The Catch. of the Day

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1 Volume 29, Number 12 DECEMBER 2014 The Catch FortMyersBeach.org phone fax of the Day OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GREATER FORT MYERS BEACH AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFICERS/EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: John Gavin, Chair Gavins Ace Hardware David Anderson, Chair Elect Krusty Pete s Robb Capps, Vice Chair Premier Florida Realty Fran Podraza, Treasurer CFS Roofing Services LLC Bud Nocera, President FMB Chamber RETIRING 31 DECEMBER 2014 Steve DeAngelis Nervous Nellies Jaime Huffman Lani Kai Terry Luster Kiwanis FM Gateway to the Islands RETIRING 31 DECEMBER 2015 Curt Brenner Gullwing Beach Resort Ellis Etter Pink Shell Resort & Marina Barbara Farrell iberiabank Sandy Lepley Century 21 Tripower RETIRING 31 DECEMBER 2016 Bob Layfield Island Sandpaper Wanda Linatsas Royal Scoop Meet Three Community Leaders at our December Member Luncheon Eryka Aptaker, President of the Fort Myers Beach Kiwanis Eryka Aptaker is the President of the Kiwanis Club of Fort Myers Beach. Originally from New York, she has been a resident of Fort Myers, FL since She is the Florida Regional Sales Manager with East Commerce Solutions, Inc., offering more efficient solutions to merchant services and/ or payment processing for our local businesses. She has many outside affiliations, such as working with our veterans, and being part of the FMB Kiwanis has become a passion of hers. She s stated that she feels quite blessed to have met an abundance of wonderful people and has made irreplaceable friendships within this group. What better way to show our love and support for children and community than to be a part of the organization that has given back so much to the town of Fort Myers Beach? Our thrift store is how my club raises its money and we have been very blessed in the amount of donations received. Without donations of items and volunteers, we could not thrive. Eryka looks forward to her year ahead as President and is reaching out to local businesses for corporate memberships a great way for the business community to show their support to the organization that supports their community. For more questions on donating, volunteering or membership, please call Eryka at: (917) Darby Doerzbach, President of the Fort Myers Beach Lions Club photo credit to: Mary Rafferty Darby Doerzbacher came to Fort Myers Beach in 1978 from fishing in the Northeastern U.S. via Palm Beach County to investigate the shrimping business and, after half a year on the Gulf found it was time to settle somewhere dry. She stayed in the seafood industry, which was exciting and dynamic at the time, and after a few years of life on the wild side, decided to take on some community responsibility. Darby joined the FMB Lions in 1987 when they admitted the women from an auxiliary affiliate. She served as the first woman President in and again in I found that I had to be able to give something back to the world, and Lions let me do that without judgment. At that time I had little in the way of financial depth but I had heart Continued on page 3... Join us Thursday, December 11th at 11:30am at Charley s Boat House Grill, 6241 Estero Blvd, Ft. Myers Beach, for a delicious Membership Luncheon, sponsored by Tanger Outlet Mall.

2 Estero Blvd. Suite 8 Fort Myers Beach, FL p f Bud Nocera President Jane Ross Member Service and Volunteer Coordinator Doug McElheny Internet & Social Media Manager Pete Frye Front Desk Lisa Beckham Accounting Kathy Hanagan Roxie December 4 7:30 to 9:00 am Chamber Coffee Island Jewel, located at Santini Marina Plaza 7205 Estero Blvd. Ambassador Chamber Office December 6 6:00 pm Christmas Boat Salty Sam's Marina, departing at 6:00 pm. December 10 Executive Committee Chamber Office December 11 9:15 am 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Monthly Membership Charley s Boathouse, 6241 Estero Blvd. December 17 8:00 am Board of Directors Candlewood Suites, 9740 Commerce Center Court December 18 5:30 to 7:00 pm Business After Diamond Head Beach Resort Cabanas Bar December 25 December 31 8:00 am LUNCH SPONSOR: TANGER OUTLET MALL Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Join a committee!! Call Jane Ross ROXIE VOLUNTEERS Donna Bates of AAA Andrew Boster - Lee Tran Carolyn Crosby Judy Cultice Kiwanis Club Sandy Hein Jo List - Island Sandpaper and Beaches and Keys Magazine Peg Moreland Elaine Moses Cheryl Nye Michelle Pyle - Truly Scrumptious Pam Schindler - Retired Military/Lee Co. Elections Tim Smith Jessica Titus of Fort Myers Beach Realty Debbie Whitehead More Volunteers Needed! Looking for people who love the Beach, love people and love to have Fun. Share your knowledge and join our volunteers in the Roxie. Still have a few shifts available. Call Jane Ross at if you can donate some of your time. Get Insurance From a Las Vegas Rock & Roll Hall of Famer D.J. Dice Martin...LOL FT. MYERS BEACH INSURANCE BROKERAGE Immediate Coverage Available! We Shop and Quote for You! 400 Top Rated Insurance Companies Writing the Entire State of Florida. Richard D. Karger Agency Principal Office: Cell: Fax: Richard@fmbib.com WE CAN DO IT ALL BY FAX, PHONE OR FREE QUOTES 1661 Estero Blvd. Suite 16, Fort Myers Beach, FL WE RETURN PHONE CALLS! HOME - FLOOD - AUTO - BOAT - COMMERCIAL - CYCLE - HEALTH - LIFE - MOBILE HOMES 2 DECEMBER 2014 FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG

