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Since 1985 the Apollo Beach Chamber
of Commerce has been a force in the SouthShore
Business Community. Our over 200 members
represent every type and size of SouthShore
business from major corporations serving Tampa
and the world to entrepreneurs beginning their
own enterprise.
Our goals are simple:
Promote and advance a favorable business climate
in our area for our
membership
Interact with other organizations to develop
positive methods for taking
action on issues of
local interest
Provide business leadership recognizing the
social, political and cultural needs
of the
Greater Apollo Beach Area.
Our Board of Directors is
made up of members recognized as leaders in our community. Our
Executive Board
develops the Chamber’s strategies for the
future. Our Executive Director is the nexus of
the Chamber, working daily with member needs,
assembling important networking events,
consulting with our Boards, and overseeing our
largest undertaking, the annual
Apollo Beach Manatee
Festival of the Arts.
Executive Board
Don Pearson,
President
pearsoncapital@aol.com
Don is a very active
member of the Apollo Beach Community. As
president of Pearson Capital, Inc. (PCI),
Don uses his business acumen and
associations to help support and promote
the growth of the South Shore area.
Besides his position on the Board of
Directors of the AB Chamber of Commerce,
Don, along with his wife, Sandra Alberti,
contributes much time and effort to many
local events and charities. The Manatee
Arts Festival, the Toys for Tots
Campaign, the Ruskin VFW and the Youth
group at the SCC United Methodist Church
are only a few of the projects in his
community portfolio. Don has recently
provided his time and talents to the
revamping of the Apollo Beach Chamber’s
monthly newsletter, an important source
for growth of business in our area. He
is also a member of the South Shore
Business Association.
Don’s company, PCI, has been in business
for over 50 years, 30 of which has been
spent focusing on growing the wealth in
the Tampa Bay area through truly
personalized portfolio management. As a
unique, private money management firm
with many years of investment
experience, PCI has proven to its’
clients that hard work and dedication
are the road to success. Don’s business
success is only overshadowed by his role
of father and grandfather to Jeff and
Kim Pearson, their three children;
Griffin, Monet & Silas and
Rene-Alexander Alberti. |
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James Adcock,
Vice President
jdadcock@tecoenergy.com
James began his
career with Tampa Electric in 1982. He
has a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational
Management from Warner Southern
College. His previous responsibilities
include management positions in Energy
Management Services, the company’s
conservation area and several positions
throughout Customer Services.
James’ current responsibilities include
activities within the community,
governmental and economic development
areas in Apollo Beach, Gibsonton,
Riverview, Ruskin, Sun City Center and
Wimauma. He played a key role in the
partnership of the four chambers in an
effort to better market the area,
forming an alliance called SouthShore.
James serves on the Board of Directors
for Apollo Beach, Riverview and Ruskin
Chambers of Commerce, SouthShore
Roundtable and is a Trustee for the
SouthShore Alliance. He is a
Past-President of the Ruskin and
Riverview Chambers of Commerce,
Vice-President of Economic Development
for Apollo Beach and Riverview and VP of
Governmental Affairs for Ruskin. In
addition, James serves on the board for
SouthShore Rotary and is a
Past-President as well.
James also received recognition from the
Tampa Bay Business Journal for being
selected as one of the Tampa Bay
Region’s rising stars in their annual
40-Under-40 Awards in 2001.
James and his wife, Doris have three
children: Brett, Rachel and Jon Caleb.
James and Doris are native Floridians. |
Meg LaLonde, Secretary
mlalonde1@verizon.net
Meg LaLonde was elected to the Apollo
Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors in 2005 and now serves as
Secretary for the Board. She is also an
active Apollo Beach Chamber Ambassador
and volunteers for many of the events
held by the Chamber.
