Spotlight on Business

The CommunicatorMarch 2019

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Piper Promotions

Eve Alexander purchased a Punta Gorda-based food tour business last January, and over the course of the year, she realized she has a passion for promoting small business. “When I bring a tour group to a restaurant, I’m smiling from ear to ear and as proud as if it was my own place.” She also learned that members of our local small business community enjoy encour-aging each other to succeed.

She was inspired to launch Piper Promotions this year with a mission to help promote small businesses in southwest Florida. The concept is to place a custom-branded erasable board in a location that draws foot traffic. The location gets the use of the board for free because it’s paid for by sponsors who benefit from getting their message in front of more people. Ideal locations for boards include restaurants, hair salons and barber shops, churches, schools, and civic and community organiza-tions. Any business, small or large, can be a sponsor, but the arrange-ment is especially attractive for individuals with home-based business-es and mobile service providers who benefit from the attention they get at a commercial storefront or gathering site.

Eve calls herself a ‘sponsorship facilitator’ and likens her role to being a matchmaker. “I want to be sure I put the sponsor in a suitable loca-tion for potential customers, and that the location is enthusiastic about their sponsors.” She is the only authorized distributor of Elite Erase™ boards in southwest Florida, and her territory is Englewood, North Port, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Other value-added services she provides is a complementary listing on her website and influential social media posts.

Learn more at piperpromotions.com or give Eve a ring at (941) 380-8007. She’s delighted to present the advantages of her promotional program for small businesses in our community.

www.NorthPortAreaChamber.com

Calendar of Events MarchMarketing & Communication Committee (Charlotte State Bank, 4300

Aiden Lane)

Professional Development & Education Committee (Goodwill Job &

Career Center, 14879 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port)

Breakfast Club Networking (Olde World Restaurant, 14415 S. Tamiami

Trail, North Port)

Leadership North Port

Ribbon Cutting - Honest Air Conditioning of Venice (795 Commerce

Drive, Ste 5, Venice, FL)

33rd Annual Business & Community Expo - The Art of Business

presented by Worksite LLC (George Mullen Activity Center, 1602 Kramer

Way, North Port)

Member Services Committee (Perkins, 6001 S. Salford Boulevard, North

Port)

Business After Hours (Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty, 14972 Tamiami

Trail, North Port)

Resource Development Committee (Key Agency, 14942 Tamiami Trail)

Ribbon Cutting - Gulf Coast Scratching Post Cat Hospital (3135 bobcat

Village Center Road, North Port)

Lunch & Learn Workshop (Sarasota Memorial Healthcare, 2345 Bobcat

Village Center Road, North Port)

Kickoff Night At The Races (Beef O’Brady’s, 1037 Sumter Boulevard, North

Port)

North Port Young Professionals (Location TBD)

Network@Noon (Beef O’Brady’s, 1037 Sumter Boulevard, North Port)

Business & Economic Development Committee (Sarasota Memorial

Health Care System ER, 2345 Bobcat Village Center Road, North Port)

Orientation (Sarasota Memorial Health Care System ER, 2345 Bobcat

Village Center Road, North Port)

Website Training (Sarasota Memorial Health Care System ER, 2345 Bobcat

Village Center Road, North Port)

Government Relations Committee (Sarasota Memorial Health Care

System ER, 2345 Bobcat Village Center Road, North Port)

1st 9:00 am

5th 4:00 pm

6th 7:30 am

8th 8:00 am

8th 12:00 Noon

9th 9:00 am

12th 8:30 am

12th 5:30 pm

13th 8:30 am

13th 5:00 pm

14th 11:30 am

14th 5:00 pm

20th 5:30 pm

21st 11:30 am

Canceled in March

Next Meeting Apr 2

27th 8:30 am

27th 9:45 am

28th 8:30 am

Luncheon

Chamber Members: $15.00 each / Non Chamber Members or at door: $20.00 each Meal Choices: Fish & Chips, Reuben Sandwich, The Dubliner or Vegetable Rice Bowl

Yes! Reserve ________ seat(s) for the Network @ Noon Luncheon for a total payment of $ Name(s): Business: Telephone/Email: Chamber of Commerce Affiliation:

Payment Method: Credit Card Check Cash

Credit Card Number: Exp. Date: Security Code: Zip Code:

North Port Area Chamber of Commerce 1337 N. Sumter Boulevard North Port Florida 34286 Phone: (941) 564-3040 Fax: (941) 200-5713

