2021 Community Guide and Membership Directory is on the way

2021 Community Guide and Membership Directory is on the way

By TERI ASHLEY

We have a lot to look forward to as we head into June, and then the second half of the year 2020. Ramping up business, welcoming back visitors, enjoying summer fun, and then easing into the magical holidays.

Then it will be done. Good ol’ 2020 will be in the online history books. Happy New 2021!

Notice how I just skipped, hopped, and jumped right on over the rest of 2020? Admit it. You have silently done the exact same thing during the past three months. Don’t get me wrong, we should always make the most of every day and seize all opportunities. Nowadays that can mean looking a little farther ahead than usual, but I do believe we have a major opportunity ahead of us.

Studies have shown that our region is exactly the type of area predicted to come back with a big bang. The reasons for the impending tidal wave are simple. Think about where YOU would like to visit or do business when able to travel more freely. Or where you would suggest YOUR loved ones visit for a while and have some safe fun.

Our community meets every requirement on anyone’s list, including our upcoming visitors.

This is where customers and visitors will want to be, to refresh and to just … be.

When the tidal wave of visitors starts to roll back in, and our businesses have again flung all of their doors wide open, we need to be well prepared. The Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce will again assume the role of a gigantic welcome wagon, and we are here to help everyone else do the same. We will be spreading valuable information far and wide.

The 2021 Community Guide and Membership Directory is where YOU should be. The 100-page, full size glossy magazine is not just full of the best business information and a complete business directory, it also includes sections about our community lifestyle, climate, water activities, maps, demographics, retirement locations, events, golf courses, medical services, parks, and much more.

If I were you, I would not want my business to be left behind just bobbing in the wake.

Please give us a call at 941-627-2222 for more information.

Coming up

   The Government Affairs committee will have its monthly meeting this afternoon, followed by the ChamberACTION Committee and Board of Directors meeting tomorrow. All meetings are still conducted virtually and have been very efficient without skipping a beat. Chamber operations roll on.

There will be more to come later, but the monthly Third Wednesday Coffee will be IN the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center on the morning of June 17.

We will also be hosting a new style of our annual New Teacher’s Breakfast on July 30, with 90 new teachers expected. Businesses are always eager to sponsor a teacher as we welcome them to the Charlotte County schools. Again, more details to come later.

The historic A.C. Freeman House

   We’re baaaaaaack. Open to visitors from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce has returned to the Punta Gorda office in the historic Freeman House. Located at 311 W. Retta Esplanade, the maintenance work has been completed, followed by a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.

The same health and safety protocols will be in place as we proceed with additional community events in this beautiful setting, just as we have done in Punta Gorda for the past 95 years. Home sweet home.

What season is this anyway?

   My rain gauge measured three inches last Thursday night. I thought that was odd for November. Yikes. Has anyone else been getting the months or seasons confused recently? If the answer is yes, then I’m glad I’m not alone. If the answer is no, then me neither. I was just testing you.

 

   Teri Ashley is the executive director of the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce, now in its 95^th year, with offices in both Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte. She can be reached at 941-639-2222 or at tashley@charlottecountychamber.org.