MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 700 Main Street, Sebastian, FL 32958 www.SebastianChamber.com (772) 589-5969 March 2010 Issue

Holly Cameron Director– Community Outreach

Home Instead Senior Care

The New Girl in Town With a New Year come new faces. Home Instead Senior care would like to introduce you to Holly Cameron, Direc-tor of the Outreach Program.

After serving our country in the US Navy, Miss Cameron went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree from Flor-ida Gulf Coast University. Specializing in Communica-tions in Business Marketing, she kept busy raising funds with non- for- profit organizations and spending her time outdoors camping and kayaking. After a few trips to Vero Beach, Holly relocated so that she could spend her time in “Paradise.” Having a purpose in life has been a focus for Miss Cameron. After meeting with the staff at Home Instead Senior Care, she knew she had found that pur-pose. Holly is finding that Vero Beach and Sebastian have some wonderful opportunities for her to give back to the community. Volunteering her time with the many or-ganizations in Indian River County, she encourages oth-ers to help those who are in need.

New Owners at Home Instead Senior Care Home Instead Senior Care is owned and operated by Ron and Christine Krasnansky. Ron and Christine opened two Home Instead Senior Care offices in State College and Saxton, Pennsylvania in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Presently those two offices care for more than 340 clients and employ over 300 CAREGivers. Ron and Christine are close colleagues with Chris and Don Loftus, the founders of the Vero Beach operation. In late 2008, preparing for retirement, Chris and Don sold the Home Instead business to Ron and Christine, who took over management of the office and personally

moved to the Wabasso area. Since that transition the office hasn’t changed too much. The focus remains, as always, on providing top-quality care.

New Accreditation Home Instead Senior Care is proud to announce their home health division has become accredited by the Ac-creditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC). To become accredited was a significant achievement, one we’re proud of. It shows we have "gone the extra mile" to assure quality. Accreditation is a means of measuring the organizational management, internal processes, client safety practices, and service outcomes. Accreditation is professional peer review administered by a private nonprofit organization, which is structured to establish higher standards than state or federal require-ments. Accreditation is the most commonly accepted means of assuring quality care.

Recruiting the best CAREGivers Home Instead Senior care is passionately focused on helping older adults live independently in their own home, wherever they call home. By joining Home Instead Senior Care, you will be making a difference in the lives of many. Currently, Home Instead Senior Care is hiring reli-able, compassionate people who enjoy working with sen-iors. These CAREGivers help seniors enjoy a better qual-ity of life provided in their home. This is a rewarding part time position and has many benefits that include:

Health Benefits 401K Plan Complete Training programs 24/7 Support Flexible Scheduling-perfect for retirees Anniversary Bonuses

Member of the AARP Employer Team Home Instead Senior Care hires CAREGivers from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and actively searches for mature workers. As an AARP National Em-ployer Team Member, more than 60% of its CAREGivers are over the age of 50.

Home Instead Senior Care was selected for this AARP program because it recognizes mature workers’ valuable qualities. Mature workers are reliable, relate well to sen-iors, may have previously cared for an older family mem-ber or friend, and possess a strong work ethic.

Home Instead Senior Care is located at 1847 14th Ave-nue, Vero Beach. You can contact Holly at 772-564-8821 or holly.cameron@homeinstead.com or visit www.hiscvb.com.

Proposed renovations to the Chamber building on M ain Street, ent it led the:

Pelican Porch V isitor’s Center

Acorn Mini Storage

AC & Non AC Units/Boat & R.V. Storage

Gated facility, security cameras, 24 hr access

SPECIAL-ONE MONTH FREE

OFFICE MON-FRI 8:00-6:00

SAT 8:00-4:00 SUN 9:00-4:00

189 Sebastian Blvd. (Rt. 512 East), Sebastian

589-6939 U-Haul Trucks/Trailers for Rent

Breakfast at Bronze Lotus Tanning & Day Spa

FEBRUARY CHAMBER EVENTS

Lunch at Disney’ s Vero Beach Resort

Business & Pleasure at Hale Groves River Market

Dr. Ralph Monnett, Monnett Eye &

Surgery Center, Lunch Sponsor Greg Bray, President, Blue Tangerine

Solutions, Luncheon Speaker

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New Information Kiosk at the Chamber

Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events

March 2010

March 5 Chamber Breakfast at

8:00 a.m. Kim Ellis Insurance Services, Inc.

