SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2020 CHAMBER 1ST! YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR #1 PRIORITY As we "Come Together" as a Chamber and community, our goal is to help our local businesses survive, strive and thrive! Our Chairman, Brian Barakat, has made it one of his priorities that we commit to do business with fellow Chamber members "1st" - and as often as possible. We encourage you to switch from a current vendor (who is not a Chamber member) to one who is. Many offer discounts to fellow Chamber investors and others make you their top priority. They value your business, just as we do. If you are not comfortable switching vendors out of your own loyalty, we get that; so then why not, bring them into our fold. Invite them to be a Gables Chamber member, making them part of our 1,600+ Coral Gables Chamber family. It is our priority and mission to grow the local business community; thus, our Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce wants to remind all of YOU that one way to make an impact is doing business with YOUR fellow Chamber members 1st. Please consider making "Buying Chamber" a priority in your procurement of goods and services! The Chamber 1 Program encourages this! We ask that YOU help us save our local businesses and grow our organization by doing business with one another. Thank you! st
IN THIS ISSUE: Thoughts from our Chair
Page 2
President’s Perspective
Page 3
Trustee Talk
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The City Beautiful Magazine Page 6 Save These Dates!
Page 7
Membership Highlights
Page 8
Chamber Calendar
Page 9
Sponsor Recognition coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020
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THOUGHTS FROM OUR CHAIR Change is coming. In fact, change has been a constant in our lives for all of 2020. As we round the corner into a new Chamber year, we know that our members, our families and our Chamber are well prepared to meet and react to a changing world. We embrace the challenges of our circumstances and look for ways to thrive based on an ever moving set of circumstances. Just a few short days ago Chamber members joined us in Coming Together to celebrate our Annual Conference and received a preview of the changes that 2020 will bring. We are rushing out to meet them through thoughtful content that is designed to explore these changes and the challenges they present. BRIAN BARAKAT
CHAIR OF THE BOARD PARTNER | BARAKAT LAW, P.A. BRIAN@TRIALLAWMIAMI.COM
I want to thank this years sponsors, speakers and the Chamber staff who worked day-in and day-out to make sure this event was a tremendous success for all of us.
Seeing you all Come Together for the first time in the 2020-2021 Chamber year was a truly humbling experience.
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE | MOVIN' ON UP After 16 years on Catalonia Avenue in The City Beautiful, our Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce makes its BIG MOVE downtown to 201 Alhambra Circle in September. The timing could not be more perfect as we commemorate our Chamber's 95th anniversary of serving the business community here in Greater Miami on October 10. We return to our roots in the Gables with a first-floor, retail oriented office space designed with our members, prospects and visitors top-of-mind.
MARK A. TROWBRIDGE
PRESIDENT & CEO CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MTROWBRIDGE@CORALGABLESCHAMBER.ORG
The centerpieces of the new office include two state-of-the-art conference rooms, designed by Cristina Miller and the team at Intermedia Touch, as well as gorgeous furniture sourced by WRK LAB and Herman Miller. The entire office has been carefully curated and designed by the extraordinary Anabella Smith of Zyscovich Architects. A long-time Board member and Gabelite, Anabella put her interior design expertise to work and helped us dream-up the new space by working closely with our ad hoc committee, led by Immediate Past Chairman Patrick O'Connell, to ensure a forever-home for our Chamber. We have also relied heavily upon Thad Adams, our broker, and the generosity of The Allen Morris Company. We also thank our legal team, led by Lillian Ser of Ser & Associates, for her guidance and advice.
