As she read the long list of businesses and community leaders listed on a plaque in the main lobby of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Vonnie Mikkelsen had to smile.
“Many of these people are still around, and they’re still thriving in the community,” said Mikkelsen, the chamber’s executive director.
The plaque was erected nearly 15 years ago honoring those who helped move the chamber office from its small location on the railroad tracks on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street, to its new home at 38550 Fifth Ave., which the chamber bought for $75,000.
“Cliff McDuffie was the director back then, and this was his idea to make it happen,” she said. “He did a capital campaign that involved so many people. And the first individuals who wrote a check were this year’s community service award winners, John and Diana MacDiarmid.”
Mikkelsen wasn’t here for that dedication back in 2000, but she will be on hand Oct. 1 when more than a month of renovation work is unveiled in the chamber’s grand reopening and ribbon cutting. Just like they did in McDuffie’s time, businesses and community leaders came together to make these much-needed changes happen.
Kevin and Kyle Ryman at Ryman Construction oversaw the $50,000 worth of work, with Jodi Wilkeson’s WDA Designs Inc., consulting on how the overall changes would look.
K&K Glass stepped in and replaced the dated front door and window, while Pasco Stucco worked with a jackhammer for days to remove the old stone façade, and replace it with stucco.
“Many of these guys came in and did it at no personal gain,” Mikkelsen said. “That saved us a lot of money, and allowed us to get a lot of this done that we might not have been able to otherwise.”
Instead of a capital campaign, Mikkelsen and the chamber board was able to work out a loan with CenterState Bank, structured in a way that the organization can easily pay it back over time.
“Maybe if we do a second phase, or a building expansion in the future, we might consider doing a campaign,” she said. “Our chamber members already contribute a lot throughout the years, especially through sponsorship. We wanted to find a way to do this without having to pass around the hat.”
When people visit the newly designed office, it might be hard to tell the building is 60 years old. Originally a Bell Telephone building, the chamber office is in the heart of Zephyrhills’ main street — and its history.
The Woman’s Club building is just across the street, its stone façade gracing Fifth Avenue for decades, while the Jeffries House — home of the founder of Zephyrhills — sits next door to it.
The entire stretch of Fifth Avenue, including the businesses along it, are part of a Community Redevelopment Agency district, where future tax revenues collected there will be returned to that district through various economic development improvements.
“For us, the scope is not just membership-based, but this is a community-centric chamber of commerce,” Mikkelsen said. “Not only are we servicing our members and the public at large, but we are working very closely with other groups on formulas that will support our existing businesses, and the kind of businesses we can attract here.”
Making it Happen
Businesses providing help — both paid and in-kind — to the building renovation project at the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce included:
• CenterState Bank, construction loan
• Divine Concrete Coatings, entryway and emblem
• Imperial Painting & Wallpapering Contractors, display cabinet refinishing
• K&K Glass, front glass and doors
• Master Painting and Home Repairs, exterior paint
• Northstar Survey & Mapping, surveys
• Pasco Stucco, stucco siding and brick
• Ryman Construction, project management
• Sherwin-Williams, paint
• Skywatch Signs, sign design and build
• WDA Designs, renderings and design consultation
Published October 1, 2014
See this story in print: Click Here