990 US Hwy. 1, Sebastian

9:00 a.m. Legislative/Government Affairs Committee

Chamber Main St. Offices

5:30 p.m. Concert in the Park at Riverview Park

“Remember When”

Sponsored by Melbourne International Airport

March 6 Chamber Full Board Meeting

9:00 a.m. Special Call Meeting, Chamber Main St. Office

March 7 14th Annual Eco Fest 12-4 p.m. Environmental Learning Center, Wabasso

March 9 Chamber Monthly Luncheon at Capt Hiram’s Tiffany Room

Noon Guest Speaker: Sherrie Coleman, Business Solutions Consultant

Indian River State College—Corporate Training Opportunities

Sponsored by the Exchange Club of Sebastian

Reservations Please- $15, At the Door $20

March 13 18th Annual Pelican Island Wildlife Festival

10 a.m. -6 p.m. Riverview Park, Sebastian

March 16 Chamber Golf Tournament Committee

5:30 p.m. Chamber Main St. Office

March 18 Business and Pleasure at Orbit RV Park (with a special Bar-B-Q) 5:30 p.m. 3860 US Hwy. 1, Grant

March 19 Concert in the Park at Riverview Park

5:30 p.m. SRHS Jazz Ensemble & Steel Drum Band

Sponsored by Melbourne International Airport

March 27 & 28 4th Annual Home & Garden Show

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sponsored by Sebastian Rotary Club

March 30 Chamber Golf Tournament Committee

5:30 p.m. Chamber Main St. Office

We are now OPEN on

SATURDAYS! 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Thrifty You, Inc. Michelle Kelly/

Betty Mathison 741 Sebastian Blvd, Suite 3

Sebastian, FL 32958

772-918-8606 Fax 772-918-8606

thriftyyou@yahoo.com

Thrift Store

Youth Guidance Mentor-

ing & Activities Program Barbara Schlitt-Ford

1028 20th Place Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-770-5040

Fax 772-770-5042 www.ircyouth.com

Non-Profit Organization

KC Printing

Kevin Drobish

502 Melrose Lane Sebastian, FL 32958

772-581-8755 321-863-5678

kdrobish@bellsouth.net

Printing

SpringHill Suites by Mar-

riott – Vero Beach Brenda Celano/Amy Behm

Selby 5115 Indian River Blvd.

Vero Beach, FL 32967

772-978-9292 Fax 772-978-9075

www.marriott.com/mlbvb

bcelano@hotelequities.com Lodging

Shells & Things Lisa Davidson

3119 Ocean Drive Vero Beach, FL 32963

772-234-4790

Fax 772-234-4794 www.shellsandthings.com shellsandthings@comcast.net

Gift Shops

Great Florida Insurance

Marc Chesney

920-A US Hwy 1 Sebastian, FL 32958

772-228-9908

Fax 772-228-9380 www.greatflorida.com

greatflorins@bellsouth.net

Insurance

Quest Diagnostics Robin Reese, Jill Garrison,

Cheryl Hueneke

13256 US Hwy 1, Unit 4 Sebastian, FL 32958

321-288-1024

Fax 610-271-4472 www.questdiagnostics.com

robin.a.reese@questdiagnost

ics.com Physicians/Lab Work

Care Creations Photography Cindy Esolen

393 Main Street Sebastian, FL 32958

772-388-0508

772-473-3663 Fax 772-388-0508

www.carecreationsphotograp

hy.com carecreations1@aol.com

Photography

Headlines Hair Salon

Debbie Politi and Rhonda Hamilton

13501 US Hwy 1

Sebastian, FL 32958 772-589-6704

Hair Salons

Softub Express, a division

of Pettis Pools Julie Pettis

9611 N. US Hwy 1,

PO Box 324 Sebastian, FL 32958

772-584-1427

800-996-8827 Fax 772-918-8247

www.softubexpress.com Portable Hot Tubs

11th Annual Concerts in the Park Series

Riverview Park

5:30-8:00 p.m.

SAVE THE DATES!

