Volume 33 l August 2021
 
Weekly eConnection
801 West Bay Drive, Suite 602 Largo, FL 33770
Tel: 727-584-2321 Fax: 727-586-3112
Happenings & Members' Promotions
All Chamber members are eligible to provide business updates and special member-to-member offers/discounts. The E-Connection Newsletter is distributed weekly on Fridays. Provide the image by noon the Wednesday prior. Images in square format, JPG or PNG, would work best. Please email to Zoe at membership@centralchamber.biz 
Today is the last day to take the survey! Your input is vital!
Chamber Workforce Needs Survey
******Too many jobs. Not enough workers. It’s a concern being voiced here and across the country. Your Chamber is exploring a new service we’re calling ChamberWORKS. The goal is to develop a communication chain that links employers with employee resources and educators. Your response to this brief survey will assist us in our efforts.
 
12th Annual Inspire Awards - Last few days to register!
Tickets are available for purchase here - $25 per person.
Eight-Time Emmy-Winner to Emcee Inspire Awards ’21!
******The Chamber’s Women’s Leadership Committee has announced that Lissette Campos, eight-time Emmy Award winning journalist, media and communications strategist, will be the emcee of this year’s prestigious Inspire Awards on August 19. (More below)
******Ms. Campos, a former news anchor and community affairs director, is credited with creating initiatives that have raised the bar for program quality and have made a lasting and positive impact in the Tampa Bay region. She is best known as the creator and host of “Positively Tampa Bay”, which focused on local non-profits and advocacy groups, and the “Taking Action Against Domestic Violence” campaign at WFTS-TV.
******Her career also includes leadership roles in Crisis Communications and Public Affairs for the Disney Company, University of South Florida/ USF Health and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida. She is a proud member of the WEDU Community Advisory Board, The Spring of Tampa Bay Board of Directors and the Ybor City Museum Society Board of Trustees.
SEEKING A NEW CAREER?
Boeing’s recent 2020 Pilot and Technician Outlook forecast estimates that 739,000 new aviation maintenance technicians will be needed globally in the next 20 years.
 
If you are looking for new beginnings, consider the in-demand opportunities in aviation maintenance! With National Aviation Academy’s (NAA) accelerated training options, you can enter the industry in as little as 14 months. 
 
Learn about the benefits of being an aircraft mechanic and request more information about training for your industry certifications, our services, and the rewarding, hands-on career possibilities in aviation maintenance!
Welcome New Chamber Members
Over the past couple of months we've welcomed a dozen new members! At our recent Chamber 101 Coffee Meeting we had the pleasure of meeting some of them. Representatives from those businesses are seen here posing with their member plaques. Starting from the top left: Carolyn Tricoli from Budget Blinds of Clearwater & Seminole, Jerry Konstantatos from Largo Glass, Inc., Nick Fiorentino from Ciarciaglino, Gell & Fiorentino P.A. Bottom left: Elyana Zayed from BioLife Plasma Services and a long-time member with a new business name, Edeline Joseph-Theophile from Dreams Come True by Edie. To learn more about them, visit our Business Directory.
Register here: B2B Coffee An'
2021 Annual Chamber Community Awards: Nominations now open!
*****Throughout our community and within the organization are many individuals worthy of acclaim.
*****To spotlight their contributions in helping to make our community a better place to live and work, the Chamber each year presents its “Citizen of the Year” and “Mac Norcross Small Business Person of the Year” awards.
*****These distinguished honors will be presented at our 68th Annual Awards Breakfast on Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort. It’s with much pomp and circumstance that we add these two individuals to the celebrated company of past recipients.
******Use this link for Awards Criteria, Nomination Form and list of past recipients: https://www.centralchamber.biz/annual-chamber-awards
******Please take the time to consider if there is someone you know who embodies the characteristics of these honors, and submit your nomination(s) by Friday, Sept. 3. If you have any questions, call Tom at 584-2321 or email tom@CentralChamber.biz.
ChamberCARES! in support of Santa to a Senior
More businesses, including some in Florida, are requiring employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as concerns over the more contagious delta variant continue to grow.
A key federal agency will not block a sweeping gambling deal Gov. Ron DeSantis signed with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, opening the door for sports betting to start as soon as Oct. 15 in Florida and setting the stage for a legal showdown over the issue.
Over his 57 year career, Bowden won more games than nearly any other head coach. For 34 of those years, he led the Florida State Seminoles, turning the Tallahassee school into a football powerhouse.
Cuba is seeing a surge in unauthorized migration to the United States, fueled by an economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.
The biggest changes to standards and codes have often come in the wake of tragedies.
Thank you to our Trustees and Newsletter Sponsors
Bay Care/Morton Plant Hospital
Cloud Law Firm PA
Duke Energy
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital
Home Instead/Be a Santa
Jackson & Associates CPA
Melody Hunter, Charles Rutenberg Realty
MidFlorida Credit Union
National Aviation Academy
Nova Southeastern University - Tampa Bay
Paradise Air
Piper Fire Protection
Platinum Information Services
Regions Bank
The Palms of Largo
Valley National Bank
Village Inn
Wealth Builders
The Weekly E-Connection is made possible by the following generous sponsors:
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