*** Registration Deadline: Tuesday March 19, 2019 ***

Thursday, March 21, 2019 1037 Sumter Blvd. 11:30 am—1:00pm

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Sponsored & Hosted by:

14972 Tamiami Trail, North Port 5:30 pm—7:00 pm

Thank You To OurChamber Champions 2018 - 2019

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

• AADisaster Restoration 24/7• Allstate Insurance - Steve Matthews Agency• Always Air Heating & Cooling• Amy Sauer - Anytime Realty• BB&T• ClikWiz• Coastal Quality Landscapes• Cruiser’s Travel & Tours, LLC • Debbie Snowden - Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty • Dick & Denise Woodhull - Sun Realty • Do-Well Painting

• Dream Vacations - Ed & Robin Rinkewich• Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County• Epiphany Health• Gale West - Your Health Consultant• GreatFlorida Insurance - Heather Reichle• Heartland Payment System• Linda & Ted Curran - Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty • Linda L. Zick, IBC - Mary Kay • Lowe & Levy, CPA’s, LLC• Mills-Roy Luxury Travel

• Olde World Restaurant• Paul Patterson Handyman Service• Security Alarm Corporation• SeePort Optometry• State Farm Insurance - Dean McConville• Stellar Web Production• The Power & Light Co., LLC• The Springs at South Biscayne• Valerie LaBoy - Weichert, Realtors Gulf Coast Group• Wendy Namack, CFP® - Namack Portfolio Investment Professionals, LLC

A Message from the Executive Director

“Art of Business” Membership DriveThe North Port Area Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a “Art of Business” Community Membership Drive from March 9 – 29, 2019. Businesses that are not members of the Chamber are encouraged to join during the Membership Drive and let the Chamber help their business or organization grow and succeed in 2019. The Chamber is offering additional incentives to businesses that join during the Membership Drive. These incentives include:

• Administrative Fee Waived ($25 value)• 3-Days of Advertising in the North Port Sun Newspaper ($339 value)• Priority Listing on the Chamber’s Website ($99 value)

• FREE Flyer in the Chamber’s Monthly Communicator Newsletter ($50 value)PLUS, a chance to win a 30-minute interview on Bill’s Business Spotlight Show on WKDW Radio

The Chamber realizes that are current Chamber Members are the best Ambassadors for the Chamber. We are offering incentives to our current Chamber Members that solicit and secure new Chamber Members during the Membership Drive. These incentives include:• 1 New Member - $25 credit to their Chamber account PLUS a chance to win a Priority Listing on website ($99 value)• 2 New Members - $50 credit to their Chamber account PLUS a chance to win an Enhanced Listing on website ($249 value)• 3 New Members - $75 credit to their Chamber account PLUS a chance to win a Banner Ad on website ($599 value)• 4 New Members or more - $100 credit to their Chamber account. The current member who brings in the most, new Chamber Members, with a minimum of 4 new members, will be awarded a Bronze Chamber Championship ($500 value) for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. If a Chamber Member wished to upgrade to a higher Chamber Champion Sponsorship Level, a $500 credit will be applied to sponsorship level of choice. In case of a tie, the Chamber Member that brings in the MOST in Investment Dollars, will be the winner.

Business & Community ExpoThe North Port Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 33rd Annual Business & Community Expo on Saturday, March 9, 2019 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm at the George Mullen Activity Center, located at 1602 Kramer Way in North Port. The theme of this year’s Business & Community Expo is “The Art of Business”. Once again, the Chamber is partnering with the City North Port’s annual “Arts on the Green” event which will be held on the same day from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm on the City Green area. The Chamber is pleased to announce that Worksite has agreed, for the second year in a row, to be the Title Sponsor for this event. The combination of the Business & Community Expo and the Arts on the Green events will become a major community event each year and will draw a large crowd for each event. The Annual Business & Community Expo is a FREE event to the public and is designed to introduce local businesses to the community and allow them to showcase their products and services. The public will receive complimentary “goodie bags” filled with promotional items provided by Chamber businesses and a chance to win raffle prizes being offered by each Vendor Booth at the Expo. Two Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Game Tickets will be given away every hour as raffle prizes at the Expo. A

Grand Prize Raffle for 2 tickets on the Key West Express and four (4) Atlanta Braves vs Tampa Bay Rays Baseball Game tickets for the SOLD-OUT Spring Training Baseball Game on March 24th will be offered.

