The St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce held their February 2019 Quarterly Luncheon, today, February 28, 2019, at the Kissimmee Bay Golf Course with guest speakers Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb and Bob Harris, CFO of AmeraTrail. Community leaders, local business owners, and St. Cloud Chamber members were all in attendance. While guests enjoyed lunch, Patti Loeding, St. Cloud Chamber Chair-Elect, welcomed new Chamber members followed by Immediate Past-chair  Joe McQuaid presented the February 2019 Quarterly Luncheon Awards.

Brian Beum, with “A Jump Time,” received Volunteer of the Quarter due to his positive attitude, ideas and creativeness. Brian made a Positive Difference in his volunteering for the Annual St. Cloud Chamber Christmas Parade and for donating a bounce house for the event.

Traudi Rayzor, from Rayzor’s Edge in downtown St. Cloud, was awarded the Good Neighbor Award because of her involvement with Relay for Life and the Bike & Music Festival, of which she is the creator and promoter. Traudi has been a member of the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce for 19 years, is extremely active in the community, and is also a member of the Osceola Business Group.

The Community Image – New Construction Award was awarded to Claudia and Brain Dundas from Creative World School, located at 4500 Lexington Blvd.
in St. Cloud, FL. for their participation in chamber events and for their sponsorship involvement.

Kira Takena, with A Helping Hand Counseling Center, received the February 2019 Quartley Luncheon Award for Non-Profit. She has been an active member of the Chamber for a number of years, and is always to serve the chamber and community and is a very talented public speaker.

Lastly, the Business of the Quarter Award went to Mike Reilly with Shamrock Auto Body. Mike sponsored the Annual St. Cloud Chamber Banquet that took place  in the Fall of 2018 and has participated in events like St. Cloud PD’s foundation, D.A.R.E. to Care, as well as the local Jingle Bell Ball event which provided an amazing amount of Christmas toys and so much more to children and families in Osceola County who are in need.

Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb spoke to the crowd about the sales tax referendum that will take place in a special election on May 21, 2019. She also explained to the lunch attendees the amount of revenue that would be generated from the sales tax and how those funds will be directly targeted towards Osceola County’s  transportation needs, which as well know, are numerous. To learn more about the the sales tax referendum and the upcoming special election please visit https://www.osceola.org/one-cent-surtax-for-transportation/#FAQ or call (407)742- ROAD with any questions.

“Based on the amount of money produced by this sales tax,  some of the transportation challenges and projects that we currently have could be expedited  – we are currently so far behind. “ – Cheryl Grieb, Osceola County Commissioner

Brain Harris, CFO of AmeraTrail gave an overview of the short term and long term growth plan of AmeraCenter Business Park which is a new business development for the east-side of Osceola County near Harmony Florida. AmeraTrail will be moving its headquarters to Osceola County with an overarching goal to increase talent and jobs in the area, create partnerships – “own versus lease”, create an attractive infrastructure design, and connect with the best resources to recruit the ideal businesses for the area. With the purchase of land off of east HWY 192 near Old Melbourne Hwy, AmeraCenter Business Park will provide n numerous opportunities for new manufacturing companies, new health clinics, distribution centers, agriculture – Agribusiness/Farm Support, warehouses, and much more. Construction is planned to begin in April 2019. For more information on this upcoming Business Park, please visit https://www.snowconstructioninc.com/ameracenter-business-park.

“We always welcome and support new industries in our community. We are always looking for opportunities for our members to increase their current businesses and also create economic development in our community that attracts not only new businesses but businesses that want to hire local residents.” – Patt Loeding, St. Cloud Chamber Chair Elect