BUSINESS IS GOING TO BOOM IN 2019! Join us as we get business popping once again on In addition, we'll enjoy beats by DJ Mayner as he sets Thursday, January 10th at our 6th annual New Year’s the vibe for a high-energy year of Doing BIG Things in Networker! 2019! Soak up the sights of The City Beautiful from the rooftop of the University of Miami Health System's Lennar Foundation Medical Center along with hundreds of your closest colleagues, prospects, and friends. We'll enjoy bites and delights from some of our City’s trendiest and tastiest restaurants and limitless libations courtesy of long-time Trustee member, Bacardi. Who will be showcasing their mouthwatering morsels? We're glad you asked! This year's line-up includes: Plomo Taco Bar, Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar, Copper29 Bar, Vicky Bakery, KAO Sushi & Grill by SushiClub, Bulla Gastrobar, SEEK + FIND, House of Per’La, Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar and Hoppy Flamingo.
A night like this would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. The 2019 New Year's Networker is presented by UHealth and The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, and supported by Bacardi USA, Florida Blue, International Finance Bank, Smiles and Sonrisas and Benjamin Douglas Consulting. Sound like a great time? Then, head on over to coralgableschamber.org and get your tickets before it's sold out! Bring the whole team and take advantage of our discounted group packages. In the meantime, check out these scenes from our 2018 shindig:
IN THIS ISSUE: Thoughts from our Chair Page 2 President’s Perspective Page 3 Trustee Talk
Page 5
Upcoming Events
Page 6
Membership Highlights Page 8 Calendar of Events
Page 9
Sponsor Recognition
Page 10
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
THOUGHTS FROM OUR CHAIR Patrick O'Connell
Chair of the Board, CGCC EWM Realty International oconnell.p@ewm.com
Dear Chamber Friends, Happy New Year from your Chamber of Commerce! As we prepare to close another year in The City Beautiful, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chamber's Board of Directors for their ongoing work and support. Your Chamber Board volunteers their time and resources to help in making this Chamber great. It is largely due to the sponsorships provided by our Board Member’s companies that we can deliver the quality events and programs throughout the year. It is an honor to serve with this group of dedicated professionals, and I am looking forward to a strong 2019 for our Chamber. And to our Chamber of Commerce staff, who tirelessly organize and execute numerous events monthly, I want to pay special thanks. Your early mornings, late nights, and everything in between, make for long days of Chamber business. You make it all look easy. To Kim, Ivette, Erica, Morgan, Ileana, Marite, Maria, Madison and Leo, you are the best in the business and we are fortunate to have you all on our team. Mark, thank you for being the inspiration for so many, and for your relentless efforts to improve our Chamber, our City and the entire South Florida Community. You are truly one of a kind, and our Chamber reflects your daily pursuit of excellence and overall magnanimity. 2019 has many great things in store for all of us. Let’s continue to pursue ‘Big Things’ as we work to improve our businesses, our Chamber and the City Beautiful. Sincerely,
2018-2019 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board Patrick O’Connell (EWM Realty International) Chairman-Elect Nelson Lazo (Doctors Hospital) First Vice Chairman Brian Barakat (Barakat Law, P.A.) Treasurer Alex Jimenez (Apollo Bank) Parliamentarian Tom Weinkle (Vortex Communications) Immediate Past Chair Martha de la Peña Rojas (Florida Blue) Vice Chairman-Global Business Affairs Rene Negron (AXA Advisors, LLC) Vice Chairman-Community Affairs Melanie Sanchez (Florida Community Bank) Vice Chairman-Business & Economic Dev. Eric Gros-Dubois (EPGD Business Law) Vice Chairman-Member Affairs Amy Donner (Coral Gables Magazine) Vice Chairman-Special Events Yesenia Moreno (Albion Staffing Solutions, Inc.) Vice Chairman-Gov’t & Legislative Affairs Efrain Sora (Sora Global Insurance & Consulting, LLC) Trustee Council Chair Ana Chaoui (Grove Bank & Trust) Chairman’s Appointee Anabella Smith (Zyscovich Architects) President & CEO Mark A. Trowbridge
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elected-term expires 2019 Pilar Baena (Smiles & Sonrisas) Carolina Rendeiro (Connect2Global) Claudine Claus (Home Financing Center, Inc.) Zachary Sulkes (Bacardi USA) Cheli Cerra (Mass Mutual Miami) Elected-term expires 2020 Andria Hanley (Camillus House) Phil Stevenson (Columbus Capital) Matthias Kammerer (The Biltmore Hotel) Jorge Martinez (The Conroy Martinez Group) Cinthya Urena (City National Bank) Elected-term expires 2021 Thad Adams (The Allen Morris Company) Chris Colston (Second Chance Credit LLC) Deirdre D. Nero, Esq (NERO Immigration Law, P.L.) Monique Selman (Albany Homes International, Inc.) Jessica Wilcox (J. Wilcox Consulting)
