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North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce

North Tampa Bay Chamber awards bestowed

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The North Tampa Bay Chamber presented its 2020 Celebrating Excellence Awards, honoring local companies and individuals that have benefited the community, and have demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year.

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber reimagined its annual awards ceremony — bestowing the honors on companies exemplifying the chamber’s core values of integrity, inclusivity, collaboration and innovation, according to a chamber news release.

The chamber also recognized individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve the community, presenting them with Community Hero awards. And, it recognized an individual who embodies all of the chamber’s core values, through the organization’s chairman’s award.

The awards ceremony was held virtually, on Nov. 12. A number of organizations hosted watch parties in different locations, while some chamber members watched from the comfort of their own homes.

Recipients of this year’s honors are:

Excellence in Integrity Award: The Laker/Lutz News. This award honors an organization that demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Excellence in Collaboration Award: Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center. This award honors an organization that has sought to build bridges and partner with individuals and groups that has strengthened the community and region during the past year.

Excellence in Inclusivity Award: Pasco-Hernando State College — Porter Campus. This award honors an organization that has demonstrated, through its organizational culture or in service to the community, leadership in diversity and inclusion practice during the past year.

Excellence in Innovation Award: Pinot’s Palette. This award honors an organization that demonstrated unique ingenuity during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Community Heroes: Ghada and Lufti Judallah; Troy Stevenson; and, Dr. Paula O’Neil. Through their efforts, these individuals exemplified their concern and a compassionate response to the pandemic.

Chairman’s Award: Roberto Saez. This award honors the myriad ways that Roberto Saez has contributed to creating a better community. He has given generously to charitable causes, has supported scholarships and has shared his talents, without charge, on chamber projects.

Published November 18, 2020

So proud to receive the Excellence in Integrity award

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In 2021, The Laker/Lutz News will be 40 years old, and I have had the opportunity to be its owner for the past 20 years. Over the years, we have received many awards from newspaper organizations for our editorial excellence and ad design, as well as recognition from local chambers of commerce, civic groups and economic development agencies.

My staff and I are always honored to accept these awards, and we proudly display them at our Land O’ Lakes office. But, no award has been as emotionally satisfying as the one we received last week from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

At last week’s Celebrating Excellence in Business event for the North Tampa Bay Chamber: (front row, from left) Diane Kortus, Mary Eberhard, B.C. Manion, Terri Williamson; (back row, from left) Kelli Carmack, Katie Fernandez. (Staff members not pictured are: Stefanie Burlingame, Matthew Mistretta, Steve Mistretta, Kennedy Murdock, Mary Rathman and Kevin Weiss.) (Courtesy of Paula O’ Neil)

We learned in early October that we were nominated for the Chamber’s 2020 Excellence in Integrity award. This was exciting, of course, but when we were notified a few weeks later that we were one of four finalists, we were extremely gratified.

The announcement that we had won came during the Chamber’s 2020 Celebrating Excellence in Business event. This virtual event was well done, with hosts Hope Kennedy and Kevin O’Farrell keeping the commentary energetic and fresh.

Most people participated by watching on the Chamber’s website or via its Facebook page, while several area businesses had small “watch parties,” with safe social distancing. We were invited to a small gathering at The Hilton Garden Inn in Lutz, and six of us from The Laker/Lutz News were able to go. It was fun to be out together, and to watch the show with other chamber members.

We were fortunate that the Integrity category was the first award to be announced — allowing us to relax and enjoy the rest of the show, and cheer on other finalists and winners. Every business nominated for these awards is to be congratulated and honored for the outstanding work they do, and their outreach in the community (see related story).

Receiving the Excellence in Integrity Award is especially meaningful in a year of so many challenges. What began as a strong first quarter, as we welcomed Pasco County’s many new businesses and residents, dramatically changed in March with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many businesses, our revenue plunged after most area businesses and institutions closed. We responded by reducing expenses significantly, but were careful not to make cuts that would negatively impact the quality of our news coverage, or reduce the number of papers we print and deliver every week.

We believe people want and need local news more than ever during a worldwide health and economic crisis. And, because we are the only weekly newspaper in central Pasco and north Hillsborough, we also believe that local businesses still in operation and those reopening need our local audience to market their products and services.

We are successfully navigating through this difficult year because of our commitment to our community, optimism that our local economy will rebound, and the hard work and integrity of my staff.

With the help of my employees, we have moved our company forward and have made — and continue to make — changes that we believe are best for our readers, advertisers and community.

Making good decisions begins with integrity. It means living your life personally, and professionally, with honesty, commitment, selflessness and empathy. Those core values are exemplified by every employee at our newspaper.

I want to thank the North Tampa Bay Chamber for honoring our newspaper, and I want to close by sharing with you a note I received from our editor, B.C. Manion. She captures perfectly why this Integrity Award means so much to our team, and why we are so thankful to receive it.

B.C. wrote: “I am so proud of our newspaper, Diane. I can’t imagine receiving an award that means more than receiving an award for integrity. It came at a good time, too. It’s been a tough year, with lots of demands. But, we are working our way through it and we will come out the other side, an even stronger and better company than we are right now. So, congratulations for leading a newspaper that means so much to the community.”

