Key West,” Will
said during the luncheon at the Casa Marina Resort.
The La Concha Hotel & Spa was honored after renovating its guest rooms
and installed a brand new spa at the towering “Top” of one of the island’s tallest
buildings. The Marker Resort at the Historic Seaport represented the first
newly constructed hotel in Old Town in more than 20 years and did so with
a stunning palette of blue and white décor. The Saint Hotel added romance
during the complete renovation of the former Southern Cross Motel, while
The Gates Hotel and Fairfield Inn & Suites vastly improved the aesthetics
I
continued on page 3 4
Page 1
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
www.keywestchamber.org
Message from President Nicki L. Will
would
like
to
wish everyone a
happy, healthy and
prosperous New Year.
It has been an honor
to serve as the President
of the Key West Chamber
of Commerce in 2015. I
look forward to 2016 and
serving the members of
the chamber for another
year as President.
I would like to reflect for a moment on the
2015 awardees of the Key West Chamber. Each year
the chamber recognizes individuals or businesses
in our community for outstanding achievements.
As I was preparing for the awards luncheon I was
able to comprehend and appreciate the many
contributions to our business and civic community
over the past year. The chamber is also proud to
provide a venue for special awards recognition for
the City Employee, Police Officer and Firefighter of
the Year as well as the Military Affairs Committee
Military Appreciation Awards.
Our “Key West Stars” Joyce Benavides and Jack
Niles, III, two individuals that give tirelessly and
selflessly to the community of themselves and their
resources year after year.
To the awardees of the “Business for Beauty”
including The Keys Collection of the Fairfield Inn
& Suites and The Gates Key West, Re/Max Keys
I
continued on page 34
Table of Contents
Business Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2015 Awards Luncheon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Island of Lights Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Business Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7-8
Business After Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
New Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Officer of the Year Award . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Community Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cruise Ship Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chamber Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . 12
January 2016
Spotlight Shines on ... Joe Caso, independent business advisor
Each month, the Chamber of Commerce spotlights
a business or professional person whose business card is
drawn at the Business After Hours. This month’s winner
is Joe Caso, independent business advisor.
J
oe Caso had been advising business owners
and chief executives long before the title
was on his business card.
The New Jersey native has a varied
business background that includes large,
national public accounting firms, professional
recruitment for C-level executives and highlevel sales and marketing.
“I eventually realized that I had been doing
business advising work for years; decades even;
without calling it that or billing for it,” said
Caso, who started vacationing in Key West 18
years ago with his wife, Cheryl.
“We’d come down every winter for three or
four weeks, and always loved it,” Caso said, adding
that they bought a home here four years ago, but
still only spent a month or so in Key West each year.
“We’d stay for a month or so and rent our
house out the rest of the year,” he said.
That worked well for the couple until this
past September, when they decided to make Key
West their permanent residence.
“Now we’re here full time and year ‘round,”
said Caso. “’Retired’ isn’t even in my vocabulary,
and I can truly do my job anywhere. I have
clients in New York, New Jersey, California,
Florida and other states.”
As soon as the couple became full-time
residents, “I was immediately introduced to
Virginia Panico and the Key West Chamber
of Commerce. She’s certainly a mover and a
shaker and the next thing I knew I was on the
chamber’s Economic Affairs Committee.”
Before launching his own independent
business advisement firm, Caso had been
working for Lincoln Financial.
“My job there was to help the company’s top
producers grow their own businesses and bottom
line,” he said. “And when I left Lincoln, several of my
guys called and asked if I would continue advising
them on their goals, objectives and strategies.”
“They said, ‘I’ll pay you to do it, obviously,’”
Caso said.
And his new business was born.
“The industry of my clients doesn’t matter,”
said Caso, who emphasized his hands-on
approach to advising and consulting.
His client list includes doctors, lawyers,
construction executives, a wallpaper manufacturer
and several others.
“I usually work with owners, principles
and/or CEOs, because believe it or not, they
usually have the least number of people they
can talk to.”
Objective and effective feedback is rare in the
corporate world, where most people have their
own agenda. Or they’ll only tell the boss what they
think he or she wants to hear, Caso said.
“So I become their own little board of
advisors for that owner or CEO,” he said, ticking
off areas in which he can help, such as human
resources, strategy, business plans, expansion,
growth and goals.
Caso summed up his skills and approach
by saying, “I help people create and define their
goals for their business. They need someone
objective to come in and help them achieve their
goals. I help them determine the predictors of
success that will help them reach that goal. And
finally, I help them carve out the time to actually
do the activities that we determine will be the
most impactful to reach their goals.”
Business advising represents about 90
percent of Caso’s services. The other 10 percent
is spent on what he calls “transition coaching.”
“People come to me when they don’t know
what they want to do next in their career,” he said.
“But if you’re an accountant and you want to find
another accounting job, that’s not me. I’ll refer
you to an agency or a career building website.”
Though he’s currently in the process of
updating his website, Caso can still be reached
and found online at www.casoandco.com. For
more information, or to contact him, email
[email protected] or call 305-453-6378.
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The Chamber Chowder Heartily Thanks These Businesses for Their Generous Support of this Issue of the Newsletter
Ernest Hemingway
House Museum
907 Whitehead Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-1136
Page 2
Porter Allen
Insurance Company
513 Southard Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-2542
La Concha
Crowne Plaza
430 Duval Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-296-2991
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
YP.com
9850 NW 41st St.
Doral, FL 33178
305-482-2601
Old Town Key West
Development
201 Front Street, Suite 301
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-3225
January 2016
“Community Success” continued from page 1 4
President’s Message continued from page 1 4
on North Roosevelt Boulevard at the
entrance to the island.
The chamber also recognized
the return of Taco Bell to the
boulevard, where new owner Jamey
Luihn gutted the entire building and
updated the eatery, to the delight of
hungry residents. And Realtor Curtis
Skomp meticulously restored the
former Heritage House Museum on
Caroline Street to use as his Re/Max
Keys Connection office.
Will thanked and congratulated
each business representative for their
innovation and improvement. She
then presented local restaurateur
Joe Walsh and his partner George
Esbensen with the Chamber’s
Venture Award for the new
Waterfront Brewery at the Historic
Seaport, which converted a vacant
former grocery store into a sprawling
brewery and waterfront restaurant.
“Venture Awards recognize
bold investment in a new business
or enterprise that exemplifies the
entrepreneurial spirit and adds to the
Key West atmosphere,” Will said.
The chamber gave special
recognition to the newly unveiled
Key West Vietnam Living Memorial
and Veterans Memorial Garden at
Bayview Park. The monument pays
tribute to Vietnam veterans who are
from or lived in Key West during
the conflict.
The memorial also remembers
each branch of the military and its
impact on Key West.
The chamber’s luncheon also
included tributes to local military
Collection and owners Curtis and Mariana Skomp, The
Marker Resort, The Saint Hotel, LaConcha Hotel &
Spa and Taco Bell. These individuals or organizations are
continuing to invest in our community and support the
business and infrastructure of Key West.
The “Venture Award” to the Waterfront Brewery, for
a group of businessmen including Joe Walsh and partner
George Esbensen embarking on a new venture in our
community; we all wish them much success. And finally
recognizing the Vietnam Living Memorial Wall, a dream
becoming a reality initiated by several local Key West
citizen Veterans.
We have such a wonderful organization. Yes, we
are a Chamber of Commerce, fueled by businesses,
entrepreneurs, professional and so forth, but we are also
an organization with a genuine love and interest in this
community that we all call home. It is a tremendous
feeling to be able to recognize individuals and businesses
that through their employees and all their hard work we
have an improved environment for not only our visitors
but for ourselves.
The chamber is a mission driven organization.
“The mission of the Greater Key West Chamber of
Commerce is to serve its members and maintain and
promote a viable economy for the businesses and
working people of Key West.” I am here to continue
to work for you as members of the chamber as are
all members of the Board of Directors. I ask you to
participate on one or more of the many committees
of the chamber. I also encourage you to recruit new
members to the chamber. Only working together can
we accomplish our mission.
