Hilton Sandestin Team Members Elected to Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association Board
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa officials announced that two members of the resort’s food and beverage team have been elected to the 2014 board of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Northwest Florida Chapter: Angelina Covington, director of food and beverage, has been appointed president, and Nichole Moen, food and beverage assistant and special events coordinator, has been elected as secretary. For more Hilton Sandestin news, please click here.
RE/MAX Southern Welcomes New Agents
- Blake Shorey and Donna Shorey have joined the Paul Shorey Team. Donna, Paul’s wife, has always been involved in his real estate efforts, having most recently become an agent herself. Blake is Paul’s son and has been passionate about investing and real estate since an early age.
- Allison Price has joined the Carole Pleasants Team. Allison is a native of Pensacola, graduate of the University of West Florida and wife of a retired Marine Corps pilot.
- Cindy Woo has been selling real estate in Destin since 2002 and throughout the country for the past 23 years. She has received multiple awards throughout her career.
For more about these agents, click here.
Do You know an Exceptional, Ethical Business?
Your Better Business Bureau® Foundation Serving Northwest Florida is looking for businesses and charities to participate in its ninth annual Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics program. Businesses may self-nominate or be nominated by others. The Torch Award publicly recognizes businesses and charities that maintain a solid commitment to conducting their business practices in an ethical manner. BBB Accreditation is not required to enter; however, applicants must be physically located within the 14 county service area of BBB|Northwest Florida. The application deadline for all awards is March 14, 2014. For entry forms and guidelines please visit www.nwfl.bbb.org/TorchAward or call (850) 429-0002 or (800) 729-9226.
Blue Marlin Realty Group donates hundreds of toys to local Sacred Heart Hospital Emergency Room
For the third year in a row, Blue Marlin Realty Group turned its front office into a toy donation drop off spot. Over two months, more than 150 toys, such as books, bikes, electronics, and stuffed animals, were donated. On Dec. 21, team members from Blue Marlin Realty Group and the Destin Porsche club arrived at the Sacred Heart Hospital Emergency Room with carloads full of toys. The nurses and staff were overwhelmed with joy and graciously accepted the gifts while placing them under the Christmas tree in the waiting room. Visit www.bluemarlinrealtygroup.com to learn more about the company.
Boyd Named Partner in Broad and Cassel's Destin Office
The statewide law firm of Broad and Cassel is pleased to announce that Ginger Barry Boyd has been named a partner in the firm’s Destin office. She joins six other attorneys in the firm statewide who made partner in 2014. A member of the Commercial Litigation and Labor and Employment Practice Groups, Boyd joined the firm’s Destin office as an associate in 2004. She handles a wide variety of litigation matters, including real estate litigation, securities litigation, bankruptcy litigation, contracts litigation, foreclosures, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation and general business litigation matters. Boyd has represented private and public clients, including the State of Florida, in employment discrimination litigation matters. Visit www.broadandcassel.com/pressreleases.aspx for more news from Broad and Cassel.
Mayor Seevers Appointed to Governor’s Commission on Community Service
Destin Mayor Sam Seevers has been appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Governor’s Commission on Community Service, also known as Volunteer Florida. The commission’s focus is to develop, promote and implement volunteerism and service throughout the state.Commissioners are chosen because of their active roles in volunteer and service activities in their communities. They are a diverse, bipartisan group of citizens appointed by the governor, who may serve two- to three-year terms and may be appointed for consecutive terms. Click here to learn more.
Emerald Coast Parrot Head Club Announces Officers, Makes Donation
The 2014 officers of the Emerald Coast Parrot Head Club are President Hank Bittman, Vice President John Koser, Treasurer Jim Leffue, Secretary Deb Koser, and Members at Large Jane Bittman, Trish Sawyer, and Mike Whitley. At its January meeting, the club made a $500 donation to the Fort Walton Beach Developmental Center, which operates under the philosophy that the individuals it serves are entitled to programs and services designed to meet their needs in order that they may achieve the most productive and rewarding life style possible. Visit www.ecparrotheads.org for the club event calendar and membership information.
2014 Destin Desserts Champion Crowned
More than 220 people gathered to sample delectable desserts using Girl Scout cookies as the main ingredient at the 2014 Destin Desserts. Six local chefs vied for the chance to be selected as champion with one-of-a-kind creative confections being judged on presentation and taste. Chef Trey Griffith of The Wine Bar emerged as the 2014 champion for his entry, Samoa Bon Bon incorporating the Samoa cookie, Gelato, chocolate and coconut. The entry Sticky Samoa Seduction from Chef Jack McGuckin of Bistro Bijoux took second place honors, and in third place was Pastry Chef Vanessa Poch of A Cupcakery by the Sea. The event was sponsored by the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle, Inc. Visit www.gscfp.org.
Quality Imports Toyota Presents The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge with a Toyota Tundrav
Quality Imports Toyota awarded a new Toyota Tundra to Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge (ECWR) during a key presentation at the dealership on Wednesday, Jan. 15. This celebration is part of the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program, a major philanthropic initiative in which the automaker is giving away 100 cars to 100 nonprofits over the course of 50 days, based on votes from Facebook users. The 100 Cars for Good program benefits organizations impacting the lives of individuals in their communities and is the first Toyota charitable project that engages the public in how corporate philanthropic donations are awarded. To learn more about Quality Imports - Mercedes Benz - BMW - Toyota – Mazda, visit www.qualityimports.com.