Meg grew up in
Lakeland, Florida and graduated Cum
Laude with a B. S. in Business
Administration from Florida Southern
College. She spent over 15 years in the
corporate world through Bank of America,
Salomon Brothers and Assurant Group. In
February 2004 she attended the United
States Personal Chef Association
Mentorship Program in Atlanta where she
received her certification as a Personal
Chef. She continues to be a member of
the USPCA. She opened her own
business, Chef By The Bay LLC in April
2004. She has received First Place in
the Best of South Shore competition as
the Best Personal Chef for 2005 and
2006.
She moved to Apollo
Beach in November 2002 and since then
has been very active in her community,
currently a member of the South Shore
Business Association, Apollo Beach Civic
Association and the Ruskin Chamber of
Commerce. She is very active in
greyhound rescue with Greyhound Rescue
and Adoption of Tampa Bay and Greyhound
Gang of Tampa. She also volunteers for
the Great American Teach In at the South
County Career Center to show students
what it is like to own your own business
in the culinary field. |
Jim Martin,
Treasurer
apollobeachair@hotmail.com
Jim Martin is a native of
Buffalo, New York who became a
transplant to Florida in 1989. Jim
moved to Apollo Beach in 2000 and became
one of our local entrepreneurs in April
2004 when he opened Apollo Beach Air, a
local air conditioning/heating
specialist company.
Jim has served on the
Apollo Beach Chamber Board for the past
four years and has been very active with
the Chamber. Apollo Beach Air has
been a major sponsor of the Apollo Beach
Manatee Arts Festival and Silent
Auction. He has been Chairperson for the
Honorary Mayor's Race and Business
Person of the Year as well as being
active in other committees.
Jim served on the
Board for the Bahia Beach Yacht Club and
Island Walk Homeowners Association.
He has been a supporter for community
groups such as the Tampa Sailing
Squadron, Civic Association, and the
Beautification Committee. |
Board of Directors
Kevin Conlan
southshoremort1@hotmail.com
Kevin Conlan is currently
owner and broker of record for
SouthShore Mortgage & Affiliates in
Apollo Beach. A native New Yorker, he
graduated from Manhattan College in
Riverdale, New York. The son of a real
estate developer and entrepreneur, he
has had extensive exposure to all
aspects of real estate. He served as a
sole assessor for various taxation
jurisdictions and is a Past President of
the Orange County New York Assessors
Association. He was recruited by Bank
Of America’s International Real Estate
Division and was relocated to San
Diego. While there he became Chief
Appraiser for a major private money real
estate lender and later established the
second largest appraisal firm in San
Diego County. Kevin is certified by the
State of California Education Department
as a real estate professor and is
qualified to testify in real estate
matters in both federal and state courts
and before the IRS. While there he
served as liaison between his
condominium association and the City of
Coronado and chaired the condominium’s
Bylaw Revision Committee. He relocated
to Apollo Beach in February 2000 to work
for his family-owned mortgage lending
bank and started his own firm in
February of 2003.
Kevin has been extremely active in
community affairs and has been a member
or officer of various chambers of
commerce since 1974. He served two
years with the San Diego Maritime
Museum. Locally, he is serving his
fourth year as a chamber director and
his fifth year as chair of the Manatee
Arts Festival Publicity and Promotion.
Kevin has served, chaired or been a
sponsor of the Patron’s Tent, the Silent
Auction, the VFW Veterans Parade, Golf
Committee, the Winn Dixie Brick Sales,
Sheriffs Bike Rodeo, the Lighted Boat
Parade, Christmas Lighting Contest,
chamber liaison to the Sheriffs
Department, the Ambassador’s Committee,
and the Bylaws Revision Committee. |
| Isabel Darcy
Isabel Darcy was born and
raised in Puerto Rico. She
graduated from UCLA with a Finance
Degree and a minor in Public Relations.
Ms. Darcy began her business career
managing travel agencies. She
moved to New York in 1983 and began
working as a financial consultant with
Prudential Bache. She holds
certification as CLU and LUTCF. She
served as Vice President of the
Professional Women's Association of the
LUTCF of New York City. Ms. Darcy
moved to Florida in 1990 and lived in
Gainesville for 9 years. she
served as President of the PTA for St.
