Chamber luncheon held at Asini’s
Asini’s owner Jon Turner talks to Chamber members about his wood-fired pizzas. Photos by LYNDA KINSEY
Chamber President Greg James introduces Heather Bryan as the new director to replace Petra Shuff when she retires.Photos by LYNDA KINSEY
By PETRA SHUFF Of the Chamber
Many thanks to Michel and Jon Turner for hosting our last luncheon in 2022 today at Asini’s!
Jon and his crew have been working on perfecting their pizza pies, which is no small task when you work with a wood fired oven at 900 degrees. The four signature pies we got to taste, Buffalo Chicken, Pepperoni, Supreme and White Pie, all were delicious and had a wonderful crust, and we want to thank the crew for accommodating one of our vegetarian guests with a special cheese pie.
Mary Wallace began the program with announcing our six new members for October - Fla-BizClean (A professional janitorial company located here in Crawfordville and serving clients in the Tallahassee metropolitan area. They offer a variety of commercial & residential cleaning services, and you can reach them at (850) 228-7719); Elect Training Academy (small group personal fitness training, 1 on 1personal fitness training, mini camps for youth and adults. Details will be announced soon); Elite Group Real Estate (A Tallahassee Real Estate Company expanding to Wakulla County); San Marcos Mexican Grill and Cantina (A family-owned Mexican restaurant serving authentic Mexican cuisine); Tallahassee & Wakulla Handyman, LLC (new local handyman company located in Crawfordville); and The Parrish Group (Real Estate Developer with a local office working on bringing medical facilities and retail businesses to Wakulla. The Parrish Group is very active in the community and loves giving back and getting involved with local non-profit groups).
As you may already know, I am retiring end of this year, and our president, Greg James, had the pleasure of introducing Heather Bryan, who will be the chamber’s new Executive Director. Heather has been serving our community at the library for 7 years now and is looking forward to getting to know and working with our members.
Our third year of Business Bingo starts October 27, so check our Facebook page or website calendar (October 27, November 3, November 10, November 17) for your weekly bingo cards and play, shopping locally! There will be a weekly drawing of $100 and one grand prize winner of $300.
Jeanie Booth with CareerSource Capital Region gave the monthly workforce update. As you may know, Wakulla has the State’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.2%. We have 413 jobs available in Wakulla, ranging from no experience needed to PhD positions. Jobs are available for individuals 16 years of age and over. With the holiday season approaching, employers are hiring additional help, so whether you are looking for part-time or full-time employment, visit CareerSource Capital Region Crawfordville office at 3278 Crawfordville Highway.
We were joined today by Ophelia, owner of A’nai Clothing Company who will be joining our chamber. Their store offers men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, and jewelry, and is located in the Forest Village Shopping Center on Capital Circle.
Nancy Richardson with The Wakulla News invited us to the Think Pink – Girls Night Out Quarter Auction event October 27 at The Wakulla Senior Center. Doors open at 5:30pm to shop with vendors. Bring your quarters for the auction, and don’t forget to cast your vote for your Sassy Bra choice! The Wakulla News will have special offers on ads to honor your special veteran, and their Hometown Guide 2023 – Wakulla Connections. To find out more, contact Nancy at The Wakulla News at 850.926.7103.
Crissy Cornelius with Operation Santa shared that families in need for Christmas are still applying, and Operation Santa needs ‘adopters’, and monetary and/or toy donations, and volunteers. To find out more, contact Operation Santa at 850.745.6963.
The cash drawing was won by Josh Brown with Waypoint Properties, and he donated his winnings to Operation Santa. Thank you, Josh!
Even though we had a smaller crowd today, we had some super cool door prize donations and want to thank the following individuals and businesses for their generous contributions: Petra Shuff; Sunrays Spa; Capital City Home Loans; Lionel and Marianne Dazevedo; Fla-Biz Clean; CareerSource Capital Region; Sand and Soul Designs; Smith, Thompson P.A.; Shepard Accounting and Tax Service; North Florida Learning Center; The Shack; Operation Wakulla; The Wakulla Sun; Barn’s Spirits; English Financial Group; A’nai Clothing Company.