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

The phrase, “Been around the block” may not always be a polite description but for Merri-weather Designs it is a compliment. Third genera-tion family owned company has been in business for over 60 years! We’ve called Sebastian our home since 1985 and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Merriweather Designs originally began in a small country store called Fred and Mary’s. Later ex-panding to the opera house, the family business flourished. As Fred Reeves, creator of the family enterprise, headed toward retirement he moved the business to 825 US Hwy 1 (in the building with Barker Air Conditioning). He then passed the business to Shawn Reeves, first grandson. Mak-ing a name in the community as a sure thing, Merriweather Designs guarantees every product even if the manufacturer does not. We have life time clients and it’s a great thing because they are the family that supports our business.

Mainly known for our window treatments, Merri-weather is a full service interior design firm that has the ability to do contracting work. Handling every thing you may need for your home (or of-fice) such as: Flooring, Paint, Wallpaper, Fabrics, Furniture, Lighting, Custom Made Items, Uphol-stery, and Design Consulting. We’ve had re-quests such as, moving a home from up North to Florida and keeping it exactly the same. We also hear a lot of “Make it look good” and that is when we get to show our true talent.

Most recently, we have brought on wallpaper into our showroom. We carry everything from classic

stripes to elegant damask and even the modern geometrics. Our showroom truly packs a punch. We have an array of manufacturers and lines to choose from such as: Kravet, Ado, Kasmir, Dog-wood, Fabricade, Ralph Lauren, Sunbrella, Thi-baut, York, Laura Ashley, Stacy Garcia, Ron Redding, Candice Olsen, Vahallan Papers, Tommy Bahama, Gabe Humphries, and many more.

We strongly believe in being involved with the community. Shawn is an Appointed Director with the Sebastian Chamber, coaches Little League for boys, and donates to other non-profit organi-zations. Cheyenne was awarded Ambassador of the Year for 2009 with the Sebastian Chamber and is a Board Member for North Indian River County with the American Cancer Society.

We are also members of BBB, ASID, NKBA, LinkedIn, Twitter, Merchant Circle and ircul-ture.com, just to name a few.

At Merriweather Designs, we handle any size project in every budget. We give complimentary estimates, too. Please contact us at (772) 589-7771 or visit our showroom at 825 US Highway 1 or on the web at www.merriweatherdesigns.com.

Proposed renovations to the Chamber building on Main Street, entitled the:

Pelican Porch

Visitor’s Center

Acorn Mini Storage AC & Non AC Units

Boat & R.V. Storage Gated facility, security cameras, 24 hr access 5’ x 5’ 10’ x 10’ 10’ x 20’ 5’ x 10’ 10’ x 15’ 10’ x 30’ 189 Sebastian Blvd. Sebastian, FL 32958 (Rt. 512 East) 772-589-6939

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Annual State of the Chamber Luncheon at Capt Hiram’s Tiffany Room

Kristine Cody, Nurse Manager, IRMC and Nate McCollum, Com-munity & Government Liaison, IRMC, January Luncheon Sponsor

Debbi Vickers presented Sherri Sproch & Cathy Ewing of RE/MAX Crown Realty with a Light Up Night award for “Best Christmas Fantasy, Indoor”

11th Annual Concert in the Park Series

He Said She Said

JANUARY CHAMBER EVENTS

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Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events

February 2010

Feb. 4. Executive Committee Meeting 8:00 a.m. Chamber Main St. Office Feb. 5 Chamber Monthly Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Bronze Lotus Tanning & Day Spa 633 Sebastian Blvd., Suite C 8:30 a.m Legislative/Government Affairs Committee Chamber Main St. Office Feb. 6 LoPresti First Saturday Breakfast 9:00-11:30 Sebastian Municipal Airport 9:00-3:00 Craft Show, Riverview Park Feb. 9 Chamber Monthly Luncheon at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Noon Sponsored by: Monnett Eye & Surgery Center Guest Speaker: Rob Hill, Blue Tangerine Solutions “Web Site Search Engine Optimization” Reservations Please! $15 w/ RSVP, $20 at the door Feb. 10 Chamber Full Board Meeting 8:00 a.m. Chamber Main St. Office Feb. 16 Business Leaders Meeting with Congressman Bill Posey 4:30-6:30 pm Chamber Main St. Office, Reservations Please, Chamber Members Only Feb. 18 Chamber Business & Pleasure 5:30 pm Hale Groves River Market 9250 US Hwy 1, Wabasso Feb. 19 Concert in the Park Series at Riverview Park, Sebastian 5:30 pm Featuring “Straight Ahead w/ Tina Stefanos” Swing Band Music Sponsored by: Melbourne International Airport Feb. 27-28 Art in the Park by Sebastian River Art Club 10-4 Riverview Park, Sebastian 9-7 & 9-5 44th Annual Grant Seafood Festival

We are now OPEN on

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

New Members 12/04/09 – 01/12/10

Space Coast Jobs.com Wendy Rossi 1270 N. Wickham Road #55 Melbourne, FL 32935 321-752-8064 321-258-4180 www.spacecoastjobs.com wendy@spacecoastjobs.com Job Website

