2008Community

Trustees

BankFIRST

Bright FutureElectric, LLC

Castle & Cooke

DeWitt Excavating

Embarq

First CommercialBank of Florida

GrayRobinson, P.A.

Health Central

Lowndes DrosdickDoster Kantor &

Reed, P.A.

Manheim Orlando

McCree Designed & Built Right!

Miller, South & Milhausen, P.A.

PrismOne Group, LLC

Progress Energy

Regions Bank

SunTrust Bank

The MiddlesexCompanies

Veranda Partners

Walt Disney WorldCompany

West Oaks Mall

Our Mission: To Develop, Support and Promote Chamber Member Businesses and Our Community.

Chairman’s MessageJulie Kleffel, 2008 Chamber ChairmanBankFIRST

February 2008

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe that we have turned another page in history and that I have offi cially begun my service as your new West Orange Chamber of Commerce Chairman for 2008. I am so excited about all the opportunities that are before us as a Chamber and as a community. West Orange County is a wonderful community and it is my absolute pleasure to be associated with a local Chamber that is committed to supporting its members by continuing to drive home our mantra of “Chamber members doing business with Chamber members”. It is my sincerest hope that each chamber member will focus on assisting the Chamber with its ongoing growth by celebrating how the Chamber has made a difference in our community and in our businesses all throughout the year.

I would like to extend my gratitude to all of our loyal Chamber members that have helped make 2007 a huge success and that have renewed their fi nancial commitment to the chamber for 2008. I specifi cally want to say thank you to all of our Discover magazine advertisers because without your support the Chamber would not be able to produce the magazine with the level of excellence we have all grown accustomed to over the past several years. Thank you also to Progress Energy for providing the chamber staff with the demographic information that was included in the publication and thank you to Joe Alarie of Alarie Design Associates for his magnifi cent cover artwork and design. As always there are many ways that you and your business can support the Chamber whether it is with membership fees, sponsorship dollars, or simply your time and energy. There are still sponsorship opportunities available for 2008 at all levels. Please be sure to contact your chamber staff to fi nd out the best way to showcase your business and maximize your chamber membership.

In closing, I want to extend a special thanks to Russ Salerno, my predecessor. Russ has put countless hours into making the Chamber and our community a better place. I want to welcome our new board members for 2008. They are Chesta Hembrooke, Jeff Milhausen, John Murphy, Shelly Weidenhamer, Bob Hennen, Ken Dwyer, Kitty Phiillips, David Sylvester, and Commissioner Bob Buchanan.. As always, our Chamber board and staff are dedicated to providing you with the best service possible and stand ready to assist you in any way we can in the coming year.

I am looking forward to serving you, your business, and our community!

Best regards,

Julie KleffelWest Orange Chamber of CommerceBoard of Directors Chairman, 2008

Jacqueline Siegel (local Philanthropist and wife of Timeshare Tycoon David Siegel), Michelle Damon(wife of the New York Yankee Johnny Damon), Tina Wong, Mrs. Orlando America, Michael Waldrop, a Purple Heart Recipient and Vice President of Business Development at McCree, Designed and Built Right! Danny Treanor, local weatherman from Channel 13 and Bert Roper, inventor of the Tree-See Control System, Benefactor of the Roper YMCA and Citrus Industry Entrepreneur. The Who’s Who of West Orange, what do they have in common?

West OrangeChamber

Board of Directors

Joe Alarie

A. Kurt Ardaman

Mayor Gary Bruhn

Comm. Bob Buchanan

Debbie Clements

Jim Densmore

Ken Dwyer

Louis Fazio, Jr.

Rob Frank

Ron Garrison

Bob Gosselin

Pamela Gould

Chesta Hembrooke

Bob Hennen

Comm. Teresa Jacobs

Julie Kleffel - Chairman

John McReynolds

Jeff Milhausen

John Murphy

Linda Osterberg

Dan Petro

Kitty Phillips

Stephen Precourt

Russ Salerno

Paul Sexton

Dianne Southwell

Mayor Kathy Stark

Lynetta Steed

David Sylvester

Jim Thomas

Dr. Diane Trees

Micheal Waldrop

Shelly Weidenhamer

Member to Member Testimonial

The West Orange Chamber has done a wonderful job to expand the perception and sell the image of West Orange County to out-of-town vacationers, business guests and newcomers. They also provide accurate demographics to help attract new business to our area that will enhance our economic development.