Published November 18, 2020

Hillsborough schools face shortfall

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Hillsborough County Schools is making massive cuts, as the district battles to stop the financial bleeding, Superintendent Addison Davis told members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, during a Zoom business meeting.

The superintendent detailed the rollercoaster ride the district has been on — adjusting to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and dealing with significant financial problems.

Davis joined the district on March 2, just weeks before the district shifted to remote learning for the remainder of the school year because of a shutdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addison Davis

Then, when the 2020-2021 school year began, there was the controversy over whether schools should be required to offer brick-and-mortar for students, or online options only.

To retain state funding, the district was required to offer a brick-and-mortar option at every campus. It also offered parents the ability to choose an online option.

Davis said about 122,000 students are in brick-and-mortar classrooms and about 95,000 students are learning remotely. Some remote learners are assigned to specific classes, while others are enrolled in a more flexible virtual learning program.

The pandemic also has required the district to spend money on personal protective equipment, and has increased sanitation and cleaning costs for district schools and facilities.

“We have spent close to $14 (million) to $15 million initially to start the school year out, related to buying the necessary PPE, whether it’s gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, other cleaning equipment and technology, to ensure every one of our common areas, every one of our classrooms were protected for every one of our learners.

“And, that’s a reoccurring costs that we don’t get additional funding for, and it’s costing us close to $4 million to $5 million a month to continue that PPE, to make certain that we have sanitation stations, not only through our common areas, but also within every one of our classrooms,” Davis said.

The superintendent also pointed out the need to cut staffing because of district deficits.

“We’re $72 million in the hole,” Davis said.

Enrollment has dropped by 3,079 students, which could result in a requirement to give money back to the State Department of Education, unless state officials hold the district harmless, Davis said.

The school system already has cut hundreds of positions and is identifying others.

It has a long ways to go to bring staffing into alignment with the district’s allocation model, he said.

“We’ve identified over 3,000 positions that were overstaffed at our schools,” Davis said.

The district has already cut hundreds of employees, including some brand-new teachers that were hired on temporary contracts, after Aug. 14.

“It breaks my heart, and I know it’s disruptive,” he said.

The actions are necessary to protect the payroll for the district’s 24,000 employees — which amounts to $66 million, every two weeks.

“We’re in a bad spot, but we’re going to stand strong, and we’re going to lead through it,” he said.

Staffing is just one issue
Besides cutting personnel, the district is scrutinizing its vendors and its contracts.

The district is “going to selectively abandon contracts and exit them, if they’re not mission critical,” Davis said.

It plans to put a freeze on consultants.

The district has been “consultant-rich, program-rich” but ”results-poor,” the superintendent said.

“We’re ranked 40th out of 67 in the state of Florida. We have the title for having the most D and F schools in Florida, as well.

“So, we have a lot of work — not only from a fiscal perspective, but we have a lot of work with what we’re going to do to improve the overall health on the instructional side of the work.

“So now, more than ever, we’ve got to find ways to reset our priorities,” Davis said.

The school chief said the pandemic has hampered his efforts to “connect with constituents” through town hall sessions.

The town halls are needed, he said, “to talk and share about the current status we are in, and why we are having to make some hard decisions as an organization.”

While unable to connect personally with community groups, Davis is doing Zoom sessions, such as the one with the North Tampa Bay Chamber on Oct. 22.

He told those listening that the district’s top three priorities are student achievement, fiscal responsibility and community engagement.

He said the district is planning a luncheon in November in an attempt to recruit students to boost enrollment.

Davis also fielded questions during the Zoom session.

In response to a question about masks, Davis said he expects them to be required until at least January.

A question also came up about when parents and volunteers will be allowed on campus.

Davis said the district has restricted access to campus to reduce potential spread of COVID-19.

The district leader said he looks forward to the day when those restrictions can be eased.

“We’ve got to get back to a point where we’re having some normalcy,” he said, where “we can have volunteers on our campuses — those who want to reach out and do mentorships.

“That’s going to really help us.”

Another question came up regarding how the district’s experience with COVID-19 cases compared to what it had expected.

“We thought we would be a tremendous super spreader when we opened and have to shut down wings, classrooms and schools. And, it wasn’t the case.

“What we did see — and are seeing —  is that individuals are going to parties, going to events, coming to school when they don’t feel well, when they have symptoms — that’s creating the positive cases in our schools,” Davis said.

“In one of our high schools, we had to quarantine 260 kids last week because they went to a party. Four of them came back to school, they’re in classes —  they moved — and we quarantined 260 kids.

“This is where we have to reclaim the dinner table and talk about core values, and talk about expectations,” said Davis, whose daughter had to be quarantined from school, and he had to be quarantined, too.

