Message from the president

I want to start by saying thank you to Kenny Bohannon for the amazing job he did this past year for our Chamber.  I also want to sincerely thank Samantha Bishop, Heather Farrell and Jessica Clancy for stepping in, rolling up their sleeves and working so hard.

With Samantha Bishop at the helm, Kenny leading the troops and a strong support of some key people in the organization, we were able to come from a fairly bleak position.  We have a wonderful, cohesive board that has worked diligently to get us back to black and put money back into savings.  Thank you from all us Sam and Kenny, for your leadership and commitment. 

I am truly honored to receive the gavel for 2012.  Being a member of this chamber since 2005, first hand I have seen the impact this organization can have on major issues in our area.  I have seen how this chamber serves its mission to promote business and economic development for the communities it serves to the benefit of its members.  Not only have I seen it, I have experienced the direct effect this chamber can have on a business.  The networking opportunities and the contacts I have made are immeasurable in the success of my business.

Our chamber is over 500 members and together we succeed.  For our program of work to be a success we need strong committees to support our leaders your participation is VITAL….

Our program of work for 2012 will consist of two major events, the Home Show and Business Expo and Disney Institute along with the annual work of the committees including all of our monthly events.

We will kick off the year in January with Our Home Show & Business Expo.  This event was a huge success last year.  For 2012, we have doubled the available vendor space on Canal Street providing an incredible opportunity for you to promote your business.

We are also bringing Disney Institute back to Volusia County in September. If you did not attend this remarkable one day seminar this year, you will not want to miss it in 2012. 

Kenny Bohannon, will be heading up the Legislative committee that will be in charge of the Hob Nob and encouraging our members to get involved with local government for positive change.

Our Economic Development committee under the leadership of J. Pendergast will continue working with our cities and businesses doing surveys and business development seminars.  J. and his committee will be keeping a pulse on our local commissions and encouraging smart economic growth.

Mike Funaro will continue his charge as the VP of Marketing and Communications.

Pam Crawford will step in as our Secretary Treasurer leading the way for fundraising and special events.

Jamie Calkins will continue on with two hats, our Elected Vice President and as the VP of Membership.  Under Jamie, Trey Harshaw will be in charge of the Education Committee.

Debora Schmeltz will be your President-Elect for the coming year and she will oversee the Ambassador Committee.  On board to co-chair the Ambassadors is Sue Williams, Sherry Miller, James Archimbaud and Daniel Bass.  Please, if you don’t have interest in any other committee, get involved with the Ambassadors.  They ARE the heartbeat of this chamber! 

As you can tell, we have some absolutely amazing, hard working leaders in place for the year.  Your board will work as a cohesive team to continue our mission to strengthen our financial position.  But what I want to reiterate is these leaders CAN NOT do it alone, we need the power of many to accomplish the goals for the year.  We need the commitment of our members to get involved and help. 

As Ann Landers said… “There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen.”

Your business will not grow just because you belong to the chamber. Behind the scene, the chamber is making every effort to make it easier for you to do business here in our communities by partnering with our cities.  But you have to make go out, get involved and make it happen.  It is my vision and goal to get more people involved to experience the positive outcome that this Chamber will have on you and your business.  Every day we work in our business, it’s time to work on our business…My vision is to have us ALL work together to make this the best chamber in Volusia County.   To quote the ‘famous’ Rosemarie Frutchey – It does take two, the chamber and you. 

Respectfully,

Melanie Emanuel, President
Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce 2012