WANT TO KNOW WHY BEING A MEMBER OF THE LAKELAND AREA CHAMBER IS SO BECOMING? READ ON...
CALENDAR
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
KURT
ELMHORST
ALLEN & COMPANY
MBA, CFP,
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
It is my honor and privilege to serve as Chairman
of the Chamber this year! I am delighted to share
with you some of the great accomplishments of your
Chamber so far this year.
We began 2015 under new leadership that came
as a result of the retirement of Chamber President
Kathleen Munson after 27 years of service to the
Chamber. Following a nationwide search, the Search
Committee, chaired by Paul Noris (Bank of Central
Florida), hired Cory Skeates, who was previously the
President of the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional
Chamber of Commerce for eight years.
One of the beliefs that Cory and I share is a desire
to look at where the Chamber should be in ten
years, and do it now. Under the direction of our Key
Strategic Initiatives, I believe that we are well on the
way to modernizing and innovating the way that a
chamber serves its members.
FOCUS ON EFFICIENCIES
Much of the focus of the first half of this year has
been on how we can be more efficient and provide
a greater return on investment for our members.
Through recent attrition of three chamber staff,
we have been able to reassess job descriptions for
existing employees and discover other cost saving
measures that will allow us to better serve our
members.
CHAMBER GOES DIGITAL
As recommended by the U.S. Chamber during
our recent accreditation, the Chamber has begun
the process of using new technologies to deliver
communications to our members. This has included
going digital with our Forum for Business magazine
NEW MEMBERS
and redesigning our weekly Forum 2.0 e-newsletter.
Digital versions of these publications also allow for
new advertising opportunities for our members that
will include the ability to link articles directly to their
websites and allow advertisers to embed videos. Use
of these new mediums will create a reduction in
printing and postage costs of approximately $90,000,
about 13% of the total budget, allowing us to invest
more in resources dedicated to our member’s success,
such as the creation of a new Visitor’s Guide and a
separate Relocation publication.
Our Business Development KSI, led by Dr. Bill Rhey
(Florida Southern College) has led the efforts to bring
to fruition the development of a Polk International
Trade & Protocol Council. Through discussions
with industry leaders in the fields of import and
export, the committee organized and carried out an
inaugural event entitled “Polk Goes Global” in April at
the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. The audience
of 100 local business leaders was greeted by a panel
of experts from the Port of Tampa, Small Business
Development Center, the Department of Commerce,
Enterprise Florida and the Tampa International
Trade & Protocol Council.
Membership Development, led by Dale Dreyer
(CenterState Bank) is currently reviewing the
progress of our new membership Advantage Plans.
They are evaluating the benefits offered at each
level and soliciting input on what members would
like to see within their particular levels to continue
involvement, all with the goal of ensuring a valuable
return on investment.
Public Policy, led by Jarvis Kendrick (MIDFLORIDA
Credit Union) has had a busy start to the year. It
began with the formulation of the Chamber’s 2015
Legislative Agenda, which was presented to our
legislative delegation in Tallahassee during our
annual Polk County Day advocacy mission. The
committee also took on the process of deliberating
and crafting a position regarding the City of
Lakeland’s proposed Fire Assessment Fee. This KSI,
and the Chamber leadership, has made advocacy on
behalf of our business community a priority and will
continue to fight to ensure our mission of “creating a
climate where business can prosper.”
Sustainable Community, under the direction of
RIBBON CUTTINGS
Vice Chair Craig Hill (Law Office of Craig B. Hill,
P.L.) continues to explore opportunities to increase
the engagement of our small businesses and young
professionals by working with our other KSIs in an
effort to ensure that talent is recruited and retained
in our community.
The Talent Development KSI, led by Vice Chair
Dr. Joe Childs (Southeastern University), worked
with talented students from Catapult to develop the
“Suit Up” event for area college students. Students
were provided with the opportunity to meet
with prospective employers at various locations
throughout downtown Lakeland, furthering
the mission to keep talent in Lakeland, while
also introducing them to the many wonderful
opportunities afforded for students in downtown.
The KSI is also working to build upon the great
successes of last year’s “back to school” celebration,
creating collaboration between our many higher
education institutions, while also incorporating
elements of h