The Chamber is brining you a new series highlighting some of our members who specialize in business consulting, business services, or personal & professional organization as they offer tips and tricks for managing your workday, workplace, employees, and more! This by members, for members series will feature members JKL Associates, Mantis Shrimp Consulting, and others with helpful tips and new ways of thinking for employers and employees to use in their professional lives. If you feel you have something to offer your fellow members, reach out to us at the Chamber by email or call 407-847-4145.
The first installment of this series will run Tuesday, August 31 on the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. It will also be available on our YouTube Channel once it airs. This first outing will feature Larry Klimek with JKL Associates as he explains the Status Quo Matrix and why it’s important to keep yourself, your employees, and your customers or clients both motivated and competent to maximize the positive energy and outcomes at your company or organization.
Future topics in this new educational and motivational series will include:
The series will also give the Chamber team the opportunity to share Chamber “how-tos” on our ChamberMaster Member Information Center, registering for events, paying invoices, and other topics that will help you maximize your membership investment. As always, if you have greater interest in any of the topics featured on a Chamber webcast, please contact us so we may organize a deeper dive into the topic, or set you up with one of our member consultants or service providers one-on-one.
During the week of August 9, 2021, Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet and Government Advisory Coordinator Danny López had sit-down meetings with Congressman Darren Soto and Barry Cotton, Central Florida Regional Director for U.S. Senator Rick Scott. Their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce at the federal level have led to updates on potential money that could be available to Osceola County as part of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, a new infrastructure bill that has bipartisan support in congress. With growing infrastructure in Osceola County, the ongoing conversation over expanding transportation in the county and region was also discussed with both offices, as well as potential new jobs in the county generated by NeoCity.
Congressman Soto took great pride in appropriations that Osceola County could receive for the ongoing I-4 projects in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties, as well as money to help with water issues that the City of St. Cloud is currently facing. The Congressman has ensured the Chamber that there will always be an open working relationship between his office, the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber, and the Osceola business community.
Barry Cotton, a staffer for U.S. Senator Rick Scott, also promised that he and the Senator’s office want to have a working relationship here in Osceola County with the Chamber and the business community. John and Danny updated him on local projects and initiatives here in the district, as well as what’s going on with the Osceola County Commission, the City Councils for Kissimmee and St. Cloud, and the Osceola County School Board. so he can keep Senator Scott informed about everything going on in our wonderful county.
The Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce will always advocate for the business community at the local, state, and federal levels of government. We have taken the skills of Danny López and John Newstreet and put them to work to the benefit of the Chamber and will always have open communications with all elected officials in Osceola County. Danny López updates our elected officials frequently on happenings and will for the foreseeable future be the liaison between the Chamber and elected officials.
Check out some of John and Danny's conversation with Congressman Soto below:
This summer, the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber hosted two interns from CareerSource Central Florida‘s Summer Youth Intern program. Sherman, an incoming sophomore at St. Cloud High School, and Sebastian, a recent graduate, were with us for three weeks. During their brief time with us, we gave them a crash course in the workings of the Chamber and our role in the community. Though the short duration of their internship and the restrictions of COVID-19 made for some challenges, we were able to provide Sherman and Sebastian with experiences that align with their future career goals.
Sherman, who aspires to play for the NBA one day, attended the Orlando Magic‘s 2021 Draft Party at the Amway Arena. Said Sherman, “My experience at the draft event was fun and I had a good time and even got to see players I’ve watched for a long time get drafted to the NBA.”
We are indebted to our friends at HCA Healthcare and the Hunter’s Creek ER, who offered Sebastian, who plans to study nursing before joining the Navy, a tour of the ER and one-on-one time with VP Donny Abraham and Lead Nurse Mariza. Donny and Mariza took time to answer Sebastian’s questions about ER operations, different types of nurses, and career options in the nursing field.
Sebastian shared the following about his time here at the Chamber in his own words:
“The time that I have spent at the Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce has been invaluable. Not only have I learned new concepts and things I have never even heard about, but I also gained very valuable experiences for my upcoming chapter in life, and for that, I am extremely grateful. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. The Chamber’s team is a family and they treated me as such.
I’d like to thank Kayla Rogers for the awesome job she did to guide and keep us on track on our internship. I would also like to thank Daniel Lopez for the amazing opportunity he gave me to go with him and shadow him in a County Commission meeting, and also for sitting down with me and Sherman to teach us about government and the 3 federal branches. I would like to thank Christina Pilkington for taking time off her busy schedule to take me to a tour inside Hunter’s Creek ER. I genuinely did learn new things that I did not know were possible in the medical field. I would also like to thank Sue Ring for giving me and Sherman the chance to sit through a meeting with doctors and medical higher-ups. That was a great experience for me and it opened my eyes to a topic in the medical field that I did not know was a big issue. I would also like to give thanks to Robin Hughes for helping me clear up some questions I had when I was covering the front desk. I would also like to thank Iris Resto for being super helpful and very sweet answering some questions that I had.
Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to give a huge thanks to John Newstreet for giving me the amazing opportunity to do my internship at the Chamber. I’m very pleased that I had the chance to learn and grow as a person thanks to the Chamber. The time I have spent at the Chamber has been something else I cannot thank enough for how well the Chamber staff has treated me and helped me look deeper into my career choice.”
