I wanted to start by wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Holidays and fabulous New Year… What an exciting time of year! I want to thank everyone who attended our holiday parties and donated toys and/or money to our Miami Beach Toy Drive that benefited local non-profits including the Miami Beach Police Department and Police Athletic League. I want to thank our Pillar Board, Chaired by Seth Feuer and Leila Chang, the Vice Chair, for helping to organize the drive. Additionally, congratulations to our new City of Miami Beach elected officials, which include Commissioner Ricky Arriola who was re-elected to serve a second term and our new Commissioners David Richardson and Steven Meiner.
Our next signature event will be our Champions of Business Awards Ceremony that will occur on Thursday, January 9 at the W Hotel and we have some amazing honorees this year. The event recognizes a forward thinking organization that is innovative and dynamic as the Champion of Business, a small business of the year award, a Woman in Business and our James McDonnell Outstanding Board Member. The Champion of Business will be Dr. Mark Rosenberg from Florida International University; the Woman in Business is Maia Mediavilla from Atlantic Broadband; the Small Business of the Year is Patricio Fernandez from Westream4u; and our James McDonnell Outstanding Board Member is Ceci Velasco from the Ocean Drive Association (you can read more about honorees on our accompanying front page story).
Additionally, our golf tournament is back at the Miami Beach Golf Club this year! The 24th Annual Miami Beach Chamber Golf Classic is happening on Friday, January 24, 2020 starting at 7:30 am at the club. The event, which sells out every year, will have 150 golfers and over 20+ hole sponsors to entertain golfers on the course with contests, promotional displays, cocktails, activities and more. Proceeds from the golf tournament have funded over $200,000 worth of programming costs for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program throughout the years. This program, available at all the public schools in the City of Miami Beach feeder pattern, helps develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills of students ages 3 to 19 and gives them the necessary tools to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. In addition, the Chamber’s Education Foundation will use additional funds raised to complete its mission to support the needs of public education by donating scholarship funds to graduating seniors from Miami Beach Senior High School at the end of the school year. I would like to acknowledge the new Co-Chairs of the Foundation and the Golf Tournament Alfredo Gonzalez and Bruce K. Gould for their Herculean efforts.
Also, in February, the Chamber will be hosting its annual heroes breakfast, presented by City National Bank and Loews Miami Beach Hotel. The event honors first responders and continues the Chamber’s tradition of recognizing the accomplishments of outstanding individuals doing brave work in the community. Members of the business community sponsor multiple heroes from the Police Department, Ocean Rescue and Operations. The honorees, selected by their respective Chief, will be given a gift package totaling around $5,000. It’s one of my favorite events of the year! It’s really amazing to see the Chamber bring together the residents, city of Miami Beach employees and the business community in an exciting way.
I wanted to thank Patricio, from WeStream4U, for live streaming the second annual Celebrity Soccer Match founded by Commissioner of North Bay Village and Chamber Board Member Julianna Strout that benefited Best Buddies. Once again, President and CEO Jerry Libbin did an excellent job interviewing celebrities and being the host of the show, which had thousands of views on the Chamber’s Facebook page. Celebrities and Buddies played in three friendly matches as the crowd cheered on the teams. Local residents had access to children’s soccer clinics and other games run by Concacaf Next Play, La Liga Academy, MIC Tournament and Inter Miami CF. Fans also enjoyed a halftime show by Miami HEAT Cheerleaders while VIPs enjoyed a lounge with bites by NaiYaRa, Oggi Ristorante, Metropol and Merkado 31, Madelyn Pacheco sweets as well as spirits by Veuve Clicquot, Belvedere Vodka, Heineken, Figenza Vodka, Moet & Chandon, and Dom Perignon. The event wrapped with a trophy presentation to Best Buddies South Florida. City officials in attendance included City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Florida Senator Jason Pizzo and Miami Beach Commissioners Mark Samuelian and Michael Góngora, who championed this event and brought it to the City of Miami Beach.
Finally, I want to thank the Amazing industrious staff of the Chamber for everything they do. If you are interested in attending or learning more about the aforementioned events, please reach out to the VP of Marketing and Communications Danny Diaz at 305-674-1300.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the Chamber,
Robin Jacobs.