Patrick's School as well as leading
various women's groups and parish
committees.
The
Darcy's moved to Apollo Beach in 2001.
She helped develop the MOM group at
Nativity Church in Brandon, served as
chairperson of the Adult Social,
Architectural, and Security Committees
of her home owners association.
Ms. Darcy has been active in the Apollo
Beach Chamber of Commerce since 2004 and
has held the position of Ambassador.
Her service has included the Honorary
Mayor's Race, Silent Auction, assisting
in relocating the Chamber office, Stars
Ambassador dinner, Patron of the Arts of
the Apollo Beach Manatee Arts Festival
and very active in recruiting new
businesses and promoting the Chamber.
Isabel and her husband, Stephen, have
owned and operated the Apollo Beach
Physical Therapy Clinic in Apollo Beach
for the past two years. They live
in Apollo Beach with their two sons,
Paolo and Marcos. Their family
enjoys sailing in Tampa Bay and are
members of the Tampa Sailing Squadron
and are active in the Youth Sailing
Program. |
Terry Faulds
Terry has been a member
of the Apollo Beach Chamber since 2004.
Terry started his advertising business,
AON, Inc. in 2002 which has become a
leader in the South Shore area.
Terry has been active and
has served on all Chamber committees in
various capacities. He has co-chaired
the signage committee for the Apollo
Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts,
volunteered for the Silent Auction, Golf
Classic, Ambassador committee and
Nominating Committee. He is also active
in South Shore Business Association.
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| Carla Floyd |
Mike Hook
ukhook@aol.com
Mike Hook is the owner of Dollar
Store Apollo Beach, Dollar Store
FishHawk and Party Xpress along with
his sister Dawn Chavez and their
spouses. In the Dollar Store
business for six years now, he
handles all aspects of the business
including buying all merchandise.
Prior to this he was in the hotel
industry for 10 years working his
way up to the top as General Manager
of hotels in Atlanta and Hilton Head
Island. Mike currently lives in
Riverview with his wife and two
children.
Mike has been active in the Apollo
Beach Chamber serving as Chairman
for the Annual Golf Tournament in
2006, 2007 and 2008 and as a
Board of Director.
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Ron Kobosky
ron.kobosky@mosaicco.comRon
Kobosky is currently employed by Mosaic
Phosphates Company in Gibsonton, FL as
Terminal Manager of the Big Bend Marine
Terminal. As a 1971 graduate of North
Dakota State University with a B.S. in
Civil Engineering and a B.S. in Mining
Engineering from the University of
Pittsburgh in 1980, Ron has over 26
years with the phosphate industry
holding various managerial positions
within the company.
Ron
and his wife Barbara have been residents
of Apollo Beach since 1990. Ron has
been actively involved with the Apollo
Beach Chamber of Commerce as a Board
Director and various corporate
sponsorships of the Manatee Arts
Festival, Golf Tournament Fundraisers
and Silent Auction Fundraiser. Ron is
also involved in several organizations
in the Tampa area which includes the
Local Emergency Planning Commission,
Tampa Bay Harbor Safety & Security
Committee and the Propeller Club of
Tampa, where he is a Board Member and
presently Vice-President of Programs.
He is also active in the United Way of
Tampa and has served as past chairman
for the Mosaic campaign. |
Robert Newhart
RobertNewhart@EarthMark.us
Picture Currently Not
Available
Robert
Newhart has over 17 years of experience
and knowledge in all facets of the Hotel
and Hospitality Industry that has made
him an asset to the EarthMark
Companies. He is currently the General
Manager of the Resort and Club at Little
Harbor and resides in Sun City Center.