Position cuts in Hillsborough County Schools
Hillsborough County Schools has announced these cuts:

  • 424 vacant positions that will not be filled for the 2020-2021 academic year
  • 246 positions (Teachers hired prior to Aug. 14, will not lose their jobs, but may be reassigned to a different role at their school or to another school)
  • Fewer than 60 teachers hired on temporary contracts after Aug. 14
  • 150 district level staff

The district also is scrutinizing its contracts and will selectively abandon those that are not deemed to support the district’s critical missions.

Source: Hillsborough County Schools

Published November 04, 2020

Efforts underway to encourage tourism

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It’s no secret that Florida’s tourism economy has been decimated from impacts of COVID-19, and Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida, recently detailed tourism losses the state has suffered during a Zoom breakfast meeting with the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

At the same session, Young outlined efforts that have started to spur a tourism rebound.

“Prior to the pandemic, Florida tourism had just capped off our 10th consecutive year of record visitation. We welcomed over 130 million visitors to our state in 2019,” Young said, during the Oct. 6 meeting.

“And, these folks contributed $91 billion to our economy and supported 1.5 million jobs,” Young added.

In fact, she reported that Florida’s State Economist Amy Baker warned last year that tourism-related revenue losses posed the greatest potential risk to Florida’ economic outlook.

“A little over a year later, that prediction has come true. In the long-range financial outlook released last month to the Legislature, the economists reported that the pandemic’s fiscal impact on tourism accounts for half of Florida’s $2.7 billion budget shortfall,” Young said.

Hotels have been hit hard, Young said, in response to a question from a Zoom listener.

“The latest number I saw was that hotels in Florida had lost over $5 billion, and that was several weeks ago, so I’ve got to think that number is significantly higher,” she said.

But, Young said Visit Florida is ready to meet the challenge.

Speeding up recovery, if only just by a few months, will restore millions of dollars in tax revenues and create thousands of jobs for Floridians, she said.

“Since the pandemic began, Visit Florida and my great research and marketing professionals have been carefully monitoring public health data, travel-related metrics and trends, to guide our decision-making process,” she explained.

When the virus began making news in China, Visit Florida decided to stop advertising in that market.

“When travel essentially ceased to exist in March, Visit Florida pulled out all of our advertising, in preparation for the recovery,” Young said.

Doing that saved $13 million that is now being invested in a recovery campaign, she said.

“The timing of our recovery plan, as in everything at Visit Florida, is driven by data.

“We’ve been monitoring traveler sentiment, destination readiness and all sorts of trends out there — to determine in a data-driven way, when we should start advertising again.

“We want to make sure that people are ready to book travel, or receptive to seeing messages about travel,” she said.

“In these early stages of recovery, we know that people are more likely and more comfortable to travel closer to home. So, in-state travel is absolutely critical to our rebound.

“Floridians hold the key to our recovery, particularly in these early stages.

“In our first round of ads, we’re looking to remind Floridians of why they should be so proud to live here, and live in a state where the world dreams of vacationing.

“We want to take that pride and we want to channel that into getting Floridians to travel within our state, and harness that into supporting our Florida businesses, so many of which are hurting badly right now,” Young said.

“We’re trying to introduce them to maybe a part of Florida that they’ve never seen.

“Maybe they thought they would have to fly to another state or another country to have experiences that they can have right here at home,” she added.

The budget for the in-state marketing campaign is $3.4 million.

Visit Florida also understands how important it is to attract out-of-state visitors, too, Young said.

It launched a new effort last week that focuses on key drive markets to Florida, around the United States, particularly in the Eastern United States.

The tourism organization’s research reveals that people are willing to travel about 700 miles for a Florida vacation, Young said. So domestic marketing focuses on areas such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Birmingham, Nashville and Philadelphia.

The budget for that campaign is around $10 million, Young said.

“While we have heard anecdotally that other states are at a complete standstill about marketing to out-of-state visitors, we at Visit Florida plan to continue to be very aggressive in our approach, to save as much of the winter season and early 2021 as possible,” Young said.

“We want Florida to be the first destination that comes to mind when travelers sit down and plan a vacation, and heavy marketing is the best way to accomplish that goal. So, that is what we are doing,” Young said.

During the pandemic, the North Tampa Bay Chamber has shifted presentations that typically were given at in-person breakfast and luncheon meetings to Zoom sessions instead, allowing members to hear from speakers on a broad range of topics — without risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Published October 14, 2020

CEO discusses resilience, giving back

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When Brian Butler moved to Lutz roughly 14 years ago, he figured he would have plenty of time to assume a meaningful role at a Tampa Bay company, play golf and go fishing.

It didn’t quite work out that way.

The opportunities the decorated retired U.S. Army officer had envisioned didn’t materialize.

“I thought I had a lot to offer this community. And, I was humbled in a way that I just couldn’t believe,” Butler said.

So, when he couldn’t find the right fit, he created his own company.

Brian Butler started his business as the sole employee, working out of his Lutz home. Now, he has 100 members on his team. He recently was the featured speaker on a Zoom virtual meeting hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber. (Courtesy of Vistra Communications, LLC)

Vistra Communications, LLC started small, with Butler as its sole employee, working out of his Lutz home. Over time, the president and CEO has led a company that has grown to include 100 team members.

