Dear Valued Members:

Our Annual Business Excellence Awards are just around the

corner. This will be the 13th year the Chamber has been hosting

this outstanding event to show recognition to the businesses nominated and select-

ed by you, our membership. I know how much work goes into this event to make it

such a success and how important it is for business members to know they are ap-

preciated. Our membership works hard throughout the year to achieve greatness

and we look forward to celebrating that. We appreciate our Title Sponsor, Ameris

Bank who helps make this event possible.

On August 28th, members received an email from the Chamber announcing the

nomination process is open and encouraging each member to make sure the notice

gets out to business staff, organization members and all employees.

The nominations are how we learn about exceptional organizations, businesses,

professionals, retailers, tourism advocates, government, schools and volunteers.

You may make as many nominations as you want and you may nominate your own

business. There are lots of great businesses to choose from.

Keep in mind, nominations for the awards are limited to Chamber members in good

standing as of June 1, 2017. This year we are only accepting nominations submitted

electronically through the links included in the email mentioned above and again, we

encourage you to share that email so everyone under your membership has an

opportunity to participate in this process. Links can also be found on the chamber

website home page. It’s a privilege of membership to participate.

In addition to the recognition of current members, we also do a special recognition

of a Wakulla Area Business nominated by the public (any business in Wakulla), and

we also recognize some of the oldest businesses still in operation in Wakulla County.

We’re very proud of all our businesses and having an opportunity to look back at

who has had the longest lasting impact on Wakulla County is a great reminder that

this is an awesome community and it’s important to work together to continue to

make each business successful.

We hope you will come out on November 14 at Wakulla Springs Lodge when we

announce and celebrate the winners of the 2017 Business Excellence Awards.

Now, go nominate!

Wakul la Chamber and You: Partners For Success September 2017

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY

OUR

PREMIER MEMBERS

President’s Message

https://www.ccbg.com/https://mb.my100bank.com/https://www.amerisbank.com/https://www.duke-energy.com/https://www.tcc.fl.edu/http://livelytech.com/https://www.tmh.org/http://www.esginc.net/https://www.tlfcu.org/https://www.gogulfwinds.com/?gclid=CPO72sW5g74CFewDOgodCRIAgghttps://www.primemeridianbank.com/http://www.centurylink.com/

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Introducing New Center Manager for

TCC Wakulla Center

The TCC Wakulla Center is excited to announce the hiring of a

new Center Manager and Staff Assistant to provide training,

education and career guidance referral services needed in

Wakulla County. Desiree Gorman, Center Manager, is a

Wakulla County native who graduated from Wakulla High and

has spent over 20 years in the workforce arena.

Atari Timmons-Ross, Staff Assistant, is also a Wakulla

native and graduate who left to pursue her academic

endeavors before returning to work in education first at

Florida State University and now with Tallahassee Community

College. The entire TCC Wakulla Center staff encourage anyone with questions related to

education, training either personal or for your business, to contact them at

(850) 558-3525 or via email at WakullaCenter@tcc.fl.edu.

SAVE THE DATE FOR

NOVEMBER 14 AT

WAKULLA SPRINGS LODGE

mailto:WakullaCenter@tcc.fl.edu

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Networking Luncheon @ Wakulla Springs Lodge

Our August networking luncheon menu was advertised by Chef Reshard Plummer as a

something we do not want to miss and the secret menu

“Surprise Buffet Extraordinaire” was exactly that! We knew we

would not be disappointed but Chef Reshard totally hit it out of

the park, and chef, along with staff received a huge round of

applause! A double sided buffet of Prime Rib, Grilled Cajun

Lemon Shrimp, Butter Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Rice Pilaf,

Steamed Vegetable Medley, Rolls, Pasta Salad, and Spring

Greens Salad definitely was more than any of us expected, and

did not leave any space on our plates for the scrumptious Key

Lime Pie, Cheese Cake and Pecan Pie desserts. Thank you to

Wakulla Springs Lodge and Staff for the hospitality and

wonderful service to our record breaking crowd of 116!

