Published On: Tue, May 26th, 2020

The Boca Chamber CEO Message 05/26

Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,

I hope you had a safe and relaxing Memorial Day weekend. Additionally, I hope you were able to pause, and give tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may be free – and enjoy free enterprise. Despite the rainy weather, it was the unofficial launch of summer. Although spending some time on the beach wasn’t much of an option over the past three days – perhaps you ventured out to support our restaurants and retailers. With 50% capacity available – these businesses are open! As we continue to move towards getting our economic engine running on all cylinders, let’s remember to do it safely. THANK YOU for supporting business!

Speaking of service, it is bittersweet that I announce the departure of one of our Chamber Teammates. Sophia Lopez, our Events Coordinator, will serve her last day at the Chamber this Friday, May 29. Sophia was instrumental in our quick, successful pivot to the virtual world. She will be missed but will continue her service in a different capacity. It gives me great pride to announce that Sophia will be joining the United States Navy. Thank you, Sophia!
As you have seen from our recent communications, we are entering into hurricane season. It is crucial we remain vigilant and not allow the current pandemic to distract us from being prepared. This checklist will help you prepare for a hurricane’s effect on your business, employees and community by highlighting activities you should undertake before, during, and following the event. Stay informed by downloading the FPL Power Tracker to see outages in your area. You can also refer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the National Hurricane Center for comprehensive information on hurricane preparedness at home and in your community.

This past Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced his intention to lift all restrictions on youth activities, which includes athletics and summer camps. Click here to read the executive order. Additionally, today, Broward beaches are scheduled to re-open with certain restrictions. Here is the link for Broward reopening. The City of Boca Raton beach-front parks and parking lots will open to the public today, from 8am to sunset for permit holders and patrons. Parties accessing the beaches shall follow CDC guidelines by limiting gatherings to no more than 10 persons and distancing themselves from other parties by 6 feet. Click here to learn more. 

The CDC has released updated guidelines upon the re-opening of public spaces, workplaces, businesses, schools and homes. Reducing the risk of exposure to coronavirus by cleaning and disinfecting is an important part of reopening public spaces that will require careful planning. Everyone plays an important role in ensuring our communities are as safe as possible to reopen and remain open. Click here to learn more.

The Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) would like to hear from you. This short survey will allow the TPA to gather information on how coronavirus has impacted your current travel and how you expect travel to change after restrictions are lifted. To take the survey, please click here.

March 17th seems like a lifetime ago. That was the day the Chamber successfully held its first virtual presentation. The topic was geared towards educating and preparing members who had begun to transition to remote working due to the pandemic. Due to the great efforts of the Chamber Team, since that day, we have delivered nearly 100 webinars and virtual experiences with over 2,500 participants. We have led the way by providing important, timely, educational and fresh content on a weekly basis. We will continue to offer these valuable resources.

We are always grateful when we receive encouraging messages from our members who are generous to share their thoughts on the how the Chamber is helping them. We are thankful for these positive affirmations as they motivate us to continue to do more. And in these challenging times, these words are even more appreciated. So that I could recognize the Chamber team, I thought I would share these words from a member:

“While many organizations battened down the hatches, the Boca Raton Chamber took action. They quickly identified ways to provide value to its members by conducting Zoom networking events, highly informative presentations with key government and area leaders, and continuously provided timely information about closures, how to support restaurants, and now communication about the slow re-opening of business in South Palm Beach County. The Boca Chamber creates value on the regular, but during this pandemic, they have proven their worth ten-fold. Thank you for being the guiding light to keep businesses and the community moving forward, regardless of the headwinds upon us”. -Rob Jager, Small Business Owner, Plum Productions

Please see below for a list of upcoming virtual events this week:

05/26 – 12:00pm: Smart Talk for Women: Leadership Traits You Need to Be Successful in a Time Crisis
Speaker: Nancy Proffitt, Founder and President, Proffitt Management Solutions
Click here to register

05/26 – 5:00pm: Live After Five After Hours Networking Event
Meet off the clock, virtually, for an evening of networking.Connect with professionals looking to network in the evening!
Sponsored By: FPL
Click here to register

05/28 – 8:30am: BOYNTON BEACH: Government Affairs Council
Speaker: The Honorable Joe Casello, Florida House of Representatives, District 90
Click here to register

05/28 – 11:30am: Successful Women In Business
Speaker: Michele Miuccio, Chief of Police, City of Boca Raton
Click here to register

05/28 – 1:00pm: Resilience – Helping Your Team Move Toward the Future
Speaker: Bill Mitchell, Senior Pastor, Boca Raton Community Church
Click here to register

To stay up to date on all Chamber activity, visit bocachamber.com or download the Chamber App on your phone or tablet and stay connected on your mobile device. You can also access all of our past virtual experiences by visiting our Youtube page.

As we continue to reopen Florida Safely, Smartly and Step by Step, we will continue to work with Mayors and Councils/Commissions, City Managers, County Commissioners, State Legislators, and leaders of private industry to keep Moving Business Forward. Together, we will continue to make a difference in our region by advocating for business and the safe return to economic prosperity.

Moving Business Forward,

Troy M. McLellan, CCE, FCCP
President & CEO Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
#movingbocaforward
#movingboyntonforward 
#movingdelrayforward
1800 N Dixie Hwy | Boca Raton, FL 33432p: 561.395.4433 | f: 561.392.3780

About the Author

Discover more from The Boca Raton Tribune

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading