Catalyst
Chamber Chair, Yvette Segura, participated in a stakeholder meeting, re: the Westshore Interchange, with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary, Kevin Thibault.
The Chamber participated on an Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) environmental advocacy panel with the Greater Houston Partnership and the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the Policy Council’s 2022 Legislative Agenda, titled Key Issues.
Hillsborough County Commission Chair, Pat Kemp, presented to the Chamber’s Transportation Council an update on the Cross Bay Ferry and potential expansion of service from South Hillsborough County to MacDill Air Force Base.
In partnership with WFLA and USF’s St. Pete campus, the Chamber will host the St. Petersburg Mayoral Debate Oct. 11 at 7:00 pm. WFLA will livestream the debate.
The Tampa Bay Chamber was instrumental in the successful passage of the interlocal agreement and extension of the public private partnership in support of the expanded ferry service from Tampa to St. Petersburg, and separately from South Hillsborough County to MacDill Air Force Base
The Governor announced the funding and acceleration of two of the Chamber’s key transportation priorities, the Westshore Interchange and the Downtown Interchange.
Workforce Development Committee
Hosted the State of Workforce Development event where over 50 attendees heard from Florida Representative Jackie Toledo and Brenda McKenzie, City of Tampa, on how we can best align training and education with the needs of the business community to ensure there is an adequate supply of qualified individuals to meet workforce needs.
Committee members heard from Cristo Rey Tampa High School about their Corporate Work Study Program.
In partnership with the Chamber’s Women of Influence Committee, the Workforce Development Committee hosted the Women’s Economic Mobility webinar with over 70 attendees to discuss the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women in the workforce.
Workforce Housing Subcommittee
Committee members heard from Bowen Arnold at DDA Development about their Sixty90 project which includes over 200 workforce housing units in St. Petersburg. A dedicated source of local funding remains the number one requested item by developers to ensure they’re able to offer workforce housing units.
The Committee Chair and Policy Liaison presented an update to the Chamber’s Policy Council on their progress and recent efforts by the Florida Realtors Association to protect the Sadowski Fund.
Committee members heard from Joey Henderson with Greater Tampa Realtors to discuss their initiative to get one million signatures by December 31, 2021, to include a constitutional amendment on the 2022 General Election ballot which protects money deposited in to the Sadowski Trust Fund from being used for non-housing purposes.
Inclusive Organization
Military Advisory
The Tampa Bay Chamber along with the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce and the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance formed the MacDill Means Mobility Task Force to advocate for MacDill Air Force Base as the new home for the KC-46 aircraft squadron. A decision is expected to be made between MacDill and Fairchild this fall by the Acting Air Force Secretary John Roth.
Hosted Senior Enlisted Advisors from the 927th Air Refueling Wing, 6th Air Refueling Wing, SOCOM, and MARCENT to discuss quality of life issues impacting military families. Transportation and housing continue to be two of the most pressing concerns families face while stationed at MacDill.
Hosted Operation Partnership: Civilian Career Day with over 20 transitioning service members participating in a networking event with Chamber members to learn more about their organizations, industry, and corporate culture.
Briefed the first Operation New Uniform Tampa cohort on the Tampa Bay Chamber’s role in supporting military affiliated talent and connecting them to the business community.
Briefed the Hiring Our Heroes Corporate Fellowship Program Cohort 2021-3 on the Tampa Bay Chamber’s role in supporting military affiliated talent and connecting them to the business community.
Minority Business Accelerator
The Tampa Bay Chamber received a grant from The Florida Business Development Corporation (FBDC) in support of the Minority Business Accelerator (MBA) program. FBDC has been dedicated to the success of small businesses in Florida since 1989. Over the last five fiscal years FBDC has granted over $1.5M to the local communities in which it serves.
We are hiring a Military, Minority and Workforce Manager to support our Military, Minority and Workforce programming and events aligning with the Vision 2026 pillars. Please share this with your networks.
MBA Director Avril Stinson moderated Synapse Community Conversation: “A Tactical Approach to Supplier Diversity”: Tuesday, September 28, presented by Nielsen.
Applications for Cohort ’23 closed on September 15.
Mentor Roundtable Discussion was held September 21.
Q3 Sessions: July: Joint Cohort Luncheon (Tampa Museum of Art); August: CLA (Accounting), September: Dominion Payroll, Barbas Cremer, PLLC, CareerSource Tampa Bay
Collegiate Leadership
Chair, Wyatt Krapf (Emerge) and Vice-Chair, Lindsay Grinstead (LT’18)
Collegiate Leadership is a program for 24 college students from the University of Tampa, St. Leo University, and the University of South Florida. It mirrors the Leadership Tampa program and allows the college students to explore different career paths, understand how Tampa operates, and hopefully it’ll lead to us retaining the amazing talent in Tampa Bay.