Leann Sbordone, event coordinator share a few details with us

and let us know that the

locally owned group, Wakulla Hospitality, will be

changing schedule for the fall, and offer the dining

room for rent Monday through Wednesday

beginning in November. If you are not familiar with

the lodge, several rooms of different sizes are

available for weddings, showers, or holiday parties.

If you celebrate at home, you may want to take

advantage of ordering cakes or pies for take- out.

New members for July and August were Taco Bell, Burlington Marketing & Services,

Southeastern Dermatology, Wakulla Investment Properties, and Patricia Akins – Aflac

Independent Representative.

Jim Lowe, founder of Hamaknockers BBQ, introduced himself as owner of Burlington

Marketing & Services, a local consulting group with decades of experience in the

hospitality industry. If you are in this industry, you may want to talk to him about his

“Six Steps to Guaranteed Success”. Patricia Akins shared that Aflac has some new value

added services, telephone medicine among them. Maria Lentz with Wakulla Investment

Properties shared that the building on Crawfordville Hwy is your one stop shop for real

estate, financial planning, marketing and technical support.

We always welcome our members bringing guests to these popular luncheons, which

gives us a chance to meet other business owners, and today was no exception.

Jeremy Anderson with Anderson & Givens P.A. introduced Phillip Browing with North

Florida Payroll; Samantha Morse brought Jessica Duncan- owner of Fun 4 Tally Kids, a

Tallahassee and surrounding area online calendar and directory; Rachel Pienta introduced

Kris Hebert with Kris T Designs - Marine & Home Upholstery Sewing & Quilting;

continued

4

Mark Mitchell introduced Audrey Alessi , owner of A Weed Lady , who sells native plants,

vegetables & herbs in Panacea; Sheriff Miller introduced Jan Sanders – Financial Officer at

the Sheriff Department; RH Carter introduced new administrative assistant at the senior

center, Diane Rhodeback; and Paul Morgan was joined by Billy Grimes- fleet manager at

Superlube; and Macey Kirk with MyEyeDr introduced Mark Brown, District

Manager. Michelle Hayes with WTXL TV introduced Jason Shervey, who shared that

WTXL - TV not only reports news, but it also a source for website creation and digital mar-

keting. First time attendees were Chester Butler – President of Florida Green guide Asso-

ciation, Summer Hindle – Seminole Carpet Cleaning & Restoration, Susan Murphy and

Chelsey Hill - Community Training Works, Inc.

Our luncheons are also a good time to find out

about upcoming events, and Jo Ann Palmer en-

couraged everyone to sign up online for the

Coastal Cleanup. Mark Mitchell with Panacea

Waterfronts shared a new event for Panacea –

The 1st Panacea Oyster Shuck from 2-7 pm,

Saturday, October 8. As always St. Marks City

manager gave us plenty of notice for the annual St. Marks Stone Crab festival to be held

October 28th.

The monthly spotlight on Eden Spring Nursing & Rehab Facility

was delivered by Charlean Lanier: Eden Springs is a 114 bed

facility for long or short term care, rehabilitation and recovery

contracting with different insurance providers like Medicare,

Medicaid and CHP, along with other out of network providers. Eden

Springs offers three disciplines of therapy, including Physical,

Occupational and Speech Therapy. Eden Springs also offers

electrical stimulation, ultra sound, and diathermy, and deals with

stroke and cardiac patients, as well as knee, hip replacement,

shoulder, and lumbar rehabilitation.

The cash drawing was won by Fran Pybus, who will donate her

winnings of $116 to Big Bend Hospice.