The company provides marketing, communications and consulting services to corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and federal, state and local governments.

Butler recently shared some of his expertise and experiences through a virtual Zoom meeting with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

“You know, starting and running a small business is a challenge. You all know that,” Butler said.

It’s particularly challenging now, he said.

“This is a tough environment. This hasn’t been seen in our country in a long, long time,” Butler said. “Not just the COVID, but you look at the civil unrest. You look at the political  unrest. You add all of those things in, it just adds to a very, very tough business environment.”

Companies were caught off-guard by the economic meltdown caused by COVID-19.

“It came fast. I think it caught us by surprise that we’d be put in a situation that three months later, we’d still be in a position where a lot of businesses haven’t reopened yet.

“But, I think our team will tell you as soon as we made the decision that we were going to work from home, we became very aggressive with growing our presence,” he said. They did that online and through telephone calls — speaking with current clients and with potential clients, who had told them ‘no’ before.

“We just started calling them, emailing them that we’re here, we haven’t closed down. We have services that may be helpful for them at this time,” he said.

“We lost some clients in this period. We knew we would. But, we won some clients, too,” he said. “I’m convinced it’s just because we’ve been present. We’ve been vocal.”

As COVID-19 flattened the economy, some companies shut down completely, while others experienced precipitous drops in business.

It has been a time when companies have been forced to take a close look at their operations and to try to find ways to pivot.

This is a good time to not only work in your business, but to work on it, Butler said.

“I’m a person who believes everything starts out with a plan. We can’t just wake up and haphazardly do it, and expect the success that we want to achieve,” he said.

“Pause. Really focus on and develop your plan. Find some mentors that will be good sounding boards, as you work toward that plan,” he said.

Follow the golden rule
There are some fundamentals, too.

“We have to treat people the way we want to be treated. By treating people the way you want to be treated, I think you’ll often find that business will come back. People will tell others about your business. And, they’ll share your successes and things you’re trying to accomplish, and business will come through the door in that manner.

“You have to develop great relationships, and those relationships won’t often come if you’re sitting in your office,” he said.

“You have to find the time to get out of your office and go build great relationships with people that become a great part of your business success because they often refer business to you.

Seek out ways to learn from others, he added.

“If you’re a business owner, and you’re not hanging out and having intimate conversations with other business leaders, other business owners, you’re probably missing something.

“And, you need to have those conversations with those who don’t necessarily look like you, because they may bring some things to the table that you’re not necessarily thinking about, to help you grow your business,” he said.

Find ways to give back
Ever since Vistra started, it was committed to giving back to the community, Butler said.

“I will tell you that from Day 1, every nickel, every dime, every hour that we spent giving back — it’s almost like tithing, it just comes back to us, over and over again.”

One of his company’s give-back initiatives is called CEOs in Schools.

It stemmed from an experience Butler had six year ago, when he was asked to mentor the principal at Mort Elementary School.

He said that experience opened his eyes to the many ways small businesses could give back to schools and become part of the education fabric of the community.

He figured CEOs had a lot to offer schools, so he set off to involve more.

Last year, a CEO spent the day at each of Hillsborough County’s 170 elementary schools.

There are plans to do that again this October.

“They need you in there,” he told the business leaders at the chamber’s Zoom meeting.

“You bring a perspective that teachers — who grew up to be principals — often don’t have,” Butler said. “You think about resources in a different way. You think about logistics in a different way. You think about management and hiring and firing, in a different way.”

At this particular time, there are so many people in need.

More than 40 million people are unemployed and cars line up in long lines for food — and that’s just the people who have cars, Butler said.

With so much need, there are many, many ways to give back, he noted. He encouraged those listening to do what they can.

“I think we have to make a difference in the lives of others,” Butler said.

Published June 17, 2020

Leader shares his hospital’s COVID-19 experiences

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AdventHealth Wesley Chapel Erik Wangsness CEO assumed the leadership role of the hospital on Sept. 1 — during the midst of a hospital expansion and months before COVID-19 became a global pandemic.

“Our world changed about three months ago,” the hospital executive told members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber, during the organization’s first Zoom breakfast meeting on June 2.

“We had heard since the beginning of the year about this virus coming out of Wuhan (China), and its spread.

Erik Wangsness, CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, recently talked via Zoom to members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber, about the experiences at his hospital amid COVID-19. (Courtesy of AdventHealth)

“And then, in March, it really started to get real for us — and for you,” Wangsness said.

In March, like other businesses, the hospital had “progressively more aggressive reactions to COVID,” he said.

“We started by screening questions at the front. Then, it was screening questions and limiting visitation, masking and then it was no visitors.

“It got very serious, very quickly,” he said.

“We did a lot of modeling around what to expect with COVID, starting back in February and March.

“We were expecting infection rates in Hillsborough and Pasco County — about 4(%) to 7% — of the community, we thought were going to be infected by COVID,” he said.

That modeling showed a need for rooms, ventilators and personal protective equipment that was much greater than the hospital had, he said.

“We scrambled. We set up triage tents and surge tents on our campuses. We brought in more equipment; huge orders for personal protective equipment.

