Kerry Baker, executive director of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, joined Goof Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about upcoming events.
Pride is coming up in the Keys.
Baker said, “We’re looking forward to that great event each year. Next week, you have Juneteenth Day on Thursday, which is a great day to celebrate and they have some activities going on for that. The Chamber is gearing up for our annual barbecue rib battle that we do in conjunction with Shots and Giggles. This will be the second year we partnered with them, so we’re looking forward to that on Labor Day weekend, actually, Sunday, August, the 31st, so we have some opportunities for those of you out there that like to barbecue. There’ll be some cash prizes awarded for the best ribs, and it’s just a great opportunity to come downtown. There’s a lot going on that weekend. So if you’re interested in participating and being one of our contestants, reach out to the Chamber, and we can certainly get you signed up.”
Dealing with Difficult People will be an upcoming seminar.
Baker said, “It’s on Tuesday, July the 8th. Our facilitator is Elisa Levy, so we certainly appreciate her time on this. But it’s other things besides just dealing with difficult people, dealing with uncomfortable situations. It can also just give you some tools and training on how to deal with maybe it’s a negative social media post about your business, or just a negative media post, or something along that line. It teaches you tools on how to navigate difficult situations. Doesn’t necessarily have to be with a person, but I think it’s really important to emphasize that words matter and sometimes we can control the outcome of a situation just by handling it in the correct way, and sometimes you can diffuse it. I’ve actually sat in on this seminar a couple of times over the years, and I always have great takeaways that I use on a weekly basis. So we are looking forward to that. So it’s on Tuesday, July the 8th. It is open to Chamber members and non Chamber members. If you’re interested, we have information on our website, or, again, you can contact the Chamber and we’ll get you registered. It’ll be held at Beachside Resort from 1 to 4:30, but it is a great opportunity just to kind of come and learn some tools to navigate different situations and difficult ones.”
Insurance rates are also an issue.
Baker said, “Our chamber is very proud and pleased to be able to to help FIRM financially. We did commit this year to a $15,000 donation that will be split over the next three years for $5,000 each year to help them with their mission. I think it’s extremely important. We did invite Mel to come in and be our program speaker at our June 25 luncheon. We’ve asked for not only an update on what’s going on with insurance rates and everything that’s going on in Tallahassee, but we’ve asked Mel if he would just take the extra time to kind of explain your insurance bill to you. There are discounts that you’re eligible for, and we all have to stay on top of it. We need to make sure that we’re getting what we’re entitled to get, if we’ve made modifications to our homes, if we put impact windows in, anything that could be storm resistant, anything that could make you eligible for a discount, we’ve asked them to kind of take a deep dive into your your insurance bill, so we as a consumers can better understand it. Sure we all have insurance agents, and they do a fantastic job, but it doesn’t hurt to have a second set of eyes looking to make sure that you are indeed getting the discounts that you’re eligible for. Any cost savings is a plus. I think we can all attest that insurance rates are at an all time crisis high, and they’re affecting everyone, not only property owners, but renters, because those expenses trickle back down and make the rents go up even more. So it really is a serious issue here in the Florida Keys, and not just in the Florida Keys and other areas in the state of Florida as well. It is one of the things that we touched on when we were at Florida Keys days, and we’ve had multiple conversations with Representative Mooney and Senator Rodriguez on this and hopefully at some point in time we’ll be able to see some relief come in. But we are in the prime and just starting up and gearing up with June 1, the kickoff of hurricane season. So it’s that important time of the year that I think it’s on everyone’s radar, insurance rates, but also just making sure that we have our hurricane plans in place for the summer. It’s never too early to be prepared. So that’s kind of our motto. We encourage people to have your plans in place and start getting your supplies and just be ready if, God forbid, something of that nature is going to affect us this year.”
An important meeting about the grand jury report in Key West is coming up soon.
Baker said, “The Chamber will be there. Amber Shaffer, our president, is going to represent the Chamber and be able to report back, and kind of just see what the city is doing. I think that leadership, city manager Brian Barroso, Mayor Henriquez, they’re doing a great job just trying to navigate this. I think they will be going through that grand jury port, one by one, line by line, and making the suggested changes that need to be made in the city in order for it to continue. But we certainly appreciate our city manager and our mayor and the rest of the Commission as well. I think the leadership is there, and we look forward to working with them and the path forward in seeing the city move forward.”
Being a Chamber member is always a good idea for businesses.
Baker said, “We have our 12 on 12 lunch today, so we’re looking forward to that. That’s an excellent opportunity for our Chamber members, even if someone was interested in joining the Chamber. It’s a very small lunch. We have them here in the office, so they’re the second Friday of the month. It is limited to 12 people because we have a very small conference room, but we provide a lunch thanks to the sponsorship of First State Bank. Then we have 12 of our members come in, a couple of our board members, staff, and we’re able to just honestly, in a smaller setting, network to give you a little information about the Chamber. But more importantly, our members are able to network with one another, and I think it’s extremely helpful when they’re new to the community. We’ve seen many partnerships and friendships form over these lunches, which I think is great. Member to member business is important. That is one of the things that the Chamber always encourages, is to support local businesses, partner with local businesses. There’s so much talent here in Key West and the Florida Keys that you really don’t have to go outside of Key West, and it just affords an opportunity for people to get to know one another. They go into our bigger lunch, which, can sometimes have 150, 160 people, and they’ve already connected with someone, so then they feel a little bit more welcomed. I think that it can be intimidating anytime you’re new to a community, especially, but the Chamber certainly offers an an opportunity for you to meet people in the community. Even if you’re a long time business owner, there are so many new businesses. Each week I go out and about in the downtown area especially, and I run across a small little business that I didn’t see the last time, which I think is great. It shows that the interest is there. Businesses are opening. Our Chamber has grown quite a bit. Right now, I think we’re about 550 members and still growing. I hope to be at 600 by the end of the year, which I think is a maintainable goal, but it’s really nice to see younger business owners getting out and about in the community. So I think it’s extremely important. I do attend the City Commission meetings, I attend the county commission meetings or watch them on Zoom, just depending on the location of them, but it is important to stay involved and to stay informed, and the Chamber certainly does that on behalf of our members. It’s a team effort. I thank my staff and I thank our members, because without every one’s support and everyone’s partnership with the Chamber, the Chamber would not be successful. I tell everyone, every voice matters. So if you have concerns or issues, reach out to me. I have an open door. I have a member coming in in about 10 minutes. Just wanted to shoot some ideas by us. We’re happy to offer insight and guidance to all of our members. That’s what it’s all about. The Chamber is here to help all businesses thrive and grow. So anything that we can do to help with those partnerships, we’re here to do that for you. Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. Enjoy your weekend. We certainly wanted to give all the dads some kudos. Enjoy your day on Sunday, and we hope everyone has a great weekend.”
For more information, click here: https://www.keywestchamber.org/