A Day To Cherish LLC Sheila Johnson P.O. Box 650746 Vero Beach, FL 32965 772-766-3523 www.a-day-to-cherish.com info@a-day-to-cherish.com Wedding Officiating and Planning

Aerus Electrolux Paul Suda 4664 E. Colonial Drive Orlando, FL 32803 321-243-1777 407-895-0355 www.aerushome.com Air & Water Purifiers

Absolute Building & Restoration, Inc. Mark & Lynda Murphy 9990 81st Street Vero Beach, FL 32967 772-388-3894 800-870-1123 Fax 772-581-0586 www.absolutebuilding.net absolutebldg1@gmail.com Builders/Contractors

Vero Insurance Agency, Inc. Scott Olmstead 3339 Cardinal Drive Vero Beach, FL 32963 772-231-2022 Fax 772-231-7444 www.veroinsurance.net scott@veroinsurance.net Insurance

Plumbago Volunteer Services Darlene Forage 1836 14th Avenue, Suite 204 Vero Beach, FL 32960 772-453-5727 Fax 772-567-8276 www.plumbagovs.org info@plumbagovs.org Non-Profit Organization

11th Annual Concerts in the Park Series Riverview Park 5:30-8:00 p.m.

SAVE THE DATES!

2/19/10 Straight Ahead with Tina Stefanos Swing Band

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”

Countryside Citrus Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Gulfstream Goodwill Store

Island Style Hair Studio Maxwell & Son Plumbing, Inc. Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum

Minuteman Press Mo-Bay Grill

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

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

LaPorte Farms would like to share news with you! They have added a mechanical bull to all of their fun party supplies! They have been licensed and insured since 1994 and have al-ways been owned and operated by Laura LaPorte. They offer pony rides, hayrides, birth-day parties, company picnics and now “Bodacious” the mechanical bull. The bull is safe, and has an air mattress that surrounds the area for safety. Check out their website at www.laportefarms.com.

LoPresti’s First Saturday Event on Saturday, February 6 will host Bill Cox, one of aviation’s most respected and accomplished writers/storytellers. It is also LoPresti’s celebrated “Sweetheart Fly In.” This charity breakfast event begins with coffee and full breakfast at 9:00 a.m., presentation from 10-11:30 a.m. Event benefits Indian River Humane Society. Charity donation of $5 at the Sebastian Municipal Airport. Bill Cox is an International Ferry Pilot, who has flown over 200 missions. In a profession that loses 5% of its membership yearly, Bill stands out as a consummate professional. No eye -patch. No silk scarf fluttering in the breeze. Not a risk taker, but a very, very careful planner, pilot, raconteur and author. In fact, Bill has been one of the most widely read aviation columnists for more than twenty years. If you go, you should ask him about the time he was captured by natives who thought it might be fruitful to hold Bill and his aircraft for ransom. More information, call Mimi Erskine at 772-562-4757.

Members of Indian River Credit Union are invited to attend IRFCU’s Annual Meeting, to be held Tuesday, February 9th, 7:30 pm, at the Freshman Learning Center, 1507 19th St., Vero Beach. IRFCU is a not for profit financial cooperative, serving those who live, work, worship or attend school in Indian River County. At its Annual Meeting, members will vote for Board Candidates, and learn more about IRFCU and its future.

The Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the scheduling of Small Business Workshops in Fellsmere, to be provided in both English and Spanish. Our volunteer counselor with SCORE, Tom Spears has partnered with Yolanda Guerrero-Rebollo and will hold its first free workshop on April 10 and April 17, from 7-9 p.m. at the City’s Community Center on Broadway in Fellsmere. For more info, go to www.score308.com.

The Treasure Coast Human Resource Association asks you to “Save the Date” for a con-ference, to be held on May 7, 2010. Their keynote speaker is Chip Madera and according to Lynne Rhodewalt with Personnel Plus, he is a huge draw! In addition to Mr. Madera’s presentation, there will be an update on employment law and healthcare update pending legislation. This forum is geared for small business owners and managers, as well as the HR professionals. So save the date and look for more info in future newsletters!

The 14th Annual EcoFest Celebration at the Environmental Learning Center will take place Sunday, March 7th from Noon to 4 p.m. This year’s theme is “Our Own Backyard.” Explore George’s Trail, including George’s Perch for a bird’s eye view of the Indian River Lagoon. The ELC is located south of Sebastian off County Road 510 at the western end of the Wa-basso Bridge. A listing of ELC’s Programs can be found at www.DiscoverELC.org.

Workforce Solutions, in collaboration with Monster Government Solutions, is holding four free work-shops to provide job seekers with the advice and resources they need to find a job and manage their career.