Patrick M. O'Connell Senior Vice President - New Business Development EWM Realty International Chairman of the Board Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce
Chairman’s Appointees-term expires 2019 Rosary Plana Falero (Marquis Bank) Nicolas Eterovic (Edward Jones) Addys Kuryla (Florida Power & Light) Cristina Miller (Intermedia Touch, Inc.) Myrna Vaca (UHealth)
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
City of Coral Gables | Commissioner Patricia Keon City of Coral Gables | Pamela Fuertes, Director Business Improvement District | Truman Skinner Coral Gables Community Foundation | Mary Snow, Executive Director The Beacon Council of Miami-Dade
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - MISSION POSSIBLE Having just returned from the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s first-ever mission trip to Ireland and the UK, I am both energized and optimistic about what lies ahead for Florida’s local chambers of commerce and my fellow delegates. These outbound mission trips are incredible opportunities to build business, and in our case, make vital connections with potential partners and future collaborators. With a diverse cross-section of business leaders— led by Coral Gables Chamber’s International Chair and past Chairman of the Florida Chamber Eric Silagy, CEO of Florida Power and Light— the Florida Chamber’s Business Development and Trade Mission proved to be a terrific chance to form bonds that I am confident will pay dividends far beyond this one-week mission. Education policy leaders, university officials, tourism professionals, banking executives, aviation leaders, small business owners, as well as our Coral Gables Chamber, gathered to create a resource team dedicated to selling Florida as the best place for business. Whether in Ireland or the UK, the energy was palpable and our team was on-hand to answer the simple question: Why Florida? The Florida Chamber Foundation’s “The Florida Scorecard,” tells us that more than 348,800 Floridians are employed by foreign companies, and a good majority are employed by companies in both Ireland and the UK. With booming economies and tech scenes that are getting noticed globally for companies like Capstone and Cloudbanter, now is the right time to talk about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Florida. While in Limerick, two Irish companies committed to opening in Jacksonville, Florida and our own Bank of America announced its intention to move its E.U. headquarters to Dublin. We also met with a Dublin-based scale-up, Pointy, who is working with local retailers to share their product inventories online to assist consumers in easier product procurement. Now that is purchasing power! They are interested in the U.S. and we’ve committed to connecting further and making introductions to a great Florida company—Publix Supermarkets. Before heading down to London, we ended our stay in Ireland by hosting a reception with the new Mayor of Dublin, Lord Mayor Nial Ring (now, that’s a great title!). He proved to be a great ambassador for this amazing city and was eager to meet our delegation to share the state of the business climate in Dublin and in all of Ireland. In London, the conversation shifted to talks of BREXIT, which consumed the airwaves on every “telly” and became the focus of many meetings. Clearly, uncertainty has caused some concern for the local governing officials, but business was brisk in the capital city. The Coral Gables Chamber has always enjoyed a special relationship with our partners in the U.K., but this takes on an even more significant meaning in an era of growth and opportunity. Florida remains of great interest to companies in the U.K., and in meeting with London and Partners, an economic development agency with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, we made a strong pitch for investments in Florida—specifically, Miami. Meeting with companies who have an interest in Florida can be both exhilarating and daunting. Whether it be through one-on-one meetings, group briefings or even in social settings like the reception we co-hosted with VISIT Florida, Enterprise Florida and Leadership Florida at The Shard, you must be ready to make your “pitch” at any moment. Florida’s future is always on our minds and this mission helped us hone in. With the Tower of London and Tower Bridge as a backdrop, we were reminded of not only the history of our two great economies, but the inter-dependence of our common goals that are focused and poised for growth. With many thanks to the Florida Chamber, our organization stands at the ready to welcome these new companies to Florida and we will roll-out the red carpet as a local Chamber to help them invest their capital, hire our amazing talent and make Florida their forever home.