A Night at the Races Kick-Off CelebrationThe North Port Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting an After-Hours Kick-Off Celebration for the upcoming “A Night at the Races” event. The Kick-Off Celebration will be held on Thursday. March 14, 2019 from 5:00 pm -7:00 pm at Beef-O-Brady’s, located at 1037 Sumter Boulevard in North Port. 2018 A Night at the Races Sponsors are invited to attend this event as Chamber guest. Chamber Members and members of the public are invited to attend and the cost is $20.00 per person and includes heavy appetizers, beverages and two complimentary beer & wine tickets. The Kick-Off Celebration is an opportunity for Chamber members and the public to learn about the various sponsorship and ticket opportunities associated with the event. Each person that attends the Kick-Off Celebration will receive $10.00 in play money to be used for the “A Night at the Races” event. The “A Night at the Races” event will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm at the George Mullen Activity Center. The Kick-Off Celebration is open to all Chamber members and to the public.

Leadership North Port Fundraising ProjectI would like to congratulate the 2019 Leadership North Port Class for conducting a very successful fundraising project to benefit the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition. The Class conducted a “Wagon of Cheer” Raffle and sold raffle tickets for four (4) weeks. The goal was to raise $3,000.00 from the raffle. At the end of the raffle sales, the Leadership North Port Class exceeded their goal and generated $3,310.00. $3,000.00 of the raffle sales was donated to the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition to be used as matching funds for a grant so the Charlotte County Homeless Coalition could purchase a storage shed and pad to store items they collect for their clients. I want to thank everyone that purchased raffle tickets and supported this very worthwhile cause. Keep up the great work Leadership North Port Class.

Sincerely,

William J. GunninWilliam J. GunninExecutive DirectorNorth Port Area Chamber of Commerce

Message Continued

Honor RollThe North Port Chamber of Commerce is pleased to have these partners renew

their annual investment in the community:Business On The Roll For

Mellor, Grissinger & Backo, LLP

North Port Sun

Hamsher Homes

North Port Performing Arts Center

North Port Natural Florist

Kevin Schapley, DMD, PA

A Little Help Nurse Registry

Family Pride Roofing

Port Charlotte SCORE

Wendy Namack - Namack Portfolio Investment Professionals, LLC

AMVETS Post 312

Cultural Center of Charlotte County

Imagine School at North Port

Shremshock Surveying, Inc.

Sleep Inn & Suites Port Charlotte

Keller Williams Peach River Partners, LLC

Noah’s Ark Preschool

Charles McCollum (Santa Claus)

Literacy Volunteers of South Sarasota County

Escape Rooms Unlocked

Finance of America Mortgage, LLC

Gid Pool (Friend Member)

Keller Williams Island Life Real Estate

33 Years

33 Years

27 Years

17 Years

15 Years

13 Years

11 Years

10 Years

10 Years

10 Years

8 Years

8 Years

8 Years

8 Years

8 Years

7 Years

7 Years

4 Years

4 Years

3 Years

3 Years

3 Years

3 Years

Walk In Clinic

Atlanta Braves Spring Training Complex

Fairway Funding Group

First International Title

FSBDC at USF

Key Fence

Friends of the Legacy Trail

Tom O’Neil Photography

3 Years

2 Years

2 Years

2 Years

2 Years

2 Years

1 Year

1 Year

Honor Roll

Welcome, Newest Members!

The North Port Area Chamber of Commerce is happy to announcethe following as partners in our mission. We suggest you support local business.

Always buy Chamber!!

Holiday Builders The B-12 Store

Uncommon Integrity Business

Contracting Services

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” -Andy Warhol

ART OF BUSINESS & COMMUNITY EXPO

33rd Annual

Saturday, March 99:00 am - 2:00 pm

George Mullen Activity Center in North Port1602 Kramer Way, North Port

FREE TO ATTEND

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT NORTH PORT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE(941) 564-3040info@northportareachamber.com

P R E S E N T S

Featuring the City of North Port’s Arts on the Green10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Enter to win 4 tickets to Braves Game on March 24, 2019

Event Sponsors:Always Air Heating & Cooling LLCAmerilife and Health Services of Sarasota CountyD.R. HortonDean McConville, State Farm AgentDexYPDream Vacations - Ed & Robin RinkewichFairway Funding GroupGale West - Your Health ConsultantGulf Coast Scratching Post Cat HospitalHoover Pressure CleaningModern Woodmen of AmericaMurdock StonesRhonda Gustitus Team - Keller Williams Peace River PartnersSeePort OptometrySolaris HealthCareSuperior Pools of SWFL, Inc.Ted & Linda Curran - Coldwell Banker Sunstar RealtyWeichert, Realtors Gulf Coast Group

Enter to win 2 t

ickets!