Workforce Solutions today announced a collaboration with Monster Government Solutions to plan and produce four free workshops to provide job seekers with the advice and resources they need to find a job and manage their career. Monster Government Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monster Worldwide, Inc, (NYSE: MWW), parent company of Monster.com, the leading global online career and recruitment resource. The workshops will feature Monster.com career experts who will provide information and techniques job seekers need to truly stand out from the crowd in today's tough job market and conduct effective job searches. Monster experts will teach job seekers about resume tips and tricks, successful net-working tools and techniques, new job hunting strategies, using career tools, and understanding what employers are looking for in this difficult market. Job seekers will also receive information on using the Florida career site, Employ Florida Marketplace, as well as guidance for accessing Monster's interac-tive career management tools. Great care has gone into making the workshop focused on the re-gional marketplace and workforce trends to provide job seekers with the highest quality relevant infor-mation. Materials presented during the workshop will be available to participants on a complimentary CD as well as from Workforce Solutions after the event. "This is a wonderful opportunity for our job seekers, the Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Solutions Gwenda Thompson said. "We offer many valuable workshops at Workforce Solutions, but this event brings in one of the largest nationally recognized job search experts." "Monster is committed to helping job seekers access the tools and information they need to find work," said Lee Ramsayer, Vice President of Sales for Monster Government Solutions. "These seeker work-shops are designed to give job seekers the chance to meet face-to-face with our career experts to en-ergize their job search and perfect the strategies they need to be successful. We are pleased to have been invited by Workforce Solutions to collaborate on this project to help people in the Treasure Coast area." The free Job Seeker Workshop will be held on Thursday, February 11th at the Williamson Conference and Education Center located at the Indian River State College Campus in Okeechobee. Additional Job Seeker Workshops will be held on Tuesday, February 16th at the Kight Center for Emerging Technologies located at the Indian River State College Main Campus in Fort Pierce; Thursday, Febru-ary 18th at the Richardson Center located at the Indian River State College Mueller Campus in Vero Beach; and Thursday, February 25th at the Wolf High Technology Center located at the Indian River State College Chastain Campus in Stuart. Job seekers can register for these workshops by visiting www.YourWorkforceSolutions.com. Workforce Solutions can be reached by calling 1-866-4U2-HIRE or 1-866-482-4473 or learn more about us on the web by logging on to www.YourWorkforceSolutions.com.

YOUR CALLING IS CALLING

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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February 2010 Beth L. Mitchell, Executive Director

Congressman Posey requests your presence at an informal get together here at the Chamber. He has scheduled a “Meet and Greet” with the business leaders in our community on Tuesday, February 16, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the Chamber’s Visitor Center. We have room for about forty, so if you plan on attending, please give us a call. This is a great opportunity for you to come and either tell the Congressman what’s on your mind, or ask him questions about the things that are happening in Washington D.C. This event is intended for our businesses and Chamber members to have “face time” with the Congressman. We hope for some good representation from the businesses! During the first two weeks of January, we had 238 visitors in the Chamber. The Chamber staff has also been creative in scheduling our time so we can be open on Saturdays. While there hasn’t been significant foot traffic on the weekend so far, we will keep this going through the month of February to see if it is a benefit to our businesses. Most of our visitors have been from out of town, primarily from New England or Canada. The Chamber’s new Legislative/Government Affairs Committee began the new year with some seri-ous goal setting. A new mission statement for the committee was created and approved by the Chamber board. The mission of the Legislative/Government Affairs Committee is to serve as a liai-son to government on behalf of business to influence, educate and promote constructive gov-ernment/business relations. The committee is lead by Theresa Tolle, Owner of Bay Street Phar-macy & Home Health Care, and Vice President of the Chamber. The committee is meeting the first Friday of every month at 8:30 a.m., at the Chamber office. As a member of the Chamber you are in-vited to join us, bring issues to the table, or just come and observe. There’s a real interesting event being planned to coincide with all of the political activity that we anticipate this summer! The Chamber’s efforts to keep economic development issues front and center continue. Several ini-tiatives that are ongoing include the Sebastian Airport Tenant’s meeting, held monthly at the airport office with Joe Griffin, and tenants. At this table we have had LoPresti, Skydive Sebastian, Velocity and others who are working on promoting the Sebastian area to their customers who are primarily out of the area. Pilots and their friends and families are encouraged to “fly in” to Sebastian, and spend some time in our wonderful community. The Tenants group also recently encouraged the Sebastian City Council to create an aviation park for the public. Also continuing is the Fellsmere Economic Development Task Force, meeting on a quarterly basis out at Marsh Landing. Jason Nunemaker the City Manager, and several Chamber members are brainstorming, bringing new ideas to help the business community in Fellsmere. The new SCORE business counseling services in Spanish at the Fellsmere Community Center, are an example of those efforts. This month, we visit with the Bronze Lotus Tanning and Day Spa for breakfast, and we are going back to Disney for lunch, with the Monnett Eye Center as our sponsor. The guest speaker, Rob Hill from Blue Tangerine Solutions, will be speaking on “Web Site Search Engine Optimization,” which sounds really dry, but its not. Its really about how you can tweak your website to drive more visitors to your online business. Its all about increasing your business! We also join Hale Groves River Market for our Business and Pleasure which should be a very pleasant evening! Have a profitable month!

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Kitchen & Bath Remodel Slab Leak Detection

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The Maxwell family has proudly served Indian River County since 1952

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Please Call to Schedule a Blood Drive at Your Place of Employment or Event

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

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