3 6-8pm from page 1 she says. With the Lions you give of yourself and you give what you can, and at the end of the day it is a great feeling to have done something for someone else. I just wish I could impart the passion and the self confidence that I have received from being a Lion. I have become a better person because of it. She continues to work in the shrimp industry for Erickson and Jensen and chairs the shrimp boil part of Shrimp Festival. The rest of her time is spent in her kayak. Gareth Hudson, President of the Kiwanis Club of Ft. Myers/Gateway to the Islands Mr. Hudson has an MBA from the Univ. of Fl. He was selected for one of two Advanced Fellowships in Health Services Administration awarded by the American Hospital Association and Blue Cross Association. After three years with the Association of University Programs in Health Administration in Washington, D.C., Mr. Hudson was an executive with Lee Memorial Hospital from 1973 to Among others, he held the titles CFO, COO, and Executive VP. In 1999 Mr. Hudson started a consulting business assisting for-profits and not-for-profits with strategic planning, organizational development, meeting effectiveness, brainstorming facilitation, feasibility studies, and management and board retreats. Since 2010 he has been a strategic planning consultant to Disabled Veterans Insurance Careers Inc. Mr. Hudson is a Leadership Lee County 1994 graduate. His past community involvements include: Chairman of Lee County Chapter of American Red Cross, Board Member of Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Florida, Board Member of American Cancer Society, and Co-Chairman of American Cancer Society s first two Relay for Life Events in Lee County. He is President of the Kiwanis Club of Ft. Myers/Gateway to the Islands and is an active member of Faith United Methodist Church. He is married to Martha Smith, a Realtor with VIP Realty on Sanibel Island. Mr. Hudson has two adult children, and three grandchildren, all of whom live in Atlanta. Holiday Court Motel Did you ever go on vacation and not want to leave? Steven, Catherine, Megan, and Shaun Lisay checked into the Holiday Court Motel over four years ago and we feel like we are still on vacation. Sure, there are 12 to 18 loads of laundry every day, and with twenty rooms in ten buildings there is always painting, carpet shampooing, landscaping, room cleaning, and more than a fair amount of paperwork which never ends. The work is a very small price to pay for the views and scenery all around us. It s great! We knew we would love having the beach right across the street, and knew of the various dining choices every day right across the street including Citrola s, Plaka, Pete s Time Out, La Ola, and Dairy Queen, and we remain thrilled by year round summertime to enjoy the pool, boating, tennis, and warmth in place of the cold cold New Hampshire winters. We get to the theatre in Fort Myers, and baseball and hockey, and so many fun tourist things to see. Living here has exceeded all of our expectations. We never anticipated the warmth of the many friends who come stay at the Holiday Court Motel year after year. It is the many wonderful guests who truly make this a great place to be. At all times of the year we have people who have been coming literally for decades. We look forward to the annual return of so many good people who are more like friends than hotel guests. We play cards, have cookouts, go on boat rides, go to restaurants, chat by the bay, and have differences of opinions just like family members do. Many have known each other long before we came here and they keep in touch throughout the year until the next family reunion at the Holiday Court. We are on vacation and we are home at the same time. What could be better? FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG DECEMBER

