Our Area Councils are slowly starting to test the waters with small, socially-distanced in-person events. Last week the Downtown Kissimmee Area Council hosted our friends from the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida at Kissimmee Lakefront Park for a Chamber-to-Chamber Evening of Networking. The goal was to bring AACCCF’s regional membership base to see what Kissimmee has to offer and find new businesses with which to work and form partnerships, and for DKAC members to broaden their list of Black-owned and operated businesses in Central Florida with whom they can work and do business.
Over the summer, when racial tensions were high, the DKAC was looking for ways to patronize Black-owned businesses in our community. Since that is not a metric that the Chamber or the City typically track, the board got creative to find ways to bring Black business owners in Kissimmee and its surrounding areas, those who are making an effort to work with Black-owned businesses, and those working to expand their knowledge of our larger community, together. Obviously, the pandemic posed its own set of challenges, but in the end a small evening networking affair seemed the way to go.
LaVell Monger of RTW Photography, who is a member of both Chambers, put in months of creative thinking, along with other DKAC board members and Chamber staff, to put a fun spin on the evening – and it paid off! Even with a limited capacity, turnout was great. Excellent catering was provided by the students of Florida Technical College, who were glad to again have an opportunity to gain experience in the field. Attendees enjoyed round robin-style speed networking that helped everyone break the ice and meet new people. The weather was nice, and all-in-all this was a great first step back to in-person activities.
Both Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet and AACCCF President Tanisha Nunn Gary were present and had the opportunity to address attendees. Tanisha summarized the evening well in stating, “The African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida is proud to have joined forces with the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber of Commerce to host the Chamber to Chamber networking mixer. Floridians look to support small, local, and diverse businesses now more than ever. What better way to continue to stand firm in providing resources, advocacy, and opportunities for sustenance than to create a *socially distanced* space for members to mingle and generate business? The member feedback has been phenomenal and we look forward to a continued partnership with the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber. We are better and stronger together!
"John added, “During this past year it has become more obvious than ever that our small businesses thrive on connection and support from community and fellow businesses. This event is a great example of coming together to support small businesses and forge partnerships with those for whom it is their mission to do so. We look forward to continuing this partnership with the AACCCF and creating more opportunities to bring people, and business, together.”
A few other area councils are planning small in-person ventures soon. Hospitality and Tourism Council will have a tourism industry mixer at Old Town on March 10, and the Celebration Area Council plans something similar for early April. If you prefer to stay distanced, please join the Poinciana Area Council in creating your own work of art from the comfort of home at their Virtual Paint Night on March 5.
North American Point of Sale is proud to offer a fully integrated POS System compatible with most credit card processing companies, including Sterling, FirstData, NAB, EPI, WorldPay, and many more. They also strive to make the equipment purchasing process easy for clients with options like month-to-month and lease-to-own. Additional services that clients can expect from North American POS are on-site installation anywhere in the continental U.S. and training on how to use the equipment. Clients can also expect lifetime software updates and lifetime tech support. Together these benefits make a recipe for smooth retail and service transactions for businesses in multiple lines.
To make this recipe sweeter, North American POS price matches other POS pricing to help business owners switch to a better POS system that has more features. Their partnership with Genius POS allows for special features to be integrated into the software. Finally, the cherry on top is that North American POS is a local company that has been located here in Kissimmee, FL since 2009.
North American POS recognizes that businesses are struggling right now and are able to offer a cash discount program to incentivize their clients’ customers to pay with cash. This cash incentive program is void of surcharge fees that many competitors require, and the removal of this fee alone has the potential to save a business owner hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars per year. It’s those hidden fees that can eat up business profits and hurt a business, so North American POS is happy to relieve their clients of this one!
Cookie-cutter POS systems used by many businesses charge premium prices and hidden fees, but offer limited services. Frequently, these generic POS systems are not designed to handle higher volume of transactions, like $10,000+ per month that most restaurants, convenience stores, and retail businesses require. An advantage of North American POS over more generic systems is that they offer local tech support rather than support that might be automated or outsourced to another country, which can create strained communication for all involved.
To learn more about North American POS, visit their website at www.northamericanpos.com or give them a call at 407-210-6610.
The Downtown Kissimmee Area Council recently awarded the January/February Downtown Beautification Award to Help Now of Osceola, Osceola's premiere domestic abuse prevention program, for their brand new outreach center located at 108 Church St. Those familiar with Downtown will recognize this location as the former offices of the Osceola News Gazette.
Two years ago Help Now's board made the decision to purchase the property and made plans to remodel and revitalize it with Help Now's use of trauma-informed care in mind. They spent the last two years creating a beautiful space both inside and out. The transformative paint and landscaping on the exterior is thanks in part to a Community Betterment Grant from Commissioner Cheryl Grieb. As Downtown Beautification Award winners, Help Now received a letter of recognition from DKAC Chair Keith Ronan and the Beautification Award sign will sit in front of their property throughout January and February. The award presentation was also shared live on Positively Osceola.
Help Now's outreach center provides free counseling and support services to those in a potentially dangerous relationship. In addition to providing this safe space and resources for victims of domestic abuse, the new outreach center also houses a food pantry for survivors who may need a little extra assistance as they get back on their feet. In just the first 24 hours of opening the outreach center a few months ago, Help Now was able to assist over 40 families. The outreach center offers walk-in service between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, and the organization also operates a safe shelter and 24-hour crisis hotline that allow victims and survivors to access their services for safety and support.
If you need to connect with Help Now, call their hotline at 407-847-8562 or visit their website at www.helpnowshelter.org. They are also on Facebook.
