Manatee County Habitat for Humanity celebrates Earth Day with the dedication of two new ”green built“ Habitat homes on Sunday, April 22nd at 1pm. The homes to be dedicated are located 1647 38th Avenue, Ellenton in Manatee Habitat’s first green community called Hope Landing. This brand new Habitat community offers affordable housing designed both for sustainability and affordable living for low income families.
A home dedication provides an opportunity for the community, volunteers and family to come together to celebrate with future homeowners the completion of their new Habitat homes. The dedication brings families one step closer to achieving the dream of homeownership and the purchase of an affordable home. Habitat homeowners have completed hundreds of ”sweat equity“ hours in the building of their home and other Hope Landing neighbors. The public is invited to attend this special Habitat Earth Day celebration.
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The Manatee Chamber of Commerce was pleased to recognize two local businesses with an Image Manatee Beautification Award at the March Coffee Club.
Congratulations to Schroeder Manatee Ranch for winning the award in the Commercial & Professional - Large category. Other nominees included ComCenter Lakewood Ranch, Community Bank and Company Lakewood Ranch, HomeBanc, IberiaBank State Road 64 Branch, and M&I Bank Summerfield Branch.
Congratulations to Larry Pearson Air Conditioning for winning the award in the Commercial & Professional - Small category. Other nominees included Florida Central Credit Union, Legler & Flynn, Southern Comfort Air Conditioning, Thomas A. Moseley Chartered/Moseley Investment Management, and Zirkelbach Construction, Inc.
The Image Manatee Beautification Awards are judged and awarded to businesses and organizations in the community who have demonstrated their commitment to improving the appearance of Manatee County - one business at a time. Each quarter, Image Committee members meet to vote on these awards and discuss current issues relating to beautification in our local community. Member businesses and public locations are nominated based on criteria such as building design or renovations, appropriateness of the neighborhood, landscape attractiveness and maintenance along with the use of native drought-tolerant plant species.
Stu Wilson and Ken Pierce, two residents of Sarasota, were recently approved for membership by the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP). The 26-member group provides the SBEP with citizen input and helps the organization promote its programs and projects. The members include parents, grandparents, educators, former elected representatives, environmental advocates, business owners, scientists, ecologists, realtors and engineers.
Stu Wilson is a retired consulting engineer with expertise in water resources engineering. He concluded his career as an engineer with HDR Engineering in Austin, Texas where he worked for 10 years. He also owned a small adventure travel company for six years. An avid birder since 2000, Stu is an amateur ornithologist and a member of Sarasota Audubon, the National Wildlife Federation and the American Bird Conservancy. Wilson earned a MS Degree in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Kansas and a BS Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois.
Ken Pierce is a resident in both Sarasota and Rye Town, New York. He’s active with the San Remo Homeowners Association and Friends of Roberts Bay. He retired following a career as a consultant for the publishing industry. He worked several years as a consulting editor for National and International Wildlife Magazines published by the National Wildlife Federation. He also served as a consulting publisher for other magazines focused on finance, mutual funds and cruise resort travel. Pierce earned a MA Degree in General Studies in the Humanities and a BA Degree in Tutorial Studies from the University of Chicago.
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Suncoast Community Capital (SCC) announces the inaugural class of nine entrepreneurial companies selected to participate in ”UEP on the Suncoast,“ a partnership between SCC and the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership (UEP), a program of the Kauffman Foundation.
The UEP is a premium business solution, distinguished by a unique and innovative one-to-one business coaching model designed to produce rapid return on investment. Its mission is to deliver world-class coaching in a cost-effective manner that assists the client in adjusting quickly to a fluid marketplace.
”UEP on the Suncoast“ was established to support entrepreneurs in Florida’s Sarasota and Manatee counties. Based on criteria set by SCC and UEP, SCC has selected nine firms to participate in the first round of coaching, which began on April 10.
The companies are:
Entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for ”UEP on the Suncoast“ if they are residents of Manatee or Sarasota counties, have an idea for a business, or already operate a for-profit or nonprofit business, excluding religious or political organizations.
The second round of coaching will begin in July. Applications are now available at www.uepkauffman.org/suncoast. The ”UEP on the Suncoast“ office is at 5901 North Honore Avenue, Suite 120, Sarasota, FL 34243. The office is located within IntegraClick’s company headquarters.
For more information, visit www.uepkauffman.org/suncoast or contact Mike Kennedy at 941.744.2666, Ext. 1 or mike.kennedy@suncoastcc.com.
The Manatee Chamber of Commerce was once again recognized as the largest Chamber in the Tampa Bay Region according to a list published on April 13, 2012 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The Manatee Chamber, which is 5-Star Accredited from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has 2,004 businesses and organization as members.
”We are honored that our fantastic members have once again helped us achieve this distinction,“ said Bob Bartz, president of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. ”The strength of our Chamber comes from diverse, engaged members who provide the investment critical to carrying out our program of work. Couple that with hundreds of dedicated business leaders and top-notch staff providing professional support and you have a combination that allows the Manatee Chamber to support local businesses while effectively working to make Manatee County the best place to live, work, play and run your business.“
The Manatee Chamber of Commerce has received past recognition as a National Chamber of the Year award winner and holds the distinction as the only three-time winner of the Florida Chamber of the Year award. ”These accolades should give businesses reassurance that their investment in the Manatee Chamber delivers an impressive ROI through an organization that operates under sound business practices and is very responsive to its members’ needs,“ said John Horne of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar and the 2012 Chairman of the Board of the Manatee Chamber. ”The Chamber works and every business can benefit from membership.“
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