HOT OFF THE CHAMBER PRESSES! The City Beautiful Magazine is a oneof-a-kind membership publication produced annual by your Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Banyan Publishing. Although your listing is just one of the many benefits of your Chamber membership, this publication is used a guide by residents, vacationers, business travelers and fellow members alike. We are excited to present to you the 2017 - 2018 edition. In its pages you will find a variety of information, beginning with the history of Coral Gables and ending with a complete directory of all our Chamber members.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Be on the lookout in your mailboxes. As a Chamber member you will be receiving your very own copy mailed right to your office. We'd like to thank our advertisers who year-after-year, compliment the bevy of information that we put together for you. Join us in perusing the pages, we guarantee you'll like what you see and most importantly, learn something new. Help bloom your business as we live, work, learn and play in our City Beautiful.
BURGERLISCIOUS RETURNS TO THE GABLES ON NOV. 2
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 │September - October 2017
THOUGHTS FROM OUR CHAIR Martha de la Peña Rojas
Chair of the Board, CGCC Florida Blue Martha.DelaPenaRojas@bcbsfl.com
Greetings from your new Chair of the Board! It is my great honor to serve you and our Chamber for this next year. First, I want to thank you for your investment of time and participation in our recently concluded Annual Conference. Nearly 500 members and community leaders came together to celebrate our history and our future. I hope you found it as valuable for you and your business as we did in planning it. Our goal was simple - to Better position you, our community and your businesses for the many changes we are sure to see in the months and year ahead. It is my belief that what we learn together – at our conference and over the next year - must be rooted in relevance, especially for you and your business. A tremendous thank you to our more than 40 sponsors, especially our Presenting Sponsor, Florida Blue, a company for which I am most proud to work. I also appreciate all of the speakers who took time out of their busy schedules to share their vision for a Better tomorrow. Our theme this year, “Better Business, Better Community, Better You”, is the logical successor to the themes of past Chamber years. We remain diligently focused on the future and helping you lead, grow, innovate and connect, so let’s commit to building a Better business climate, elevating our corporate social responsibility activities, embracing innovation and more. I know we as a Chamber can help you thrive in this rapidly changing business environment. This next year will be about preparing for a new, Better future, and how we can all benefit, adapt and continue to grow, both professionally and personally. It’s going to be an exciting time and I look forward to working with each and every one of you as we enter our Chamber’s 93rd year of service to those who live, work, learn, lead, prosper and play in The City Beautiful… as we strive together to build a Better tomorrow! Thank you!
2017 - 2018 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & BOARD OF DIRECTORS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board Martha de la Peña Rojas (Florida Blue) Chairman-Elect Patrick O’Connell (EWM Realty International) First Vice Chairman Brian Barakat (Barakat Law, P.A.) Treasurer Ana Chaoui (Grove Bank & Trust) Parliamentarian Carolina Rendeiro (World Strategic Forum) Immediate Past Chairman John Allen (Home Financing Center, Inc.) Vice Chairman-Global Business Affairs Arthur Freyre (Poblete Tamargo) Vice Chairman-Community Affairs Jon Ridley (Honeywell) Vice Chairman-Business & Economic Dev. Nicole Waters (Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables) Vice Chairman-Member Affairs Amy Donner (Miami’s Community Newspapers) Vice Chairman-Special Events Jessica Wilcox (J. Wilcox Consulting) Vice Chairman-Gov’t & Legislative Affairs Efrain Sora (Sora Global Insurance & Consulting) Trustee Council Chair Tom Weinkle (Vortex Communications) Chairman’s Appointee Yesenia Moreno (Albion Staffing Solutions, Inc.) President & CEO Mark A. Trowbridge BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elected-term expires 2018 Thad Adams (The Allen Morris Company) Charles Knight (Florida Power and Light) Nikki Deas (Vine Communications) Rene Negron (AXA Advisors, LLC) Christopher Spuches (Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderín) Elected-term expires 2019 Pilar Araoz (Smiles & Sonrisas) Christie Grays (Baptist Health South Florida) Zachary Sulkes (Bacardi USA) Elected-term expires 2020 Andria Hanley (Camillus House) Alex Jimenez (Apollo Bank) Matthias Kammerer (The Biltmore Hotel) Nelson Lazo (Doctors Hospital) Anabella Smith (Zyscovich Architects) Chairman’s Appointees-term expires 2018 Chris Colston (Second Chance Credit LLC) Nicolas Eterovic (Edward James) Jorge Martinez (The Conroy Martinez Group) Cristina Miller (Intermedia Touch, Inc.) EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS City of Coral Gables Vice Mayor Patricia Keon City of Coral Gables Javier Betancourt, Director Business Improvement District Mindy McIlroy, Terranova Corp. Coral Gables Community Foundation Mary Snow, Executive Director
