Chamber Celebrates Thriving Business Community

Friday evening, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Economic Outreach (CEO) hosted hundreds of business leaders at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the 2012 Toast to Business, a program featuring big announcements and honors.

The event began with the announcement of the new Silver Airways facility at the Gainesville Regional Airport, a project CEO has been working on with the Gainesville Regional Airport since October.

Thomas McIntosh, 2011 Chairman of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, said: "We're thrilled that Silver Airways has chosen Gainesville as the site for its new service center, breathing new life into a state-of-the-art aviation facility. Silver carefully selected a home where the company could grow and provide centralized service to key markets. On behalf of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and Council for Economic Outreach, we stand poised and totally committed to helping this new company grow and thrive right here in our community."

Silver Airways CEO Darrell Richardson said the company’s relocation from Ft. Lauderdale will initially bring about 65 jobs to Gainesville, with another 40 jobs possible in the future. Silver Airways will also offer regional flights connecting Gainesville to other cities in Florida and the nation through its partnership with United Airlines.

Click here to read more about Silver Airways' arrival in Gainesville last week from the Gainesville Sun.

The Chamber welcomed 2012 Chairman of the Board Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of Santa Fe Healthcare, parent company of AvMed Health Plans, and honored its top 2011 volunteers.

Steve Jeppson was honored as the Chamber’s Diplomat of the Year. As chair of the Diplomat Committee for the last two years, Jeppson’s support of local business has made him a valuable asset to the Chamber.

Ann Collett, Innovation Gainesville vice president, presented the Volunteer of the Year awards to Linda McGurn of McGurn Investments and David Day of UF’s Office of Technology Licensing. McGurn and Day spearheaded the progress of Innovation Gainesville (iG) in 2011, coordinating eight task forces and more than 100 iG volunteers.

One of the main goals of iG has been to foster the growth and funding of local startups. Collett announced Community Bank and Trust as the winner of the Innovation Award, for its creation of a loan program for startup companies. The REV (Rebuilding Economic Vitality) loan does not have the same collateral requirements that traditional loans have.

As outgoing chairman, Thomas McIntosh, president and CEO of Prudential Trend Realty, recognized the University of Florida and M&S Bank President Tom Mallini for their dedication to advancing the mission of Innovation Gainesville.

Former University of Florida President and founder of IFAS, E.T. York was honored with the Legacy Award for his service in Alachua County and around the world.

The Chamber also screened the top three Community Video Challenge Contest finalists. The contest challenged community members to create a video about what makes Gainesville special. The winning video was created by Keith Perry Roofing Co. and can be viewed on InnovationGainesville.com. The video will also be featured on the Innovation Gainesville display at the airport.

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