Chamber Connection September/October 2012

www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION |SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2012

IT’S YOUR TIME TO SHINE! APPLY NOW FOR THE 2012 DIAMOND AWARDS

The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce will honor excellence in business at its annual Diamond Awards, presented by

Montica Jewelry, on Thursday, November 1, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables.

The Diamond Awards are the Chamber’s sig-nature award program for top companies in the Coral Gables community. The prestigious Dia-mond Awards will honor businesses in nine dif-ferent categories this year.

Brilliant businesses will be recognized for their outstanding performance in the following cat-egories:

• Hearts On Fire – Large Business• Montica Ideal Cut – Medium Business• Princess of Hearts – Small Business• Diamond in the Rough – New Business• Minority-Owned Business• Non-Profit Organization• Restaurant• Multi-National Company• Ideal Workplace

“We are proud once again to sponsor the Dia-mond Awards.” said John O’Rourke of Montica

Jewlery. “We are glad to continue this tradition and honor those organizations that have contrib-uted so much to our community.”

This year’s presenting sponsor is Montica Jewelry and supporting sponsors: Envision Possibilities; Logistical Outsourcing, Inc. and U.S. Century Bank.

The annual Diamond Awards, presented by Montica Jewelry, are our Chamber’s way of rec-ognizing companies that have achieved lumi-nous business success. The criteria for the awards are excellence in business, corporate citizenship, customer service and workplace environment. “These awards inspire businesses in the Coral Gables community to continually strive for ex-cellence and become the “diamond” standard by which other companies and organizations are measured” said Mark A. Trowbridge, president & CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Com-

merce.

Applications are to be submitted by 4:00 pm on Thursday, September 21, 2012. To apply and submit a Microsoft Word or PDF file of your ap-plication to Erica Dominguez at [email protected]. For more information, visit www.coralgableschamber.org

JOSHUA JONESCoral Gables Chamber of Commerce

IN THIS ISSUE

• Chair’s Remarks Page 2

• President’s Perspective Page 3

• Trustee Talk Page 4

• Chamber Events Page 5

• Membership Highlights Page 6

• Calendar of Events Page 7

• Sponsor Recognition Page 8-9

JOSHUA JONESCoral Gables Chamber of Commerce

BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH

GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES FEATURES INSTALLATION OF NEW CHAMBER BOARD

On Thursday, September 20 at 8 am, the Good Morning Coral Gables breakfast will feature the 2012-

2013 Board of Directors installation, in-cluding incoming Chair Darla Thompson of Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP at the historic Biltmore Hotel.

The program will also feature Mayor Jim Cason presenting his annual State of the City Beautiful address.

Join us as we introduce and install the Chamber’s 2012-2013 Board of Directors by the honorable Michelle Alvarez-Bara-kat, Judge-Elect.

The cost of this event will be $20 for all members who pre-register by Septem-ber 14 and $40 for future members and guests. For more information on how to regster, visit www.coralgableschamber.org.

Darla ThompsonCherry, Bekaert & HollandCGCC [email protected]

Being in the accounting

industry, I’m accustomed to being very busy this time of year with September and October being final tax deadlines which brings us into a new beginning. Changes in priority are made. Cautious projections are calculated. It’s a time for rebirth; a time for retrospection; a time for assessment.

Your Chamber closed its fiscal 2012 year in August and inaugurated its new beginning fiscal 2013 on September 1st. In retrospect, we cherish the extraordinary stewardship of Chairman Drew Kern and his board of directors. With a tip o’ the hat, please join me and wish them happy landings. Thanks to them, our Chamber is a healthy, prestigious, dynamic operation. The 2012 year-end finds the Chamber in good fiscal shape. However, rest assured our new board, the divisional vice-chairs, committee chairs, ambassadors, trustee diplomats and staff under Mark Trowbridge, are reenergized, working in sync and with great confidence. We cautiously predict

increased membership; introducing new projects and programs, and remaining a responsive, dynamic organization in 2013.

October is one of my favorite months. We get a little taste of Fall. The armada heads down the glorious Biscayne Bay on Columbus Day. There’s UM Hurricane football to watch (sorry Mark!). The rainforest at Fairchild is less steamy. Coral Gables hotels and restaurants start welcoming tourists. Our trolleys are full. People are out on the sidewalks of Miracle Mile and Giralda until late into the evening. The Gablestage and Miracle Theater begin their new seasons.

Sincerely,Darla Thompson, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland

Chair, Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

CHAIR’S CORNER

www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 20122

2012-2013 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND

BOARD OF DIRECTORSEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Chair: Darla Thompson (Cherry, Bekaert & Holland)

Chairman-Elect: Perry Adair (Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.)