Another highlight is the gift drawing, and we thank the following members for their

donations: Cook Insurance/Olympus Insurance Company, Petra Shuff, The Clothesline,

Keep Wakulla County Beautiful, Super-Lube, Wakulla Insurance Agency, Smith, Thomp-

son, Shaw, and Minacci& Colón, P.A., Prime Meridian bank, Eden Spring Nursing &

Rehabilitation facility, Morse Construction and Restoration Services, Magnuson Hotel,

The Wakulla News, Shepard Accounting & Tax Services, WTXL – TV, Capital Health Plan,

Wakulla Medical Center, Traci Cash, CPA, Ed Gardner, O.D., and Community Training

Works, Inc.

5

2016 Business Excellence Awards Winner Spotlight

Sponsored by

Over this year, the chamber articles will be dedicated to the winners of our business excellence

awards. We’re taking advantage of showcasing this businesses and organizations to honor

their incredible dedication and commitment to our community. It’s difficult for me to condense

the outstanding work, accomplishments and information in a way to truly express the dedica-

tion and commitment by these winners, it is amazing what we may take for granted about

some of these outstanding businesses and they are all truly deserving of these awards.

When you look for the definition of a volunteer – they are short –as a noun: a person who

freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task –as a verb: freely offer to do

something - as my husband will tell you, all his volunteerism is voluntold. I tell people that

had such a demanding career I honestly never had or took time to volunteer. I’ve since

learned that it’s an awesome way to give back, stay involved and gain life experiences that

otherwise would have passed me by. Volunteers bring a wealth of skills, knowledge and

experience that cannot have a value placed on it. Volunteers make a tremendous difference in

the lives of so many people. They bring value to many businesses and organizations – so

much so that the us government says a volunteer is worth $23.07. Thank you to everyone

who volunteers.

I don’t believe the winner this year thinks of herself as a volunteer. I believe she just does

everything she does out of a passion for her community. Sherrie Posey Miller is involved in all

aspects of volunteer life in her home community as well as all of Wakulla county through her

involvement in the Wakulla County Chamber; Panacea Waterfronts Florida Partnership;

Tourism Development Council; Coastal Optimist Club and the Wakulla Welcome Center.

Sherrie strives to ensure the health and wellbeing of her community through helping to

organize the annual Rock-the-Dock fishing tournament which is the major fundraising effort for

which all proceeds go directly back into the community. Those funds have been used to match

the recent purchase and installation of new playground equipment at Woolley park, restoration

of the famous Panacea mural wall, a popular stopping point visitors, donations to various

non-profits and scholarships for local youth to participate in the Big Bend Maritime Center –

wooden boat building summer camp. She coordinates local restaurants to donate lunches

during the week of the camp. She advocated and has successfully secured through Duke

Energy the upcoming installation of much needed street lighting in Panacea. Through Panacea

Waterfronts she organizes the Christmas in Panacea festival and parade, which is open to

everyone and offers free hotdogs and fun activities. The parade is outstanding and crowds

enjoy lining the streets to watch for Santa and Mrs. Clause. Sherrie is dedicated to her

community and gives tirelessly to everything she is involved in – always thinking of news ways

to make life better. Sherrie and her family are long time business owners in Wakulla county.

Her family heritage in Wakulla county goes back many generations and this family has been

By JoAnn Palmer Volunteer of the Year

https://www.amerisbank.com/

6

committed to the economic growth of Wakulla county with a passion that has seen them

through good times and not so good times.

Sherrie works the family catering business and serves this community in helping other

organizations such as NJROTC raise funds for their organization. She is also committed to

ensuring that the waterfronts history is preserved and that the welcome center volunteers

are trained and engaging with the thousands of visitors who travel through Wakulla coun-

ty. She coordinates the volunteer schedule and ensures the facility has interesting and

informative displays to show the visitors the many talents of local artists and as an exam-

ple, the Working Waterfronts Historic Photo Project showcasing local fisherman. You will

not find a more committed volunteer for citizens for Wakulla county. Sherrie is also very

humble and does these and many more things solely for the greater good of the commu-

nity.