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE - A BETTER US! Mark A. Trowbridge
President & CEO Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce mtrowbridge@coralgableschamber.org
Happy New Year Chamber members! September marks the beginning of our new fiscal year, as well as the opportunity to welcome our new Chair of the Board, Martha de la Peña Rojas of Florida Blue, to the helm of the Chamber. Martha has served in a variety of capacities in the Chamber over the past few years on her pathway to the Chairmanship, most notably on our Board of Directors and as our Vice Chair for Community Affairs. Martha and her Board will be sworn-in officially at the September 14th Good Morning Coral Gables breakfast, where Mayor Valdes-Fauli will give his annual State of the City Beautiful address, the first of his term. You will not want to miss the amazing breakfast – always a highlight in our cadre of programming during the year. These are exciting times in our Chamber, with our leadership and volunteers engaged in numerous activities that will impact our business community significantly over the next year. Our theme, Better Business, Better Community, Better You, is entrenched in the most meaningful core values of our Chamber. With a refined focus on local, state and federal issues affecting businesses of all sizes, to events that explore our community’s greatest assets, the Chamber is committed to our members and helping you grow your businesses. Even in an economy filled with cautious optimism, the Chamber is the one constant – growing and strengthening relationships that will lead to new business, new partnerships, and even new friendships. Now is the time to upgrade your membership, get more strongly engaged, and find the right spot in the Chamber that will help you build your business. As I begin my 12th year at the helm of the Chamber, I am constantly reminded how fortunate I am to lead an organization that is socially responsible and strategic, dynamic and diverse, committed and community-oriented, responsive and relevant, as well as in-touch and in-sync with the needs of our members. Thank you for your confidence and commitment to achieving a better Chamber by focusing on a better us! Warmly,
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
TRUSTEE TALK Tom Weinkle
Principal, Vortex Communications tweinkle@vortexmiami.com
The Trustee Diplomats are super-excited to kick off this year’s activities! Our committee is made up of active members who are anxious to help members and non-members in our community learn more about the value of a Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Trustee Membership. We’re ready to kick-off a great series of monthly events that provide Chamber Trustees with a unique opportunity to develop relationships with local community and business leaders in a variety of settings around The City Beautiful.
Alain Torres, Owner of Nanndi, Inc. accepts his Trustee plaque at the July Trustee Luncheon. Nanndi is a gourmet creamery offering unique flavors of ice cream, plus housemade cakes, tarts, brownies & more.
Rather than thinking about involvement at the Chamber as a cost and interruption of your schedule, we’ve got plenty of real-life stories to share about how Trustee membership adds value through brand recognition, new business and building a stronger local community. Please feel free to reach out if I can be of service.
TRUSTEE EVENTS: July - August
Honoring their commitment to community, Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables was presented with a proclamation at the August Trustee Reception commemorating their 60th anniversary in The City Beautiful.
Chamber President Mark A. Trowbridge with the leadership team from BankUnited at our July Trustee Reception at their Coral Way location.
Chef David Hackett, Executive Chef at The Biltmore Hotel, sliced and diced his way through our annual Trustee Invitational & Interactive Luncheon on July 26th.
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
UPCOMING EVENTS
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
SAVE THESE IMPORTANT DATES Wednesday, September 6, 2017 - Noon RE-Connect Luncheon Location: Morton’s the Steakhouse 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Sponsored By: Barakat Law, P.A., EPGD Business Law, Michael Forman, DOM, P.A., Sora Global Insurance & Consulting Speaker: Efrain Sora, Sora Global Insurance & Consulting Cost: $25 Luncheon Fee Online payment and registration is required in advance!