3/5/10 Remember When

3/19/10 Sebastian River High School

Jazz Ensemble & Steel Drum Band

4/16/10 Mike & Kayte’s Acoustic Pop Tour

4/30/10 Atlantic Bluegrass

5/21/10 The Nouveaux Honkies

6/18/10 MJ Wicker & Matt Manning

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE

FOLLOWING BUSINESSES THAT

DONATED ITEMS FOR THE RAFFLE: AA Stained Glass & More

About Kayaks AdVance Plumbing Solutions

Aerus Electrolux Anytime Fitness

Bay Street Pharmacy & Home Health Care Bronze Lotus Tanning & Day Spa

Busy Bee Lawn & Garden Center Capt. Christy Lenz “Casual Cruisin”

Capt Hiram’s Countryside Citrus

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Gulfstream Goodwill Store

Island Style Hair Studio Mavericks Sports Bar & Grill

Maxwell & Son Plumbing, Inc. Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum

Minuteman Press New England Eatery & Pub

Panda Roof Paradise Ice Cream

Pig & Whistle Pub, The Positive Change Health Center

River Queen Cruises Sebastian Inlet Marina

Sebastian River Exterminating Vero Fashion Outlets

New Members 1/13/10 – 2/09/10

DID YOU KNOW???

THE CHAMBER RESPONDS TO AN AVERAGE

OF 60 INQUIRIES A MONTH FROM PEOPLE

INTERESTED IN VISITING OR RELOCATING

TO OUR AREA. THOSE LEADS COULD BE

YOURS FOR ONLY $100 A YEAR! FOR MORE

INFO, CALL NICOLE @ 772-589-5969!

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Membership News and Notes

Vero Fashion Outlets and Keep Indian River Beautiful (K.I.R.B.) are planning an Earth Day/Green Liv-ing Celebration on Saturday, April 24th, from 1-4 pm. “We are excited about taking this opportunity to spread the word about recycling and to offer eco-friendly and green living tips and opportunities to the Treasure Coast area” says Vero Fashion Outlets General Manager Patricia Jamar. In conjunction with KIRB, the Indian River County Solid Waste Disposal District and Waste Management, Vero Fashion Outlets will offer booth and display areas for groups, organizations and businesses who would like to display their information and products for the day. For information on obtaining booth space or display area for Earth Day/Green Living Celebration, contact Patti at 772-770-6097.

On March 25th, the Alzheimer & Parkinson Association will present their 5th Annual Caregiver Confer-ence at the Vero Beach Country Club. The conference, which begins at 9:00 a.m. features Dr. Rose-mary Laird, Medical Director of the Healthfirst Aging Institute. She is a geriatric physician, specializing in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Registration is $10 per person. Call the Alzheimer & Parkinson Association at 563-0505 for information and reservations.

The Environmental Learning Center is holding its 14th Annual EcoFest Celebration, with the theme “Our Own Backyard” on Sunday, March 7th from 12- 4 p.m. Admission is free! This year’s event is dedicated to longtime ELC supporter Billy Willer of the River Rats Band. For more information about this favorite community event, visit www.DiscoverELC.org or call 589-5050. Also in March, the ELC is holding a Jazz Concert on the Lawn on the 20th at 4 p.m. Tickets are $5.00.

VeroBeach.com announces that they had a 40% increase in visitor traffic over January of 2009 with 72,446 visitors to the VeroBeach.com website. Gary Fox reports that this is the 10th year of accumu-lating visitor stats, with 2007 being their highest year for visitor traffic. He says it was interesting to see a drop in traffic mid year in 2008 and a continuation of decline until the last 2 quarters of 2009 where he noticed a slight increase in visitor numbers, with January, 2010 having a 36% increase in visitor traffic compared to the average monthly visitor traffic of all of 2009. He believes better eco-nomic times for our area have begun!

The Indian River Blood Bank will be collecting blood donations at the Indian River Federal Credit Un-ion Vero Beach office on Friday, March 19th, from 10 am to 5:30 pm. Donors need to bring identifica-tion. For more information, go to www.indianriverbloodbank.com or www.irfcu.com.

About Kayaks is proud to announce its new Kayaks for Kids youth program. This program is free and available to any youth organization. It will allow your group to tour the beautiful St. Sebastian River in tandem kayaks. Their goal is to introduce the children to the fun of kayaking and the beauty of the St. Sebastian River. The program is free to all youth organizations. For more information, visit www.aboutkayaks.net or call 772-589-3469.

From the year 2009, the generosity of Indian River Medical Center’s employees resulted in more than 3,000 items being donated to those in need in our community through the Ecumenical Council Food Pantry. “These employees and their generosity are really a blessing to our community, said IRMC Chaplain Minday Serfin, R.N. Employees donate their items into a collection basket located in the Communications Corner of the hospital. Items collected range from pasta and sauce, to cereal and beef stew. The collection is continuing anew in 2010.

