Red Gamso, Director of Marketing & Communications
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Red Gamso, Director of Marketing & Communications
![]() The second annual Naples Children’s Business Fair welcomed an impressive 1,200 attendees to peruse and shop young entrepreneurs’ businesses on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Gulf Coast High School. The fair had participation of 123 youth-run businesses with 211 student participants. Presented by Barron Collier Companies, the Greater Naples Chamber’s Leadership Collier Foundation hosted the fair in partnership with Collier County Public Schools to give students the experience of entrepreneurship firsthand and sell their original products and services to the public. “This event is a great opportunity for youth in our community to get early exposure to the kinds of experience many business professionals wish they had had growing up,” said Nikkie Dvorchak, Naples Chamber vice president of events and development. “It was great to see students take their business plans and execute them from start to finish. We were blown away by the quality of their products, marketing, displays and salesmanship. We are already looking forward to how this event will continue to grow next year.” Throughout the day, attendees had the chance to vote for the “most original business idea,” “highest business potential,” and “most creative business.” Local leaders served as judges and awards were presented in five age groups, with one student awarded the “Sunshine Award” –which granted this year’s winner, Genevieve’s Art, a spot to display and sell her product in a local Sunshine Ace Hardware store. First place winners also won the opportunity to spend the day with Barron Collier Companies CEO Blake Gable visiting different industries in Collier County and learn what it takes to run a successful business. 2020 Winners:
Most Original Business: Storm Pet Toys Benjamin Peterson, Max Varga, Jack Johnson, Macauley Ronninger Highest Business Potential: VMC Designs Vanessa Coakley Most Creative: Bree Artiste Bryana Hamilton Sunshine Award: Genevieve’s Art Genevieve Blitch Age 6-7 Winners: 1st Place: Taralyn’s Treasures Taralyn Thomas 2nd Place: Emma’s Sweet Art Emma Vicas 3rd Place: Boo-Boo Buddies Dawson Winge, Logan Grove, Janel Elwell Age 8-10 Winners: 1st Place: John’s Woodworking John Disser 2nd Place: Tuti’s Terrific Treasures Sarah Dabees 3rd Place: S3 Creations Ella Seidner, Mac Seidner, Devyn Seidner Age 13-14 Winners: 1st Place – Colony Magic Brady Sheperd 2nd Place –Water Pros Justin Boggs Kaiden Gabauer Jonathan Regalado-Ramirez Victoria Rizo-Nunez 3rd Place – Ready Cement Go! Joshua Paul Caleb Paul Zach Paul Age 11-12 Winners: 1st Place: Stache Your Slime Sofie Ortiz 2nd Place: Jumba’s Cotton Candy Julia Muller Olivia Muller 3rd Place: Olivia’s Creation Station Olivia Edwards Age 15-17 Winners: 1st Place: Nagen Bakery Carl Veus Fanko Cardozo Ezekiel Ramirez 2nd Place: Jame’s LeSage Photography James LeSage 3rd Place: ABC Boba Tea Rebecca Pacter Ally Pacter Cathy Pacter The Naples Chamber’s Leadership Collier Foundation will work with participants post-event to continue their professional growth, connect them with business leaders and provide support on their entrepreneurial journey. For more information on the Naples Children’s Business Fair, visit www.napleschamber.org/cbf. The event was sponsored by Barron Collier Companies, Sunshine Ace Hardware, Arthrex, Naples Daily News, First Florida Integrity Bank, ACI Worldwide, Neapolitan Family, Keiser University, Wintrust Banking Center, Brown & Brown Insurance, Fieldr, Beasley Media, Sugar Shack and Florida Weekly. ![]() The Greater Naples Chamber is honored to announce our 2019 Distinguished Public Service Award Winners! Established in 2003, the Distinguished Public Service Awards recognize the outstanding contribution of an individual or team to their respective public service profession and to the well-being of Collier County. This year’s award categories and honorees include the following: ![]() EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES Deputy Chief Tony Camps, Capt. Anthony Maro, Capt. Matthew Allen, Lt. Mike Smith, Lt. Kevin Escalera, Lt. Tony Delatorre, PM Moises Galicia & Lt. Jorge Castillo, Collier County Emergency Medical Services This team of dedicated professionals with Collier County Emergency Medical Services has taught over 260 classes and has trained over 6,800 Collier County residents as part of the Stop the Bleed Campaign. The two-hour class prepares individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to provide medical care for surviving a mass violent event, such as an active shooter. A graduate of the first class taught by this team used her training to survive the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017. ![]() FIRE SAFETY Lt. Robert Schank, North Collier Fire Control and Rescue Lt. Schank