Judy BlackMain Street Realty International

Th e Deed is Done

For those of you who have been with the chamber for over a decade, you will remember the intensive building fund campaign that was established in pursuit of the purchase of the Chamber building. This campaign encompassed corporate and private donations, the selling of bricks and much more that lasted for the past 10 years. It started back in 1997 when Lake Apopka Natural Gas (former residents of the Chamber building) and the city of Winter Garden worked out a property swap and then offered the property at 12184 West Colonial Drive to the West Orange Chamber of Commerce for a lease option to purchase.

The Chamber was in desperate need of a structurally sound, centrally located home. Many of the Chamber’s community partners enabled that to happen. The City of Winter Garden took the leadership role and offered the site and then asked other municipalities and private businesses to help in this venture. Oakland, Ocoee, and Windermere each contributed to the fund. BankFIRST, Florida Power (now Progress Energy), Health Central, Dan Petro and Walt Disney World also contributed by making annual contributions. Veranda Park contributed a small portion of their residential sales proceeds to the fund for a year. The West Orange Committee of 101 was instrumental in keeping the fund growing. So very many of you helped to make it happen and on January 14th, the Chamber became the proud owners of the building at 12184 West Colonial, the Chamber’s home.

This is not the end of the road. Now that we proudly own the building, we plan to expand the parking lot allowing our facilities to be more accessible to our members and the community.

For those that have never been to our offi ces or even if you have, we would love for you to stop in and check us out, you are always welcome in our home.

A Great Way to Mix Business and BreakfastEvery community has them and without them we would be at such a loss; West Orange is no exception and could very well have the best ones when it comes to volunteers, those willing to give back to their com-munities. West Orange exceptional community leaders were recently honored at the Chamber’s Business & Breakfast sponsored by Bright Future Electric and Bistro Gourmet at McDonald’s. Russ Salerno, the 2007 WOCC Chairman had the pleasure of presenting a variety of awards for contributions to the Chamber and the greater West Orange Community. The auditorium was fi lled with community and Chamber members as we honored: Kay Behrens and Jim Neumayer – Lifetime Directors; Neal Harris – Sam Hovsepian Award; Pam Gould - The Mary VanDevener Award, “The Spirit of West Orange”; Paul McGarigal – The George Bailey Award; Randy June – The Bert Roper Award; Derek Blakeslee with the Bond Foundation – The Jerry Chicone Award; Regions Bank – Member of the Year; Shelly Weidenhamer – Chairman’s Award and JoAnne Quarles – The Ambassador of the Year award.

After the prestigious Chamber awards were handed out, the attendees got a fi rst hand glimpse of the recent property tax legislation that came before the voters on January 29th on Presidential Preference Primary day. Bill Donegan, Orange County Property Appraiser, gave a concise and informative presentation on how the tax cut would impact individuals as well as the governments. What a great way to mix business with breakfast.

Longwood407-767-6411

MetroWest407-398-7730

Winter Park407-645-4350

Your eyesare yourwindowto theworld.

Robert S. Gold, M.D., F.A.A.P.David B. Auerbach, D.O.Louis C. Blumenfeld, M.D., F.A.A.P.Victor B. Thomas, M.D.Larry S. Lewis, O.D.

www.eyephy.com

EYE CARE. WE CARE.

The West Orange Chamber knows,that you know,

that we know Small Business, but, does everyone else know,

what you know about you?

Take advantage of Member only Benefi ts…• Web Enhance Marketing (WEM)• The Chambers Data Base on labels or on Disc• Fax Blasts• Advertising on the Chamber‛s Website

Contact the Chamber at info@wochamber.com or 407-656-1304 to fi nd out how you can be in the know.