LoPresti’s First Saturday Event on Saturday, March 6th will host an interview with Dave Schwartz, test pilot for the Piper Jet Program. The event will also be a celebration of the Boy Scout’s Anniversary. Charity breakfast event begins with coffee and full breakfast at 9 a.m., presentation from 10-11:30 a.m. Event benefits Boy Scouts. Charity donation $5. Sebastian Airport, 210 Airport Drive East. All welcome. Call Mimi Erskine– 772-562-4757.

Join Youth Guidance and Connected 4 Kids at the Growing Healthy Kids and Families workshop on Tuesday, March 2, 6:00-7:30pm. The free parenting forum will be held at The Majestic 11, 940 14th Place, Vero Beach. This is ideal for adults to learn some excellent information that the entire family can use to live a wholesome and healthy lifestyle. This event is open to adults; a free movie and child-care is provided for children of all ages. Call 772-226-3092 to RSVP.

Try These Tips in Challenging Times!

These are challenging times for most business people. Remember that when business is slowing, customers

and dollars aren’t flowing, that’s the time you need to maximize the use of your Sebastian River Area Chamber membership. Here are a few reminders to help you not just survive, but to thrive. Write a press

release about something happening in your business, a new product, a new employee, recognition by an association, a great sale, whatever. Send it to Nicole at ncapp@sebastianchamber.com for placement in the

Currents monthly newsletter, Facebook and Twitter. It’s free and members truly do read the news about

their fellow members announcements. Make the headline snappy and attention grabbing for best results!

Schedule a run of flyers . For distribution of over 500 readers and many impressions, the flyers, or E news

are great ways to advertise in a cost effect, direct mailed way. Your cost for insertion into these once a

month mailers is less expensive than anything you may do on your own. Create an attractive offer and then an attractive flyer to promote it! Website advertising for next to nothing! Your Chamber website gets over

500 unique visitors per day, and while your business is listed in the Business Directory section, maybe its

time to get more attention by having your own web page on the site. Call the Chamber office and ask any of the staff members about the Web Page Program. It’s about $10 per month.

Join the Business 2 Business Savings Program. If you can give a minimum 10% discount on your prod-ucts or services, you will be listed in the Business 2 Business Program that goes out every month. And

don’t forget to check that list for other vendors or businesses that YOU can get a discount from. Encourage

your employees to save, too, by using the discount cards. Get out and network! The Chamber offers you many opportunities to meet other business people, build your reputation, build relationships and build your

business. There truly is some sort of program for you in the Chamber plan. Plan, Plan, Plan. Now is the

time to give thought to your business’ future. If business is a little slow now, use your downtime to do long range planning and innovation. Need some advice? Make an appointment for free SCORE counseling,

visit www.score308.com. Check out the new programs offered by IRSC, or check with the Small Business Development Center at www.FloridaSBDC.org for corporate training opportunities. Don’t Panic! Keep in

mind that all economic climates change, and we’ve been through downtimes before, when making deci-

sions, don’t jump to conclusions, keep a positive outlook and look for every advantage that may come your way!

Policy and Procedures for Kiosk Displays for City of Sebastian

The City of Sebastian is in the process of installing Information Kiosks along the riverfront on Indian River Drive. The Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce has volunteered to maintain the content and infor-

mation in the kiosks.

The goal of the kiosks is to deliver information to the visitors and tourists who are seeking information on where to go and what to do in the City of Sebastian and to promote businesses and the community. The ki-

osks display will include tourism based information including a community calendar of events, the Cham-

ber’s Visitor Guide information, the Concert in the Park Schedule, posters for special events, contact infor-mation for the Chamber and the City and other community information from the City as may be requested

from time to time.

The kiosks will be updated on a monthly basis and the schedule for changing information will coincide with the Chamber’s established deadlines for the newsletter. All information must be provided to the Chamber

staff by the 15th of each month to be included in the display for the following month. Chamber staff will

update the kiosks prior to the end of each month.

Submission of information to be included in the display must be made in writing, either by mail, electroni-

cally or written request to the Chamber staff. It will be dated upon submission and will be posted on a first

come/first serve basis, depending upon availability of space. Information shall be appropriate to the goals of the City of Sebastian and the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce and shall be related to current

events that are within Indian River County. Political information shall be prohibited.

Approved by the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, 2/10/10.