“As time went on, the models dropped and dropped and dropped — and we found that less than 1% — thankfully, of the citizens of Pasco County and Hillsborough County — ended up being infected, that we know of.

“Of course, we haven’t had, as you know, the ability to perform widespread either testing or antibody testing to see what was the true infection level of the community,” he said.

Their testing, of both people who were symptomatic and some who were asymptomatic, showed less than a 1% infection rate, he said.

The hospital leader praised his staff’s response to the pandemic, and also the community’s support.

“There were many, many powerful moments during the last three months,” he said. ““Some were extremely sad, patients we lost, who were infected by the virus.”

At the same time, “there were also incredible highs,” he said, sharing a video of the hospital’s first COVID patient who came off a ventilator at the hospital, and was discharged.

“This was very real, and very difficult, heavy lift, for not only (AdventHealth) Wesley Chapel, certainly, but all hospitals, all health care across Tampa Bay,” he said.

“One of the things that has been for me, that has been incredibly comforting and heartwarming, was that we were absolutely embraced by our community.

“People delivered food. Businesses delivered food. Handmade masks. Letters. Posters from kids, from the community supporting us — and telling us, and our staff, that they were thankful for us.

“It made a huge difference. It was just incredibly powerful to the staff here at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel to know that the community, the business community, the faith community were behind us.

“We had several parades.

“Groups wanted to come and parade through the campus to show their support. Honk horns, fly balloons and banners, show support for the people,” he said.

He also praised the response of the region’s medical facilities.

“Another very powerful kind of component of this is that the hospital systems in Tampa Bay — Tampa General, BayCare, HCA, AdventHealth — all came together, to work together, to treat COVID patients, to test COVID patients, to support each other. It’s been a wonderful thing,” he said.

COVID concerns keep people away from hospitals
While AdventHealth Wesley Chapel was gearing up for the COVID-19 challenge, fewer people were coming to the hospital with other conditions.

“Our surveys and focus groups show a very high level of concern remains in our communities about the danger of COVID at hospitals.

“We saw, over the last three months, a significant decrease in our census — in people coming to the hospital to receive care,” he said. He estimates that the hospital’s census declined by about 50%.

“So, one of the ironies was that we were going full speed trying to prepare for this pandemic that we thought was going to overwhelm us, but at the same time the business that we had in the hospital was artificially low.

“We know that ambulance calls for very significant conditions — stroke and heart attack fell significantly across Florida and across the United States compared to the same time prior year.

“Think about that, stroke and heart attack victims would rather stay home than call an ambulance to seek care because of the fear of being infected at the hospital,” he said.

As a result, care has been delayed and when people arrive at the hospital they are sicker because of that delay, he said.

The hospital’s messaging has been focused on explaining what it is doing to keep patients and others safe, Wangsness said.

Staff members at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel hold cards of appreciation dropped off by The Learning Experience, a local day care. Besides the cards made by the kids, the day care delivered pizzas.

“So, what will you see, at our facility and virtually every hospital you go to?

“You’ll see universal masking. All of our staff. All of the physicians in the hospital, will be wearing masks. Visitors, patients who come, are masked as well.

“Everyone, every day, temperature is checked upon arrival. That’s our staff, our physicians, any contractors and vendors, any patients and visitors. We’re checking and screening everyone upon arrival.

“There’s limited visitation. For a couple of months there were no visitors in the hospital. Now, each patient can have one visitor. Someone coming in for surgery can have one visitor. But again, all visitors are masked and screened upon entry,” he said.

The hospital’s social distancing strategies include appliques on the ground to remind people to stay 6 feet apart, and the hospital also has removed some furniture from its lobbies, waiting areas and cafeteria, to help keep people farther apart.

Additionally, the hospital has stepped up its sanitizing, especially in public areas, in addition to private areas within the hospital.

Wangsness asked members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber to help spread the word.

“My request of you, of the business community, is let people know that hospitals are working diligently — not just ours, but all hospitals — and physician offices, and imaging clinics, to make sure that we’re keeping them (patients) safe.

“They really shouldn’t delay their care because of the COVID, really, at this point, they’re doing themselves a disservice,” the hospital executive said.

Published June 10, 2020

Experts offer ‘next steps’ advice for small businesses

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Small businesses around the country recently tuned into a webinar presented by Spectrum Reach to help entrepreneurs respond to challenges posed by COVID-19.

Moderator Annika Pergament, of NY 1, asked panelists about current economic conditions and asked them to provide practical suggestions for business owners to help them get to the other side.

The webinar, called “Looking beyond: What’s next to help local businesses succeed,” featured David Asman, a host on the Fox Business Network; Mark Langford, director of the North Texas SBDC (Small Business Development Center); and Bridget Weston, acting director of SCORE.

Local chambers of commerce, including the North Tampa Bay Chamber and The Greater Pasco Chamber, put out the word about the webinar, to give local businesses a chance to benefit from the panelists’ knowledge.

A quick poll taken at the front end of the session revealed that most businesses have reopened or are reopening gradually.