He is actively involved
within the Southshore communities
participating in various sponsorships,
contributions and fundraising efforts to
the Mary and Martha House, the Sheriff’s
Youth Ranch, promoting the Arts and
other community events. He is a Board
of Director member of the Apollo Beach,
Ruskin Chambers, a member of the Brandon
and Sun City Center Chambers and is also
on the Board of Directors for the South
Shore Arts Council. |
Bonnie Denney
bonnie_denney@colonialbank.com
Bonnie is one of the newest members to the Board
of Directors and is the manager at the
Apollo Beach branch of Colonial Bank. |
Ray Weedon, Past President
nodeew@verizon.net
Ray Weedon is originally
from Ohio where he worked for Foremost
Insurance Co. for twenty years and
achieved the position of Regional Vice
President. He took early
retirement and moved to Apollo Beach in
1989 to assist in the development of a
mobile home appraisal company. After its
development was completed, Ray became
interested in rental real estate and
created Ray Weedon & Associates Inc., a
company dealing in rental homes in here
in Apollo Beach. He joined the
Chamber in 1996 and in 1997 was asked by
the Board to assume an un-expired term
of the office of Treasurer which he
accepted. Ray moved up from
Treasurer to Secretary to Vice President
and just completed two years as
President. He now serves as a
Director of the Chamber.
Since joining the Board,
Ray has served three years on the
Manatee Arts Festival Committee, three
years on the Golf Classic Committee, and
two years on the Casino Night Committee.
He was instrumental in getting the water
tower painted, the upgrading of the
website improvements to the newsletter
and relocating the Chamber to its new
location.
In addition to the
wonderful people with which the Chamber
has allowed him to meet and associate,
Ray wants to use his existing Chamber
experience to assist the newly elected
slate of officers to keep the momentum
that exists in the Chamber going full
speed ahead. |
Jody Whitmyer
whitbio@earthlink.net
During the past thirty
years, Mr. Whitmyer has done extensive
work in the area of design and
fabrication of devices for individuals
with severe disabilities. His company,
Whitmyer Biomechanix (an Inc. 500
company), was acquired two years ago by
Sunrise Medical. He’s helped countless
persons with disabilities from around
the world, including the late
Christopher Reed. In 1998, Whitmyer
relocated to Apollo Beach, Florida to
open a product development facility, and
in 2001 was honored as “Business Person
of the Year”, by the Apollo Beach
Chamber of Commerce.
That
began his association with the Chamber
of Commerce. Since that time, he has
served as a Director, and in previous
years has served on the Executive Board
as Secretary. Mr. Whitmyer is most
recognizable for arranging the monthly
Business After Hours events, an
opportunity for members to network and
meet new friends in the community.
Whitmyer has served on numerous
committees and had an active roll in
various events ranging from the Manatee
Arts Festival to the Christmas
Decorating Contest. He has assisted in
web site and newsletter improvements,
and has a true love for Apollo Beach.
His
current endeavors are associated with
product design and manufacturing, as
well as property management in Apollo
Beach. He can be reached by calling
(813) 508-2355 or by e-mail at
whitbio@earthlink.net . |
John Wilson
john.wilson279@verizon.net
John Wilson is a Licensed Real
Estate Broker, Mortgage Broker, and
Co-Owner of Commerce Realty Services and
its affiliates. He earned his BA
in Business at Murray State University.
From there he moved to South Florida
before relocating to Apollo Beach where
he met his wife Robin. He has
lived in Apollo Beach for the past 13
years. He and his wife Robin have
a son, Alec, who attends Apollo Beach
Elementary.
John is in his third year
as Treasurer of the Apollo Beach Chamber
of Commerce where he has been a Member
since 1997. He is also a member of
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in
Ruskin where he served on the vestry as
well as being a member of the "Dolphin
Dads" at Apollo Beach Elementary.
Most of all he enjoys supporting all of
his son Alec's activities. |
Top
Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce
Joanne C. Gadek, Executive Director
Gina Hebert, Administrative Assistant
223 Flamingo Drive
P.O. Box 3686
Apollo Beach, FL 33572
Phone: 813-645-1366
Fax: 813-641-2612
Email:
abeachcham@verizon.net
The Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce
is open
from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through
Friday.
New resident?
Thinking about moving to the area?
Or just need an update of what's going
on in town?
Drop in and pick up one of our
Chamber Discovery
Packets!
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