The gorgeous new space is only eclipsed by its location at Main & Main of the local business community, a heralded point from which to operate the #1 Chamber in the South Florida area. The addition of a GMCVB-recognized Welcome Center, which will operate six days per week, will feature collateral material for attractions and restaurants, a small gift shop, the origination point for our newly designed local foodie and walking tours, and a gathering place for visitors, members, guests and more. We look forward to its formal inauguration in October on the occasion of our 95th anniversary. Since 2005, our Chamber has resided on Catalonia Avenue, after a lifetime spent at 50 Aragon. Now, as we return to Downtown Coral Gables and take our rightful place in the central business district, we will once again showcase our member services and benefits, our significant footprint in the tri-county area, and our new Chamber brand to the world. We are a partner to many, including the City of Coral Gables, the Business Improvement District, Coral Gables Community Foundation, Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, Coral Gables Magazine and Miami's Community Newspapers, as well as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, among others. Thus, this new venture is more than a new home and headquarters, we will be the epicenter for the business community in the Gables and a beacon for businesses in all of South Florida. After 95 years, it is fitting that we are coming home. Even as we are challenged in this time of COVID-19 by social distance and feelings of isolation (both personally and professionally), your Chamber has been heavily vested in this build-out and move, our re-brand, pivoting to the virtual space for programming and networking, updating our member benefits, refreshing our website to coincide with each of these milestones, all while continuing to serve you, our valued members. These may be heady times, but we share an even more significant common cause - helping our local economy recovery and your businesses survive and thrive. That is our core mission and our laser focus - you have our commitment. And please remember - our new home is your home and we hope you will visit often (soon). In addition to the Welcome Center, there is an open plug-and-play space for members that is available to you with full wireless capability and a cafe that will always have cold water and hot coffee. Plus, with our new look and website, our brand is even more aligned with your businesses brand and made even stronger because of your membership in our Chamber.
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | July - August 2020
TRUSTEE TALK The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Trustee Diplomats would like to welcome and greet you to this latest edition of the Chamber CONNECTion. This is week 23, as of writing, of this strange, challenging, and certainly different time. The Chamber Trustee Diplomats would like to commend Mark and his team for the tremendous work they have done to make the Chamber a relevant factor in how our community is facing this chapter of all of our lives. The content, virtual events, speakers, and connectivity have been invaluable. With our Annual Conference in our immediate rearview mirror, we shine a light on the installation of a new Board of Directors, new Executive Committee, and new Chairman, my dear friend, Brian Barakat. ERIC GROS-DUBOIS
CHAIR, TRUSTEE DIPLOMATS CEO, FOUNDER | EPGD BUSINESS LAW ERIC@EPGDLAW.COM
The Trustee Diplomats are excited to contribute however we can to ensure that Brian has a successful term, and we are hopeful that we will return to the "old normal," whatever that may look like.
Brian's theme of "Come Together" seems relevant, now more than ever. Now is the time for our community to band together and support local. Our community needs us and we need our community. Please feel free to connect with me to discuss how a Trustee level investment in the Chamber has helped me build my business, and the relationships that matter most to its success.
Presenting 2020 - 2021 TRUSTEE DIPLOMATS
Eric Gros Dubois | EPGD Business Law - Chair Giselle Breto | Best Practices Title, LLC Carlos Garrido | Sandler Training, Miami Gonzalo Acevedo | BAC Florida Bank Mitchell Mandler | SMGQ Law Vonnell Martinez | V&T Wealth Strategies Zachariah Evangelista | Ser & Associates
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020
SAVE THESE DATES
2020 - 2021 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair of the Board | Brian Barakat Barakat Law, P.A. Chair-Elect | Ana Chaoui Grove Bank & Trust First Vice Chairman | Thad Adams The Allen Morris Company Treasurer | Sara Hernandez, First Citizens Bank Parliamentarian | Addys Kurlya Florida Power & Light Immediate Past Chairman | Patrick O’Connell Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty Vice Chairman-Global Business Affairs | Deirdre Nero NERO Immigration Law, P.L. Vice Chairman-Community Affairs | Mike Ybarra Northwestern Mutual - Coral Gables Vice Chairman-Business & Economic Development Carolina Rendiero, Connect2Global Vice Chairman-Member Affairs | Lauren Dowlen Lowell International Realty Vice Chairman-Special Events | Darryl Rosenbaum Bigfoot Construction Vice Chairman-Gov’t & Legislative Affairs | Maria Garcia Kozyk Tropin & Throckmorton Trustee Council Chair | Eric Gros-Dubois EPGD Business Law Chairman’s Appointee | Martha de la Peña Rojas Florida Blue