Besides providing advice, the panelists offered words of support to business owners.

Bridget Weston, acting CEO of SCORE, put it like this: “What I want all small businesses to know — whether you are completely open, opening slowly, or still struggling — is that there are resources out there to help you make the best decision for your business. You do not have to go through this alone.”

SCORE, which is a nationwide network of volunteer business mentors, is there “to help you figure out what the next right step is for you and your business. You, as entrepreneurs, are resilient. We know you can get through this, and we are here to help,” she said.

Asman said it’s no secret that “it’s an awful, awful moment.”

The unemployment rate, at 30%, is worse than at the worst time in the Great Depression, when unemployment hit 25%, he said.

But, he added: “I think there is, believe it or not, more good news to tell you than bad news. The bad news has already been cooked in.”

Asman said people “want to work and they want to be able to take care of their family, and they want to buy things, as well.”

But, Pergament noted, “as more states begin to open, that is the big question that lingers —how they will do, as economies and stores and businesses start to open their doors, whether there will be a resurgence.”

Mark Langford, director of the North Texas SBDC (Small Business Development Center), said Texas has begun its reopening process.

“From an observational standpoint, I would say the first week, the demand was not as strong as people thought,” Langford said. “People want to get out there, but they also have to balance it with, ‘Is it safe to be out there?’

“Last week, again, from an observational standpoint, a lot more traffic in the businesses than there was the week before,” he said.

People are interested in seeing if the rates spike with the COVID virus in the next couple of weeks, what those numbers look like, he added.

“Their nature is to want to get things back to the way they were. The only thing holding them back, I think, are the safety concerns,” Langford said.

Pergament said business owners are asking for advice on how to pivot their business in this changing environment.

Weston said SCORE said companies need to stay connected with their clients.

She said it’s a good time to  promote “the why behind your company.

“Connect your customers to your mission. Build that brand loyalty now,” she added.

It’s also a good time for companies to think of current needs in the market and consider whether they can adapt to meet any of those needs, she said.

Companies also can communicate with clients about steps they are taking to be safe for their customers.

Be prepared to pivot
Companies need to be thinking about how they can respond to opportunities that lie within the current crisis, Langford said.

“This is your opportunity as a small business owner to react quickly to the marketplace and take advantage of that,” Langford said.

Small businesses, he said, are “being forced to think of ways to do business that they never have before and never even quite frankly considered.

Asman said the pandemic has revealed breakdowns in the supply chain and has created new opportunities for smaller operations to compete with the giants.

For instance, small businesses that couldn’t compete with Tyson and other big corporations are getting a chance to do so now, he said.

He also observed that as more employees work from home, it could cause disruption for corporate real estate, in Manhattan, for example.

“Big office buildings may have some serious problems,” Asman said.

When it comes to making big expenditures, he advises businesses to take a wait-and-see approach.

“Focus on cutting back to the bare minimum of what you need to stay in business, and then, if you have any resources left over, save them for a moment when you sense there is an opportunity opening up,” Asman said.

Langford said businesses need to know their revenues, their expenses, their margins, and their costs for goods and labor.

He advised businesses: “Have a short-term plan; a mid-term plan; a long-term plan, so that you’re prepared.

“It’s a whole lot easier to make decisions when you have the facts in front of you that show you, ‘Well, if I adjust this, if I change my labor here, if we streamline our menu, I can make it another 30 days; another 60 days.

“Now, is the time to really drill down on those numbers,” Langford said.

Moving forward
Here are some tips that may help small business owners, in response to COVID-19:

  • Make a plan based on what you are trying to accomplish with your mission, your values and your business objectives — considering the current environment — then talk to an expert about that plan
  • Put your plan to paper and adapt, as new information becomes available
  • Check with SCORE and SBDC (both free resources) to learn more about loans, grants, training, free seminars and so forth, to help you consider your options
  • Seek help from mentors to prioritize your budget
  • Keep lines of communication open with existing clients; if you haven’t been in touch lately, get in touch
  • Make sure you have a social media presence, if you don’t have one; if you have one, see if it’s time to refresh it.

Sources: SCORE and North Texas SBDC

Published June 03, 2020

Chambers adapt to new circumstances

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Small businesses are struggling to reopen amid the uncertainties wrought by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Chambers of commerce are right there with them on the front line.

They are dealing with staff layoffs in some cases. They’ve been working from home. They have fewer resources.

And, even as chambers begin reopening their offices, the priority is the economic recovery of member businesses.

Ribbon cuttings, for a while, are on hold.

“We had to pivot,” said Hope Kennedy, president of The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

From Day One of the shutdown, there was an urgency to how chambers should respond. They had to rethink what it means to network and provide services that would help businesses stay solvent and resilient.

To be sure, there were phone calls. Lots of them.

But, the new virtual world meant rethinking social media and technology. Zoom meetings and virtual town halls blossomed.

Websites became clearinghouses for grants and forgivable loans, and the latest information businesses needed to survive, and now to reopen, safely.

“We’ve done a lot of individual communicating with our members,” Kennedy said.

