monthly usiness lunch meeting of the greater seffner area...
TRANSCRIPT
Inside this
Newsletter
Board of Directors
2
Hometown 3
January Pics & Information
4-8
Tax Time Info 9
Upcoming Events & Business
10-15
Career Source Tampa Bay
16
Get Involved 17-18
Goal Setting 19 & thru-out
Volume 30, Issue 2
February 2016 Newsletter
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s - Seffner in the Stadium Room
TIME: Doors open at 11:30 am for networking, Buffet at 11:45; and program begins at noon. COST: $15 or $12 for members who register by Friday, January 8. REGISTER: Online; Call 813-627-8686, or email [email protected]
Monthly Business Lunch Meeting of the Greater Seffner Area Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, February 11 Sponsored by:
This month’s conversations include
Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation as we give a warm Seffner welcome to,
Kyla Booher, LEED AP, CPSI, Parks Services Manager. Please join us to learn about park and rec programs and
also to hear more about the Seffner-Mango Park that will be developed next to the library.
2015-16 Board of Directors
Stacey Bandy, Suncoast Credit Union
Cathy Kudlinski, Absolute Auto Repair
Lori Libhart, LL Training and Consultant Group
Pat Magruder, Magruder Agency
Jennifer Montgomery, Repair Your Tech
Meredith Tucker, Helicon Property Restoration
Heather Turner, Humana Insurance
Steve Wilson, Total Air Conditioning Services
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Start with what matters most. It’s all too easy to fill our days with endless activities, but are you getting what you really want done? For most of us, we do everyone else’s tasks first or avoid doing what matters most because it chal-lenges us. Instead, take a few minutes every morning to plan your priorities, then work first on what matters most. Make this a habit in the year ahead and I guar-antee you will amaze yourself!
Go slow and achieve more. We achieve more when we slow down! When it’s always “Go, go, go!” we get tired, lose focus and motivation, and are more likely to make mistakes. Going slow helps us enjoy our work more and con-serve energy: We can keep going longer and achieve better results. So, give slow a go, and you may al-so find you’re more connected to yourself, can see the truth of things and feel more inspired about life!
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Monthly Business Lunch January 14, 2016
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Teena Trato
The Experts! GSACC Members
Leah Grace Tucker’s Birthday-Diaper
Celebration!
Teena Trato, Florida State Fair kicked off the
conversations at the January Meeting of the Greater Seffner Ar-ea Chamber of Commerce with update news about this year’s fair. Entertainment, agribusiness, equestrian events , Cracker Country, Midway, high school art competition, Florida living, and food, food, food. Just talk of all of the burgers had appetites in overdrive. Thank goodness, Beef’s once again served an ex-traordinary buffet that helped to satisfy the munchies. … and best of all, members in attendance received a free ticket to the Fair. Thank you. Teena!
Turn the page for expert advice.
Tony Delcastillo, Tampa Bay Times
shares information on special advertising opportunities for
the upcoming Florida Strawberry Festival.
Fair Dates Feb 4 - 15
January Monthly Business Lunch
… conversations continued
Is it all in the hands or in the words? See page 8 for the words and from top left, give a hand to:
Stacey Bandy, Suncoast Credit Union Dan Coyle, Edward Jones Jennifer Montgomery, Repair Your Tech Brian Fearnow, Fearnow Insurance Shay Young, Railroad & Industrial Federal Credit Union Cathy Kudlinski, Absolute Auto Marc Poling, Mango Cleaners and Laundry Julie Arndt, Minute Man Press
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January Monthly Business Lunch
… conversations continued How to have a GREAT 2016!
Go for the no! More no’s = more yes’s! Use social media consistently. Meredith Tucker, Helicon Property Restoration Protect your family at potentially the worst time in their lives. Make sure your wishes are kept when you are no longer there to voice them. Arlene Jacobs, Dignity Memorial Protect your identity; shred everything—even junk mail—and get as much as possible online. Get pin numbers to protect social security and go to the social security website to protect children’s social se-curity. Dawn Rogers, H & R Block Computer advice: Twice a month defrag for optimal performance. Reboot on Wednesdays to install Tuesday’s weekly updates. Jennifer Montgomery, Repair Your Tech Be nice! Seek out true needs of your customers. Show that you value their business and that you are concerned about their needs. Go beyond your expectations of being a professional. Unknown nice person Cyber attacks include paper. For example, f you throw away business papers with client’s information on it, you are opening up the potential for a cyber attack. Although the state only requires that you carry worker’s compensation insurance after the 4th em-ployee, you are still liable for them. Brian Fearnow, Fearnow Insurance How does your customer see you? Does your social media portray the image that you want. If not, it is time to have a professional photographer help you achieve the look you want. If you are not happy with your look and every Monday is your day to start your diet, let me help you to change your life and take pics along the way. Missy Duncan, Duncan Photography Attend Chamber Events. Don’t use debit cards — use credit cards that have benefits. Marc Poling, Mango Cleaners and Laundry ( & vacation enjoyment expert!) Everyone needs a vacation — take one each year. Call me at AAA. If you are not a member, become one for the valuable savings and services. Kimberly McInnis. AAA Emphasize employee safety! Small businesses cannot spare the loss of staff time to accidents and inju-ries, and large businesses can save money with lower worker compensation mod rates. Lori Libhart, LL Training and Consultant Group, LLC
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January Monthly Business Lunch
… Let’s talk diapers!