The Chamber knows!

HOT TOPIC – Wednesday, February 13th7:50 am – 9:00 am

BankFIRST Community RoomThe “Hot Topic” will be Marketing Your Business On and

Offl ine by Royall Media, Inc. The presentation will be broken into two sections, the fi rst relating to the general marketing

and advertising including an overview of strategy & planning, targeting a demographic, dominating a medium through

frequency and repetition, and the media buying process. The second section will cover search engine optimization techniques

and other ways of building web traffi c to your website and marketing yourself online. This event will be held at

BankFIRST in their new Community Room. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.

Space is limited; please R.S.V.P. to Chris Eckert at 407-656-1304 or ceckert@wochamber.com!

AMBASSADOR ACCOLADES & ANTICS

The Ambassadors recently participated in the following events:

RIBBON CUTTINGSWorld Market

3227 Daniels Road, Winter Garden Global Counseling

120 W. 6th Avenue, Windermere,West End Safe & Lock

855 E. Plant Street, Ste 1000, Winter GardenHillcrest Insurance

37 N. Boyd Street, Winter GardenCouture Cleaners

348 Moore Road, OcoeeLola’s

505 Main Street, Ste B, Windermere Techmart

356 Moore Road, Ocoee Jos. A. Bank

3279 Daniels Road, P-102, Winter GardenZelmar Kitchen Designs

1107 S. Clarke Road, OcoeeDynasty Gallery & Gifts

1053 S. Clarke Road, OcoeeUno Chicago Grill

3167 Daniels Road, Winter Garden

ANNIVERSARYSundax Florida (1st)

890 Carter Road, Ste 180, Winter Garden IHOP (1st)

13603 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden

Mark your calendar forthe 6th Annual Best Fest

“A Taste of West Orange”Th ursday, April 17, 2008

5:00 – 8:30 pm“Th e Residences” at Veranda Park

3rd fl oor, Rain or Shine

Vendors Wanted

Contact Lauren at lwolf@wochamber.com

New MembersAPARTMENTS

Winterwoods Apartment HomesJane Gibbons

(407) 877-2110www.epmapartments.com

BAKERYParty Flavors Custom Cakes

Priscilla Lucas(407) 578-2082

www.orlandocustomcakes.com

BANKSRegions Bank

Jill DeVita(407) 656-3125

BUSINESS CONSULTINGBuild A Business, LLC

Jason Walker(407) 489-6017

www.buildabusiness.biz

CHOCOLATES & GIFTSPeterbrooke Chocolatier

Phil Bresson(407) 877-0048

www.peterbrooke.com

CLEANING SERVICESVanguard Cleaning Systems

John Long(407) 373-6058

www.vanguardcleaning.com

COMPUTER - SALES/SERVICE/CONSULTANT

TechmartJohn Ricketts

(407) 905-3560www.techmartfl .com

COSMETICS & SKIN CAREMary Kay CosmeticsAudrey Harris White

(407) 227-2439www.marykay.com/alwhite

DENTISTBR Dental

Brian Ramski(407) 299-9967

DENTIST - COSMETIC & FAMILY

West Orange Dental GroupDr. Tejumade St. Matthew-Daniel

(407) 290-9588www.westorangecosmeticdentist.