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - 11:45 AM Trustee Luncheon Location: The Biltmore Hotel 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables Speaker: Grodon Bailey, Vice President, Public Affairs & Community Engagement, Florida Blue Cost: $45 Member Registration before 9/22; $55 On-site Reigstration & Guests Wednesday, October 4, 2017 - Noon RE-Connect Luncheon Wednesday, September 6, 2017 - 5:30 PM Location: Morton’s the Steakhouse Wind Down Wednesday 2333 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Host: OCIO Sponsored By: Barakat Law, P.A., EPGD Business Law, Michael 2626 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, Coral Gables Forman, DOM, P.A., Sora Global Insurance & Consulting Sponsored By: The Law Offices of Justin B. Stivers, LLC Cost: $25 Luncheon Fee Cost: $25 Chamber & #YoPro Members by 9/2; $35 Online payment and registration is required in advance! Members & Guests After 9/2 Wednesday, October 4, 2017 - 5:30 PM Tuesday, September 12, 2017 - 5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday Trustee Reception Host: Bellmónt Spanish Restaurant Host & Sponsor: Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill 339 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables 65 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables Sponsored By: The Law Offices of Justin B. Stivers, LLC Complimentary registration for all Trustee Members Cost: $25 Chamber & #YoPro Members by 9/29; $35 Members & Guests After 9/29 Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 7:30 AM Friday, October 6, 2017 - 8:30 AM Good Morning Coral Gables - Note date change! Season 7 Premiere of Trow Knows... CEOs - New location! Location: The Biltmore Hotel Host Sponsor: Infiniti of Coral Gables 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables 2701 S. LeJeune Road, Coral Gables Sponsored By: The Chamber’s Board of Directors Sponsored By: Apollo Bank Speaker: Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli, City of Coral Gables Featuring: Jacqueline Travisano, Executive Vice President Topic: State of The City Beautiful Address for Business & Finance & Chief Operating Officer, Cost: $25 for Chamber Members Registered by 9/8; University of Miami $35 Member On-Site Registration & $40 Guests Cost: $25 Registration Fee - Limited to the first 25 guests Register for an entire year of Good Morning Coral Gables breakfasts and $AVE! Don’t miss out on your Thursday, October 19, 2017 - 7:30 AM favorite monthly networking event! Good Morning Coral Gables Cost: $225 - A $275 value Location: The Biltmore Hotel 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Coral Gables Tuesday, September 19, 2017 - 11:30 AM Sponsored By: UHealth Women’s Business Network Luncheon Spearker: Dr. Edward Abraham, Dean University of Location: Hyatt Regency Coral Gables Miami Miller School of Medicine 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables Cost: $25 for Chamber Members Registered by 10/13; Speaker: Deirdre Nero, NERO Immigration Law, P.L. $35 Member On-Site Registration & $40 Guests Topic: Using Advocacy & Awareness to Turn Negative Tuesday, October 17, 2017 - 11:30 AM Circumstances into Positive Change Women’s Business Network Luncheon Featuring My Minute @ the Mic! Location: Hyatt Regency Coral Gables Cost: $40 Chamber Member Registration Fee by 9/15; 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables $50 Guests & On-Site Registration Sponsored By: Baptist Health South Florida Featuring My Minute @ the Mic! Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - 3:45 PM Cost: $40 Chamber Member Registration Fee by IMPACT: A Seminar Series for Small Business 10/13; $50 Guests & On-Site Registration Learn the key skills to be successful in your Chamber networking. Set clear goals, learn how to work a Thusday, October 26, 2017 - 7:00 PM room and effectively answer “So what do you do?” Theatre Night Location: Coral Gables Museum Location: Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre 285 Aragon, Coral Gables 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables Presented By: Will Dukes, SalesPartners Miami Featuring: Evita Cost: $25 Chamber Members; $35 Guests Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita charts the rags-to-riches Seminar will end promptly at 5:30 PM due to Rosh Hashanah rise of the First Lady of Argentina, Eva Duarte Perón. It follows her journey from fatherless child, to ambitious actress, to the most powerful woman in Latin America.