The 2022 class will begin in October.
Applications for the 2023 class opened October 1.
Emerging Leaders
Vision Series: Creating a Sustainable Tampa for Young Professionals
On September 28, attendees were able to network with local professionals and change-makers, then hear from and engage with three speakers on what Tampa Bay is doing to manage growth and create a community that both attracts and retains young professionals.
Hosted 9 Group Meetings in Q3.
Current ELTB membership is 408.
Hub for Business
Membership
The Tampa Bay area continues to grow, and 41 companies joined the Chamber in Q3, adding their voice to the business community and to engage with other like-minded members. The power of Chamber Connection continues to assist members navigate through the unusual conditions in which we are still working. Year to date, 163 businesses have joined to connect with strategic partners and tap into community resources. People want to connect with other professionals and collaborate as we all find solutions to current challenges.
Membership Committee
After a summer hiatus, Business Around the Bay hosted another top-tier business leaders forum in September. Hosted by Co-Chairs Brian Adcock, Adcock Financial and Ryan Toth, The Beck Group, the group is bringing diverse attendance and thought to the conversation.
Our Minority Empowerment Program partners have leaned into the format, and two of the MEP participants are applying for the more intensive Minority Business Accelerator.
Ambassador Committee
Our Chamber Ambassadors play an important role in welcoming new members and in the third quarter they contacted 150 members to offer their expertise and help ensure that new members are finding ways to make the most of their Chamber membership. Ambassadors also play an important role at member Ribbon Cutting celebrations. This quarter, five members celebrated their business success with Chamber Staff and Ambassadors.
Community Outreach Committee
The committee completed its fourth project for the year working with the YMCA at their Urban Garden. Located in Sulphur Springs, the garden offers experiential learning opportunities for the neighborhood and provides fresh produce for families at the local elementary school.
Get Connected
Bringing businesses together, our very popular speed networking event, Get Connected, was held in person at the Chamber in August. Over 20 members built their professional network, met potential strategic partners, and learned about other members businesses.
Events
Hosted attendees at events across Tampa Bay in person and virtually.
Q3 July 1 - September 30: 1,400+
YTD Jan 1 - September 30: 5,000+
41st Annual Small Business of the Year
Hosted the 41st Annual Small Business of the Year Awards presented by Adcock Financial and Vistra Communications on September 30, 2021 at Armature Works. More than 350 attendees joined to honor and celebrate the 19 finalists. Click here to see who the big winners of the night were.
Competitive Edge Series
"The Importance of Mentorship" in August featured panelists Steve Bernstein, Fisher Phillips, Raechel Canipe, Quiet Professionals, LLC, Michelle Christie, Regions Bank, and Megan Gerken, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. The panelists were Mentors and Protégés from the Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay Mentor-Protégé Program. Learning objectives included:
- Understanding the importance of being and having a mentor.
- Exploring areas of expertise where you could provide mentorship OR areas that you would benefit from being mentored.
- Identifying avenues to seek out being a mentor or finding a mentor.
Pearls of Experience: Behind the Scenes at Water Street
Attendees participated in a site tour of Thousand & One with a Water Street Marketing Center presentation. Following the tour, attendees enjoyed a networking reception at Fermented Reality on Sparkman's Wharf.
Upcoming Signature Events
Benchmarking Visit - San Antonio: SOLD OUT
October 24 - 26, 2021
San Antonio, TX
Thank you to our program sponsors: Baker Barrios, Skanska USA Building Inc., TECO Energy, and USAA
Sporting Clays Tournament
December 3, 2021
8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Tampa Bay Sporting Clays
136th Annual Meeting
December 8, 2021
11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Tampa Convention Center
For sponsorship opportunities, reach out to Staci Fraser.
Leadership Tampa
Leadership Tampa Class of 2022. Chair, Amanda Uliano (LT’13) and Vice Chair, Mark Colvenbach (LT’12)
The 2022 class was announced in July, and they started the program in August.
Leadership Tampa Alumni
LTA members attended the Conversations with Influence event featuring Chief Barbara Tripp on September 22 at the Centre Club.
LT Grads joined the LTA Reunion on August 19th at the new Hotel Haya to connect with their classmates and make new connections.
Committee Meetings – 12
Current LTA membership is 539