CEO: Although this is only the beginning, we are proud of the progress we have made, and are excited to show you what we have in store for the future.
Dear members,
Here is another “Note from Noel” - a monthly initiative with the intention to keep you - our members - informed on our organization’s accomplishments, goals, and decisive steps towards a prosperous future. To put it simply, we want to do a better job of telling our story. The more you know about everything going on here at the Chamber, the more you can trust the success of the organization.
January concluded with our 37th Annual ArtiGras Kick Off Party. It was a delight revealing Tracy Guiteau as our Commemorative Poster Artist. This month, we focused on finding new ways to celebrate diversity amongst our businesses and in our community, develop local talent and bring leaders of Palm Beach North’s sports together for discussion. Below you will find a few of our “wins” and how they align with our strategic imperatives, which ensure Palm Beach North continues to be Florida’s “Prosperity Coast.”
- Celebrating Diversity Equity and Inclusion in Black History Month
If you haven’t noticed, we’ve added a new feature to our website that allows members to celebrate their diversity. Our directory now lets members designated if they are a Black-owned business, Hispanic-owned business, woman-owned business, veteran-owned and more. It is important to us that we celebrate the person behind the business and support what they contribute to society. Black History Month is a time to stop and reflect on the great strides that African Americans have made and are still making that have enhanced all our lives. Whether that is inventing a stop light or becoming the first Haitian American Commemorative Poster Artist for the 37th Annual ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival, this month we honor Black history. This year, we were proud to honor Tracy Guiteau as the Commemorative Poster Artist and were delighted to see a refreshing perspective on this year’s theme: Garden Parti. Bringing her heritage to highlight strong women, who are the anchor of Haitian culture and vibrant colors with hidden healing messages, we were ecstatic to see a new and refreshing perspective that brings added value to our ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival. Although this is only the beginning, we are proud of the progress we have made, and are excited to show you what we have in store for the future.
- Finding new ways to develop local talent through the Chamber Foundation
Here at the Palm Beach North Chamber, we value developing local talent and building that pipeline full of future leaders who will keep our coast prosperous. We do that by developing and funding educational opportunities and initiatives for students in the Palm Beach North region, through our Chamber Foundation Scholarships. Our Chamber Foundation is a private non-profit, affiliated with the Chamber and has grown to provide more scholarship opportunities in our region through additional funding sources, including participating in Birdies for Children, and a three-year donation pledge from Cary Stamp, CEO of Cary Stamp & Company, totaling $9,000! This year, we took a closer look at our application and made a few changes to ensure we are giving opportunities to a more diverse group of future leaders. It is our goal that we give every student an opportunity to succeed, and we are very proud of our intentional movement towards our diversified successes. Our applications are open through March 11 and we hope that you pass along this information to students who would benefit.
- Showcasing sports in Palm Beach North
Palm Beach North Sports season is here, and our business community is prepared for it. The sports industry is one of the driving forces of business for Palm Beach County. Every year, nearly one million sports visitors come to sleep in our hotels, utilize our facilities, and enjoy our attractions and restaurants. As business owners, it is important to know about the pulse of sports in Palm Beach County, and how you can prepare to accommodate these visitors for the upcoming seasons. As a Chamber, we make it a priority to bring leaders of the industry together to discuss new trends and updates to ensure our business owners are well prepared. This month we brought together our county’s heavy hitters: Ken Kennerly, Executive Director of the Honda Classic; Mike Bauer, General Manager of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium; George Linley Executive Director from Palm Beach County Sports Commission and Steve Politziner, President of ESPN West Palm Beach together to discuss those trends and updates in the sports industry. The connections don’t stop there.
This week we had the pleasure of hosting former Major League Baseball Player Rick Ankiel to discuss his story of perseverance and the importance of mental health. This luncheon was produced through our young professionals, but inspired guests young and old.
Our successes are your successes. Everything we do is to better serve our Chamber members and elevate our Palm Beach North region. We are proud of what we have accomplished this past month and are looking forward to March.
Noel Martinez
President & CEO, Palm Beach North Chamber