As we enter 2016 I look toward a year of opportunities
as well as challenges. We have our microcosm in Key West
to assess and address in 2016 with many challenges of our
own. The year will also be an interesting political year with a
presidential election as a focal point in our nation. We look
forward to a great tourist season and a strong 2016.
Thank you for your continued support of the chamber.
Please let me know how we may better serve you.
Page 3
personnel who volunteer their time
within the community they have
adopted as their own hometown,
for as long as they’re stationed here.
Each branch of the military that’s
represented in Key West nominated
one of their own to receive a Military
Volunteer Award from the Military
Affairs Committee.
“In addition to their full-time
duties on a military base, these
individuals coach local kids, build
houses for Habitat, work with
MARC clients, ring bells for the
Salvation Army kettles, prepare
income taxes for elderly residents
and clean up local shorelines,” Phil
Goodman told the audience before
introducing the military officers
who each announced their nominee
for the Military Volunteer Awards.
The U.S. Navy honored
Colombian native Juliana Gomez.
The U.S. Coast Guardsman
commended Eric Kenerly, and the
Army honored Sgt. 1st Class John
Maninga, a decorated soldier and
skilled instructor with the Army’s
Special Forces and underwater
school on Fleming Key.
And for those who never
expected romance at a chamber
luncheon, Key West Police Officer
of the Year Thomas Clark brought
a tear to several eyes as he proposed
to his girlfriend after accepting the
chamber’s award. (She said yes!)
And the Key West Chamber
of Commerce wrapped up another
successful year of people, places
and projects.
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Key West Chamber of Commerce 2015 Awards Luncheon
The Key West Chamber of Commerce presented Business for Beauty
community improvement awards to: Jamey Luihn of Taco Bell; Abraham Cox
of The Saint Hotel; Curtis and Mariana Skomp of Re/Max Keys Connection;
Allison Diange of the Fairfield Inn & Suites; Lee Sheehan of The Gates Hotel
and Curt Hartley of La Conch Hotel & Spa. The Business for Beauty awards
honors renovations, restorations and entire replacement of local businesses
that contribute to the betterment of Key West. (The Marker Resort also won a
Business for Beauty Award, but was not pictured.)
Key West Chamber of Commerce President Nicki Will presented local
restaurateurs Joe Walsh, center, and his partner George Esbensen with a
Venture Award for bold investment in the future of Key West. Walsh and
Esbensen made such an investment with the recent opening of the longawaited Waterfront Brewery at the Historic Seaport.
1937 - 2016
You are cordially invited to join us at the
Installation of the Officers and Directors of the Board
at the Annual Awards Dinner of
the Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce
on Saturday, January 23, 2016
at the Marriott Beachside Resort
$85 per person
Black Tie Invited
Complimentary Cocktail Hour 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Please RSVP by Friday, January 15th
Key West Chamber of Commerce President Nicki Will presented Joyce Benavides
with the Key West Star award for her tireless volunteerism and involvement with
the Chamber and the community at large. NOT PICTURED: Key West Chamber
of Commerce President Nicki Will presented Jack Niles III with a Key West Star
award at the Chamber’s Dec. 16th luncheon. Niles was recognized for his community
service and to the Key West baseball programs and other youth athletics.
Page 4
Special Appreciation to our Cocktail Hour Sponsors:
Appelrouth & Farr Family
Appelrouth, Farah & Co. P.A.
Following dinner, please join us
for music and dancing.
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
2015 “Island of Lights” © Holiday Decorating Contest Winners
W
e want to thank everyone who
participated in the Key West Chamber
of Commerce “Island of Lights”©
Holiday Decorating Contest.
It wonderful so many businesses here in Key
West work to make our community so bright and
beautiful for our residents and guests.
The winners will be recognized at our January
27, 2016 General Membership Meeting.
Large display:
• 1st Place: Historic Seaport
• 2nd Place: Wicker Guest House
• 3rd Place: Curry Mansion Inn
Small display:
• 1st Place: Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe
• 2nd Place: WeBeFit
• 3rd Place: Almond Tree Inn
Kermit’s Key West Key Lime Shoppe won 1st Place in the
Small Display category of the Key West Chamber of Commerce
“Island of Lights”© Holiday Decorating Contest.