4 By Bud Nocera Surviving Progress As we look at the Estero Blvd. construction that will start in 2015, we must begin to think about, and plan for, the reality of this necessary, but very intrusive work. The construction will take place at the rate of one mile of road each year for five years. The first year will begin at Crescent Street and end at Junkanoo. All of us have driven in areas of major road rebuilding. It is confusing and intimidating for drivers, especially visitors who are unfamiliar with the area. It impacts traffic flow and it creates a barrier for both pedestrian and auto access to businesses. Make no mistake: the rebuilding of Estero Blvd. will be good for our island and it is much needed. This construction will include the rebuilding of sidewalks, adding cubs, and replacing the underground infrastructure of water and sewer lines. It will also add new services, such as an underground natural gas pipeline for residents and businesses. Improved storm-water drainage will be one of the greatest benefits. So it is a good thing. But getting through it with all our Estero frontage businesses intact will be a challenge, a challenge that will be on-going for many years. This Chamber of Commerce is up to the challenge. Right now we are researching what other chambers have done to mitigate road construction impacts on affected businesses. What we have learned is that each business must prepare well in advance. But we also have learned that helping businesses survive will take a community effort. It will take unique and clever marketing to encourage residents and visitors to visit affected businesses. It will require the cooperation of our local hotels and accommodations to help inform their guests. It will take working with the town government, county government, sheriff s department, LeeTran and construction contractors to ensure public safety as well as access. We must work with the Town to identify parking mitigation, and perhaps even temporarily suspend some parts of the outdoor signage ordinance so businesses can be seen beyond the bulldozers and barricades. Keeping our island businesses open and financially healthy during the Estero Blvd. construction will take creativity, cooperation and community. We can do this. Let s get going and let s be sure to include in our plans a big TGIF (Thank God It s Finished) party after every mile completed. Gary Campbell recently purchased Print Shop Ink from J.T Webb. Gary started working for JT on October 30 of 2007 and is proud to announce his purchase of the business on October 29 of Gary is from Palm Springs, California and has been in the print business for the past 13 years. C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s Gary!! JT on right congratulates Gary on left. Prink Shop Ink Have News? Anything New and Noteworthy going on in your office? New employee? New Rep? Move? Please jane@fmbchamber.com or call us at so that we can make note and update our file. 4 DECEMBER 2014 FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG

5 Meet Denice Knudsen Denice Knudsen is an active member, volunteer, Ambassador, and promoter of The Greater Fort Myers Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. She is half of THE CLOSERS TEAM. Her partner, Robb Capps, and Denice are full time residential Realtors with Premier Florida Realty who are determined to help their clients meet any Real Estate needs. The Closers specialize in phenomenal service to Buyers and Sellers in south Fort Myers and the Beaches. They also assist with Real Estate matters ANYWHERE. Who do YOU know that could use experience and local expertise to help with buying or selling real estate? Please send them to Denice at or Denice moved from Shawano, Wisconsin to Fort Myers Beach 32 years ago, and now lives near Lakes Park and enjoys the beauty of nature while walking there. She loves cooking fresh locally caught seafood, enjoys travel, boating, and fishing with boyfriend Joe. She also looks forward to visiting family from Wisconsin and North Dakota in the winter and an annual snorkel and dive adventure somewhere in the Caribbean with Sister-in-Law Debra 16 destinations so far, and counting. Meet Jaime Huffman Jaime Huffman was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida before moving to South Carolina when she was 15-years-old. Huffman graduated from the University of South Carolina with honors with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing. While at USC, Huffman was selected to be on the CBS hit show Survivor-China which was filmed in It was on the show, where Huffman met her husband Erik. The two got married in We grew up 30 miles apart from each other and met in China. God had fun with our plans. Huffman moved to Nashville where she took a job as Coordinator of Public Relations for Mercy Ministries, a non-profit that helps disadvantaged women, abuse victims and their children. She then took a job working for CBS in Nashville and became a casting director for Emmy-award winning television shows Amazing Race and Survivor. After two years in Nashville, Huffman and her husband moved back to South Carolina to be closer to family and raise their first child. While in South Carolina, Huffman started her own marketing firm and wedding photography business, Palmetto Creative. Huffman s husband got into Medical School in Southwest Florida, forcing the couple to pack up their things and head back to the Sunshine state. Huffman took a job as the Marketing Director for Salty Sam s Waterfront Adventures on San Carlos Island. In April of 2014, Huffman joined The Lani Kai Island Resort as Director of Marketing. This is my dream job. I love working here and I am excited to be a part of the growth and renovations that are currently taking place at the Lani Kai, says Huffman. I am a certified wedding planner and love helping with all the gorgeous waterfront events at the resort. The Lani Kai has always been a landmark in Fort Myers Beach and a vital part of the beach community and economy. I m excited to bring a fresh perspective to The Lani Kai. In her free time, Jaime can be found enjoying the beautiful Southwest Florida sunshine on the beach with her family. Huffman says, Living in Carolina, and then Nashville, when it got cold, I just felt I was missing a part of my heart the water, the beach, the ocean. I already feel I am back in my comfort zone and I want that for Harper. I was a beach baby; that s what brought me a lot of joy growing up. FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG Fran Podraza CFS Roofing Services (CHAIR) Debra Anderson Pink Shell Resort and Marina Robb Capps Premier Florida Realty Donna Fagan SPD Solutions Wayne Gibson R & W Gibson Promotional Products Carrie Grunewald Salty Sam's Marina Jaime Huffman Lani Kai Beach Resort Darrell Kendzior Traction Plus Denice Knudsen Premier Florida Realty Sandy Lepley Century 21 Tripower Wanda Linatsas Royal Scoop Ice Cream Jane Ross R.J. Snider Paradise Advertising and Design Charles Stallings Hampton Inn & Suites Eric Tibbs Edward Jones & Co. Ambassador for the month of month of October was a tie between Donna Fagan and Fran Podraza DECEMBER