ECHO Executive Director, Eleanor Saunders gives some “from the
trenches” advice to members about partnering with local charities. Of course, there were also words of thanks to chamber members for their generous diaper donations!
Happy, Happy Birthday Leah! Thank you to Nick and Meredith Tucker for sharing the happy oc-casion with GSACC and ECHO. What a brilliant idea to assist others while celebrating Leah’s milestone. More diapers were donated at other events and all went to ben-efit ECHO—Emergency Care Help Organization. Doing better together — The Seffner Chamber way!
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January Monthly Business Lunch
… and then there were prizes!
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Thanks to our door prize sponsors: Absolute Auto
Beef ‘O”Brady’s Seffner Helicon Property Restoration
Magruder Insurance Leah wants to congratulate the winners: Danielle Shawgo, Repair Your Tech Missy Duncan, Duncan Photography Kim McInnis, AAA And Mommy, aka Meredith Tucker, Helicon Property Restoration
Leah Grace pulls the winning tickets!
Lighten the load on completing your taxes with these chamber member professionals.
329 PAULS DR. BRANDON, FL 33511 PHONE: (813) 689-9297
1907 S ALEXANDER ST, SUITE 2 PLANT CITY, FL 33566 PHONE: (813) 752-6604
1323 N. PARSONS AVE. BRANDON, FL 33510 813-643-2904
PARSONS VILLAGE SQUARE 722 DR MLK JR BLVD W SEFFNER,FL 33584 813-681-5201
Did you know you have until April 18 to make your 2015 IRA contribution?
Dan Coyle, AAMS®, CRPC® 2314 So. Parsons Ave., Seffner, FL 33584 813-685-7971
Saturdays, February 6, 20, 27 8:00 AM - noon
ECHO Charity Thrift Sale Saturdays from 8:00 AM - noon, ECHO will be hosting a charity thrift sale at the ECHO center to refresh our stock and raise money for the center. All are welcome and encour-aged to purchase discounted overstock clothes and small household items. http://www.echofl.org/ ECHO 507 North Parsons Ave, Brandon 813-685-0935
Page 10 www.seffnerchamber.com MEMBERS:
Check in often to stay up to date on event details and to post your events.
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Wednesday, February 3 11:30 am
Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, February 11 11:30 am - 1:00 pm Monthly Luncheon Meeting See page 1 for information!
Saturday, February 13 8:00 AM - noon
ECHO Mini Trunk Sale This sale features name brands, high quality jewelry, handbags and even vintage clothing at great prices! We have already done the picking for you. Doors open at 8:00. Bring your girlfriends and shop for a cause. Website: http://www.echofl.org/ Location: ECHO Center 507 North Parsons Ave, Brandon, FL 33510 Contact: 813-685-0935
Feb 15
Turn the page for more events!
Tuesday, February 16 By Appt. No Cost Business Consulting This is a wonderful opportunity for new or existing busi-nesses that want to increase their profitability. Business Consulting appointments available throughout the day by Hillsborough County Economic Development Department. Reservation Required. Please provide both your phone number and your email when you request your appoint-ment. Contact: Dottie Minnick 813-204-9267; [email protected]
Wednesday, February 17 4 pm - 6:30 pm Drop-In Hometown Pride: A Conversation in Seffner What makes the Seffner Area a great place to live, work, or play? If you met someone who was moving to Seffner, how would you describe this community? Do you ever find yourself saying, I wish there was ... in Seffner? The Greater Seffner Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting "Hometown Pride: A Conversation in Seffner" at
Beef 'O'Brady's Stadium Room. This event is an open forum and is a part of the Seffner Chamber's Leadership 31 Initiative. Everyone with an inter-est in Seffner and the surrounding area is welcome to attend and to express their thoughts. The goal is to identify Seffner assets to positively promote the area. The second goal is to identify resident and business owner concerns and to facilitate community actions that seek solutions in order to improve the area. Community groups and leaders who want to reserve a table to exchange specific infor-mation at this event should contact Lori Libhart by email at [email protected], or phone 813-627-8686.
