EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2018 | Page 9

CHAMBER STAFF Nancy Keefer, CCE • President / CEO Janet Kersey, CDME, CFEE • Executive Vice President / COO Jim Cameron • Senior Vice President, Government Relations Cathy Benedict • Administrative Specialist Bob Elkin • CFO Consultant Jami Gallegos • Membership Director Kerry Karl • Executive Director of VCARD Ken Phelps • Events Director Jennifer Pipes • Database & Administrative Specialist Nichole Sprague • Business Manager EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Skip Lilly • Chairman / Vision H.R., Inc. Randy Dye • Chair-Elect / Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM Fiat Eric Peburn • Immediate Past Chair / Halifax Health Rodney Cruise • Special Events Chair / Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Bart Leek • Government Relations Chair / DBL Surety, LLC Bob Lloyd • Legal Counsel / Brown & Brown, Inc. Leonard Marinaccio, III • Treasurer / Bomar Construction Mike Mitchener • Small Business Development Chair / Sam’s Club Frank Molnar • Economic Development Chair / The M Group Ed Noseworthy • Membership Development Chair / Florida Hospital Kelly Parsons Kwiatek • Community Development Chair / Cobb Cole Charlie Van Derven • Marketing and Communications Chair / Social Advisors 2018 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Shawn Abbatessa • The Arc of Volusia Maia Albrecht • Shuffield Lowman John Anthony • JTA Financial Services, Inc. Tina Barnes-Budd • Ladies Professional Golf Association Sead Besic • Wells Fargo Bank, NA Owen Chittenden • VYPG Chair / The Shores Resort & Spa Cheryl Coxwell • International Speedway Corp. Bob Davis • Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County Tad Durrance • Halifax Paving, Inc. Steve Farmer • Brown & Brown, Inc. Alan Florez • Halifax Insurance Partners Hubert Grimes • Bethune-Cookman University John Guthrie • Halifax Health Todd Huffstickler • Vann Data Services, Inc. Nellie Kargar • ICI Homes William Landreth • BB&T Dr. Tom LoBasso • Daytona State College Kim Lundstrom • SunTrust Bank, East Central Florida Bill Offill • Daytona Beach News-Journal Patrick Opalewski • Root Company Cynthia W. Politis • Bank of America Julie Rand • Florida Hospital Teresa Rand • Volusia Flagler Family YMCA Bud Ritchey • Jon Hall Chevrolet Dave Schandel • Florida Health Care Plans Mike Sibley • James Moore & Co. Jim Tobin • Realty Pros John Ufheil • Daytona Beverages Larry Volenec • Florida Power & Light Jim Weite • TD Bank Chip Wile • Daytona International Speedway FROM THE CHAIR & PRESIDENT T here is no doubt Tourism has a substantial impact on our economy. With 10 million visitors annually to Volusia County and employment of over 55,000 workers in the hospitality industry, there is an annual economic impact of over 6 billion dollars. In this issue of EVOLVE we discuss the future of tourism as it relates to marketing and highlight a few of our traditional hospitality businesses along with those that one might not realize are important contributors to the visitor experience. The article regarding the beachside and East ISB gateway recognizes the importance and impact of revitalizing our core tourism district. With over $2 billion of investment occurring along East ISB and beachside, we continue to signal to investors that the time to invest is now. As the home of the “World’s Most Famous Beach” and the DAYTONA 500, we have a built-in international and national draw to our area. We can not take for granted the importance of good visitor experiences as the key to sustainability and growth of our tourism market. We can all play a role in positive experiences by making sure our customer service and community brand is exemplary in our interactions with our visitors. While it can be hard to share our community with so many visitors, remember they are paying over 40% of our county’s sales tax which results in enhanced services for the residents year-round. Reaching today’s consumer is much different than it was just a few short years ago. With the rise of social media and experiential ratings through national forums, information is abundant and accessible to the traveler. Most potential visitors research the area and view websites and digital formats to virtually see what a community has to offer before deciding to visit. The chamber of commerce brand plays a big role in this through our website and links to our area businesses. Chambers have historically been recognized as a resource for information, and a national study of consumers shows an increased comfort with businesses who are members of a chamber. The County tourism marketing agencies do a great job of showcasing our destination through all forms of advertising and outreach. We often say that they are the experts in getting the visitors here and we are the conduit to move them through the county promoting our members businesses and services prior to their arrival and when they are here. A great partnership for sure! We are looking forward to the next issue of EVOLVE that will feature another very important part of our quality of life and visitor amenities, as we focus on the impact of arts & cultural activities in Volusia County. SKIP LILLY Chairman Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce Vision H.R., Inc. NANCY P. KEEFER CCE President & CEO Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce STAY CONNECTED Facebook.com/ daytona.chamber @DaytonaChamber YouTube.com/ DaytonaChamber Linkedin.com/company/ daytona-regional-chamber- of-commerce 126 East Orange Ave. | Daytona Beach, FL 32114 | 386-255-0981 | Daytonachamber.com NOVEMBER 2018 | 9 |