Initially, the focus was on helping business owners apply for financial aid, either locally or from the federal Payroll Protection Program.

Chambers partnered with Pasco County and the Pasco Economic Development Council to coordinate efforts to deliver financial aid to distressed businesses and residents.

Kennedy heard from business owners who told her, “if we had not had all this information on our website, they wouldn’t have gotten them.”

As businesses reopen, she added, “We’ve turned into a repository for businesses that need to rehire.”

Chambers are taking one step at a time, as lights turn back on at businesses.

“Cautiously optimistic is what we are,” said Melanie Monson, executive director of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

She believes people are following the protocols to make sure the situation does not get worse.

As the shutdown approached, Monson said her staff checked in with business owners to prepare them.

About 100 business owners needed to create plans to get through the crisis and to guide them once reopened.

“Most are prepared and ready to jump back in,” Monson said. “Are there going to be some who don’t open doors? Absolutely.”

But, she added, “I feel like there is enough help that businesses will recover. It will take a while. We’re optimistic that we’ll make it through the process. It’s not a light switch. It’s going to take a little bit of a process. Businesses in it for the long haul will make it.”

Like the businesses they serve, chambers also are reopening —  slowly and with safety protocols.

The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce started with one person each day at the office, behind a locked door. Visitors needed to wear masks, as did employees. Social distancing was required. Within the next weeks, the chamber anticipates “ramping up a little,” said John Moors, chamber executive director.

During the shutdown, work continued from home to keep business owners up to date on available aid and resources.

Renewal rates on memberships were discounted, and e-blasts and advertising were provided free, Moors said.

“It’s important that we bring connectivity and continue to offer support for our businesses,” he said. “We are resilient, very creative. We’ll figure this thing out.”

Pasco County and cities, such as Dade City, did their part.

Dade City officials, for instance, sent out fliers to 6,000 households about products and services available from area businesses.

The city also relaxed requirements for outdoor seating to allow restaurants to serve more customers.

Dade City, and its chamber, thrive on annual events including a seminar at Saint Leo University and a golf tournament.

The fate of the chamber’s biggest event of the year – the Kumquat Festival – is unclear, even though it typically is held in February.

“We’re not sure it’s going on the same as it has been,” Moors said.

The festival is the chamber’s most reliable fundraising event, bringing thousands into downtown Dade City.

North Tampa Bay chamber scheduled a movie night for May 16, featuring “Jumanji – Next Level” at The Groves at Wesley Chapel. Sponsorships made the showing  possible.

Every chamber is facing budget losses. And, even as chambers helped its members file for financial aid, nothing similar was available for chambers.

If more aid is approved by Congress, Kennedy hopes to see the chambers included this time.

“We’ve been advocates for that from Day One,” she said. She has spoken with Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis. “There’s been a little bit of traction the last couple of days,” she said.

Kelly Marsh, member care specialist for The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce, agrees that chambers need help, too.

“Fingers crossed on that,” she said.

Last week, the chamber hosted a Zoom meeting for a Land O’ Lakes Brochure Exchange. Owners could virtually promote their services and find out what other owners are doing.

“It hasn’t been as easy to reach people,” said Marsh. Social media and technology are taking on larger roles in networking, she said.

There is a concern especially for the ‘mom and pop’ shops and restaurants, and the toll the long shutdown took on their incomes.

It appears that most people are just “trying to get through it (the pandemic),” she said.

Published May 20, 2020

Staying positive during a pandemic

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It’s no secret that impacts from the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic pose significant challenges.

“What happened to normal? Normal is just gone, right? It’s just gone,” said Paula O’Neil, former clerk and comptroller for Pasco County, and now a private business consultant.

Paula O’Neil offered words of support and encouragement in a Zoom virtual meeting of WOW TOO, a women’s networking group that is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. (File)

O’Neil’s remarks came during a Zoom meeting of WOW TOO, a women’s networking group that is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

She reminded participants about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs — identified as physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Before COVID-19, the women typically were acting at the self-actualization level of the hierarchy, O’Neil said.

“We’re good problem-solvers, we care about people. We care about our community. We look at the facts and we can make good decisions.

“Now, all of a sudden — the world has turned around,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.

“With COVID-19, there’s a lot of fear of getting the disease. There’s a lot of fear with our economy.

“The biggest problem we have, I think, is uncertainty. Not knowing what’s next.

“The uncertainty — we’ve got to embrace it and see how we can help other people. Because really, you heal yourself by helping other people.

“So, what do we do now? How can we use this situation to help others?”

She reminded the virtual gathering:  “Not everybody has the problem-solving skills that you have.”

No doubt, it’s a challenging time.

“This has been a big shock, in income, obviously,” O’Neil said.

“How do we get people to trust us, to let them come to our business, and let them continue to get back to a normal life?” she asked.

O’Neil then cited the work of Elisabeth Kubler Ross, who defined the five stages of grief. Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

“We are grieving our normal lives. We’re grieving our normal economy. We’re grieving the stock market — when it was high. We’re grieving teachers that can teach our kids, so we don’t have to.