Sebastian River Area

Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, 2010

Officers

President – Debbi Vickers, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

Vice President – Theresa Tolle, Bay Street Pharmacy & Home Healthcare

Treasurer – Rick Wisner, Wisner Controls

Secretary – Patti Jamar, RE/MAX Riverside

Past President – Margie Duffell, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Elected Directors Sandi Gehrke, Riverside Bank

Emily Holliman, Sebastian River Medical Center

Sherri Sproch, Sherri’s Floral Shoppe, Inc.

Michelle Napier, Dill & Evans, LLC

Bob Daberkow, Southern Fulfillment Services

Appointed Directors

Mickey Capp, Capp Custom Builders

Daisy Knowles, Sebastian River Medical Center

Chuck Mechling, Collier Club

Chris Pinson, Rotary Club of Sebastian

Chris O’Rourke, CPA

Beverly Paris, Paris Productions

Shawn Reeves, Merriweather Designs

Ex-Officio Wesley Davis, Indian River County Commissioner

Susan Adams, Mayor, City of Fellsmere

Don Wright, Councilman, City of Sebastian Jason Nunemaker, City Manager, City of Fellsmere

Beth L. Mitchell—Executive Director

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March 2010 Beth L. Mitchell, Executive Director

Congratulations goes out to Indian River State College, celebrating fifty years on the Treasure Coast. The Chamber’s Board of Directors sent a resolution to Dr. David Sullivan congratulating the College for all of their successes and the services that have been provided to the communities. We are happy to announce that a new relationship between the Chamber and IRSC is developing and we have invited Sherrie Coleman, a Business Solutions Consultant from the Corporate and Community Institute to talk to us about corporate training opportunities. IRSC has made a new commitment to provide these ser-

vices to North County residents at the Sebastian Historic Elementary School, beginning in May. The first “open enrollment” class will feature the Honorable Thom Epsky, a commissioner of the Florida Unemployment Appeals Commission. Mr. Epsky will be speaking on “Legal Issues in the Business Place,” scheduled in May. The Chamber appreciates that these CCCT classes will now be available in North Indian River County!

In this newsletter you will find pictures, and the adopted policy and procedures for the new informa-tion kiosks that have been installed along the riverfront. One is behind the Chamber office on Indian River Drive, and the second is down at Riverview Park near the clock. We want to thank the City of Sebastian Public Works employees for the design and installation, and of course the City Council for allowing them to go forward with this project. Chamber members have asked for these kiosks for at least ten years, so it is fair to say that we are excited to see them up! Since the beginning of December,

the Chamber office has been open on Saturdays (excepting Festival weekends), and the number of visitors coming through the doors has been phenomenal. Based on the response, we’ve extended this Saturday open program through the month of March. The Chamber staff has been very dedicated to helping our businesses maximize our “Tourism Season,” and a special thanks goes to them for their flexibility in working hours!

Whoever has complained about hospital food has not experienced the fabulous fixings from the staff at Sebastian River Medical Center! We thank the staff for creating a cozy affair with Congressman Posey with special wine and cheese platters. The SRMC contribution to the event was very much appreciated by the attendees! The Chamber also appreciates Congressman Posey and his staff for being open to our membership and for providing an interesting discussion from the Washington DC perspective. We hope to have him back later in the year.

Concerts in the Park Series is in full swing, literally. We enjoyed the sounds of the Swing Band that performed in February, and March brings two favorite concerts, the perennial favorite “Remember When,” featuring oldies but goodies, and antique cars and the Sebastian River High School Jazz En-semble with the Steel Drum Band. It will be warming up in March, so make it point to come and see one of these concerts on a Friday night.

We want to thank our Chamber members for spreading the word about the bookkeeper position. We had a number of very qualified candidates to choose from and we are happy to announce the position has been filled with Mandy Karst. Mandy, an Enrolled Agent, who owns her own Accounting and Tax Service business here in Sebastian has years of experience as a controller for the Ponte Vedra Beach Resorts and Director of Finance for a Golf & Tennis Resort. We wish Cari Weber much luck in her

new position with the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and welcome Mandy to our Chamber staff! Have a profitable month!

Kitchen & Bath Remodel

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Backflow Install Test Certify & Repair

Pumps, Water Softeners, Water Filtration

24 HR

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Service

The Maxwell family has proudly served

Indian River County since 1952

920 Truman Street Sebastian, FL 32958

Phone: 772.589.1630 Fax: 772.589.1370 james@maxwellplumbing.net

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The Chamber Currents Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce 700 Main Street Sebastian, Florida 32958

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