At the Greater Gainesville Chamber, we kick off the year with a very Signature Event—our Annual Meeting. This important opportunity—to reflect on the past year, celebrate our accomplishments and focus on the year ahead—is one we do not take lightly. This year was particularly notable, as we turn our attention to our next 100 years of service.
Our traditions make up the agenda for our Annual Meeting, the first of which is recognizing our most exceptional leaders, those who have made a lasting impact on our community. Our Diplomat of the Year is the exuberant Laura Bialeck, of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers; the shared Rotary Ethics in Business Award went to an exemplary citizen, Ed Newmans of Newmans Heating & Air; and my President’s Award was given to UF’s Mark Kaplan, our amazing partner throughout his years of dedication to our state.
I was humbled and astonished to receive the Chairman’s Award from our outgoing Board Chair, Craig Wilburn. We’ve had 99 Board Chairs, but only one can be the 100th and this recognition from Craig means the world to me. Our very special Legacy Award was given to two honorees this year (had to go big for the Centennial): Sam Goforth and Albert E. White, both of whom worked to uplift and empower so many over their decades of service. And, we honored two of our own wonderful staff members—Joe Johnson, celebrating 20 years of service, and Pauline Williams, retiring after 25 years with us.
Our other important annual tradition is passing the gavel from our outgoing Board Chair to our incoming Board Chair. We are so excited to welcome Theresa Beachy, who brings a wealth of expertise in community building to this position. We are ready to follow where she leads. In her words, “Together we can make GNV livable for everyone, and share what all we know and love about this town, including the fact that Florida living doesn’t get any better than what we’ve grown in this amazing community. Together, we can shift minds and open hearts and create a city all of our residents can be proud to live in.”
Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of business columns sponsored by Pavlov Media.