July - August 2020
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ricardo Alberty, The Well Groomed Gentleman Steven Bradley, Clutch Burger Chris Colston, Second Chance Credit LLC Amy Donner, Coral Gables Magazine Frank Fernandez, CenterState Bank Alex Fonseca, Apollo Bank Matthias Kammerer, The Biltmore Hotel Alina Menendez, American Airlines Cristina Miller, Intermedia Touch, Inc. Rene Negron, Equitable Advisors Elsa Powers, Doctors Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida Melanie Sanchez, Fifth Third Bank Monique Selman, Albany Homes Construction Lillian Ser, Ser & Associates, PLLC Anabella Smith, Zyschovich Architects Efrain Sora, Sora Global Insurance & Consulting Cinthya Urena, City National Bank of Florida Myrna Vaca, UHealth Jessica Wilcox, J. Wilcox Consulting
AMERICARIBE Bomi Construction Services Club Pilates Coral Gables Coldwell Banker Realty Coral Gables Eyecare Kidz Medical Services Macdonald West Miami Learning Experience School P.Pole Pizza SB Architects The Saade Law Firm, P.A. Victor A Diaz Interior Whowtech by Guest International, Inc. World Trade Center Miami, Inc. *BOLD denotes new Trustee Member *BOLD denotes new GEM Member
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS City of Coral Gables | Commissioner Patricia Keon City of Coral Gables | Julian Perez Business Improvement District Coral Gables Community Foundation | Mary Snow, Executive Director The Beacon Council of Miami-Dade | James C. Kohnstamm President & CEO Mark A. Trowbridge
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020
CALENDAR | SEPTEMBER 2020 Sunday 30
Monday 31
Tuesday
Wednesday
1
2
5:00 PM | WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR
7
8
Friday
8 AM | CHAIRMAN’S AMBASSADORS COMMITTEE MEETING
9 AM | TROW KNOWS... CEOS: SPECIAL EDITION FEAT. CHAIRMAN BRIAN BARAKAT, BARAKAT LAW, P.A.
3
9 AM | GLOBAL BUSINESS 8 AM | SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE MEETING AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING NOON | RE-CONNECT LUNCHEON
6
Thursday
9
9 AM | WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK COMMITTEE MEETING
10
4
Saturday 5
11
12
8 AM | BUSINESS & GOV’T 8 AM | MEMBERSHIP TEAM NOON | BUSINESS COMMITTEE MEETING AFFAIRS COMMITTEE BOOK CLUB LUNCH & MEETING LEARN DISCUSSING “THE SOCRATES EXPRESS”
S AY O N A R A C A T A L O N I A ! W E ’ R E M O V I N G T O O U R N E W H O M E @ 2 0 1 A L H A M B R A C I R C L E !
13
14
15
16
NOON | WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON
17
4 PM | IMPACT: A SEMINAR SERIES FOR SMALL BUSINESS ENERGY LEADERSHIP
10 AM | GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES BRUNCH STYLE BRING YOUR OWN BRUNCH! FEAT. THE STATE OF THE CITY BEAUTIFUL ADDRESS & OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS INSTALLATION
18
19
9 AM | CHAMBER 101
11:15 AM | 20/30 GROUP MEETING
20
21
22
23
24
27
28
29
30
1
NOON | TRUSTEE LUNCHEON
8 AM | CHAIRMAN’S AMBASSADORS COMMITTEE MEETING 9 AM | WOMEN’S BUSINESS NETWORK COMMITTEE MEETING
THE CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
GABLESCHAMBER
CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
coralgableschamber.org | (305) 446-1657 | info@coralgableschamber.org
25
26
2
3
9 AM | TROW KNOWS... CEOS NOON | BUSINESS BOOK CLUB LUNCH & LEARN
GABLESCHAMBER
SPONSOR RECOGNITION WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY
SPONSORSHIP / INVESTOR HALL OF FAME Through August 2020
SERIES SPONSOR
$5,000 & Above
GOOD MORNING CORAL GABLES JULY
AUGUST
WOMEN'S BUSINESS NETWORK LUNCHEON AUGUST
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK
• The Allen Morris Company • Amerant Bank • Equitable Advisors • Bacardi USA • Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty • Business Improvement District of Coral Gables • Capital One • CenterState Bank • City of Coral Gables • City National Bank of Florida • Clear Channel Outdoor • Doctors Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida • Florida Blue • Home Financing Center, Inc. • Photo Offset, Inc. • Samuel Adams Boston Lager • South Motors • UHealth $2,500 - $4,999
• Baptist Health South Florida • Barakat Law, P.A. • EPGD Business Law • Florida Power & Light • Gulliver Schools • Intermedia Touch, Inc. • Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables • NERO Immigration Law, P.L.
TROW KNOWS CEOS
Someone’s Son
IMPACT SEMINAR
RE-CONNECT LUNCHEON
TOTAL HEALTH RESTORATION Dr. Michael Forman DOM, P.A.
TM
coralgableschamber.org | CHAMBER CONNECTION | September - October 2020