Twin Cities Hospital Donates to Sharing & Caring of Niceville
Twin Cities Hospital recently donated $5,000 to Sharing & Caring of Niceville to help replenish the food bank and assist with other needs of the local non-profit organization. Twin Cities Hospital’s 2013 Dr. Frist Humanitarian Award recipients Richard Dunham and Lois Pellnitz presented the check to Susan Magerman, President of Sharing & Caring of Niceville. For details, visit www.tchospital.com.
Instructions to Submit Member News ItemsDo you have special business information you would like to share with all Chamber members and our website visitors? Please send your exciting news, which can be about an upcoming event or other timely information, to news@DestinChamber.com. Only Chamber members are allowed to post news, each news item has to be less than 100 words, only one item per member is allowed each week, and Chamber staff reserves the right to reject or edit postings that do not meet the requirements. All news items are due by Friday for posting the following Monday. The link to this page will be sent out in our weekly Tuesday Talking Points email, and the news item will remain on the website until the next Monday's posting. We will not keep an archive of these pages, and no photos, logos or general business descriptions will be posted. Also, member news items will only be published once.
Advocating for businesses... strengthening our community
Showing posts with label Destin Area Chamber of Commerce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Destin Area Chamber of Commerce. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Reflecting on Accomplishments of 2013
The
mission of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce is to create a dynamic alliance
of the business community and government through member-driven initiatives and
services that enable responsible growth and economic prosperity. We also
provide businesses with networking, marketing, and educational opportunities. Through your efforts and
dedication, we have met and continue to meet our mission. I’d like to highlight just some of the
programs, projects and activities that the Destin Area Chamber, through its Board of
Directors and its members, have been involved in during the last 12 months.
During the Board of Directors'
Strategic Planning Retreat for 2013, we set the following goals:
- to continue to support enhanced code and zoning enforcement within the City of Destin,
- to define and implement economic development initiatives,
- to be an advocate for tax incentives for job development,
- to be a voice for Norriego Point,
- to encourage expansion along the Harbor Boardwalk,
- to improve our community by picking our causes and taking a stance,
- to implement a citywide milestone marker program,
- to educate new and non-members, and
- to enhance our Ambassador program.
Here's a list of the fun things
we did that increased the networking opportunities for our members:
- 4th annual Bayou, Bay & Back 1 Mile, 5K Run/Walk,10K & 1/2 Marathon;
- Blessing of the Marketplace; Golf & Dine golf tournament at Indian Bayou,
- Paddle at the Porch paddleboard race at the Back Porch;
- Puttoberfest miniature golf tournament at Golf Garden;
- reception at Indian Bayou to honor our past chairmen;
- 12 Business & Networking Luncheons with programs, including a non-profit appreciation expo, BusinessPalooza!, Football Tailgate & Celebrity Board Waiter Luncheon, and Bowling for Business at Hurricane Lanes;
- 11 Business After-Hours; and
- approximately a bazillion ribbon cuttings to welcome our new members.
On a more powerful side, our
Board of Directors took action on the following items:
- prioritized RESTORE ACT funds recommendations,
- sent a letter of support for medical trauma centers,
- sent a letter of support for Mid-Bay Bridge Authority to remain local and independent,
- met with Director Bill Wilson and Executive Director Jesse Panuccio of Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to bring their attention to our area,
- had multiple meetings with the Tourist Development Council and the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County,
- supported six-laning Emerald Coast Parkway (Highway 98) from Tang-O-Mar Drive in Walton County to Airport Road in Okaloosa County (support has most recently been suspended until some issues are clarified),
- met with the City of Destin multiple times working towards implementation of the Mile Marker Program,
- encouraged our members to landscape, landscape, landscape to improve our community,
- encouraged our members to decorate for the TDC's advertising campaign Very Emerald Christmas,
- had meetings with the City of Destin about a possible Adopt-A-Median with City for Christmas decorations,
- wrote a letter of support for the Marler Street traffic signal,
- gave support to the city's proposed cross-town connector,
- voted to support a pedestrian/community friendly Harbor Blvd.,
- voted to support the opportunity to reroute or disallow through trucks in Destin,
- advocated to add additional parking in the Harbor District (i.e. one way N/S connectors & use excess for parking),
- made a soft request for City to get a legal opinion to annex the unincorporated areas of Destin,
- supported the Destin City Council’s motion for staff to write a date specific ordinance for the extension of development orders,
- recreated the Citizens for Good Leadership political action committee to educate and endorse candidates and promote other community issues,
- requested the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and the City of Destin run some public service announcements regarding safety in the pedestrian crosswalks on Harbor Blvd.,
- supported encouraging the city to explore creating public parking solutions to the open air seating requirements,
- supported regulating helicopter and other vending over the water,
- met with the Sheriff's Office regarding petty crimes along the Boardwalk, and
- met with the City advocating the Chamber's stance against gambling being allowed in our area when/if it becomes legalized.
What a wonderful honor to have been allowed to serve as
the 2013 Chairman of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce. It is a gift I will treasure forever.
Sincerely,
Mary Anne Windes
2013 Destin Area Chamber Chairman
Real Estate Professionals of Destin, Inc.
Destin Fishing Fleet Marina
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