Congratulations Sherrie Miller – our 2016 Volunteer of The Year.

Welcome New Members

Welcome Jim Lowe - Burlington Marketing & Services, specializing in marketing &

services focused on the hospitality industry

850.544.0994 LoweJimBMS@gmail.com

Welcome David F Harvey - Wakulla Investment Properties, specializing in Real

Estate

2931 Crawfordville Hwy., Crawfordville 850.926.9090

david@davidfharvey.com

Welcome Karen Corbin - Southeastern Dermatology, specializing in full service

surgical, medical, and cosmetic dermatology

2887 Crawfordville Hwy., # 4, Crawfordville 850.422.3376

http://www.sederm.us/

Welcome Patricia Akins - Aflac Independent Representative, specializing in

supplemental insurance

850.320.1417 Patricia_akins@us.aflac.com

mailto:LoweJimBMS@gmail.commailto:david@davidfharvey.comhttp://www.sederm.us/mailto:Patricia_akins@us.aflac.com

7

2016

Business Excellence

Award Winners

Sponsored by

Retail

The Little Black Dress

●

Professional Service

Hydra Engineering & Construction LLC

●

Service Business

Talquin Electric Cooperative

●

Hospitality & Tourism

Shields Marina, Inc.

●

Non - Profit

Florida Wild Mammal Assoc.

●

Green Business

Bay Leaf Market

●

Government & Schools

City of St. Marks

●

President’s Choice

Walter (Wally) Dodson

Presented Posthumously

●

Volunteer

Sherrie Miller

●

Wakulla Area Business

Kent’s Property Preservation, LLC

Ribbon Cuttings

Born to Sparkle, LLC

Born to Sparkle Pageants & Parties opened in April 2017 as a Consignment and

Resale shop for Prom, Pageant, Wedding, and Dance Competition Wear. The owner,

Wendy Brown, saw a need in the

community for formal dress and

glam wear, but the vision goes

beyond that. The ribbon-cutting

ceremony was held on August

15th to introduce the community to

a beautifully redone party and pag-

eant themed store destined to be

the new party destination for prin-

cesses of all ages.

In the past year, Wendy has

planned and directed six beauty

pageants in the community and

three of those were benefit pageants. The first pageant benefitted Operation Santa

and crowned nine beautiful girls. The girls who participated also raised over $1300 for

local children living in poverty. The second pageant was even more successful raising

a total of $3900 for Paws of Wakulla.

The girls learn necessary life skills such as public speaking, self-confidence, interview

skills, self-awareness, volunteerism, and what true friendship looks like. Wendy and

her daughter Mackenzie are both coaching and directing each pageant with the help of

friends who also enjoy what pageants can offer young ladies. Wendy coaches the

inner girl with her experience from years as a pageant girl, soccer coach, and social

worker. Inner beauty is just as important as outer beauty. Mackenzie teaches the girls

how to walk on stage in beauty and sportswear competition. Both mother and

daughter are interview coaches and teach important public speaking skills.

Born To Sparkle is not only a pageant and party shop but a safe-haven for girls who

want to become all they were born to be.

Please consider signing up for the next benefit pageant to be held on October 7,

2017. All proceeds will benefit Chloe Brooke Shields, 12 years old, who was diagnosed

with a debilitating childhood illness called Sanfilippo disease. Her mother works very

hard to care for her and Wakulla County has been their home all her life. We are

shooting for a goal of $4000 to buy her family of four annual passes to Disney World.

Chloe’s mom wants to make as memories with her daughter in the time she has.

Please visit Born To Sparkle at 1616 Crawfordville Highway Suite B. The store is

currently offering 25% off all new gowns and will have layaway at 30% down for up to

90 days. Schedule your next princess birthday, baby shower, or tea party by

calling (850) 228-8305. Ask for Wendy

https://www.amerisbank.com/tel:(850)%20228-8305