“We’re grieving our jobs. We’re grieving our co-workers. And, we’re grieving those people who are sick and have gone,” O’Neil said.

Initially, O’Neil said, people, including herself, thought: “That’s not going to happen here.”

There’s been anger, too.

“Are we angry that the governor didn’t close the beaches during Spring Break? Are we angry that the president didn’t do things quicker. Are we angry because we just lost our jobs? What are we angry about?” O’Neil asked.

People are asking: “What can we do to try to get back to some normalcy?”

There have been losses, and that’s taking a toll.

“There’s a lot of depression,” O’Neil said. She talked about a client who told O’Neil that suddenly she “would just burst into tears because all of a sudden, no one is coming in her store.

“These are serious things,” the business consultant said.

Eventually, there’s acceptance.

“I think it’s going to be easier for us, once the economy opens back up, our country opens back up,” O’Neil said.

In the meantime, she reminded the women: “There are a lot of blessings in this challenge and nobody can deny that.

“We have time.

“We have time to ride our bikes.

“We have time to play with our kids.

“We’re cooking more.

“We’re working differently and we’re socializing differently.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

“It’s hard to do that, when you have so many things on your schedule. But, now that your schedule is blank, except for Zoom meetings, you can easily prioritize.

“What things were you doing that were not that important?” she asked.

“Now that you are spending more time with your family — maybe you limit some of those (less important) things, so you can continue to do that (in the future),” O’Neil said.

Published April 29, 2020

Impacts of pandemic being felt across Pasco

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As the death toll rises and the economic meltdown continues — communities and businesses across the country grapple with impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Pasco County’s priorities have been to protect the health and well-being of its residents and to get the economy back on track, as quickly as possible when the pandemic passes, said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, in an email.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said the county has been focusing its energies on keeping residents safe during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. It also is putting a high priority on getting the economy on track, once the pandemic passes. (File)

The county’s emergency management center has been working around the clock, and the county is in constant contact with local hospitals, and state and federal agencies, Moore said.

The county also has continued to order sample and test kits, as well as personal protection equipment for first responders and health care professionals, he added.

The county also has been proactive in identifying and securing locations for hospital overflow, should it be needed, Moore said, noting it has 38 standby locations.

And, Moore noted that he recently took part in a virtual town hall with representatives of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., and the Florida SBDC, to provide information to businesses about resources where they can seek  help, as many struggle to survive.

Another town hall is planned April 30 at 2:30 p.m., to focus on the unique challenges being experienced by the special needs community. (This will be a Zoom conference, with audio availability. Details to come). Experts will share their knowledge of best practices.

Moore also noted that although some functions of government are closed to the public, others continue to function to provide services — such as public transportation and virtual inspections.

Library buildings are closed, but online services are being offered.

The pandemic has hurt the county’s economy, and thereby county revenues. It is now reevaluating several projects, Moore said, but he did not provide specifics.

He did say “our tourism department is taking a beating right now” because it relies on tourist development taxes to fund it.

Moore also thanked residents, noting the vast majority are staying home unless they need essentials, such as food or medicine, or need to go to essential places of work.

“I suggest wearing a face covering while at the store to protect others, as well as yourself,” he said.

Pasco County Commission Kathryn Starkey is encouraging residents and businesses to do what they can to help others during the pandemic.

During a recent ZOOM virtual meeting of WOW TOO, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also talked about the local impacts of COVID-19.

“I think we’re very fortunate in Pasco County that we don’t have the high densities that you’re seeing in South Florida and some of the counties to the south of us. Our percentage of positives is much lower, and I think people in Pasco County are doing a great job of social distancing,” Starkey told the women’s networking group, which is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

“We tried to keep business open, as usual, in Pasco County,” she said.

“We were in the midst of transitioning some of our permitting to online; some of that won’t be done until the end of the month, unfortunately. A little bit of business, as far as development business, has come to a halt.”

Virtual inspections, however, are ongoing, she said.

“As far as our budget, we know that it’s taken a hit. Our sales tax has taken a hit,” she said. “We’re reanalyzing what our budget is going to look like for next year.

“We’ve got a little bit of a freeze on, as far as hiring,” she said, noting that the county wants to be sure that it is as efficient as possible.

“We hesitated at doing the Stay at Home, Safer at Home, because the Pasco County numbers were pretty darn good, and people were being, I think, mostly respectful of the 6-foot distance, and not congregating in big numbers,” Starkey said.

“We wanted our businesses to be able to stay in business as long as possible.

“We know that this is hurting a lot of people,” she said.

But, even with the governor’s Stay at Home order, there are some things that are open, Starkey noted.

For instance, people can use Starkey Wilderness Park. “You can walk and hike in the park,” she said, but you can’t drive there — you’ll need to find a place to park nearby.

There are also U-Pick farms open, where people can pick blueberries or peaches.

Starkey is encouraging county residents and businesses to do what they can to support local restaurants.

She puts out a daily newsletter to keep people posted on new developments regarding COVID-19. To sign up for the newsletter, email your request to .

Published April 22, 2020