WeBeFit placed 2nd in our “Island of Lights”© Small Business category.
The Key West Historic Seaport won 1st Place in the Large Display
category of our “Island of Lights”© Holiday Decorating Contest.
Wicker Guesthouse placed 2nd in our “Island of Lights”© Large Display category.
Page 5
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Passenger arrivals to Key West
International Airport in November 2015
totaled 26,525. This is an increase of
14% when compared to November
2014.
Key West International Airport Arrivals
January 2010 - November 2015
50,000
AirTran service began 12/2009
Southwest service ends 06/07/14 and
Silver Airways assumes limited routes
45,000
Deplanements
40,000
35,000
Total passenger arrivals for the first
eleven months of 2015 were 314,861.
That is a 4.9% decrease over the same
period in 2014. However, this is similar
to the arrivals seen before Southwest, as
our monthly arrivals closely mirrored
2012 for January thru May. Southwest
flew from November 2012 to June 2014.
Southwest acquired
AirTran 11/2012
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Source: Key West International Airport
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
A total of 73,579 cruise ship passengers
disembarked in Key West during
November 2015. This was 13.2% higher
than November 2014, which saw 65,022
passengers disembark.
Key West Cruise Ship Passengers
January 2010 - November 2015
120,000
For the eleven months of 2015, cruise ship
arrivals saw 641,677 passengers
disembark from 266 port calls. While port
calls are down 6.7% so far for 2015,
passenger counts are down 7.8% over the
same period in 2014.
Passengers
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
The cruise ship schedule for January to
March 2016 compared to the same three
months in 2015 is shown below:
20,000
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
January
February
March
Source: City of Key West Port Operations
2010 Source:
2011
2012
2013
2014
Key West International Airport
2015
Bed Tax Collections in Dollars
2,500,000
Triangle Properties offline
for renovation 6/16/13
(519 Beds)
BP Oil Spill 4/20/10
2,000,000
4th Penny Tax
Implemented 6/1/09
1,500,000
According to Smith Travel, October
2015 occupancy was 76.7%, a 7.3
percentage point decrease from the
October 2014 occupancy rate of 84.0%.
1,000,000
500,000
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Source: Monroe County Tax Collector
2010
Page 6
2011
2012
2013
2014
Number of Ships
2015
2016
43
50
39
36
48
42
Reported Bed Tax Collections for Key
West were $1,367,082 for October 2015,
an increase of 7.2% compared to
October 2014.
Key West Bed Tax Collections
January 2010 - October 2015
0
Losses from Air Tran & Cape Air have
largely been picked up by American &
Silver, with Delta & US Air contributing.
Dec
The Average Daily Rate (ADR) was
reported at $260.92 for October 2015,
an increase of 5.1% from the ADR of
$248.33 posted for October 2014. This
ADR of $260.92 is the highest recorded
for the month of October. This continues
the record of 69 months where the ADR
has been higher than the previous year. In
fact, the last 55 months are all-time
records for each month.
2015
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Page 7
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Preparing for our 2016 Wage and Benefit Survey!
Please fill out your Wage and Benefit Survey when it arrives in your inbox!
We look forward to your responses and sharing the consolidated Wage &
Benefit Survey information with you.
As an Employer in Key West, and the Florida Keys, you face many challenges in hiring and
retaining qualified employees. You have the responsibility to balance viable compensation
packages to retain qualified employees along with the necessity of maintaining your budget. The
Key West Chamber of Commerce developed our annual Wage and Benefit Survey to provide our
members with a tool to view the Key West employment market in terms of average wage levels
by industry, specific job class, benefit standards and general turnover rate.
FAQs
What information is collected? We collect information on standard work weeks, paid time off
(holidays, sick, floating and vacation days), benefits (qualifications, covered persons, health,
dental, vision, disability, life, AD&D, retirement plans, tuition assistance & development,
memberships, and housing) and compensation (current, raises & bonuses). Base pay,
commissions and tips are collected for each position. Information is gathered for all positions
across an array of job categories, from controllers to waitresses to pilots. The Chamber wants to
gather as much raw data as possible in order to aggregate the data into a useful tool for local
businesses.
