Board chair named
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay announced the nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors has named Mellissa Longo as chair of the board for the 2024 fiscal year. The board also named Tim Traud, of Jabil, as the chair-elect, according to a news release. Other board members are:
- Immediate past chair: Roger Boothroyd, Ph.D., professor emeritus at University of South Florida
- Treasurer: Linda Miller, chief operating officer of Lake Charles Methanol LLC
- Secretary: Attorney Lisa McGlynn, partner at Fisher & Phillips LLP
Longo has served on the board for nearly five years and has served as board secretary and chair-elect.
She has been practicing law for more than 20 years and currently is an associate general counsel for Pathways, a national behavioral health company.
“It’s a tremendous honor to serve as the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay’s Board Chair. I’m extremely passionate about behavioral health and I’ve seen the amazing impact the organization has had on people who need help. I look forward to working with the rest of the board and the Crisis Center leadership team to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone,” Longo said, in the release.
Excellence in Business Awards
The North Tampa Bay Chamber will hold its 2023 Celebrating Excellence in Business Awards ceremony on Nov. 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will bestow honors in these categories:
- Excellence in Innovation
- Excellence in Collaboration
- Excellence in Integrity
- Excellence in Inclusivity
- Community Hero
Networking begins at 5 p.m., with the awards presentation beginning at 6 p.m. Cost is $45 per person for the event, which features heavy hors d’oeuvres, with a cash bar. Cocktail attire is recommended.
The event will be at Treble Makers, Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant, 6034 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 100, in Wesley Chapel. For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.
Financial assistance available
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced federal assistance opportunities for agricultural producers through such programs as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship program. Applications must be made by Nov. 17. Contact the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to find out more.
‘Most entrepreneurial state’
Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced that Florida is the most entrepreneurial state in the nation, according to a study published by researchers at The Digital Project Manager.
Florida has the highest percentage of the population that has started a business with 13,238 small businesses per 100,000 residents, which is 3,000 more small businesses per 100,000 residents than the second place state of Georgia, according to a state news release.
“Florida’s pro-business, freedom-first policies make Florida the best state in the nation to do business,” DeSantis said, in the release. “I appreciate those Floridians who have taken a risk to start their own ventures.”
The study also found that new start-up businesses in Florida also had the highest number of jobs created in the first year with 6.53 new jobs per 1,000 Floridians. Florida also leads the nation in new business formations with more than 2.6 million new businesses formed over the last four years.
Florida’s unemployment rate has remained below the national average for nearly three years and more than one million Floridians have joined the workforce. Florida also has outpaced the national rate for labor force growth and private sector job growth for over two years, the new release says.
East Pasco Networking Group
Marianne Brawer, a business services consultant for Pasco-Hernando Career Source, is the featured speaker at the Nov. 14 breakfast meeting of the East Pasco Networking Group. The group meets at 7:30 a.m., on the second Tuesday of each month, except for December, at IHOP, 13100 U.S. 301 in Dade City. For more information or to suggest speakers, contact Nils R. Lenz at 813-782-9491 or
Community Leadership Award
Clara Reynolds, president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, has received the 2023 Community Leadership Award from Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) at the University of South Florida (USF), according to a news release.
Reynolds received the honor on Oct. 4, during the 17th Annual WLP Fall Symposium at Tampa Marriott Water Street in downtown Tampa.
The Community Leadership Award honors visionary leaders and philanthropists throughout the community who are doing extraordinary things to make Tampa Bay a better place for women to live and work. With the award, WLP showcases individual excellence in leadership as demonstrated by outstanding initiative, impact of work, and inspiration to others.
“I want to express my deepest appreciation to Women in Leadership & Philanthropy for the tremendous honor of being this year’s Community Leadership Award recipient. I started my career in social services to help people who are going through life’s most challenging circumstances. It was my daily motivation 30 years ago, and it’s still my motivation today. I am thankful and humbled to receive this recognition,” Reynolds said, in the release.
WLP was formed in 2005 with the leadership of USF President Emerita and Professor Judy Genshaft, longtime USF supporter Carol Morsani, and Tampa Bay’s leading philanthropists, business professionals and entrepreneurs to promote the educational and research endeavors of women at USF.
Colleen Chappell, chairman of the board of the ChappellRoberts advertising agency, received the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oct. 4 event.
Florida ranks No. 3 for internet speed
HighSpeedInternet.com recently released its fourth annual report on The Fastest and Slowest States for Internet Speed, and this year Florida ranked No. 3. The report lists the top five states in this order: Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida, Delaware and New Hampshire, according to a news release. Florida’s internet speed statistics say that it has a median download speed of 115.58 Mbps; it has an average download speed of 185.24 Mbps; its year-over-year change in its median speed is plus-0.29 Mbps and its 2022 rank is No. 7 in the U.S. For more information, visit HighSpeedInternet.com.