Enter to win tickets - drawing every hour!

**There is no cost to attend unless you wish to order breakfast off their delicious breakfast menu**

Wednesday March 6, 2019 7:30 am

14415 S. Tamiami Trail North Port

You may register ahead of time online at www.NorthPortAreaChamber.com

For more information, please call the Chamber Office at 941-564-3040.

Put your morning to work!

The North Port Area Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Member

Please join us

Friday, March 8, 2019 Noon—1:00 pm

795 Commerce Drive, Suite 5, Venice, FL 34292

Drinks and food will be available

Tuesday, March 12, 2019 Sponsored & Hosted by:

14972 Tamiami Trail, North Port 5:30 pm—7:00 pm

The North Port Area Chamber of Commerce

will be conducting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New Member

Please join us

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 5:00 pm

Open House 4:00-7:00 pm

3135 Bobcat Village Center Road, North Port

Beverages, Snacks, and Raffle Prizes (cat related, of course)

Presented by;

Workshop Sponsor March 14 Promoting Your Business Promotion is how you and your business communicate with the market. You promote your business by getting the word out and you have to do this consistently. It is a budgeted activity but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Social Media is not the only way to promote your business. Learn inexpensive ways to get the word out.

The 2019 North Port Small Business Lunch and Learn program is a series of monthly workshops to assist business owners with improving their business and staying competitive. All workshops are held at the Second Floor Community Room at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare, 2345 Bobcat Village Center Road in North Port. The lunches and workshops are offered at no cost thanks to the generosity of our workshop sponsors. Work-shops begin at 11:30 AM and conclude by 1:00 PM. Please register at www.northportareachamber.com.

April 4 Budgeting to Sustain and Grow Your Business A budget is a guide to assist you in operating your business. It will create a focus for the business and set targets to help your business grow. A budget will help you make continuous improvements, anticipate problems and provide financial information for making sound business decisions. Learn about some tools that will get your started.

May 9 Creating Content People Will Read What you say and the way you say it is how you will attract and engage your audiences. Regularly sharing valuable content also helps you online by improving SEO. Learn tips on how to create content for your blog, your newsletters and Facebook. You’ll receive the structure and tools to make creating your own content fast, easy and effective.

September 12 Resources for Helping Your Business Operating a business is no easy task. Sometimes a business owner or manager can feel intimidated by a task or iso-lated from other business owners. You don’t have to go it alone. There are a number of resources in our area to help you and your business with marketing and management tasks.

August 8 Communication Skills Good communication skills allow us to give and receive information effectively and efficiently. It is important to have good verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills to share information with customers, clients, em-ployees, suppliers, other business owners and many more. Learn techniques to develop and improve these skills.

October 3 Elements of a Marketing Plan Knowing and using the key elements of marketing will help you prepare marketing campaigns for the holiday season and beyond. Learn how to examine your business, your products, your competition, your target market and the business environment to create promotions that will sell your products.

Nov. 14 Networking to Grow Your Business Networking is not about making a sale it’s about developing relationships. Learn how to network to create new con-tacts and gain referrals, stay current on business trends, solve problems and share knowledge and experience. Ulti-mately the purpose of networking is to increase revenues.

July 11 Website Design and Maintenance Your website serves as an online storefront for your business. Learn how to create a clean, professional looking site that encourages visitors to stay and see what your business has to offer. Once your site is complete it will need to be updated with new information and photos from time to time.

June 6 Using Data To Drive Growth Reliable data can keep your business growing. Learn about tools that collect and interpret information about how your customers interact with your business online. This information allows you to make informed decisions about online marketing strategy. Find out who your most valuable website visitors are and how to reach them.

2019 North Port Small Business

BallLawCenter.com

North Port, FL

Join us to learn about Ticket Prices, Event & Race Horse Sponsorship Opportunities and Event Details!

A night of fun and excitment!Saturday, May 11, 2019

5:00 - 10:00 pmGeorge Mullen Center

Thursday, March 14, 2019at Beef O’Brady’s - 1037 Sumter Blvd.