Is my shared information kept confidential? Absolutely! The only person in the Chamber
that has access to your submitted information is the Director of Research. Your organization’s
specific data will never be shared with anyone, at any time, for any reason.
Why is my participation important? The Chamber strives to have meaningful final numbers
that participants can use to manage their workforces effectively. More participants lead to more
accurate and meaningful results. All participants receive a complimentary copy of the completed
Wage & Benefit Survey report. Reports are available to non-participating members for a charge.
What does the final report include? The final report is a 40 page, bound document that
summarizes the area’s wages and benefits by business sector. It also includes a breakdown of
hourly wages for every position reported; this breakdown includes the lowest, highest, mean,
median, first quartile, third quartile and annualized mean amount for each position.
How will the final Wage and Benefit report benefit me? The final report will let you know
how your organization measures up against other organizations, as a whole and by position.
With this report you can compare where your organization’s wages are relative to similar
positions locally. This is a useful management tool for hiring and retaining employees.
Additionally if your organization is a corporate subsidiary, branch or franchise, you may use the
survey results to relay and justify higher local labor costs to your company’s corporate office. If
your corporate office will be responsible for filling out the survey, please let them know that it
will be coming out shortly.
Page 8
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
OUR HOLIDAY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH, 2015
Sponsored by:
Page 9
Rick’s/Durty Harry’s Bar - 202 Duval Street
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Key West Chamber of Commerce
Honors Police Officer of the Year
Thomas Clark
I
City Manager Jim Scholl, left, and Chief Donnie Lee, right, presented
Key West Police Officer Thomas Clark with the Key West Chamber of
Commerce Officer of the Year award.
n just three years with the Key West Police
Department, Officer Thomas Clark has
demonstrated his dedication to the department and
his commitment to the community.
Clark, a retired U.S. Marine, is a Florida native who
serves as one of the city’s quality-of-life officers, trained to
deal with the city’s homeless residents in a respectful and
dignified manner that benefits the individual and the city.
“Officer Clark is constantly working to better serve
the community,” city spokeswoman Alyson Crean wrote
in her nomination of Clark.
Crean highlighted one of several specific incidents
that make Clark stand out as an exemplary police officer.
“His dedicated professionalism was evident in a
November incident in which Officer Clark pulled a woman
out of harm’s way and jumped into a rolling car to stop it,
preventing serious injury and property damage,” Crean wrote,
adding that Officer Clark’s “job performance is impeccable.”
Officer Thomas Clark is a professional example of
a community police officer and the Key West Chamber
extends its gratitude for Clark’s unwavering commitment
to Key West, its residents, visitors and businesses.
Welcome New Members!
Kai & Co. Salon
807 Peacock Plaza, Key West, FL 33040
305-998-4449 www.kaiandcosalon.com
Contact: Heather Grayson and Kelly Belanger
Full Service Salon
Key West Oasis
1114 Varela Street, Key West, FL 33040
215-300-9727 www.keywestoasis.com
Contact: Kim and Ron Gilbert
Vacation Rental
Reel Thang Charters
Key West Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee Co-Chairs Kim Works
and Joyce Benavides welcomed Capt. Will Ross from Reel Thang Charters to the
organization during its December luncheon at the Casa Marina Resort. Not Pictured:
Kai & Co. Salon and Key West Oasis.
Elisa Levy’s “Exceptional Customer Service
Seminar” was just in time for the busy season!
A
ttendees at the December 17th event were taught easy-to-use
tools to “wow” every customer that walks through the door.
They now understand what customers want and need from
them, and how to turn an unhappy customer around in seconds.
Page 10
17218 Bonefish Lane East, Sugarloaf Key, FL 33042
305-906-0812www.reelthangkeywest.com
Contact: William Ross; Sponsored by: Jaime Olwell, Danger Charters
Charter Boat
The seminar applied tools to have a great attitude every day, and
much more. If you missed out, don’t worry we will have more seminars
coming up in the future. We would like to hear from you also; let us
know the seminar topics you would like to have presented.
Stay up to date with our daily Facebook statuses, our weekly
newsletter- the Chamber Chatter and our monthly newsletter - the
Chamber Chowder. We are here to serve you.
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
Cruise Ship Schedule
January 2016
01/1 Carnival Victory
7:30am-2:00pm
01/1 Constellation
8:00am-5:00pm
01/2 AIDAVita
8:00am-4:00pm
01/2 N. Amsterdam
8:00am-5:00pm
01/3 Insignia
9:00am-4:50pm
01/3Majesty
9:30am-6:00pm
01/3 Vision of the Seas
11:00am-5:00pm
01/4 Silver Whisper
8:00am-4:00pm
01/5 Ecstasy
7:30am-1:30pm
01/6 Silver Whisper
8:00am-5:00pm
01/7 Disney Magic 7:15am-1:15pm
01/7Majesty
9:30am-6:00pm
01/8 Silver Spirit
8:00am-5:00pm
01/9 Eurodam
8:00am-5:00pm
01/9 Seven Seas Navigator
9:30am-5:00pm
01/10 Norwegian Spirit
11:00am-6:00pm
01/11 NO SHIPS
01/12 Ecstasy
7:30am-1:30pm
01/12 Vision of the Seas
11:00am-5:00pm
01/13 AIDAVita
7:30am-4:00pm
01/13 Maasdam
8:00am-5:00pm
01/14 Riviera
7:00am-5:00pm
01/14 Majesty
9:30am-6:00pm
01/15 SS Navigator
7:00am-4:00pm
01/15 Carnival Victory
7:30am-2:00pm
01/15 Constellation
8:00am-5:00pm
01/16 Eurodam
8:00am-5:00pm
01/17 Westerdam
8:00am-4:00pm
01/17 Brilliance
11:30am-5:30pm
01/18 Carnival Conquest
8:00am-4:00pm
01/18 Veendam
12:00pm-6:00pm
01/19 Ecstasy
7:30am-1:30pm
01/20 NO SHIPS
01/21 Grandeur of the Seas
7:00am-5:00pm
01/21 Regatta
7:30am-5:00pm
01/22 Constellation
8:00am-5:00pm
01/22 Vision of the Seas
11:00am-5:00pm
01/23 Disney Magic
11:00am-6:00pm
01/24 Constellation
8:00am-5:00pm
01/24 Norwegian Spirit
11:00am-6:00pm
01/25 NO SHIPS
01/26 Ecstasy
7:30am-1:30pm
01/26 Carnival Dream
8:00am-5:00pm
01/27 Silver Wind
8:00am-OVERNIGHT
01/28 Silver Wind
departure at 4:50pm
01/28 Majesty
9:30am-6:00pm
01/29 Carnival Victory
7:30am-2:00pm
01/30 N. Amsterdam
8:00am-5:00pm
01/31 Vision of the Seas
11:00am-5:00pm
01/31 Brilliance
11:30am-5:30pm
Page 11
Community Calendar
January 2016
1/2
1/7-10
1/8-10
1/10
1/15-22
1/15-16
1/15-1/30
1/16
1/16-17
1/18-22
1/22-24
1/23
1/23
1/27-31
1/29
1/30
1/30-31
An Evening with JJ Grey & Mofro at Fort East
Martello 7:00pm; 305-295-6616x106
34th Annual Key West Literary Seminar www.
keywestliteraryseminar.org; 888-293-9291
Key West Wahoo Shootout; 305-896-4244
Soldier Ride 10:30am-2:30pm Boca Chica NAS
to Truman Anx Jerry Hughes; 305-240-1136
Florida Keys Paddle Challenge bill@
paddleflorida.org; 352-377-8342
56th Annual House Tours (1 of 3), www.