Vice Chairman-Business & Economic Dev: Barbara K. Norland (Junior Orange Bowl)

Vice Chairman-Gov’t & Legislative Affairs: Laura Russo (Laura Russo, PA)

Vice Chairman-Community Affairs: Amy Donner (Community Newspapers)

Vice Chairman-Member Affairs:Marianne Sioli (Filer Insurance, Inc.)Vice Chairman-International Affairs:

Marco Ibarra (Eliptek Technology Group)Vice Chairman-Special Events:

Gabriel de Armas Jr., Home Instead Senior CareTreasurer: John Allen (Home Financing Center, Inc.)

Parliamentarian: Martha de la Pena Rojas (Florida Blue)

Trustee Council Chair: J. Dustin Symes (City National Bank of Florida)

Past Chairman: Drew Kern, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors

Chair’s Appointee:Linda Knudsen, Baptist Health South Florida

President & CEO: Mark A. Trowbridge

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elected-term expires 2013Dixie McDaniel de Andrade (Envision Possibilities)

George Feliciano Jr. (Bay Plumbing Company)Ramon Ferrer (Florida Power & Light)

Nelson Lazo (Doctors Hospital)Deirdre Nero (Nero Immigration Law)

Elected-term expires 2014

Thad Adams (Allen Morris Company)Brian Barakat (Barakat Law, P.A.)

Wayne Eldred (Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill)Frank Fernandez (US Century Bank)

Anabella Smith (Zyscovich Architects)

Elected-term expires 2015Nikki Deas (Vine Communications)

Rosemary Guilfoyle (Planning Consultants Group)John Knowles (Photo Offset, Inc.)

Marti Mang (TotalBank)Zachary Sulkes (Bacardi USA)

Appointees-term expires 8/31/2013

Dr. Andy Gomez (University of Miami)Dr. Jose Gurevich (Smiles & Sonrisas)

Joe Hovancak (Comcast Business Class)Ramon Usategui (Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust)

Al Peraza (Mercantil Commercebank)

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

City of Coral GablesCommissioner Frank C. Quesada

City of Coral GablesCynthia Birdsill

(Economic Sustainability Department)Education Foundation of the Coral Gables Chamber

Darla ThompsonCoral Gables Community Foundation

Andria HanleyCoral Gables Chamber of Commerce

305.446.1657

SPONSORSHIPOpen Doors to Greater Exposure and Bigger Business!

The Coral Gables Chamber has many high profile events that offer outstanding promotional value to your business. Get involved in the community and sponsor one of our upcoming events. For more information, contact Erica Dominguez

at [email protected].

ADVERTISINGWhat happens if you do not advertise your business?

Absolutely nothing.

Make your business stand out and take full advantage of your Chamber mem-bership. There are sponsorship opportunities, newsletter advertising, City Beau-tiful magazine, website advertising and much more available to you to help pro-mote your business. Rates are available on the front page of our website, www.coralgableschamber.org or you can contact Joshua Jones at [email protected].

SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

Mark A. Trowbridge, President & CEOCoral Gables Chamber of [email protected]

Happy New Year Chamber members! September 1st marks the beginning of our new fiscal year, as well as

the opportunity to welcome our new Chair of the Board, Darla Thompson and

her leadership team, to the helm of our Chamber. Darla has served in a variety of capacities in the Chamber over the past year on her pathway to the Chairmanship, most notably on our Board of Directors, Diplomat Corps and as our Treasurer.

Darla and her Board will be sworn-in officially at the September 20th Good Morning Coral Gables breakfast, where Mayor Cason will give his annual State of the City Beautiful address. You will not want to miss the amazing breakfast – always a highlight in our diverse cadre of programming during the year.

These are exciting times in our Chamber, with our leadership and volunteers engaged in numerous activities that will impact our business community significantly over the next year. From permitting assistance to producing the Burgerliscious! event, our Chamber has something for everyone!

After four long years, we truly believe we are on a road to economic recovery – now we need our business community to respond by adding jobs as consumer confidence returns. With a refined focus on local, state and federal issues affecting businesses of all sizes, to events that explore our real estate, green and international markets, the Chamber is committed to our membership’s needs, most importantly helping you grow your businesses.

Even in a rebounding economy filled with tenuous uncertainty, the Chamber is the one constant – growing and strengthening relationships that will lead to new business, new partnerships, and even new friendships. Now is the time to renew your membership, get more strongly engaged, and find the right spot in the Chamber that will help you grow! Our new Chair has focused her year on helping you grow your business alongside ours, with our members squarely at the top of our organization chart. It is our goal each day to be responsive to our members, our community, and our businesses. This requires a total team effort, each of us excelling in our respective roles and committing fully to developing business and building community.