5:00 pm - 7:00 pmFood Buffet - $20 per person (2018 Sponsor No Charge)

Two Drink Tickets, Hamburger Sliders, Boneless Wings, Quesadillas, Vegetable Rice Bowl

Name: ______________________________________ Company: ____________________________________

Email: ______________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________

Please reserve ____ ticket(s) The following people will be attending:

1. _______________________________________________ 2. _________________________________________

____invoice me ___ check enclosed ____below is my credit card information ___ 2018 Sponsor

Card type: Visa/MasterCard/Discover/AMEX Number: ____________________________________________

Expiration date: ________ CVV: ________ Zipcode: _________ Signature: ___________________________

Luncheon

Chamber Members: $15.00 each / Non Chamber Members or at door: $20.00 each Meal Choices: Fish & Chips, Reuben Sandwich, The Dubliner or Vegetable Rice Bowl

Yes! Reserve ________ seat(s) for the Network @ Noon Luncheon for a total payment of $ Name(s): Business: Telephone/Email: Chamber of Commerce Affiliation:

Payment Method: Credit Card Check Cash

Credit Card Number: Exp. Date: Security Code: Zip Code:

North Port Area Chamber of Commerce 1337 N. Sumter Boulevard North Port Florida 34286 Phone: (941) 564-3040 Fax: (941) 200-5713

*** Registration Deadline: Tuesday March 19, 2019 ***

Thursday, March 21, 2019 1037 Sumter Blvd. 11:30 am—1:00pm

Wednesday April 3, 2019 7:30 am - 9:00 am

812 Kings Highway Port Charlotte

Put your morning to work.

La Quinta will be providing fresh fruit, yogurt, muffins/donuts, eggs and sausage skillet. Complimentary coffee will also be provided.

PLEASE REGISTER ONLINE

Save The DateSaturday

May 11, 20195:00-10:00 pm

George Mullen CenterA night of fun and excitment!

ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT

19th HOLESponsor(Beverages)

ALBATROSSSponsors

Available!BEVERAGE

CARTSponsor

BEVERAGECARTSponsor

Hole-In-One Sponsor

941-564-3040 | info@NorthPortAreaChamber.com www.NorthPortAreaChamber.com

Savethe

Date

Banquet Sponsor

Albatross Sponsor

Photo Sponsor

Driving Range Sponsor

19th Hole Sponsor

“Happiness is a good piece of asphalt”

1406 Ringling Drive • Venice, FL 34285Office 941-488-5717 • Fax 941-483-4829 • www.advanced-asphalt.com

License #AAA0010870

Hole-In-One Sponsor

Hazard Sponsor

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Heron Creek Golf & Country Club

Breakfast Sponsor:Gale West - Your Health

Consultant

Eagle Sponsor:Kaplan Tax & Accounting

Class of 2019Environment & Tourism DayFebruary 8, 2019

Tom Miller of Ft. Myers - winner of “Wagon of Cheer”

Presentation of $3,000 check to Christine Varcoe, Development Coordinator The Homeless Coalition and Leadership North Port 2019 participant for a matching grant for a storage shed and pad at their facility.

Business After Hours

Business After Hours

Business After Hours

Network@Noon

Network@Noon

Network@Noon

Veteran Visits

Go Team

MVM Cutom Homes, Inc.5 Years

IFitnessMedicann

Ivy League Early Learning Center

Your Chamber Working For You

The Communicator is a monthly publication of the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce:

1337 N. Sumter BoulevardNorth Port, FL 33986Phone: 941-564-3040

Fax: 941-200-5713

Email:info@northportareachamber.com

Web:www.northportareachamber.com

Phone Calls

Visitors in Office

Website Visits

Website Page Views

Facebook Visits

Facebook Reach

429

113

2,972 9,683 487 5,192

958

267

6,763

20,041

940

8,447

BUSINESS & COMMUNITYGROWING TOGETHER

2018-2019Executive Commitee:President: Bill Werdell (Achieva Credit Union)Immediate Past President: Linda Zick (Mary Kay)Incoming President: Matt Dill (Stellar Web Production)Treasurer: Wendy Namack, CFP ® (Namack Portfolio Investment Professionals, LLC)Secretary: Gale West (Your Health Consultant)

Directors:Deeana Atkinson (Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty)Lance Broat (Venice Print Center)Sondra Guffey (West Villages)Tony Gustitus (Keller Williams Peace River Partners - Rhonda Gustitus Team)Valerie LaBoy (Weichert, Realtors Gulf Coast Group)Kelly Louke (Charlotte State Bank & Trust)Jamie Lovern (Lolablue, LLC)Jackie Normand (Busey Bank)David Roth (Rothco Signs & Design)Debbie Snowden (Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty)

The mission of the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote and encourage business prosperity through advocacy,

engagement and cooperation

Staff:

William GunninExecutive Director

Karol BentAdministrative

Assistant

Denise V. BergOffice

Administrator

CHAMBER STATISTICS

February 2019 YTD 2019