com

HEALTH AND WELLNESSIsagenix International

Page Thall(407) 929-2814

pagethall.isagenix.com

INSURANCE - GROUP & HEALTH

Austin InsuranceFred Austin

(407) 963-2270

MORTGAGE LOANSCountrywide Home Loans

Stacy Chester(407) 883-0687

www.countrywidebank.com

ORGANIZATIONS - NON-PROFIT

SCORE Orlando ChapterRich Jaeckle

(407) 420-4893

PHOTOGRAPHYClix Portrait Studios

Rick Rocha(407) 466-3136

www.clixorlando.com

PHYSICIANS - INTERNAL/PREVENTIVE

MEDICINEWintermere Internal Medicine

Dr. Adnan Khan(407) 654-2727

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTSKB SmartwearAndre Smart

(407) 649-1685www.kbsmartwear.net

REAL ESTATE - APPRAISINGDeRango, Best & Associates

Daniel DeRango(407) 895-6650

www.derangobest.com

REAL ESTATE - ASSOCIATESDorcas Dillard - Portfolio Homes

& Investments, Inc.(407) 694-2057

www.refer2dorcas.com

Myra Waterman - Stirling Sotheby’s

International Realty(407) 509-6364

www.AtHomeWithMyra.com

RESTAURANTSChili’s

Megan Dempsey(407) 877-0796www.chilis.com

Longhorn SteakhouseDaryl Baer

(407) 654-0272www.longhornsteakhouse.com

Planet SmoothieClayton Beamer(407) 656-6574

www.planetsmoothie.com

Saris RestaurantEnrique Vives

(407) 654-6912

Smokey BonesJohn Murphy

(407) 245-5383www.smokeybones.com

Tambora’s Grill CafeVicky Curiel

(407) 340-7927

Texas RoadhouseAmber Agnew

(407) 253-4224www.texasroadhouse.com

SCHOOLSMontverde Academy

Kasey Kesselring(407) 469-2561

www.montverde.org

Rate Relief SolutionsJim Mesh

(407) 869-8900

Windermere Preparatory SchoolGreg Stone

(407) 905-7737www.windermereprep.com

SEPTIC TANK INSTALLATION & REPAIR

Brownie’s Water SolutionsPenny Woodruff(407) 841-4321

http://brownieseptic.com/

SHOPPING CENTERSWestside Crossing

Eleanor Wong(407) 298-6678

www.orlandochinatown.com

SIGNSSigns & Embroidery

Abraham Ucin(407) 656-7699

TRAVEL AGENCIESSeaMaster Cruises

Teresa Knox(407) 290-2469

www.teresaknox.com

Renewed MembersACCOUNTANTS - CERTIFIED PUBLICGillard Financial Solutions, LLCOsburn, Henning & Company

APARTMENTSCountry GardensInland Seas Apartments

ARCHITECTUREJWB ArchitectsKZF Design, LLC

ASSOCIATEElizabeth M. ErvineKate OatesTheo Graham

ATTORNEYSFishback,Dominick,Bennett,Stepter,Ardaman,Ahlers & Langley, LLPJohn W. Rodgers, Attorney at LawLynn Walker Wright, P.A.

AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIPSOrlando Dodge Chrysler Jeep, Inc.

BANKSFirst Commercial Bank of FloridaOrange Bank of Florida

BATTERY-SALESG.J. Batteries, Inc.

BROCHURE DISTRIBUTIONF.P.I.S., Inc., Brochure Distribu-tion & Travel Marketing

BUILDERS/CONTRACTORS/DEVELOPERSCastle & CookeR. C. Stevens Construction CompanyRabCo Corporation TheRyland Homes

CATERINGBig City Catering, Inc.

CHURCHESCornerstone Community ChurchPeople of Faith Lutheran Church

CITIES & TOWNSTown of Windermere

CITRUS BUYERSP. H. Freeman & Sons, Inc.

CITRUS COOPERATIVESouth Lake Apopka Citrus

CITRUS GROVE MANAGEMENTWinter Garden Citrus Growers

CITRUS GROWERSHolland Properties, Inc.

CITRUS PACKERS/COMMERCIAL/GIFT SHIPPERSConoley Citrus Packers, Inc.

COMPUTER - SALES/SERVICE/CONSULTANTTechnology Solutions of AmericaTerrito Information Systems

CONCRETE CONTRACTORSThe Middlesex Companies

DENTIST - ORTHODONTISTRobert T. Ogden, D.D.S.

ELECTED OFFICIALSFlorida Senator Daniel WebsterOrange County Clerk of the Courts

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORBright Future Electric, LLCTerrito Electric, Inc.

ENGINEERS-CONSULTING/CIVILJune Engineering Consultants, Inc.

