Madeira Beach, FL ­­— “Teamwork” was the word when members of the Treasure Island & Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce gathered on January 23 to see Ken Hautmann accept the Chairman’s gavel from retiring Chairman Bill Karns.

Keynote speaker Steve Hayes, President and CEO of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, emphasized the importance of teamwork in attracting tourists from around the world.

Karns expressed appreciation for the teamwork that made possible the Chamber’s advances in 2019.

Retiring Chairman Bill Karns (left) delivers his closing comments after passing the gavel to 2020 Chairman Ken Hautmann.

“We had an exciting year in 2019,” he observed. “We moved our office to a new location on Gulf Boulevard, making it easier for visitors to find us. We continued our highly successful Friday Morning Market, now in its twelfth season, and built on the success of our Health Fair and Trade Show. We coordinated the annual Mayors’ Prayer Brunch, presented the popular Chamber Classes that offered important information to members and residents, continued our Benefit Golf Tournament for its third season, and organized our first Merry Beach Market at R.O.C. Park on Madeira Beach.”

Hautmann, too, noted that teamwork will help the Chamber accomplish a vigorous agenda in the coming year.

“We’re branching out a bit with our March 6 Ladies for Liberty concert,” he announced. “Most of our events are focused on business. This patriotic concert will pay tribute to our military, and provide an evening’s entertainment for the whole community.”

This year’s Installation Gala and Awards Banquet was held at The West Events, 13435 Gulf Boulevard, on Madeira Beach.

The 2020 Board

Board members continuing their service from 2019 are J.J. Buggle (Admiral Farragut Academy), Carol Coward (CPA), Joe Dise (Dise Wealth Management), Kathleen McDole (Friendly Fisherman), John Meagher (Johnson Brothers), Mark O’Donnell (RGA Network), Barry Rubin (Direct HR) and Lauree Tyner (Florida Finish Trim Carpenter). Advisors are Bob Daniels, City Manager for Madeira Beach, and Cathy Hayduke, Recreation Director for Treasure Island.

New to the Board this year are Laurie Davidson-Smith (6 West Cottages/Sunset Inn/The West Events), Louis Hatzipetrakos (Dag Bros., Inc.), Jeff Michaels (Primerica), Erik Remmel (Life Improvement Media, Inc.), and Marcus Winters (Caddy’s Restaurant Group).

Retiring from the Board are Dennis Fagan (Jim White Century 21 Real Estate), Bob Minning, Vito Musante, Jeremy Runo (Daiquiri Shak) , Greg Tong (Sons of the American Legion Post 158), and Amy Verdensky (Squid Ink).

Awards and Recognitions

The event also provided an opportunity for the Chamber to recognize those who helped advance the Chamber’s program over the past year. Honorees included Volunteer of the Year MaryAnne Pisano, Ambassador of the Year Jeffrey Michaels, and Business of the Year Florida d’Signs (Carson Munsey). Retiring Board Member Vito Musante received special recognition for seeing the Chamber through its first eleven years of its highly successful Friday Morning Market.

“We grew our membership and expanded our events in 2019,” commented Chamber President Missy H. Hahn. “None of that could happen without our extraordinary team of Board, members, volunteers, and staff. The coming year promises even more progress.”

The Treasure Island & Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit corporation. The office, an official Visit Florida Welcome Center, is located at 12601 Gulf Boulevard. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 am – 4 pm. For further information, call 727-360-4121.