6 Pirate Fest Cute Pirates. Photo by Jane Ross Chamber Tent (left to right): Ambassador Donna Fagan of SPD Solutions, Chamber staff Jane Ross and Doug McElheny, Volunteer Peg Moreland, Ambassador and Board Member Sandy Lepley of Century 21 Tripower. Photo by Paradise Adv. Sea Battle. Photo by Paradise Adv. End of a long day. Photo by Paradise Adv. Ambassador/Pirate Donna Fagan and friend. October Membership Luncheon Chairman of the Board John Gavin of Gavin's Ace Hardware and Chamber President Bud Nocera welcome new member Rob McKenney Realtor as well as Asst. Manager of Charley's Boathouse Grill. Photo by Jane Ross 6 DECEMBER 2014 FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG Roger Mercado Director of Social Services and Education for Community Cooperative spoke to the Members during lunch. Photo by Jane Ross

7 Coffee Connection Ladies gather over coffee (from left to right): Debbie Salyers of Sunshine Window Fashions, Denice Monahan of Seacoast Cottage Co., Ambassador and Board Member Wanda Linatsas of Royal Scoop Ice Cream, Barbara Farrel of iberiabank, Ambassador Donna Fagan of SPD Solutions Inc. Photo by Jane Ross Business After Hours Charles Stalliings and Dominick Soricelli of the Hampton Inn and Suites hosted the Chambers Coffee Connection on Thursday Nov. 6th. Photo by Jane Ross Chairman of the Board John Gavin with Ron and Judy Hemstreet of Sun Palace Vacations. Photo by Jane Ross Matanzas on the Bay hosted the October 16 Business After Hours. Ambassador Denice Knudsen of Premier Florida Realty is with owner Doug Sperin-Smith. Photo by Jane Ross Ribbon Cutting Tony Mastrianni of Hurrican Bay Water Taxi chats with Wayne Gibson Chamber Ambassador of R & W Promotional Products. Photo by Jane Ross Rhea Buckman of Hurrican Bay Water Taxi and Manager and host Glen Petraca. Photo by Jane Ross Island Management celebrated their Grand Opening with a Ribbon Cutting with the Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday November 12. Surrounded by Staff, Chamber Members and friends are (left to right) Ambassador Donna Fagan of SPD Solutions, Mr. Steve J Mackesy Managing Partner/ President cutting the ribbon with Janette Mackesy Managing Partner, Nikki Welker HR Manager, Judy Miller Administrative Assistant, Ambassador Sandy Lepley of Centruy 21 Tripower and Bud Nocera Chamber President. Photo by Jane Ross FORTMYERSBEACH.ORG DECEMBER

8 Lunch Dinner & Snacks in Between plus Live Music Holiday Festival & Boat Parade Dec. 6th Open Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Best New Years Eve Bash Ever! FREE MARINA DOCKAGE Try Our New Specialty Menu Offering Low Glycemic Index And Low Calories Happy Hour All Day, Everyday with Live music too! Chamber Members receive 15% Off your Whole Guest Check ONE COUPON PER TABLE Can not be used with any other offer. 18% Gratuity may be added to bill before discount. 11am - 10pm, Expires Jan 1st, 2015

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