As I begin my seventh year as your president, I am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to lead a Chamber that is truly dynamic and diversified, committed and community-oriented, responsive and relevant, as well as in-touch and in-sync with the needs of our members. We know that people join our Chamber…because of the companies we keep.

Thank you for your confidence and commitment to our Chamber. Come grow with us!

Past Chairs (Left to Right): Marc Berenfeld, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP; Carolina Rendeiro, Right Space Management; John O’Rourke, Montica Jewelry; Chair Darla Thompson, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP; Sergio Barrera, Travel Leaders - Business Travel Advisors; Gayle Bainbridge, Global Risk, LLC and Drew Kern, EWM.

The 2012-2013 Board of Directors of your Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Chair Darla Thompson and Chamber President Mark Trowbridge (beside an Abe Lincoln image). Photo by Betty Alvarez

www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012 4

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE: Happy New Year!

5

TRUSTEE TALK


I am honored to serve as your new Trustee Council Chair. I’m also honored to be a part of City National Bank, which has been a Trustee Member of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for more than two decades and is also the Chamber’s banking relationship. City National Bank has been serving the Coral Gables community for close to 56 years. We are proud to continue to serve this wonderful community and partner with a great organization like the Gables Chamber.

Like the Chamber, CNB takes pride in its community. Community is a vital part of what we do and we are very proud and honored to be the South Florida Business Journal’s Community Bank of the Year.

I fully support the Chamber’s continuing mission to build business and develop community in Coral Gables. I look forward to furthering this mission as Chair of the Trustee Council.

I would also like to add my thanks to outgoing Chair Linda Knudsen of Baptist Health South Florida. Linda, you did an outstanding job. You will truly be a tough act to follow.

If you did not attend our Trustee Invitational & Interactive

Luncheon this past month…well, you missed a great event! With a sold-out crowd in attendance, Chef Alex Kuk of Pao Town wowed the participants with his master craft and delicious bites, including a filet mignon Korean bun, guiltless breast of chicken with Pao Town quinoa, and a delightful poached pear with ginger ice cream. Amazing!

Mark your calendars for several upcoming Trustee events, including our first Trustee Reception of the year, hosted by past Chamber Chair Carolina Rendeiro at her new Right Space 2 Meet location at 100 Miracle Mile. Receptions are a terrific way to meet other Trustees and get more engaged in the Chamber. Plus, admission is complimentary and part of your annual member benefit. Next month, we will be hosted at the brand new Riviera Health Resort in the South Gables.

Finally, to kick-off the year, we have a very special treat for our Trustees. The Luncheon on September 27th (please note the date change due to Yom Kippur), will feature famed physician to the star athletes Dr. Harlan Selesnick from Doctors Hospital. He will be joined in an intimate conversation by two very special guests from the world-champion Miami Heat.

Trust me, you do not want to miss an unforgettable luncheon event that promises to help you Get Back to What You Love!

J. Dustin Symes, City

National Bank & Trustee

Council Chair

[email protected]

TRUSTEE INVITATIONAL & INTERACTIVE LUNCHEON - AUGUST 24, 2012

ALBERTO ROMEU | ALBERTO ROMEU PHOTOGRAPHYTop Left: Coral Gables High School Culinary Arts Program students and Chefs. Top Right: Carlos Larcarda, Sushi Maki; Chef Alex Kuk, Pao Town; Alex Rey, Credomatic Merchant

Services and Nelson Penalver, Logistical Outsourcing, Inc. Bottom Left: Carolina Rendeiro, Right Space Management; Anabella Smith, Zyscovich Architects; Chamber president Mark A. Trowbridge; Annette Reizburg, Right Space Management; Linda Knudsen, Baptist Health South Florida and Chairman Drew Kern, EWM. Bottom Right: Chairman Drew Kern,

EWM; Abe Ng, Sushi Maki and Chamber president Mark A. Trowbridge .

6www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012

FALL FEATURED FESTIVITIES

IT’S BACK!!! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR BURGERLISCIOUS!...THE SECOND COURSE!

October 11thArts On Aragon Avenue

Time: 6pm-8pm

Once again, our Chamber cel-ebrates the vast arts and culture community in Coral Gables with our annual Arts On Aragon Avenue program.

Known as the arts epicenter of The City Beautiful, Aragon Avenue boasts such important cultural icons as the Coral Gables Art Cin-ema, Books & Books and the Coral Gables Museum.