Cost: $40 Chamber Members; $50 Guests
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
MEMBERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS
July - August 2017 Aspire Financial Partners Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami BKVN Consulting, Inc. Careaga Plastic Surgery Carney Stanton P.L. Catering by Les Children's Resources Coral Gables Title + Escrow, LLC. Creative Staffing Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club Elite Music Studio Felix D. Torres Fiduciary Trust Company International Foundry Commercial Gables Living Generation Church Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida Green Label Construction Jon Sonen - Menswear Leader Nirvana Miami-Dade County Aviation Department Neto Financial Group Inc. Pei Wei Pena Garcia & Diz, PLLC Permuy Architecture Pollo Tropical Pure Point Financial PuroClean of Coral Gables Reaction Rehab Rosa Barroso, LMHC Santana Rodriguez Law, P.A. Silver Hill Funding, LLC Sofia Coral Gables, a Luxury Rental Community Spatially Splitsville Luxury Lanes The Ritz Carlton of Coconut Grove, Miami VMBG Accounting
SPONSORSHIP / INVESTOR HALL OF FAME Through August 2017
$5,000 and Above • The Allen Morris Company • AXA Advisors, LLC • Bacardi USA • BankUnited • Baptist Health South Florida • Brown-Forman Beverages • Business Improvement District of Coral Gables • City of Coral Gables • City National Bank • Doctors Hospital • Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderín • EWM Realty International • Florida Blue
• Florida Power & Light • Gulliver Schools • Hancock Askew & Co., LLP • Home Financing Center, Inc. • thumbprint • Marquis Bank • Mercantil Commercebank, N.A. • Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables • Photo Offset, Inc. • South Motors BMW • Tarpon Bend Raw Bar & Grill • University of Miami • UHealth
$2,500 - $4,999 • Apollo Bank • Grove Bank & Trust • Southern Audio Visual
*BOLD denotes new Trustee member
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
EVENTS CALENDAR
‘17
September | October
Monday
4
Tuesday
Wednesday
5 8:00 AM Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting
OFFICE CLOSED
8:00 AM Small Business Committee Meeting 12:00 PM RE-Connect Luncheon
Thursday
Friday
6 8:00 AM 7 Chairman’s Ambassadors Committee Meeting
5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday
8
9:00 AM Women’s Business Network Committee Meeting
11
12 8:00 AM 13 7:30 AM 14 7:00 PM Business & Gov’t Affairs Good Morning Coral Gables Giralda Plaza Note date change Committee Meeting Ribbon Cutting 9:15 AM 9:00 AM 20/30 Group Cultural Affairs Committee Meeting Committee Meeting
15
18
19
22
5:30 PM Trustee Reception
8:00 AM S.E.E. Green Committee Meeting 11:30 AM Women's Business Network Luncheon
25
2
9
3:00 PM Restaurant Meeting @BULLA
20 21 3:45 PM 8:00 AM M-Team Committee Meeting IMPACT Serminar Note date change
Rosh Hashanah 26
•
Rosh Hashanah
•
Rosh Hashanah
27 28 8:00 AM 11:45 AM Business & Education Trustee Luncheon Committee Meeting
29
3 8:00 AM 4 5 6 8:00 AM 8:30 AM 8:00 AM Small Business Committee Meeting Chairman’s Ambassadors Trow Knows CEOs Global Business Affairs Committee Meeting Season 7 Premiere feat. Committee Meeting 12:00 PM Jacqueline Travisano, RE-Connect Luncheon 9:00 AM Women's Business Network CFO, University of Miami 5:30 PM Committee Meeting Wind Down Wednesday 5:30 PM Trustee Reception
10
11 12 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 8:00 AM Business & Gov’t Affairs M-Team Committee Chamber 101 Committee Meeting Meeting
13
9:00 AM Cultural Affairs Committee Meeting
OFFICE CLOSED
16 8:00 AM 17 18 19 7:30 AM 3:45 PM S.E.E. Green IMPACT: A Seminar Series Good Morning Coral Gables Committee Meeting for Small Business 9:15 AM 11:30 AM 20/30 Group Women's Business Committee Meeting Network Luncheon
20
23
24 25 7:00 PM 11:45 AM Theatre Night Trustee Luncheon featuring Evita
27
30
31 1 2 12:00 PM 6:00 PM RE-Connect Luncheon BURGERLISCIOUS! 5:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday
26
3 8:30 AM Trow Knows... CEOs feat. Fred Stock, President & CEO, Jewish Community Services
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017
SPONSORSHIP RECOGNITION WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY
JULY
GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES
AUGUST
JULY & SERIES SPONSOR
CITY BEAUTIFUL AWARDS
WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON
JULY
AUGUST & AV SPONSOR
TRUSTEE INVITATIONAL & INTERACTIVE LUNCHEON
TRUSTEE RECEPTION JULY
AUGUST
IMPACT SEMINAR SERIES
RE-CONNECT LUNCH
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
CLEANALL CLEANERS EDWARD JONES GABLES LIVING HANCOCK, ASKEW & CO, LLP HONEYWELL INTERMEDIA TOUCH, INC. LINDA KNUDSEN ONE DIGITAL PACIFIC NATIONAL BANK PAUL LOWENTHAL POBLETE TAMARGO, LLP WORLD STRATEGIC FORUM
coralgableschamber.org │ CHAMBER CONNECTION │September - October 2017