CORRECTION: A free forum, “We Can Do It” Women Making Strides, will be held on March 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. An incorrect date was published in Business Digest on March 14 in The Laker/Lutz News.
Women’s forum
A forum on women’s issues, “We Can Do It: Women Making Strides,” is scheduled for March 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
The free event is sponsored by PHSC and WOW (Women of Wesley Chapel) of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. The host is San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union.
Panelists are Hope Allen, president and chief executive officer of the North Tampa Bay chamber; Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and chief executive officer of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel; Melissa Harts, vice president of technology and distance education at PHSC; Paula O’ Neill, Pasco County clerk & comptroller; and Natalie Verdina, multimedia journalist for Fox 13 News.
Ghada Jadallah, of Dash of Salt & Pepper, will host a live cooking demonstration.
Registration isn’t required.
For information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.
Florida Hospital hires communications manager
Florida Hospital West Florida Division hired Ashley Jeffery as communications manager.
Jeffery will work on internal and external media projects, serve as direct contact for media, manage crisis communication, and serve in public relations role for the West Florida Division.
Jeffery previously served as community relations and marketing manager for Hillsborough Community College.
She is an award-winning communicator with a decade of experience in communications, including seven years as a broadcast journalist in Augusta, Georgia, and at Bay News 9 in Tampa.
Jeffery has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the National and Tampa Bay Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.
She is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and loves to travel. Most recently she traveled to Cuba.
Hobby Lobby coming
Hobby Lobby plans to open a store at the Cypress Creek Town Center in the summer of 2019, according to an email from Bob Miller, communications coordinator for Hobby Lobby’s advertising division.
The arts and crafts store expects to hire between 35 and 50 new employees.
Cypress Creek Town Center is located off State Road 56, next to the Interstate 75 interchange and across from Tampa Premium Outlets.
Hobby Lobby currently has more than 45 store locations in Florida.
UPS accident-free drivers
United Parcel Service, widely known as UPS, honored 25 company drivers in Florida for 25 or more years of accident-free driving, including employees from Pasco County, according to a UPS new release.
Jeffrey Coakley, of Land O’ Lakes; Ruben Alfaro, of Lutz; Louis Lasseter of New Port Richey; and Stephen Matis, of Hudson were among more than 1,500 UPS drivers worldwide to be inducted into the Circle of Honor.
Florida has more than 630 Circle of Honor drivers with a combined total of more than 15,000 years of accident-free driving. UPS employs about 5,300 drivers in Florida.
Globally, about 10,500 UPS drivers belong to the Circle of Honor organization.
According to the release, UPS employs about 127,000 small package drivers who are among the safest on the roads. They log more than three billion miles a year and deliver nearly five billion packages annually.
UPS was founded in 1907, and issued its first driver handbook in 1917. The company began recognizing safe drivers in 1923. The safe-driving honor program began in 1928.
Scott Love Insurance opens
Scott Love recently opened Scott Love Insurance at 24626 State Road 54. The independently owned insurance agency is part of Moody Davirro & Associates, and Agents Net.
Love has 14 years of experience in home, auto and flood insurance in the Tampa Bay are, and represents more than 20 homeowner companies, 11 auto companies, and three flood companies.
Love also has partners who specialize in life, health and commercial insurance.
For information, contact the agency at (813) 580-5040, or visit ScottLoveInsurance.com.
Economic development briefing
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly economic briefing lunch March 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Hunter’s Green Country Club, 18101 Longwater Run Drive in Tampa.
Guest speaker will be Jason Aughey, senior director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.
The cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.
For information, call the chamber at (813) 994-8534, or email .
East Pasco networking
The East Pasco Networking Group will meet March 27 at 7:30 a.m., at IHOP, 13100 U.S. 301 in Dade City.
The guest speaker will be Bill Cronin, president and chief executive officer of the Pasco Economic Development Council.
For information, contact Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491 or , or Vicky Jones at (813) 431-1149 or .
Active shooter training
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host an active shooter incident training session March 27 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road in Tampa.
Sean Mahabir, with the special operations division of the Tampa Police Department, will conduct the training. Officer Mahabir is an emergency planner in the Special Incidents Management Unit.
He will provide information on how to survive an active shooter incident, how to reduce the risk that the shooter will use his weapon, and how to minimize the chances of anyone getting hurt.
To register, visit NorthTampaChamber.com.
