May 2013
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Meeting Notices
Monthly Business Luncheon
May 1 , 2013 noon
The Blue Parrot 68 West Gorrie Drive St George Island
Business After Hours
May 9, 2013 5:30-7:00 pm Apalachicola Maritime Museum 103 Water Street Apalachicola
Monthly Business Luncheon
June 5, 2013 noon Caroline’s 123 Water Street Apalachicola
Visitor Statistics
March 2001 1,474
March 2002 1,223 March 2003 820 March 2004 1,540 March 2005 1,607 March 2006 1,687 March 2007 2,857 March 2008 3,189 March 2009 2,082 March 2010 3,406 March 2011 3,389 March 2012 2,907 March 2013 2,694
Website Statistics
March 2013 Visits 20,317 Unique Visitors 15,584 Pageviews 75,320 Pages/Visit 3.71 Avg. Visit 00:03:42 Bounce Rate 41.20% % New Visits 69.37% Chamber Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Donna Duncan 653-8976
VICE-PRESIDENT
Bud Hayes 927-3305 TREASURER Jerry Hall 653-9510
SECRETARY
Kristin Anderson 653-2249 BOARD MEMBERS Brenda Ash 653-8805 Kristy Branch Banks 670-1255 Mark Friedman 670-1253
Ginny Griner 653-8853
Bonnie Gomes 670-8450 Beverly Hewitt 653-9510 Mike Koun 653-2191 Michael Shuler 653-1757 Ouida Tartt 653-4687
Jean Ulrich 653-2900
Kevin Ward 899-0669
| New Members
Big Top Supermarket
Welcome Kenneth and Abbie Shiver with their business, The Big Top Supermarket. The Big Top is located in Eastpoint just east of the Post Office and they have another location in Panacea. Abbie and Kenneth have owned The Big Top since 2003. They carry fresh produce, all sorts of dry goods, and have great meat departments that will custom cut meats. The Big Top is open Monday-Saturday from 7:00am-9:00pm, Sunday from 8:00 am-9:00 pm. They are only closed a half day on Thanksgiving and closed Christmas day. They are located at 357 Highway 98 and can be reached by calling (850) 670-8626. Florida Association and Property Management, Inc. Welcome Joanie Trotman, President and CEO of Florida Association and Property Management, Inc., a full service home owners association (HOA) management company that helps HOAs keep up with pertinent legislation, form important operating documents, and offers administrative and accounting support, and property maintenance management.Florida Association and Property Management, Inc., can also conduct HOA meetings, act as liaison to membership, help with corporation and entity organization, and assist with committee formation and duties. Apalachicola native Kevin Maxwell works for them and has been the Resident Manager of 300 Ocean Mile located on St. George Island since October 2010. Joanie can be reached at (850) 727-7335,jtroutman@myfloridahoa.com or visit their website athttp://www.myfloridahoa.com St Joe Gas Company Jason Shoaf joined the chamber in April with the St Joe Gas Company, a provider of natural gas, propane gas and appliances. St Joe Gas Company has provided the area with reliable natural gas service and products for 45 years. In 2003, added appliances, fireplaces and outdoor grills. In 2011, they began offering Propane (LP) services for residential and commercial customers including Cape San Blas, Apalachicola, St George Island and areas near Wewahitchka. They strive to offer the best service and prices in the area and also service everything that they sell. The Appliance Solution is a local, full-service location for electric, natural gas and LP gas appliances. With nearly 2000 square feet of installed demonstration appliances in our new showroom, The Appliance Solution offers builders, homeowners and designers "try before you buy" shopping on a variety of products ranging from budget-friendly to commercial-grade. They are located at 303 Long Avenue in Port St Joe and can be reached at (850) 229-8216,info@stjoegas.com or visit their website athttp://www.stjoegas.com. Apalachicola River Walk Cafe Welcome Laura Poloronis and Laura Lowe owners of theApalachicola Riverwalk Café in Apalachicola. Laura Thompson Poloronis was born and raised in Apalachicola. Laura Lowe has been here since 2006. She and her husband owned and ran Petunia’s. The Apalachicola Riverwalk Caféserves seafood, pizzas, sandwiches, entrees like meatloaf, salads, BBQ, plus daily specials. They also have an array of homemade desserts and pastries, including cakes, pies, muffins and cookies. They also serve gluten-free dishes including pizza and some of their desserts. The Apalachicola Riverwalk Cafe serves breakfast, lunch Monday- Thursday from 7:00am-5:00pm, and breakfast, lunch and dinner Friday and Saturdays from 7:00am-9:00pm, closed on Sunday. Hey can be reached at (850) 653-1237 or by email atapalachicolariverwalkcafe@ Pro Groom Selena Booth joined the chamber with her business, Pro Groom Styles by Selena, an animal grooming salon in Apalachicola across from the Gibson Inn. Pro Groom is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am-4:00pm and Saturdays by appointment. Selena specializes in hand scissoring and expert trims for all breeds. They also do combing, desheding, bathing, ears, anal glands, nail trimming and filing, massage and special coat treatments. Selena is originally from Newnan, Georgia, but fell in