Chair: Cheryl Bamonte, UPS Store at Blue Angel Pkwy
Councils & Committees
Always Open
We believe in the power of great ideas and that these ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Listen, Act, Learn. Repeat.
We continually adapt through the shifting economic landscape. We use data and community feedback to guide our course.
KEYHOLDERS & Events
The Keyholders are the ambassadors to the Perdido Key Area Chamber. They attend important events in the community such as Ribbon Cuttings, Chamber Luncheons, and Chamber socials. Their primary functions are to facilitate healthy relationships and ensure member needs are fulfilled.
The Events Committee helps to organize and promote our local community events such as Flicks on the Field- a Family-Fun Community Movie Night!
The Keyholders and Events Committee met Multiple times throughout the month of February at the Pensacola Greyhound Track and also had a formal meeting on Friday, March 8, 2019 at Hub Stacey’s at the Point.
This committee is currently the lead on our new monthly event, Flicks on the Field, a Free Family-Fun Movie night. The first flicks on the field occurred on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 during spring break week and had a healthy turn-out of community members to watch Gulliver’s Travels. The event is located on the field at the Pensacola Greyhound Track at 951 Dog Track Road, Pensacola, FL 32506.
The next dates for flicks on the field are listed below, the movie will start at dusk!
- Thursday, April 18, 2019- HOP (Easter egg hunt sponsored by YourTEK Professionals before the movie!)
- Friday, May 31, 2019- SGT. STUBBY
- Friday, June 21, 2019- MOANA
- Friday, July 21, 2019- TOY STORY
- Friday, September 20, 2019- THE LEGO MOVIE
- Friday, October 18, 2019- HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA
Sponsorships are available for community partners to help promote their business to community members! Concessions will be available throughout the event.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Friday, April 12, 2019, at 7:30 am at the Pensacola Greyhound Track.
ADVOCACY
Chair: Kim Parker, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Works in partnership with our leadership, public entities, and local nonprofits to support the community. Advocating for the vitality of local business, preserving the quality of life and educating about our fragile wildlife and ecosystem. All helping to achieve the goal of community economic development.
The Advocacy Committee met on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, at 8:30 am in the PKACC Conference Room.
The committee debriefed the community update- Business Networking Meeting on March 26 th. The event was very successful, attendance was approx. 30 attendees vs. 50-60 in 2018. The committee discussed different reasons why the attendance could have been lower than last year. Suggestions included Doug Underhill, who draws a large crowd not being present as he was last year, and the promotion of the event as a community update rather than a business networking event. Feedback from attendees suggested that the speaking time still seemed very short for each speaker. Another suggestion was that we need only one speaker at the meeting, keeping the networking meetings to only 1 hour long. They proposed that the speakers are used to presentations for around 45 minutes or longer and they tried to fit the important highlights into their 15 minutes. In 2018, there was a 2-hour agenda with several speakers and the feedback was to have fewer speakers. The meeting lasted 1 ½ hour (even though planned as 1-hour event) The committee decided to make next year’s event a special two-hour event, doubling the time they get to speak. It was agreed that we want to remain consistent with the agenda Year over Year so that community members grow to expect that at the Q1 Meeting, there will be a community update with the same items, speakers and topics. Kim suggested that we might consider a panel forum for this meeting to allow community members to interact and ask questions.
The committee is also planning for Q2 Community Update Meeting in the Beulah area on June 18, 2019, at 7:30 A.M. The committee is still looking for a space to host the event and committee members are working as quickly as possible to find a location. We are also still looking for a sponsor of the event while we confirm agenda items and speakers.
Upcoming Community Events:
1. Juan Sebastian Elcano will be in Pensacola March 31st through April 5th
2. Sea Turtle Nesting Season is May 1st through October 31 st
3. Shorebird Season March 1 st through October 31 st
4. Leave No Trace! All visitors, landowners and beach vendors must pull back items, chairs, etc., by end of the day—passed May 2017.
5. ECUA: Keep Perdido Road Sides Clean: Dana discussed branding and naming a receptacle that will be placed at State Access Points 1, 2 and 3 to help encourage everyone to keep our beaches and roadsides clean—the plan is for ECUA to pick up—more to come on this important item.
6. World Ocean Day is on June 8, 2019. We will celebrate World Ocean’s Day on Friday, June 7, 2019, with the Perdido Key Association.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at 8:30 am at the PKACC office.
BUSINESS & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Chair: Bill Short, AM-PRES Corporation
Retain and grow present businesses, encourage and support new business. Through educational workshops and seminars, we work to improve the pool of highly skilled, adequately trained employees.
The Business & Community Development committee met on Thursday, March 21, 2019, at 8:30 am at the PKACC conference room. This committee went over the monthly networking events list as well as updates on SCORE and the Perdido Shop Hop.
- Upcoming Breakfast Networking, Lunch N Learns, and Business After Hours were noted on the calendar.
- Perdido SCORE Chapter: The Chamber has officially activated its Perdido SCORE chapter. SCORE is a nationwide network of volunteer, expert business mentors. This is a source of free business mentoring and education. As a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE is here to help entrepreneurs through mentoring, workshops and educational resources. The Perdido Chapter now has 13 confirmed and activated mentors and requests for mentor-ship are pouring in. The Perdido SCORE chapter has a goal of not only personally mentoring entrepreneurs in our area but also assisting the Chamber with educational workshops and mentoring programs. If you would like to be involved with SCORE, there are many volunteer opportunities including administration, workshop planning, and mentoring.