This event, sponsored by Gibraltar Bank & Trust, will conclude at our new Museum, featuring its lat-est exhibition, Design for a Living World, presented by The Nature Conservancy. The evening will be-gin at 6pm and include a leisurely stroll along Aragon Avenue.

For more information and registra-tion, please visit www.coralgables-chamber.org

October 12th

Residential Real Estate Outlook Luncheon

Time: 11:30am-1:30pm

The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), in conjunc-tion with the Miami Association of Realtors (MIAMI), and in partner-ship with Miami Today, will once again host a residential real estate panel discussion that provides a platform for business leaders to discuss the state of the residential real estate market in our South Florida region. This year, the focus of the luncheon program will be on the latest trends in the market, including lending, cash as king, technology, inventory, interna-tional investors, pricing and how the current economic climate will affect the market in 2013. This is the fifth year that this luncheon has been presented in partnership with Miami Today and the Miami Asso-ciation of Realtors, the largest real estate association in the world.

We understand the power of partnershipsAt Mercantil Commercebank, we believe that every business can reach its full potential when

paired with the right partner. We offer business solutions like our MCB Business Credit Line. Our line of credit is available for requests as low as $25,000 and can help your business meet its cash

flow needs. Now that’s a productive partnership!

Mercantil Commercebank, empowering your world*6-month Introductory Offer of 3.25% is a variable interest rate based on the Prime Rate listed in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as of 08/20/12.

Credit line is revolving with no expiration date (payable on demand) and is secured by a blanket lien on business asset. Offer begins on 09/10/12. During the introductory period, should the Prime Rate change, the introductory offer rate will change accordingly. After the introductory period, the variable interest rate will be based on effective Prime Rate plus Bank margin. Effective rate shall be no less than 5%. Subject to the specific terms and

conditions of each separate lending option. Certain fees will apply. Offer is valid until 12/31/12 and is subject to change.

Visit us at any of our banking center locations in South Florida.

(877) 424-5325 Call us today to help your business succeed

www.mercantilcb.com/weseethebusiness

Monday – Thursday 9am – 5pmFriday 9am– 6pm

3.25%*

6-month introductory offerMCB Business Credit Line

September 27thTrustee Luncheon

featuring Harlan Selesnick, M.D., Miami HEAT team physician with “special guests” from your Miami

HEAT!


MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTSWELCOME

TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS!

Bala Vinyasa Yoga

Catalyst Miami

Christy’s Restaurant

Cohen | Ruiz P.A.

Fortius Financial Advisors

Frameworks

GableStage

Gourmet Table

Hammer Construction Corp.

Katz Barron Squitero & Faust

Klara Chavarria Contemporary Art

Law Office of Deborah A. Antoni, P.A.

Law Offices of Ena T. Diaz, P.A.

Leomar Painting Inc.

Lisdaws Timepieces & Eyewear Boutique

Mercy Hospital

Miami Art Museum

Michael Jaspan Consulting

The Murray Dranoff Foundation

Pan-American Life Private Client

PURE Environment Maintenance

Resorts World Miami

Seraphic Fire

Service Master Restoration Services

Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel

Sonshine Communications

Trust Technology Solutions, Inc.

Vortex Communications

Zubi Advertising Services, Inc.

* BOLD denotes new Trustee member

SAVE THESE IMPORTANT DATES!

SPONSORSHIP/INVESTOR HALL OF FAMEJuly 2012 through August 2012

Bay Plumbing CompanyBecker & Poliakoff, P.A.Coastal Construction GroupComcast Business ClassCredomatic Merchant ServicesDoctors HospitalEsslinger-Wooten-Maxwell Realtors Gulliver SchoolsLogistical Outsourcing, Inc.Photo OffsetRight Space 2 MeetThe Miami Herald

U.S. Century BankUSAA Realty Company/CBRE Wal-Mart Stores

$2,500 - $4,999The Allen Morris CompanyAXA Advisors, LLC Baptist Health South FloridaThe Biltmore HotelCherry, Bekaert & Holland, L.L.P.City of Coral GablesCity National BankEsslinger-Wooten-Maxwell RealtorsFlorida Blue Florida Power & LightHome Financing Center, Inc.Hyatt Regency Coral GablesMercantil Commercebank, N.A. Miami’s Community NewspapersMontica JewelryTotalBankUniversity of Miami

$5,000 AND ABOVE

CHAMBER 101- 9:00 AMCoral Gables Chamber of Commerce

224 Catalonia Avenue, Coral Gables

SEPTEMBER 14th

WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON - 11:30 AMSponsor: 1st United BankHyatt Regency Coral Gables 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables

SEPTEMBER 18th

ARTS ON ARAGON AVENUE - 6:00 PM Coral Gables Art Cinema

250 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables

OCTOBER 11thTRUSTEE RECEPTION- 5:30 PMRight Space 2 Meet100 Miracle Mile, Suite 200, Coral Gables

SEPTEMBER 11th

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE- 11:30 AM Biltmore Hotel

1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables

OCTOBER 12th

TRUSTEE LUNCHEON- 11:45 AM Hyatt Regency Coral Gables 50 Alhambra, Coral Gables Speaker: Harlan Selesnick, M.D., Miami HEAT team physician Spomsor: Doctors Hospital & Baptist Health South Florida

SEPTEMBER 27th (note date change)

WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON - 11:30 AMHyatt Regency Coral Gables

50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables

OCTOBER 16th

TRUSTEE LUNCHEON - 11:45 AMHyatt Regency Coral Gables

50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables

OCTOBER 24th

GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES - 7:30 AMFeaturing the installation of the 2012/2013 Board of Directors and Mayor Jim Cason’s annual State of the City Beautiful AddressBiltmore Hotel 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables

SEPTEMBER 20th

GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES BREAKFAST - 7:30 AM Biltmore Hotel

1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables

OCTOBER 18th

8:30 AMTrow Knows CEO’s

8:00 AMInternational Affairs

Meeting

8www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION |SEPTEMBER-OCOTOBER 2012

EVENTS CALENDAR

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012

Boss’s Day8:00 AM

Green Committee Meeting

11:30 AMWomen’s Business Network Luncheon

11:45 AM

Trustee Luncheon@ Hyatt Regency Coral

Gables

11:30 AM

Diamond Awards

@ Hyatt Regency Coral Gables

6:00 PM

Burgerliscious!

@ Fred B. Hartnett / Ponce Cirle

Park

9:00 AMChamber 101

10 11 12 13 14 15/16

17 18 19 20 21 22/23

24 25 26 27 28 29/30

22 23 24 25 26 27/28

29 30 31 1&8

12:15 PMRE-Connect

@ Anacapri on Ponce

5:30 PMWind Down Wednesday

@ Pao Town

5:30 PMTrustee Reception

@ Right Space 2 Meet*Trustee Members Only

8:00 AM

Ambassador Meeting

9:00 AM

Women’s Business Network

Committee Meeting

6:00 PM

Fashion’s Night Out

@ Village of Merrick Park

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday / Sunday


8:00 AMSmall Business

Committee Meeting

Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Day

8:00 AMBusiness & Education Committee Meeting

8:00 AMInternational Affairs

Meeting


8:30 AMTrow Knows...CEOs

featuring Thom Collins, Director, Miami Art

Museum

8:00 AMM-Team

Committe Meeting

8:00 AMM-Team Committee

Meeting

6:00 PMArts on Aragon Avenue

8 9 10 11 12 13/14

3 4 5 6 7 8/9

8:00 AMBusiness & Government

Affairs Committee Meeting

8:00 AMGo Green Committee

Meeting

11:30 AMWomen’s Business Network Luncheon

8:00 AMSmall Business

Committee Meeting

9:00 AMCultural Affairs

Committee Meeting

7:30 AMGood Morning Coral Gables

9:00 AM20/30 Group Meeting

@ Biltmore Hotel

8:00 AMBusiness & Education Committee Meeting

11:45 AMTrustee Luncheon

@Hyatt Regency Coral Gables

1 2 3 4 5 6/712:15 PMRE-Connect Luncheon

5:30 PMWind Down Wednesday@ Mixtura Restaurant

8:00 AMAmbassador Meeting

9:00 AMWBN Steering Committee

15 16 17 18 19 20/21

9:00 AMCultural Affairs

Committee Meeting

11:30 AMResidential Real Estate

Outlook@ Biltmore Hotel

7:30 AMGood Morning Coral

Gables

9:00 AM20/30 Group Meeting

Halloween

8:00 AMBusiness & Government

Affairs Meeting

9 www.coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2012

WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLESAUGUSTJULY

WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCH CITY BEAUTIFUL AWARDS

JULY

JULY AUGUST

JULY AUGUST

TRUSTEE INVITATIONAL &INTERACTIVE LUNCHEON

SPONSORSHIP RECOGNITION

Chairman’s Reception

TRUSTEE RECEPTION

Documents

Chamber Connection September/October 2012