love with the area when she can over the bridge. She moved to St George in 1992 and open Pro Groom3.5 years ago. ProGroom offers shampoos and conditioners for special needs grooming including herbal shampoos and dips, blueberry facials, hot oil for dry skin, oatmeal, peppermint, tea tree, and aloe bathes. Pro Groom is located at 45 Market Street in Apalachicola and Selena can be reached by calling (850) 653-2025. Dues Renewal Membership dues are due by June 30th. The regular business membership is $195 per year. For only $16.25 per monthyou get: Listed on the best website on the Forgotten Coast, listing in the area’s premier Visitors Guide and map, 20,000 copies of each, included in information sent to visitors seeking to come to the area (we have direct contacted approximately 20,000 tourist per year), brochure space in our Visitors Center staffed Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, 10:00 am-4:00 pm Saturday, with knowledgeable, professinal staff that answer questions and helps them locate services and products. Also, the chamber is often the first point of contact for people seeking to relocate to the area. Renewal notices will go out soon and we want to have your business information up to date. Please take a minute to review information on the form and your listing on our website. You can also see the activity your listing has received on our website. If you have questions on how to access your listing call us at (850) 653-9419 or email us at info@apalachicolabay.org. Events Historic Home & Garden Tour This year’s theme, “At Home in Apalach” runs the gamut from spacious and graceful century-old houses and charming bungalows to contemporary ones with new energy sources. The featured house for 2013 is the home of Ed and Candace Springer. On Friday, May 3, there will be an all day symposium including a panel discussion on historical, botanical and community gardens. Featured speakers are: Audrey Post, master gardener and author of the famous column "Ms-Grow-It-All"; Dean Stoddart, a landscape architect and master gardener; Mike Herrin, Director of Goodwood Museum and Gardens who has won awards for Historic Landscape/Archeology and Sandra-Murphy Pak who is an artist that specializes in community art and garden projects Golf cart guided tours will include public and private gardens. The $75 fee also includes the Thursday night Preservation Cocktail Party, as well as a light breakfast and lunch the day of the symposium. Also, Friday, the Evensong service at Trinity Episcopal Church at 5:30 p.m., provides the traditional opening for the home tour. It will be followed by a reception open to all, and a free lecture, “Gardening in Apalach” at 6:30 p.m., which will round out the day’s events. Homes will be open on Saturday, May 4, only, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Pre-sale tickets will be available at $20 until the day of the event. On May 4, ticket sales will begin at 9:30 a.m. at $25 per ticket. Lunch will be served from 11:00 am - 2:00 p.m. in Trinity’s parish hall at a cost of $10. In addition, a sealed bid auction, 10:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m., will be a part of the tour day’s festivities. For more information or ticket sales please contact Trinity Episcopal Church at (850) 653-9550 or the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce at (850) 653-9419. Please visit the tour website atapalachicolahistorichometour. Spring Ghost Walk Saturday evening, May 4, from 7:00-9:00 pm the Apalachicola Historical Society will host the Chestnut Street Cemetery Ghost Walk again. Ancestors of local folks come alive on this special weekend to tell the tales of their fascinating lives. Admission $5.00. with all proceeds to benefit cemetery preservation efforts. America’s Great Plein Air Paint Out More than 20 nationally acclaimed artists will gather on Florida's Forgotten Coast in early May to participate in the 7th annual Florida's Forgotten Coast Plein Air Invitational, America's Great Paint-Out, May 2-12, 2013. Painters will set up their easels and pull out their brushes to document the landscape and culture of authentic "Old Florida" – the coastal stretch of scenic North Florida between Mexico Beach and Alligator Point. "Plein Air", a French word, simply translated means "open air". The roots of plein air painting are found in 19th-century Europe. An Englishman, John Constable, believed that artists should forget "formulas" and trust their own vision in finding truth in nature. The event included 5 exhibits across the coast, daily artist demonstrations, 2 workshops, art sales and a series of public receptions. Art enthusiasts visited the exhibits and attend the many free special events that occur throughout the 10 day event. , go towww.pleinairfl.com. Butts & Clucks By the Bay Cook-Off The Weems Memorial Foundation will host its annual Butts & Clucks By the Bay Cook-Off on Saturday, May 11th, from 12:00-4:00 pm at Riverfront Park in Downtown Apalachicola. From You can enter the competiton or just stop by to support them and get some great food. At noon pulled prok dinners and sandwiches