Free and open to the public.
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… continued
McIntosh Road Please join in the grand re-opening of this completely remodeled—inside and out—McDonald’s.
Food — Fun — Networking
Free Tax Preparation Help Offered at the Hillsborough County
Extension Office
Free tax preparation assistance is available at the Hillsborough County Extension office in Seffner for individuals or families with Adjusted Gross Incomes (AGI) of $62,000 or less. Your 2015 AGI can be found on line 37 of your Form 1040 tax return. AGI does not include money contributed to tax deductible retirement plans or certain other adjustments. The Extension office offers tax filers access to a self-guided tax preparation program, and one-on-one assistance from IRS trained and certified volunteers. Appointments for the free service are required, and may be made for the following times:
•Feb. 2, 3, and 4 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. •Feb 9 through April 7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 7 p.m. •Feb. 13, March 5, and 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are required. For more information, contact Denise Kantak, (813) 744-5519 ext. 54141 or [email protected].
Hillsborough County Extension is located at 5339 County Road 579 in Seffner.
New Wage Recovery Program
Persons working in Hillsborough County who may be victims of wage theft now have a program to assist them in recovering their lost wages. The wage recovery program championed by Commissioner Kevin Beckner and approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners was developed in response to reports of nonpayment of earned wages. The County Commission created the program with the purpose of eliminating unfair competition by businesses who would deliberately not pay or underpay their employees. If you are an employee or independent contractor who has performed work in Hillsborough County and be-lieve your employer has failed to pay or underpaid the wage rate applicable for the work performed, you may qualify for assistance to recover your earned wages. Several agencies will be working on this effort, including Hillsborough County Consumer Protection, Code Enforcement, the 13th Judicial Circuit Mediation and Diver-sion Services, and Bay Area Legal Services. Claims will be mediated by the 13th Judicial Mediation and Diver-sion Services Program. Free legal assistance will be provided by Bay Area Legal Services to eligible low-income residents of Hillsborough County. For more information, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/WageRecovery or contact the Hillsborough County Con-sumer Protection Agency at (813) 903-3430.
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HOH Wounded Veteran & Caregiver Employment Conference
You are cordially invited to participate in a unique hiring event for wounded warriors and veteran caregivers. Produced in collaboration with Paralyzed Veterans of America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s HOH Wounded Veteran & Caregiver Employment Conference will be held at
Hillsborough Community College--Brandon Campus Tuesday, February 23, 2016.
Due to the personalized nature of this event, employer participation is limited to 20 companies, so please don't wait too long to register! Unlike a typical military job fair, this employment conference will feature both local and national employers who will con-duct onsite informational interviews in a friendly environment that will encourage our wounded veterans and caregivers to enhance their interviewing and networking skills. Prior to the event, employers will have the opportunity to review re-sumes of job seekers who have pre-registered. On the day of the employment conference, jobseekers will be able to attend interactive workshops on how to network, how to build social media platforms and on improving their interviewing skills. Employers will enjoy a catered lunch presentation which addresses facts and myths of the invisible wounds of war. Informational interviews and an open ex-change between jobseekers and employers will be conducted during the final two hours of the employment conference. For registration and more information: https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/tampa-wounded-veteran-caregiver-employment-conference
The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and YMCA of Florida’s First Coast are pleased to an-nounce the 2016 Treadmill Tuesday Challenge, a competition between the Tampa Bay and Northeast Florida communities for the greatest distance traveled on a treadmill.
This free event, open to YMCA members and nonmembers, takes place Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. and encourages healthy living while promoting friendly competition among community members in the Tampa Bay area and Northeast Florida.
“It is no coincidence this year’s Treadmill Tuesday will take place during American Heart Month,” says Tampa YMCA Presi-dent & CEO Tom Looby. “Treadmill Tuesday brings the community together, encouraging one another to improve their heart health.” Tampa Bay area community members are invited to participate by completing a 30-minute treadmill workout at Tampa YMCA branches or via social media. At Tampa Y facilities, staff will record the distance each participant walks, jogs or runs on a treadmill for 30 minutes. To join from other locations via Twitter, participants should tweet a post-workout photo of treadmill dashboard displaying the total distance. Social media participants should use #TreadmillTuesday tagging @TampaYMCA. This is the second year the First Coast YMCA will rally the community for Treadmill Tuesday. In 2015, more than 1,700 First Coast residents logged a nearly 4,000 miles during the free event. “Our friends in Jacksonville may have a Treadmill Tuesday event under their belt, but our com-munity is excited and ready for this year’s competition,” says Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “We’re a city focused on the health of our community and we look forward to celebrating that strength on Treadmill Tuesday.” Throughout the day-long event, Tampa YMCA branches will offer giveaways, chance-drawings and activities to further encourage participation. To learn more about Treadmill Tuesday and what to look forward to at you neighborhood Y, contact [email protected].
