The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce held their 39th Annual Installation & Awards Banquet at the Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club and all agreed it was one of the best yet. Premier Sponsor Centennial Bank dignitaries like Michael Ciminna from Congressman Bilirakis' office, Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Dr. Paula O'Neil, Pasco County Commissioner's District 4 Henry Wilson, Pasco County Commissioner's District 2 Pat Mulieri, Pasco Economic Development Council (PEDC) Krista Covey, Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Ignacio Ruiz, Honorary Mayor of Land O' Lakes Pam Oakes & her mom Peggy and Past Central Pasco Chamber Presidents Kurt Conover, Darla Sarhaddi, Charlie Reese and Lorraine Lane.

Directors are nominated and elected by the membership and agree to serve three year terms and Officers are elected by the Board of Directors. The new Board Members were announced: Rocky Contreras of KnowledgePoints Tutoring Rhonda Buckley of American Home Title of Land O' Lakes, Kurt Conover of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, Carla Collier of All Smiles Tampa Bay and Denny Esber. Newly Elected Directors are Dr. Jorge Santana of 1 Source Chiropractic & Physical Medicine Terri Dusek of RE/MAX Premier Group, Elayne Bassinger of Centennial Bank Wesley Chapel Lorraine Lane of Lane Business Consulting, Sandy Graves of Heritage Park Foundation and Darla Sarhaddi of Centennial Bank Lutz/ LOL.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Paula 0'Neil administered the Oath Officers to Treasurer- Robin Perez of MIDFLORIDA Credit Union; Secretary - Larry Giannone of Christian Brothers Automotive; President Elect - Mary Lynn Gorsline of Copperstone Executive Suites; President - Charlene lerna of lerna's Heating & Cooling. The retiring President's Message was given by Denny Esber of Point To Point Printing followed by the Incoming President's Message given by Charlene lerna of lerna's Heating & Cooling.

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce are grateful to our sponsors and their generosity helps make our events possible & fun! The Premier sponsor was Centennial Bank, the Corporate sponsor was McFarlane's Applicance Center and Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and the Beverage sponsor was Optimum Plumbing. The Entertainment, by Crew Entertainment was sponsored by the Tampa Bay Times. Dessert was sponsored by Christian Brothers Automotive in Land O’Lakes. The Table Sponsors were A Focus on Fitness, American Home Title of Land O' Lakes and Pizza Villa. The Video Sponsor was MIDFLORIDA Credit Union and the Program Sponsor was Point To Point Printing.

Gary Loman of Rasmussen College, Larry Delucenay of Mad Hatter Utility and Pat Mulieri Ed.D. Pasco County Commissioner were recognized with a presentation for Appreciation of Service. Gary Loman of Rasmussen College. Gary has served Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce for 7 years. He has been a liaison with government, healthcare, education and industry. Gary is a Past President and recently chaired our successful Annual Sporting Clay Shoot.

Larry Delucenay Mad Hatter Utility 1975 - 2013 Lifetime Service Award.

Pat Mulieri, Ed.D. Pasco County Commissioner District 2 was given the Lifetime Service Award for her 20 years of service to our community.

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year is Terri Dusek. Our Ambassadors play a key role in our mission to improve the economic development and quality of life for the Central Pasco / Northern Hillsborough areas. They Serve as positive representatives for the Chamber in our communities and are liaisons to support the Members & provide information to the Board of Directors, assist in recruiting and retaining members through consistent communication, assist in implementing and assuring smooth operation of events, like this banquet! The Ambassador of the Year is awarded to the Ambassador that achieves the most points throughout the year. Points are earned by representing the Chamber at events such as Ribbon Cuttings, calling or visiting new, existing and potential members, and volunteering at meetings and events.

Candidates for the following awards were nominated by their peers, fellow Chamber members. The Nominating Committee had the difficult task of compiling the ballot based on the outlined criteria and the information provided on the nomination forms. We appreciate & wish to acknowledge all the nominees.

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Member of the Year is Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco has been helping families build homes for 20 years. A Christian Housing Ministry whose mission is to eliminate poverty housing through partnering with low income families, and businesses, churches, individuals, and community minded organizations. Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco does not provide a hand out, but a hand up. Building relationships and communities is as important as building houses.

Another Nominee for Non-profit Member of the Year were: Heritage Park Foundation hosts great community events, free to attendees such as the Fall Festival, Traditions on the Green and the Memorial Car Show. Formed in 1997 to preserve the gathering place and hub for activity in the area, the Land O' Lakes Community Center. The organization helps to preserve the history of Land O'Lakes, encouraging development and improvements at the park while maintaining the welcoming atmosphere or, as one member says, "building a better community by building a better community center". Another Nominee for Non-profit Member of the Year were: Operation Helping Hand is dedicated to providing support for U.S. Military active duty personnel wounded / injured abroad with blindness, amputations, burns, brain and spinal cord injuries or a combination of these injuries referred to as polytrauma, and being cared for at the James A Haley VA Hospital in Tampa and was launched in 2004 as a special initiative of the Tampa Chapter of Military Officers Association of America. Since its inception Operation Helping Hand has assisted more than 1,000 patients and countless family members. Assistance ranges from roundtrip commercial air travel for immediate family, to paying for rental cars, prepaid cell phones, or comfort items. The group hosts a monthly recognition dinner honoring the patients and their families. Led by Capt. Robert J. Silah and some familiar faces members nominating Operation Helping Hand noted, "representatives are always sincere & excited., and always offering a helping hand".