will be available for purchase and they will have a live auction at 1:00 pm. The judging will take place at 2:00 pm and the awards given out at 4:00 pm. To enter or just find out more details, contact Racheal Chesnut at (850) 653-4611. Member News Progress Energy Becomes Duke Energy In July 2012, Progress Energy merged with the Duke Energy. Starting April 29th, they will start using the Duke Energy name and logo. Immediate benefits of the merger include Duke Energy’s Business Development Team that will help bring prospective large industrial project leads from around the United States and internationally to their service territory. They proactively recruit for Duke Energy within seven targeted industries: manufacturing, aviation/aerospace, bio life sciences, food & beverage, automotive, plastics and data centers. They will also continue to support the community through charitable giving, employee volunteerism and supporting our neighbors in need. Their employees have made substantial contributions to our neighbors in need through the company’s charitable giving program | Directors Column
David Draper's article in Flied & Steam came out in April. The chamber recruited David with PR money from the TDC. The article, Best Fishing Towns: How To Fish, Eat, and Drink Your Way Through Apalachicola, FL. Are Apalachicola Oyster the Best in the World? David also did a blog called Red Hotspots.
 Thank You The 15th annual Apalachicola Antique and Classic Boat Show was our best show yet! There were over fifty boats on display. Entries ranged from some beautifully restored Chris Crafts, two fully varnished two steam powered launches, a 19’ 1959 Italian Sebino, skillfully crafted dories, sailboats and skiffs, to the tiny 11 foot sailboat the “B Frank Franklin”. We had twelve antique cars ranging from a gorgeous two-tone platinum and pink 1955 Studebaker President Speedster (that yours truly would love to have), a 1949 Plymouth, to a 1935 fully restored Willys pickup truck. The Studebaker Driver’s club held their annual meeting at the show. President Cletus Heaps and Jackie Studebaker Hayes said a good time was had by all. Highlights also include the 1877 Governor Stone, the Maloney’s massive collection of outboard engines that span the twentieth century. Boat collectors, owners and builders came from as far away as Trevett, Maine, Kokomo, Indiana, Mandeville, Louisiana, Fairhope, Alabama, and Jacksonville, Mount Dora, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Florida.      
(cont) Thanks to our volunteer judges: Ed Weiser and Woody Morgan, Sparta (Sparky) Jenkins, for judging all of the fantastic entries. Roger Pinholster, W K Sanders did the boat building demonstration. They worked on a beautiful 17 ft light touring wooden strip deck kayak. Bay Community School provided treats and manned the kid’s activity booth where kids could build their own model boats and paint them.
Thank you to all of our volunteers: Oudia Tartt, Marilyn Hogan, Penny Powell, Jeff and Norma Hewell, Donnie Gay, Derek Lolley. The Governor Stone crew: Harry Denard, Bill Hamilton and Carol and thanks to Joe Witt who photographed the show. We really appreciate your time and energy! Anita Grove, Executive Director Small Business Workshop Christine S. Urban, Business Analyst, MBA from the Small Business Development Center at FAMU will be at the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce office on May 1, next Wednesday, and will be available by appointment for one to one from 1:00-3:30pm. At 4:00 pm she will teach a workshop, Business Funding Resources and Accounting Concepts. For the first hour of this class, we will discuss different sources and dispel myths associated with funding such as grants, SBA loans, micro financing, venture capital, and traditional bank loans. For the second hour of the class we will shift focus to accounting. Basic accounting concepts will be explored and financial statements will be over-viewed for those that are new to accounting or need a refresher. This will help entrepreneurs prepare financials for funding requests or keeping organized when transactions start happening. This class would be appropriate for those who are just starting out or business looking to acquire more capital. Register at https://clients. Got Ideas? Suggestions? How can the Apalachicola Bay Chamber better serve you? Is there something that we can do better to help your business? Is there something you would like to see us add or change on the website, at the visitor’s center or in the visitors’ guide? Ideas are always welcome. Feel free to call or email us with your ideas atinfo@apalachicolabay.org. Volunteers Always Welcome The Apalachicola Bay Chamber Visitor Center seeks volunteers to help at the visitors center and with special projects. Duties include giving our visitor information, answering questions about places to stay, restaurants and things to do. If you would like to help, we’d love to have you. It can be a fun and rewarding. Contact us for details (850) 653-9419 or email us at info@apalachicolabay.org | ||
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