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Business Education
Feb 13, 2016 Saturday PURPLE HEART & WAR DOG DEDICATIONS 11:00AM
Feb 24, 2016 Wednesday 5:00PM
Feb 27, 2016 Saturday 11:00AM
Feb 29, 2016 Monday Veterans Council Meeting County Ctr, Brandon 6:00pm
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK & COUNCIL
MEETING & EVENT CALENDAR 2016
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Time management is self-care. Time is a precious and limited resource. With our busy lives, if we don’t learn to manage our time better we miss out—on life balance, our goals, time with those who matter most. Time management is self-care. So, make the effort to create healthy time-management habits. It’s manag-ing your time effectively that allows you to achieve what matters to you and helps you make space to enjoy life.
Just get it done.
There are few shortcuts in life. And when it comes to our goals, sometimes it’s tough going. We may need to ask for help, gain some new skills or really push ourselves to break through a comfort zone. Whatever it is, do it, learn to do it, get someone else to do it. Find a way but no excuses, just get it done!
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Job Postings - CSTB assists employers with posting available jobs on Employ Florida Market-place
Job Fairs (On-site & Off-site) - CSTB will host job fairs for available positions at the jobsite lo-cation or at a career center
In-House Recruitment - CSTB provides employers assistance in interviewing qualified candi-dates at a career center
Job Matching (Pre-screening) - CSTB pre-screens online database of more than 100,000 can-didates to ensure quality job matching to available positions through Employ Florida Mar-ketplace
Employer Services can work for your company ...
Recruiting Services
Professional Outsourcing Services
Labor Market Information
Outplacement Services - CSTB helps those displaced employees find new job opportunities Success Workshops - CSTB offers those affected by downsizing workshops to re-equip them
with the tools Universal Orientation - CSTB will offer general orientation to guide the affected workers
through the downsizing process On-site Career Fairs - CSTB will host a career fair to facilitate reemployment Job Matching - CSTB can re-align displaced employees with appropriate job opportunities
Wage Rate Information and Surveys - CSTB offers the current employment and unemploy-ment rates
Industry Trends and Projections - CSTB provides current labor trends, projections, and wages by industry and occupation
Occupation trends and Projections - CSTB provides occupational profiles and career infor-mation
Training Research - CSTB can provide existing labor education or demographic data
For more information on any of our employer services, or for a complete list of the services we provide, contact us at (813) 397-2035 or e-mail us at [email protected].
Well, not just anyone; this is a member’s only offer.
Here are your “easy-peasy” steps to a free lunch . 1. Refer a business to the Seffner Chamber for mem-
bership. 2. When the business joins, you receive a certificate
for a free chamber lunch. 3. Use the lunch certificate at any lunch in 2016.
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Interested in local government issues? Want to get better acquainted with area businesses? Do you enjoy planning and organizing events? Are you a visionary?
You can get in touch with your inner wonk, extro-vert, leader, volunteer, or whatever lurks within, by bringing your talents to the community through volunteering with the Chamber. Get to know people, while they get to know you. Contact the Chamber to discuss your interests and to develop a good fit between your talents and community needs. Be a part of the conversation! [email protected]; 813-627-8686
About that new park.
I really enjoyed working on the new teacher breakfast!
I like to stay tuned in to our government officials.
It’s good to get out of the office and connect!
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Chamber members receive FREE INSTALLATION with Bright House Business Solutions. More details available in the Chamber office and at our lunch meeting on December 10.
Need help now? Call Brandon Roberts at (727) 215-6733.
The Chamber’s 30th Anniversary is a great time to reach out to our business community and re-mind them of the strength that comes from working together. Whether it is a community pro-ject, government relations, business networking, or school partnerships, our efforts can be en-hanced by working together. Want a more relevant, more powerful Chamber to work on behalf of your business and commu-nity interests? It starts with us! Now is the time to reach out to those you know in the business community — tell them about the Chamber and invite them to a monthly luncheon.
Need an incentive? From now until the end February there is an
incentive for referring new members. Just refer a new business to the Chamber or bring them to lunch. When the business joins the chamber, you will receive a complimentary meal at a chamber luncheon. Member applications are available at www.seffnerchamber.com or by contacting the chamber office 813-627-8686 or [email protected].
1209 Kingsway Rd, Brandon, FL 33510 PO Box 1920, Seffner, FL 33510 Phone: 813-627-8686 E-mail: [email protected]
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