Tallahassee, FL (October 2, 2012) – Today, the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Breakfast Meeting at the Tallahassee/Leon County Civic Center. The Annual Breakfast Meeting is the first premiere business event of the 2012-2013 fiscal year. A packed room of more than 400 business owners and community leaders listened as Chamber leadership discussed the past year’s successes and accomplishments and outlined the direction for the coming year.
During the meeting, the Godfrey Smith Past Chairman’s Award was presented to Bill Smith, CEO and Chairman of Capital City Bank Group. Smith served as the Chamber’s Chairman from 1996-1997 and had a substantial impact on the business community. During his time as Chairman, Smith epitomized what a business leader and community advocate should be. His philosophy of “put the community first and business success will follow” has led to many positive achievements for the Tallahassee region and his own organization. This award holds a special meaning for Bill Smith as he is the son of the award’s namesake Godfrey Smith.
The Annual Breakfast Meeting allowed members, community leaders and business owners to hear what the Chamber has done meet the real time needs of the Tallahassee business community. Current Chairman, Bill Moor, President of Capital City Banc Investments and Capital City Trust Company detailed the work of the past year. Moor discussed the extensive work done by the Chamber to promote the extension of the half penny sales tax which would have a lasting impact on the schools in the area. Moor highlighted the record number of attendees to several of the Chamber’s networking events including the 2012 Annual Chamber Community Conference, Professional Women’s Forum and Business After Hours.
The meeting also marked the introduction of the new Chamber Chairman, Winston Howell, Managing Director of Thomas Howell Ferguson, P.A. Howell has served as Chair for two of the Chamber’s affiliate programs — the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County and Leadership Tallahassee. Howell has also served on the Chamber Board of Directors for many years. Howell enthusiastically outlined his strategic vision for the coming year, focusing on four main areas; business growth, advocacy, leadership and sustainability. The morning commenced with Howell issuing a call to action for the day and fiscal year alike… “Let’s get to work”.
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About the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce:
The focus of the Chamber is, and has always been, making Tallahassee a better place to live by helping build successful businesses that provide jobs, support families and give back to the community. In 2012, we are enhancing member benefits, revamping programs and offering direct return on investment for each of our members. We tell members, Our Business is Your Business, because meeting individual, real-time business needs is the best way to build a vibrant business community. To find out more about the region’s largest, most influential business organization, visit www.TalChamber.com.