began his career in fire safety in 1997 with the North Naples Fire District. He is now a lieutenant with the North Collier Fire Control & Rescue District. He coaches soccer at Lely high school where he focuses on mentoring youth, with many of his mentees following in his professional footsteps. Schank has been responsible for influencing over 20 emergency responders to start their career in Collier County. ![]() LAW ENFORCEMENT Lt. Michael O’Reilly & Sgt. Matthew Doyle, Naples Police Department Lt. O’Reilly and Sgt. Doyle, of the Naples Police Department, were off duty attending a Boy Scout swim test when they noticed a man having a seizure in the pool. Both men jumped into action and began rendering emergency aid. Through several cycles of CPR and a shock from an available AED, they were able to bring the patient’s pulse back and save his life. Within a week, the man was fully recovered. ![]() TELECOMMUNICATIONS PST-II Kristopher Murphy, Naples Police Department PST-II Murphy, of the Naples Police Department, received a 911 call from a panicked woman indicating her stepfather was unconscious on the floor with irregular breathing. Murphy immediately recognized the emergency as cardiac arrest and had the stepdaughter begin chest compressions within 3 minutes and 15 seconds of receiving the call. After 78 seconds, the man began breathing on his own, and he was alert and speaking minutes later. ![]() LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT Retired Deputy Chief Michael Nichols, City of Naples Fire-Rescue Department Retired Deputy Chief Nichols played a key role in producing the first-ever five-year strategic plan for the City of Naples Fire-Rescue Department. He also had a vital role in forging a partnership between the Naples Fire-Rescue, Collier County Sheriff’s Office and Motorola to implement and deploy the new computer-aided dispatch system improving unit response time. Additionally, Nichols has been instrumental in teaching and mentoring local youth in the annual Naples Police and Fire-Rescue Youth Academy. The Greater Naples Chamber will honor 13 Collier County first responders with the 17th annual Distinguished Public Service Awards on October 9 at the Hilton Naples from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. The keynote speaker will be Collier County Judge Janeice Martin of the 20th Judicial Circuit. Reserve your seat today! The event is sponsored by Naples Daily News, Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Naples, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., First Florida Integrity Bank, 100 Club, Dragon Horse Media, Burntwood Tavern, Lee County Electric Cooperative
and Life In Naples. JENNA BUZZACCO-FOERSTER | DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONSWhen Syd Kitson set out to create Babcock Ranch, he wanted to prove that growth and sustainability could go hand in hand.
Thirteen years later, his vision is a reality. And Kitson, the chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners, said the Southwest Florida community is a model for what smart development can look like going forward. “All these things that we’re talking about are what create community,” said Kitson. “Babcock Ranch doesn’t have gates. This is truly a town.” Kitson talked about his vision for creating Babcock Ranch during the August 14 Wake Up Naples at Hilton Naples. In his 45-minute conversation with Naples City Manager Charles Chapman, Kitson discussed the process of building a town from the ground up, the importance of preservation and how to create community. “One of the things we wanted Babcock Ranch to be was multi-generational,” he said. “We didn’t want it to be a bunch of old people like me. We wanted to have that great mix of people.” The best way to attract young people: Build a school. That was one of the first things Kitson did, at the urging of former Gov. Jeb Bush, a member of the Babcock Ranch board. It proved to be a smart decision. The school quickly had a waiting list and has since moved to a larger location. Kitson said Babcock Ranch has incorporated a variety of other features, including community gardens and free Wi-Fi outside, to make the town attractive to all types of residents. His team is focused heavily on solar power, becoming the first all solar community in nation, and autonomous vehicles. These measures have helped achieve the goal of attracting a wide variety of residents. Kitson said more than half the buyers are young families, and a fair share of them work in the community. Kitson encouraged landowners, developers and governments to “work in partnership” to ensure sustainable communities can flourish in the future. “I think what Babcock Ranch is proving … is that people what that kind of living,” he said. To register for future Wake Up Naples breakfast events visit www.napleschamber.org/wakeupnaples |
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