I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and are enjoying the holiday season! There is so much to be thankful for as we go into the new year, and I am excited and hopeful for what 2022 holds for our organization and its members.
As many of you have heard by now, our Chamber will be moving its offices early next year to the SunTrust International Center. This office move will put us in the heart of Downtown Miami’s Central Business District -- closer in proximity to current and future members and business leaders, as well as in the mix with all the exciting new companies moving into the area. After more than 5 decades in our current space, we are looking forward to this new chapter in our organization’s evolvement.
As we continue to move forward, it has been great to see all your faces at our in- person events again! Our Women Leaders in Financial Services event, held at the Coral Gables Museum and moderated by CNBC Money Court’s Katie S. Phang, was a great success, as was our Miami, The Resilient City event held at 545 Wyn. We hosted our Trustee Soirée at Empire Social Lounge in Brickell, where it was great to connect and network with our members. This past month the Chamber was also fortunate to welcome and host His Excellency Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of
Ireland to the United States, to announce the opening of Ireland's New Consulate in Miami next year!
Text BoxEarlier this month, we held our final trustee luncheon of the year, where we presented the annual Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Award to our good friend, Bill Talbert. Bill leaves a long legacy of service and has had a tremendous impact on raising Miami’s profile as a great destination to visit and do business in. We also had a chance to recognize Larry H. Adams, former FPL executive and Chamber Chairman (1986-1987) with the Henry M. Flagler Community Builder Award. Larry’s impact on our community and this Chamber was profound, including the formation of the Beacon Council. And we also heard from the Beacon Council’s Matt Haggman, Executive Vice President of Opportunity Miami. Opportunity Miami, the reformation of One Community One Goal, aims to grow our economy by supporting the opportunities that technology, financial services and a burgeoning entrepreneurial sector is presenting. We hope you all enjoyed this wonderful event and award presentation. It was an honor to recognize and celebrate these key figures in our community! As a reminder, please note that there will be no Trustee Luncheon in January. We will resume with Trustee Luncheon on February 2, 2022.As we round out the year, I want to also remind you of our program -- the GreaterHealth Trust, in partnership with AvMed – that offers affordable healthcare for smallbusinesses. If your business is still in the market for health insurance, I encourage you to go on our site and find a plan that works for your business and employees. I would like to thank you all for your continued support and express my deep appreciation for your commitment to our Chamber and its mission. I wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season and look forward to all the good things 2022has in store for us. Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Alfred Sanchez
President and CEO
December Trustee Luncheon Featuring the2021 Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Award of Excellence
The Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Award of Excellence recognizes the outstanding contributions to the development of Miami’s core business in three categories “Individual,” “Organization” and “Young Leader.”
On December 8th, we celebrated Alvah Chapman's legacy by recognizing those whose actions have helped forge a brighter future for Miami's urban core…just like Alvah did more than four decades ago.
These honorees have made significant contributions and set standards for furthering Miami's downtown economy, culture, education, beautification and preservation.
Individual | William D. Talbert III, former President & CEO of Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Organization | Camillus House
Young Leader | Frankie Ruiz, Founder of the Miami Marathon
We also did something special this year and presented The Henry M. Flagler Community Builder Award to Lawrence H. “Larry” Adams. The Henry M. Flagler community builder award is presented to an individual who, in the spirt of Henry Flagler, advanced our Miami community because of their vision and leadership. Larry has undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on our community and it is an honor for our Chamber to recognize such a key figure.
The Alvah H Chapman, Jr. Awards, along with the December Trustee Luncheon, was presented by: Award Presenting Sponsor, The Allen Morris Company; Trustee Luncheon Title Sponsor and Award Gold Sponsor, Florida Power & Light; Trustee Luncheon Event Sponsor CareerSource South Florida; Award Gold Sponsor, Miami DDA; Award Silver Sponsors, Bayside Marketplace, Chapman Partnership, The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pacific National Bank, Orange Bowl Committee, and TD Bank.
Women Leaders In Financial Services
Our Women in Financial Services event was held in-person at the Coral Gables Museum. Guests heard from Laura Kaplan, Market President, BNY Mellon & Commonwealth Institute Executive Committee as she discussed the 2021 Women's Leadership Development in Florida Impact Study. We also heard from moderator, Katie S. Phang, Co-Host of CNBC’s Money Court; NBC and MSNBC Legal Contributor; Trial Lawyer at Phang & Feldman, P.A., as well as our panel speakers, Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President and Executive Director, aīre ventures; Kiki Del Valle, Executive Vice President of Market Development, Mastercard Latin America; Lyan Fernandez, President and CEO, OURBank (I/O); and Sarah Washburn, President, Wilson, Washburn & Forster Insurance.
Thank you to presenting sponsor City National Bank; and Gold Sponsors Avila Rodriguez Hernandez Mena & Garro LLP, Kaufman Rossin and Nelson Mullins.
Real Estate Developers Forum: Miami, The Resilient City
We hosted our annual Real Estate Developers Forum: Miami, The Resilient City, where panelists discussed sustainable real estate development and affordable workforce housing. We heard from speakers Mark Anes, Business Development, Coastal Construction; Rishi Kapoor, J.D., Founder and CEO, Location Ventures; Willie Logan, PhD, CEO and President, Opa Locka Community Development Corporation; and Patrick Erin Murphy, Executive Vice President, Coastal Construction. The discussion was followed by a Cocktail Reception at 545 Wyn.
The Developers Forum was hosted by: 545wyn - Miami, Blanca Commercial Real Estate, and Sterling Bay; Presenting Sponsors: Ocean Bank and Wells Fargo; Gold Sponsors: Berger Singerman, Douglas Elliman Real Estate and Florida International University; Silver Sponsors: Coastal Construction and Peninsula Developers, and Supporting Sponsor: All-Dade Driveway Maintenance Inc.
Help fight COVID-19: Take the We Did It campaign pledge!
Recently, our Chamber joined with Miami-Dade County and Health Foundation of South Florida to launch the We Did It! campaign, a new pledge program that calls on small businesses to encourage vaccines at work as a way to keep workers and customers safe and reignite the local economy.
Will you join us? All you have to do is go to WeDidItSFL.com and take the pledge by downloading posters, stickers and social media fliers to communicate your commitment. You’ll also find information on how to encourage vaccines and talk to your team about them.
Official Visit: Ambassador Of Ireland To The United States
We were honored to welcome and host His Excellency Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the U.S., and the Honorable Ian O'Flaherty, Honorary Consul of Ireland! We look forward to the new consulate office — coming to Miami next year!
Meet & Greet Luncheon
The Chamber hosted a Meet & Greet Luncheon for US Army Col. James L. Booth at PortMiami, sponsored by Haskell. The Colonel is the new commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District.
Trustee Soiree
We had a wonderful time connecting with our members at our Trustee Soiree at Empire Social Lounge in Brickell. Thank you to everyone who attended!
View PDF of December 2021 President's Report