oirf.org, 4pm-8pm; 305-294-9501
Red Barn Theatre presents: Scott & Hem 8pm; 305-296-9911
14th Annual Mayors Ball Casa Marina [email protected] In
Support of the FL Keys Children’s Shelter; 305-731-4741
11th Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival, Sat 11:00am–
8pm, Sun12:00 Noon -6pm Bayview Pk; 305-872-9026
Quantum Key West Race 2015 Premiere Racing
Events, www.premiere-racing.com; 781-639-9545
Stock Island Marina Village King Mackerel
Tournament; 305-296-0364
Installation & Awards Banquet kbaker@
keywestchamber.org; 6:00p.m.-10:00p.m.,
Marriott Beachside Resort; 305-294-2587
Key West Historic Cemetery Stroll 9:30am,
9:50am, 10:00pm; 305-340-1453
Key West Food & Wine Festival www.
keywestfoodandwinefestival.com; 800-474-4319
2016 Unsung Heroes/Volunteer of the Year Luncheon
Contact Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
Email: [email protected], http://www.cffk.org; 305-292-1502
American Red Cross Florence Spottswood
Humanitarian of the Year Gala at Key West
Marriott Beachside 6:00pm; 479-200-4689
31st Annual Key West Craft Show, www.
keywestartcenter.com; 305-294-1243
Key West Police Officer of the Year brought a touch of romance to the Key West Chamber
of Commerce December awards luncheon by proposing to his girlfriend, Ashley, after
receiving his commendation from the chamber.
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016
CHAMBER CHOWDER©
510 Greene Street ~ 1st Floor, Key West
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Nicki Will, President
Lower Keys Medical Center/294-9200
Kim Works, Vice President
Pirate Radio/294-1017
Cara Higgins/Secretary
Horan, Wallace & Higgins, LLP/294-4585
Greg Sullivan, Treasurer
Waste Management/434-9140
Robin Lockwood MD, Past President
Robin Lockwood, MD/296-2212
Melissa Kendrick, Appointee
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum/294-2633x24
Randy Moore, Appointee
First State Bank/296-6231
Sam Holland, Appointee
The Conch House/293-0020
www.keywestchamber.org
Key West Chamber Calendar of Events
January 2016
February 2016
Business After Hours
Date: Tuesday, January 12th
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored By: Doubletree
Grand Key Resort
Location: 3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd.
Members Only Networking Event
Business After Hours
Date: Wednesday, February 3rd
Time: 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m.
Co-Sponsored by: Centennial Bank
and Ibis Bay Resort
Location: 3101 N Roosevelt Blvd
Members Only Networking Event
General Membership Meeting
Date: Wednesday, January 27th - Noon
Speaker: J. Manuel Castillo, Sr.
Executive Director, Housing
Authority of the City of Key West
Topic: Peary Court Referendum
Location: Waldorf Astoria
Casa Marina Resort
Please RSVP to the Chamber
at 305-294-2587 or
Email: [email protected]
General Membership Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 24th
Noon
Speaker: Jim Bouquet, Director of
Engineering for the City of Key West
Topic: Truman Waterfront
Location: Key West Marriott Beachside
Please RSVP to the Chamber
at 305-294-2587 or
Email: [email protected]
Key West Chamber of Commerce
Installation & Awards Dinner
Virginia A. Panico, Executive Vice President
Key West Chamber of Commerce/294-2587
Date: Saturday, January 23rd
Cocktails 6:00 p.m., Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Cocktail Hour Sponsored by
Appelrouth & Farr Family
Appelrouth, Farah & Co. P.A.
Location: Key West
Marriott Beachside Resort
Please RSVP to the Chamber at 305-294-2587 or
Via email: [email protected]
CHAMBER STAFF
Virginia A. Panico
Executive Vice President
Steven Weed
Director of Research
Claudia Wilson
Bookkeeper
Nancy Caruthers
Administrative Assistant
Kerry Baker
Membership Director/Special
Events Coordinator
Gladys Clarks
Tourist Information Receptionist
Emily Brogdon
Office Assistant/Tourist Information Operator
Virginia A. Panico
Newsletter Editor
Cindy Jefferson
Art Director
Page 12
Chamber Chowder
Vol. 19, No. 1
January 2016