- The Perdido Shop Hop is scheduled to occur for one week starting on Saturday, November 30th, Small Business Saturday, happening until Saturday, December 7, 2019. This year, the committee is looking at using a passport format to get participants to explore and discover local Perdido businesses in our area in order to win prizes at the end of the week. If you would like to be involved in the planning of this event, contact the Perdido Shop Hop chairman, Dee Marie Fisher.
- Early-Risers Breakfast Networking:
- March 26, 2019- Focus on the Perdido Key Environment, Sponsored by Florida Blue. This event will be at the Eden Condominiums the key speakers will be Jim Roberts, ECUA, Rick O’Connor, UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County, and Timothy Day, Environmental Programs Manager, Escambia County.
- May 28, 2019- The Local Military Impact Sponsored by Navy Federal. This event will be at the Pensacola Greyhound Track.
- Lunch N Learns:
- April 16, 2019, RESCHEDULED to April 30, 2019- Disaster Prep Your Business and stay cyber secure
- There are still dates available for lunch n learns in 2019! If you are interested in speaking on a particular topic, please contact the committee chair, Bill Short!
If you have any questions regarding the Business & Community Development committee or the breakfast and lunch networking events, please contact the committee chair, Bill Short.
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, 2019, at 8:30 am at the Chamber office.
MILITARY COUNCIL
Chair: Erin Wilmer, Edward Jones Financial Advisor
Being the Cradle of Naval Aviation since 1913, our economy relies heavily on military members and their families within our community. Our committee focuses on inclusion, appreciation and giving back to those who have served.
The Military Committee met on Tuesday, March 12, March 26, April 2nd and April 9, 2019, at 4:30 PM at the Edward Jones office. This committee is meeting each Tuesday during the month of April until the festival. The next meeting dates are listed below,
Please mark your calendars and make every effort to be in attendance, we need all hands on deck:
- April 16
- April 23
- April 30
- May 7
- May 14
- EVENT MAY 18, 2019
The committee is in big need of door prizes (i.e. gift baskets, gift cards, etc.). Leading up to the event, we will do Facebook Live Videos to ramp interest and momentum for the big day. During those Facebook, Live videos will give away prizes to Military Families. Please bring all prizes to Dannette at the Edward Jones office on Sorrento Road to be logged into our prize log. CUT OFF FOR PRIZES is APRIL 22nd!
Large cardboard boxes are needed for the Regatta Race, please drop them off at the Edward Jones Office, CUT OFF FOR CARDBOARD IS APRIL 22nd!
The committee is also looking for donors. If you have anyone that you believe will help support this event, please reach out to them or send Erin Wilmer their contact information and we will reach out to them. In-kind and monetary donations are gladly accepted. Thank you to the following confirmed supporters of the event: USO Northwest Florida, The Home Depot, Emerald Coast Tropical Sno, Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Columbia Southern University, Pen Air Federal Credit Union, ECUA, Escambia County, Sysco, Flora-Bama, The Sunset Grille, Evan’s Automotive Service Center, and Steve Wilmer Speaks.
Steve Wilmer is working hard on volunteers, his contact information is scwilmer@att.net, if you have someone who wants to volunteer, please contact Steve! We are aiming for 125 volunteers for this event.
There is a Facebook page called ” Star, Spangled Salute, Military Appreciation” dedicated to promoting the event and Military Appreciation acts in our area throughout the year. Please LIKE AND SHARE THE EVENT AND ALL THE POSTS! Emily and Erin will conduct Military Moments for all of the top donors when you see these videos, PLEASE LIKE & SHARE!
Erin is also still looking for a new secretary for this committee to help take notes during the meetings. Please contact Erin Wilmer if interested!
The committee will regularly meet each Tuesday at 4:30 pm at the Edward Jones office on Sorrento Road until the Festival. Please contact the chair, Erin Wilmer, with any questions regarding the Chamber’s military council!
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at 4:30 pm at the Edward Jones office.
MEMBERSHIP AND MARKETING COMMITTEE
Chair: Judy Davis, Perdido Key Sports Bar & Perdido Key Souvenirs
Assist the Chamber in growing the number and quality of membership in the chamber. Assisting with the planning of membership programs and membership drives.
The Membership and Marketing Committee met on Friday, March 22, 2019, at 8:30 am at the PKACC Conference Room.
The Perdido Key Jingle Contest is still in motion, the details are listed below:
Perdido Key Chamber 2019 Jingle Contest
Your local chamber is hosting a contest to create a one of a kind jingle that will be the face of the Perdido Community and the chamber for 2019. All entries are welcome!!
Requirements:
- :30 seconds to 1:00 minute in length
- Submit .mp3 file to emily@perdidochamber.com
- Must submit the entry by April 15th
- Also, submit the lyrics in written form
- The vision for the song: Express your passion for the Perdido Community! Live Here, Work Here, Play Here… join the chamber! fun uplifting song encouraging why the chamber & the Perdido community is awesome.
Winner Receives:
- Free One Year Business Membership to Perdido Key Chamber – Value $300 *This allows you to promote your business, yourself or band if you’re a musician via the chamber websites (PerdidoChamber.com and VistPerdido.com), social media channels, and hosted events, etc.
- Perdido Key Chamber Member swag bag.
- Bragging rights!!
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be on Friday, April 26, 2019, at 8:30 am at the PKACC office.