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
TRUSTEE TALK Ana Chaoui
Senior Vice President | Market Manager Grove Bank & Trust achaoui@GroveBankandTrust. com
Season’s Greeting to all! Can you believe that 2018 is almost over? We have had such a great run this year with many exciting Trustee events and the best are yet to come in 2019. Our November Trustee Luncheon featured Mr. Alan Randolph, Florida Division President for Bank OZK. It was an intimate one-on-one session with Mr. Randolph as he told us his life story and how he became the Florida Division President for Bank OZK. Thank you to Debra Tyler, Audrey Otero and the team for also sponsoring this luncheon.
Trustee Members enjoyed the sights and sounds of The City Beautiful as they overlooked Downtown Coral Gables from the 12th floor balcony of Mercantil Bank. Don't miss out on one more Trustee Reception. Find out how you can become a Trustee Member today!
Closing out 2018 was our Trustee Reception sponsored by Gables Columbus Center. Not only did they provide delectable tastings for all, but the ambiance was incredible. Do you think they made a deal with Mother Nature to give us an amazingly crisp and cool December evening? That never really happens here in Coral Gables. Thank you to Diana Gallego and her team at Gables Columbus Center for hosting us. We so look forward to what BIG Things are just ahead of us in 2019 and I hope to see you all there at our first Trustee Reception on January 8th, at Well Groomed Salon & Beauty Bar. Our very own Trustee Diplomat Rick Alberty will be our host for the evening at their new location and it is sure to be a great networking event.
A warm Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce welcome goes out to Making A Difference (MAD) HR Staffing, one of our newest Trustee Members. Pictured alongside our Chairman Patrick O'Connell and our Chair of the Trustee Diplomats Ana Chaoui are Willy Espinosa and Arthur Mor. MAD HR Staffing specializes in staffing for HR and Consulting firms.
On behalf of the entire Trustee Council we would like to wish and your families a wonderful holiday season and a very Happy New Year. May 2019 bring you an abundance of prosperity, health and happiness.
There's no better time to be a Trustee Member. Just ask Mike Ybarra (right)! He's also the Co-Chair of the Chamber's 20/30 Group so you can find him at our next Wind Down Wednesday event on January 9th at Ruth's Chris Steak House.
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
UPCOMING EVENTS
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
SAVE THESE IMPORTANT DATES Week of Welcome Back! 5 days - 5 events | January 7-11, 2019 Tuesday, January 8, 2019 | 5:30 PM Trustee & GEM Reception Host Sponsor: The Well Groomed Salon & Beauty Bar Join us at their new location! 261 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables Complimentary registration for Trustee & GEM Members Freebee will drop you off at their front door!
