Kerry Baker, executive director of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s going on for businesses.
The Chamber is a wealth of knowledge for business people and Richard Strickland from the Key West International Airport will speak at an upcoming membership luncheon.
Baker said, “Richard is scheduled to be our speaker at our July 30 luncheon, so we do have our lunch a little later this month. We made some moves so we could participate in the city’s public budget workshop meetings the week before. But we’re looking forward to getting an update on the airport. Anyone that’s flown through there since the new terminal has opened, I mean, it’s definitely beautiful. I certainly, as a traveler, appreciate the modernization of the airport, but I do still miss some of the old feel. I’ve also had the privilege of seeing a couple of varieties of the airport over my lifetime of living in Key West.”
The numbers of people traveling just continue to increase.
Baker said, “When you have sometimes unexpected showers, anyone that’s lived here long enough has probably encountered a time or two where they’ve had to walk to the plane and get sprinkled on a little bit. So that’s actually a nice change. So I certainly thank the county and Richard and everyone for the efforts put into the project, and it’s been a long time coming, and we’re grateful to see the completion coming near to an end. They still have some phases that they’re working on, but I think that they’ve done a fantastic job of keeping us updated and I certainly thank the county commissioners and everyone that’s been a part of that to make that project come to be.”
A barbeque rib battle is coming up.
Baker said, “We partner with Shots and Giggles, and we have our annual barbecue rib battle that’s taking place Labor Day weekend. So it’s the Sunday of Labor Day, August 31. We have, I think, four to five slots left for anyone that’s interested in coming out and actually participating in being a contestant in the barbecue rib part of it. There is no entry fee to join. We do ask that you provide a minimum of 10 racks of ribs that we sell as a fundraiser, and then we get $2,000 in cash prizes for our first, second and third. Then we have a great goodie basket for kind of our people’s fan favorite. It’s just a great event. This year, we’ll have some pulled pork sliders, some brisket sliders, and, of course, all of your traditional southern sides. So it’s a great day 12 to 4. We certainly encourage our local residents and members of the Chamber and even our visitors to come and stop by and learn a little bit about the Chamber and enjoy some good old barbecue.”
The Chamber has a lot of events going on.
Baker said, “Part of the Chamber’s mission and goal is advocacy. We are there to work and represent the business community. So that is one of the reasons why you see me often, pretty much, at almost every city meeting, you’re going to see me there, so I am able to keep on top of what’s going on, not only in the city, but also in the county or Tourist Development Council. I try to monitor everything and things going on on a state level, because it’s important for us to be informed, so therefore we can let our membership know exactly what’s going on, especially if it’s things that can affect us. A lot of times, there’s bills, even on a state level, that are going to trickle down and affect us and sometimes those bills can affect the business community differently. So it is important to make sure that we have a voice and that also that they know that we’re here to help. So we certainly appreciate the partnerships that we have with all of our local government entities. I appreciate everyone that’s in public office. It is a sacrifice of their time and their commitment. Most of them work and have their own careers and family. So it is a dedication, and I personally just want to say thank you to all of them for everything that they do to represent not only the constituents in the city of Key West but county wide.”
The 36th annual showcase of Key West businesses trade show will be on September 25.
Baker said it’s “at the beachside resort, and we certainly appreciate all of our local businesses. If anyone is interested in that, you’ve just got to contact the Chamber at 305-294-2587. It’s an excellent show. It’s an opportunity for all of our businesses, small and large, to be able to showcase their products and services to not only other businesses in the community, but the show is open to the public as well, so that’s a great event. Before we know it, we will be back to school. The Chamber is actively involved in our local education community. We’re very proud of our Tom Sawyer FIVE STAR program. At our meeting in July, we’ll be actually recognizing the largest group of businesses that we’ve had since the program started. I want to say, off the top of my head, I think that there’s 17 businesses that reached either the four or five star commitment level with us, and that means that they have contributed, not only for our scholarships, sponsoring and adopting classrooms, education enrichment money, we put money back into all kinds of programs within the school district and as well as they work with Take Stock in Children and mentoring. So there’s a lot of people in our community that really give back, and the Chamber likes to take that time just to give a simple thank you. We certainly appreciate everything that everyone does to not only support the Chamber, but to support the youth in our community. It’s very important. Not all students are going to go off to college or even a technical school. They’re going to stay in Key West and the Florida Keys and go right out into our workforce. So it is important to make sure that there are programs available for them, and I think that the Monroe County School District, our local charter schools, private schools, and especially the College of the Florida Keys has really have taken education to that next level. If anyone’s ever interested in coming to any Chamber events, please reach out to me. I’m happy to have you be my guest. And anytime anyone wants any information about the Chamber, I have open door. I’m there most times, even really late at night, so I can even meet with people after normal, traditional hours.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestchamber.org/