August 2014 - DeSoto Chamber of Commerce

The Voice of
Desoto County
Business
A Message from the President
Our biggest challenge is to ensure
that your Chamber continues to meet
and then to exceed our members
expectations for the value of their
membership. This should always be
our main focus, whether it means
advocating with government for
better conditions for business,
(Legislative Breakfast June 2014)
being a resource for business
connections, (Ribbon cuttings, Early Birds, Noontime
Networking) or providing value added services like recognizing
the youth of our community in partnership with the School
District. And all the while, your Chamber remains the best place
for you – business owners and your valued employees – to
network with the DeSoto business community and to take
advantage of the Chamber’s reach and presence.
Your Chamber follows its strategic plan in order to deliver
services and conduct its activities. This has served us well over
the past three years, but we continue to examine our board and
committee structure to ensure that your Chamber maintains its
position as the “Voice of Business” and meets and promotes our
strategic goals. In that vein, we are in the process of revisiting
our Strategic Plan successes and opportunities that remain. I
welcome the chance to speak with you in that regard. And as we
head into the fall, your Chamber will be more active than usual
as we focus on the job of examining our strategic plan to ensure
it is best serving the Chamber’s needs.
Warmest Regards,
Penny Kurtz
President
16 S. Volusia Avenue
www.desotochamberfl.com
*
Arcadia FL 34266
*
[email protected]
(863) 494-4033
LIKE us on Facebook!
Chamber Board
Officers
Penny Kurtz, President
Heather Nedley, Vice-President
Angie Wilson, Secretary
Beth Carsten, Treasurer
PLATINUM:
Directors
Jennifer Backer
Suzanne Demers
Dr. Karyn Gary
Maurice Gray
Mandy Hines
Brandon Jacobson
Diane Jones
Judy Kirkpatrick
Donnie Knoche
Commissioner Bob Miller
Steve Owens
Allyson Ponger-Karnes
Kristen Spahr
Pam Vowels
Darren Winfrey
Sheriff Will Wise
GOLD:
SILVER:
Distribution Center 7023
BRONZE:
Advisors
Kathy Browning
Mary Kay Burns
Jan Schmitz
Executive Director
Ashley Coone
The Chamber of Commerce would like to
extend a special thank you to all of our
Community Partners!
June 2014
Early Bird
DeSoto Memorial Hospital
Jackie Tucker presents GEO Care’s Dr. Donald
Sawyer with a plaque.
DeSoto Memorial Hospital’s Kristen Spahr
addresses the crowd.
June’s Early Bird Breakfast was hosted
by DeSoto Memorial Hospital.
Members enjoyed a great morning of
food and networking. To host a
networking event, contact the
Chamber today at (863) 494-4033.
Marshall Matt Anderson and Sheriff William Wise recognize William Bailey for the Do the Right Thing Award.
DeSoto Memorial Hospital’s CEO Vince Sica
provides an overview of hospital services.
Chamber member Mac Martin speaks
to the audience.
Thank you to DeSoto Memorial Hospital for hosting June’s Early Bird!
Leadership DeSoto Class V Graduation
On May 29th, Leadership Desoto graduated its fifth class. Each year, individuals are selected to participate in
the nine-month program. Graduates of the Leadership Desoto Class V include Jamie Atherton, Bryan Backer,
John Black, Myron Carlton, Ashley Coone, Andrew Crites, Cheryl Dicks, Michelle Fields, Debra Harrison,
Kristi Popa, Jim Potter, Lynn Shelfer, Nelson Stephenson, Ashley Utter, Tim Vowels, Peggy Waters,
Ken Willis, and Robert Womack.
Leadership DeSoto County is a program through the
Desoto County Chamber of Commerce. It seeks to
educate, challenge, and develop a select group of
leaders who live or work in DeSoto County.
Participants are selected on the basis of ability,
demonstrated interest in the community, and potential
for effective leadership.
Leadership DeSoto Class V Graduates
The program begins in September and continues
monthly through graduation in May. Class
members attend monthly sessions focused on different community topics and have the opportunity to
hear from leaders and businesses throughout the
Desoto County area.
Throughout the class, participants will get the opportunity to view our community up close, build their
professional and social networks, meet city officials
and community leaders, and become part of the
DeSoto County Chamber’s Leadership DeSoto
(l to r) Martha & Keith Markey pictured with
Kevin and Lynn Shelfer
(l to r) Terri & Robert Womack pictured with
Cindy & Commissioner Jim Selph
(l to r) Genie & Commissioner Gabriel Quave, Ashley
Coone, Lindsay Turner, and Andrew Crites
Hurricane Charley 10th Year Anniversary Exhibit
August 14, 2014 from 5:00pm till? Martin Realty Co.
together with the DeSoto Arts and Humanities Council,
invite you to share your art work, photography, songs,
and poetry- everything that inspired you- as a result of
Hurricane Charley. The public is invited to attend and
participate in the exhibit.
To participate, email Mac Martin
at [email protected] to register.
Deliver your visual art work between the hours of 4:pm
to 7:00pm Wednesday Aug. 13th. The Event will be the
next day.
We would like to welcome the following members to
the Desoto County Chamber of Commerce:
MedSol
941-623-9744
www.Medsolcrc.com
The Lazarus Foundation
941-706-3102
www.Lazaruskids.org
Arcadia Housing Authority
863-494-4343
Labor Solutions
863-494-0400
www.laborsolutions.com
Elton Langford Campaign
[email protected]
Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association 863-863-494-0061
www.prvitrus.org
Paychex Inc.
941-855-1081
www.paychex.com
Friend of the Chamber:
Judy Wertz Strickland
Susie Coker
SOME OF THE MANY BENEFITS OF JOINING THE CHAMBER…

Monthly networking events with Early Bird and Noontime Networking

Free E-Blasts to all Chamber members

Monthly Chamber newsletter

Place Events on Chamber Community Calendar

Access and links to Chamber website
If you know of a business that would benefit by joining our Chamber, call the us at 494-4033.
Welcome to the Desoto Chamber! We are excited to have you!
Be sure to support your new members of the Chamber!
2014 Early Bird Schedule
SEPT 4
OCT 2
NOV 6
DEC 4
First State Bank
MidFlorida
SOAR, Inc
Peddler’s Boutique
2014 Noontime Schedule
AUG 20
OCT 15
Dec 17
Seacoast Bank
Farm Credit
DeSoto Jewelry
Save The Date
Annual Member Banquet
Parade
Theme
Monthly Recurring Events

3rd Saturday Car Show—
Downtown Arcadia, hosted by
Team DeSoto—5-9pm

Team Arcadia-2nd Thursday at
4:30pm (Mary Margaret’s)

Antique Fair - every 4th Saturday
Downtown Arcadia (863-4910100)

Arcadia Toastmasters-2nd & 4th
Wed @ noon @ First State Bank

Arcadia-DeSoto Habitat for Humanity - 4th Tuesdays Community Service class, (863-494-4118)

Historical Society-every 2nd
Thursday @12:00 - Family Service Center

Rotary Club-Every Tues @ Noon
---DMH McSwain Room

All Faiths Food Bank distributes
free food the
Homeless Coalition
November 6
1st & 3rd Wed. monthly
1425 Martin Luther King
Seventh Day Adventist
Church
Christmas
2nd and 4th Thurs. monthly
2865 SE AMI Drive
December 6
A Red, White, and Blue Christmas

Alzheimer's Support Group—
every 2nd Sat. & 4th Mon. at
Arcadia Oaks ALF. 11 am,
complimentary lunch.