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 | 11:30 AM Women’s Business Network Luncheon Location: Hyatt Regency Coral Gables 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables Sponsored By: Dr. Michael Forman, DOM, P.A. Cost: $40 Chamber Member Registration Fee by 1/11; $50 Guests & On-Site Registration
Wednesday, January 16, 2019 | 4:00 PM IMPACT: A Seminar Series for Small Business Did you know that audits have risen 400% under the Wednesday, January 9, 2019 | Noon current administration? Learn how to protect your RE-Connect Luncheon business and properly navigate the I-9 system; Learn Location: Morton’s the Steakhouse best practices, and explore challenges for the modern 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables workplace. Sponsored By: Barakat Law, P.A., EPGD Business Law, Dr. Location: Morton’s the Steakhouse Michael Forman, DOM, P.A., Sora Global Insurance & 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Consulting Sponsored By: Mercantil Bank Featuring: Lillian A. Ser, Ser & Associates, PLLC Presented By: Deirdre Nero, NERO Immigration Law Cost: $25 Per-person - Advance online registration and Cost: $25 Chamber Members; $35 Guests payment required Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | 11:30 AM Wednesday, January 9, 2019 | 5:30 PM Trustee Luncheon Wind Down Wednesday Hosted & Sponsored By: The Palace Coral Gables Location: Ruth’s Chris Steak House One Andalusia Avenue, Coral Gables 2320 Salzedo Street, Coral Gables Cost: $45 Member Registration by 1/18; Sponsored By: Dr. Michael Forman, DOM, P.A. $55 On-Site Registration & Chamber Guests Cost: $25 Registration Fee by 1/4; $35 Chamber Members after 1/4 & Guests Friday, February 1, 2019 | 8:00 AM Trow Knows... CEOs Thursday, January 10, 2019 | 5:30 PM Get up-close and personal with leading South Florida CEOs! New Year’s Networker Location: EWM Realty International Ignite your business in 2019, while enjoying a breath201 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1060 taking view of The City Beautiful as we enjoy bites Sponsored By: Apollo Bank courtesy of our local restaurants and limited libations Featuring: Felice Gorordo, CEO, eMerge Americas from Bacardi! Cost: $25 Registration Fee Location: The Lennar Foundation Medical Center Limited to the first 25 guests! 5555 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Presented & Hosted By: UHealth & The Lennar FounWednesday, February 6, 2019 | Noon dation Medical Center RE-Connect Luncheon Supporting Sponsors: Bacardi USA, Florida Blue, InterLocation: Morton’s the Steakhouse national Finance Bank, Smiles & Sonrisas, Benjamin 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Douglas Consulting Sponsored By: Barakat Law, P.A., EPGD Business Law, Dr. Participating Restaurants (to date): Plomo Taco Bar, Michael Forman, DOM, P.A., Sora Global Insurance & Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar, Copper29 Bar, Vicky Consulting Bakery, KAO Sushi & Grill by SushiClub, Bulla GastroCost: $25 Per-person bar, SEEK + FIND, House of Per’La, Pisco y Nazca CeviAdvance online registration and payment required che Gastrobar, Hoppy Flamingo Cost: $25 Chamber Members | $35 Guests Wednesday, February 6, 2019 | 5:30 PM $100 for 5 (save $25) | $200 for 10 (save $50) Wind Down Wednesday Location: Seek + Find Kitchen & Bar Friday, January 11, 2019 | 8:30 AM 2530 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Trow Knows... CEOs Sponsored By: Dr. Michael Forman, DOM, P.A. Get up-close and personal with leading South Florida CEOs! Cost: $25 Registration Fee by 2/1; Location: EWM Realty International $35 Chamber Members after 2/1 & Guests 201 Alhambra Circle, Suite 1060 Sponsored By: Apollo Bank Thursday, February 21, 2019 | 7:30 AM Featuring: Edward Beiner, Founder, Edward Beiner Good Morning Coral Gables Purveyor of Fine Eyewear Location: The Biltmore Hotel Cost: $25 Registration Fee 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables Limited to the first 25 guests! Cost: $25 Chamber Members by 2/15; $40 Guests coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS
SPONSORSHIP / INVESTOR HALL OF FAME Through December 2018
November - December 2018 Alpha-1 Foundation Adecco Arts & Business Council of Miami BB&T - Better Banking & Trust BoConcept Miami Catering by Lovables Clinical Research of South Florida Coral Wealth Management Curaleaf Florida, LLC Deering Estate Foundation Doctors Hospital Earthy Chic Boutique East Ridge at Cutler Bay Escalante Yormack Law, PLLC EWM Realty International The Franchise Consulting Company George A. David, P.A. House of Per'la Intermedia Touch, Inc. Koxyak Tropin & Throckmorton, P.A. Law Offices of Robert L. Parks, P.L. Lingua France Translations Mellig Group, LLC Melody AV Office Depot #281 Paramount Residential Mortgage Group, Inc. SMGQ Law Sunset Risk Solutions LLC United Community Options of South Florida Valley Bank Victoria Hurtado Holistic Center WorkForce Dynamics Consulting
$5,000 and Above • The Allen Morris Company • AXA Advisors, LLC • Bacardi USA • Brown-Forman Beverages • Business Improvement District of Coral Gables • City of Coral Gables • City National Bank of Florida • Doctors Hospital • EWM Realty International • Florida Blue
• Gulliver Schools • Mercantil Bank, N.A. • Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables • MG Developer • Photo Offset, Inc. • Samuel Adams Boston Lager • South Motors BMW • Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill • University of Miami • UHealth
$2,500 - $4,999 • Apollo Bank • Florida Power & Light • Grove Bank & Trust
*BOLD denotes new Trustee Member *BOLD denotes new GEM Member coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
EVENTS CALENDAR
‘19
January | February
Monday
OFFICE CLOSED
Tuesday
Wednesday
31
1
2
Friday
3
4
OFFICE CLOSED 7
8 8:00 AM
8:00 AM Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting
Small Business Committee Meeting Noon RE-Connect Luncheon
5:30 PM Trustee Reception
Thursday
5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday
8:00 AM 9 10 Membership Committee Meeting
11 8:30 AM Trow Knows... CEOs feat. Edward Beiner Founder, Edward Beiner Eyewear
8:00 AM Chairman’s Ambassadors Committee Meeting 9:00 AM Women’s Business Network Committee Meeting 5:30 PM New Year's Networker
WEEK OF WELCOME BACK | 5 DAYS - 5 EVENTS • WEEK OF WELCOME BACK | 5 DAYS - 5 EVENTS 8:00 AM 14 15 16 17 11:30 AM 9:15 AM Business & Gov’t Affairs Women's Business 20/30 Group Meeting Committee Meeting Network Luncheon 4:00 PM IMPACT Seminar 21
22
23 24 8:00 AM 11:45 AM Business & Education Trustee Luncheon Committee Meeting
28
29
4
18
25
OFFICE CLOSED
8:00 AM Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting
5
TALLAHASSEE FLY-IN • TALLAHASSEE FLY-IN 11 12 5:30 PM Trustee Reception
12:00 PM RE-Connect Luncheon 5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday
25
31 1 Noon 8:30 AM Businesswomen of the Year Trow Knows...CEOs Awards Applications Due feat. Felice Gorordo, CEO, eMerge Americas 5:30 PM New Member Mixer
6 7 8:00 AM 9:00 AM Chairman’s Ambassadors Chamber 101 Committee Meeting
8
9:00 AM Women's Business Network Committee Meeting
13 14 8:00 AM 8:00 AM Business & Gov’t Affairs Membership Committee Committee Meeting Meeting
18 19 11:30 AM 4:00 PM Women's Business IMPACT Seminar Network Luncheon
OFFICE CLOSED
8:00 AM Small Business Committee Meeting
30
15
20 21 7:30 AM Good Morning Coral Gables
22
9:15 AM 20/30 Group Meeting
26 27 11:45 AM Trustee Luncheon
28
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019
1
SPONSORSHIP RECOGNITION WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER
NOVEMBER
GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES
WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON
DECEMBER
TROW KNOWS... CEOS
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
TRUSTEE RECEPTION
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
IMPACT SEMINAR SERIES
HOST SPONSOR
RE-CONNECT LUNCHEON
DIAMOND AWARDS PRESENTED BY:
SUPPORTING SPONSORS:
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │January - February 2019