ENVIRONMENTAL- CONSULTINGBiosphere Consulting, Inc.

FINANCIAL ADVISORSAXA AdvisorsJenemi Associates, Inc.

FINANCIAL SERVICESLegacy Financial Solutions

FLOOR COVERING COMPANIESFloors Direct

GAS COMPANIESLake Apopka Natural Gas District

GRAPHIC DESIGNAlarie Design Associates, Inc.

HOME HEALTH CARECare America, HHC

INSURANCEState Farm Insurance – Joseph McClellanState Farm Insurance – Tom Mullins

LANDSCAPEImage Landscaping & Mainte-nanceU.S. Lawns of Orlando

MANUFACTURERLambert Corporation of Florida

MANUFACTURERS - MARINETeak Isle, Inc.

METAL WORKSFlorida Metal Craft, Inc.

MORTGAGE LOANSCountrywide Home Loans

MOVIE THEATREWest Orange 5

NEWSPAPERSOrlando Business Journal

ORGANIZATIONS - CIVICRotary Club of Windermer

ORGANIZATIONS - HEALTH (NON-PROFIT)Community Health Centers, Inc.Florida’s Blood Centers, Inc.

ORGANIZATIONS - NON-PROFITEarly Learning Coalition of Orange CountyHenry Nehrling SocietyS.T.A.R.S. of West OrangeThe Gift of Swimming

PEST CONTROLHome Team Pest Defense

PETROLEUM GAS TANKS & GENERATORS -SALES & SERVICEDon Wood, Inc.

PHARMACIESMedicine Shoppe, The

PHYSICIANS - ORTHOPAEDICWest Orange Orthopaedics

REAL ESTATELand Plus, Inc.Suzi Karr Realty, Inc.

REAL ESTATE - DEVELOPMENTApex Commerce Center, LLCAquaterra Development, Inc.

REAL ESTATE - INVESTMENTIRM Investments, Real Estate & Management

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES SALES/SERVICEGiant Recreation World

RENTAL PROPERTIES - COMMERCIALWhite Buffalo Holdings, LLC

RESTAURANTSMcDonald’s Of Winter Garden

RETAILBest Buy

RETAIL - HARDWAREACE Hardware

SCHOOLSDillard Street Elementary SchoolFoundation Academy - North CampusGotha Middle SchoolHiawassee ElementaryMetrowest Elementary SchoolOcoee Elementary SchoolPalm Lake Elementary SchoolSouthwest Middle SchoolSpring Lake ElementaryUniversity of FloridaWest Orange High SchoolWestside Tech

SIGNSThe Original Sign Factory

SKILLED NURSING FACILITYQuality Health Care Center

STORAGE UNITSMaguire Road Self Storage

TITLE INSURANCE SERVICESEquitable Title Agency, Inc.

TRAVEL AGENCIESGo Travel

VETERINARIANSOcoee Animal HospitalWinter Garden Animal Hospital

JOIN.MEET.GROW.

Waste Management Donates Recycled Tables to Tildenville Elementary

Waste Management Inc. of Florida Public Sector Services Manager Jim Swan (seated, center) and Waste Manage-ment Recycle America Municipal Manager Larry Dalla Betta (standing behind table) receive thank-you cards from Tildenville Elementary kindergartners for the recycled-plastic picnic tables the companies recently donated to the school. Each table is made from 5,760 recycled milk jugs and requires no maintenance other than washing. Waste Management Inc. of Florida is one of Tildenville Elementary School’s Partners in Education and in the past has donated thousands of pencils and rulers made of recycled materials to the students and books on recycling and the environment to the school library.

THE WHO’S WHO OF WEST ORANGE ARE DANCING What do Jackie Siegel, Michael Waldrop, Danny Treanor, Michelle Damon, and Tina Wong all have in common? They are all hard at work learning ballroom dancing at the Central Florida Dance Center in preparation for the West Orange Chamber’s Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off! But look out folks, West Orange’s own Bert Roper is dusting off his dancing shows and joining the ranks as he too will “cut a rug” and vie for the bragging rights as the best dancer in West Orange County.

The Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off is a premiere fundraiser event for the West Orange Chamber and a $1.00 of each ticket sold goes directly into the Chamber’s Scholarship fund for area High School seniors who plan to attend Valencia Community College or Westside Technical School. The competition is all in fun, but you would never know it by the level of intensity the dancers have shown while rehearsing. Guests of the event will be treated to outstanding dance performances, providing for a most entertaining evening. Professional judges will oversee the event, but the audience will be able to vote and ultimately dictate the winner.

The presenting sponsors for the Big Orange Ball are Progress Energy, DeWitt Excavating and Technology Solutions of America. Also sponsoring the event are Ace Hardware, DRB Benefi ts Group and dance lessons along with studio time are provided by The Central Florida Dance Center.

Come out and support the Chamber while cheering on your favorite dancers. The evening will also include both silent and live auctions. Reservations are required and may be made at lwolf@wochamber.com or by calling 407-656-1304x5. Seats are limited.

CHAMBER CHATTER

Joy McGinty, founder of The Gift of Swimming, was honored with The Humanitarian Award for 2007 by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Community Action Board and Head Start Policy Council. The Annual Awards Dinner was held on November 9th

at the Orange County Convention Center. Her accomplishments were achieved through an exceptional partnership with The Gift of Swimming, SouthWest Aquatics and the Orange County Head Start program. This partnership gave 412 children the opportunity to learn water safety skills through swimming.

Julie Kleffel, Chairman of the Chamber, in addition to her current position at BankFIRST as Area President was also promoted to Senior VP of Commercial Loan Sales.

Plaudits! was recently awarded a Reader’s Choice Award by The Orlando Business Journal for Best Corporate Gift Company in Central Florida. Rave Reviews Magazines also named Plaudits! in their Top 100 List.

2008Supporting

Trustees

Ace Hardware

Alarie DesignAssociates

Dyer, Riddle, Mills& Precourt, Inc.

Fishback, Dominick,Bennett, Stepter,

Ardaman, Ahlers & Bonus, LLP

Plaudits!

Publix

Sines, Girvin,Blakeslee & Campbell

Technology Solutionsof America

The Huber Group

The Robins & Morton Group

The West OrangeTimes

Universal Orlando

University of Central Florida

Waste Management, Inc. of Florida

Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves

West Orange Chamber of Commerce12184 W. Colonial DriveWinter Garden, FL 34787Ph: (407) 656-1304 Fax: (407) 656-0224Web site: www.wochamber.com

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 257

Winter Garden, FL

FEBRUARY

Wednesday, February 13thHot Topics

Presented by Royall Media “Marketing Your Business On and Offl ine”

7:50-9:00amBankFIRST Community Room

Free for current Chamber Members; by RSVP only

Thursday, February 21stLead & Feed

Zia’s Grill & Pizza12:00-1:30pm

Cost: TBA

Friday, February 22nd The Big Orange Ball…A Dance Off

Sponsored byDewitt Excavating, Progress Energy and Technology Solutions of America

Rosen Centre6:30pm – 11:00pm

$96.00 Members, $116.00 Non Members

Thursday, February 28thBusiness After Hours

Sponsored by and located atFirst Commercial Bank

5:30pm – 7:00pmFREE

MARCH

Thursday, March 13thLead & FeedTaverna Opa12:00-1:30pm

Cost: TBA

Tuesday, March 18th – Wednesday, March 19thCapitol Connection

Sponsored by Universal Orlando$350.00 per person

Thursday, March 20thNew Member Orientation

Sponsored by Strombeck Consulting, CPA’sChamber Offi ce

3:30pm – 4:30pmFREE

Thursday, March 20thBusiness After Hours

Sponsored by and located atAPEX Commerce Center

5:30pm – 7:00pmFREE

Thursday, March 27thPower Networking

Sponsored by and located at Courtyard by Marriott8:00am – 9:00am

FREE for current Chamber Members; by RSVP only