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce New Business of the Year is A Focus on Fitness with over 14 years of experience and a multitude of certifications. The team of A Focus on Fitness offers diet, health and lifestyle coaching along with programs such as the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method and personal training to help change your life. Members that nominated A Focus on Fitness admired the growth of the business, described involvement and support of the chamber and community and mentioned the positive, informative and respectful support provided to others. Serving the Central Pasco Community for 5 years C & C Insurance Solutions provides home, auto, health, boat, umbrella and commercial insurance. Members noted the professional and helpful approach of staff.

Another Nominee for New Business is Optimum Plumbing. A family owned and operated company whose mission is to provide customers with a quality, timely service at a fair price every time Optimum Plumbing provides 24/7 emergency plumbing services as well as small and large jobs across Central Florida. Fellow members described Optimum Plumbing as "new, growing and involved".

The Small Business of the Year is All Smiles Tampa Bay. All Smiles Tampa Bay involves patients through education, sets high standards in training and safety while providing a positive experience. Members listed the reason for nominating All Smiles Tampa Bay as "...a professional organization, supportive of our chamber, participating in many events like Dancing With Our Stars which reflects well on us...".

Another Nominee for The Small Business of the Year is Metz Orthodontics. Delivering the smile of their dreams for children and adults for 5 years Metz Orthodontics offers traditional braces, Invisalign, and Invisalign Teen. Dr. Metz's education and clinical experience ensure results oriented treatment. From Dancing With Our Stars to the Flapjack 5K, members noted that Metz Orthodontics "sponsors many events and is an all- around good company that supports our local area". With the goal of providing the highest quality of comprehensive and preventative dental care for over 5 years,

Another Nominee for The Small Business of the Year is A.L Saland Insurance Solutions. Providing health insurance services for nearly 10 years in our community A.L Saland Insurance Solutions strives to understand, educate, and advocate for their clients, working as the entrusted agent for the client, not the company. "Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do". Nominating members described them as "knowledgeable and helpful, sharing information on health care all year with a positive attitude and very community oriented."

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Large Business of the Year is Hungry Harry's Bar-B-Que. A family owned and operated business since 1985 Hungry Harry's Bar-B-Que has been creating smoking good food. Now with two locations and over 25 staff HHBBQ offers carry out, a lakeside venue, and catering. Members appreciate Hungry Harry's is " always willing to help and give whenever needed., great quality and value.."

Another Nominee for The Large Business of the Year is Centennial Bank. Providing a broad range of commercial and retail banking and related financial services to businesses, investors, individuals and municipalities. Centennial Bank is a customer focused bank that has been a good corporate neighbor for 15 years. Members listed "sponsorships & general support of the chamber" as well as "friendly and helpful" as reasons for nomination.

Another Nominee for The Large Business of the Year is Rasmussen College. Over a century of preparing students for success Rasmussen College continues the tradition of creating career-specific education that meets the needs of the market resulting in a high placement rate for graduates. Rasmussen College recognizes the diverse needs of individuals and encourages personal and professional development through respect, appreciation and commitment. The Land O' Lakes East Campus provides space and facilities for numerous non-profit organizations and reaches out to the community with open events.

Occasionally our President feels a member's contributions deserve special recognition. "This member can be found everywhere working diligently no matter the time of day or weather while smiling and encouraging everyone around. They will celebrate their 15th anniversary this year, serving our chamber and community with a constant stream of pictures and stories posted on the world wide web showing the good things about Central Pasco. This presence helps us recognize and define the importance our area and truly helps bring into focus the unique and amazing things about our citizens and community. Unlike any other, unparalleled in community commitment and deserving I award OurTownFLA.com and Tony Masella with the President's Award."

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year is Terry Dusek.

Terry Dusek - some things members said include "represents chamber with class, always willing to lend a helping hand while smiling, totally dedicated" ''Participates in events, helpful and encouraging at networking, supports chamber, professional & friendly", "always in attendance helping behind the scenes, always smiling, shares information, great listener"

Community Service Award nomminees are Betsy Crisp "25 year commitment to our community examples include Coastal Clean Up, Pasco Cooperative Extension Family Food & Nutrition and Food Bank". Pam Oakes: ''Keep Pasco Beautiful efforts, volunteering at events especially recycling, positive attention to chamber through Honorary Mayor efforts".

April Saland: "outgoing, volunteers & helps bring awareness to many groups/ needs, pitches in & works, helped with Honorary Mayor, Dancing With Our Stars, & Alzheimer's fundraising"

There was a tie for this award . The Committee recommended both individuals be awarded and the Board of Directors agreed. The winners of the Community Service Award are: April Saland and Pam Oakes.