Grant spoke to B.C. Manion of the Laker and said his message to members is “Jump headfirst into that arena with us. Help us hit reset and relaunch the chamber for 2022. We need your passion. We need your engagement. We need every single one of you, and those outside of here, to help bring us back to where we were before COVID hit.”

“You’ve got to remember: This is your chamber. It’s not just mine. It’s not just our board’s. It’s yours. So, ask yourself: What would you like to see accomplished, for the chamber to accomplish in 2022?”

“Let’s get fully engaged. Let’s relaunch the North Tampa Bay Chamber.” Said Grant.

The event served as the Chamber's Annual Meeting pursuant to the Bylaws. All members were encouraged to attend. The annual meeting celebrated the Chamber's accomplishments of 2021 and Recognized the volunteers, Saluted the outgoing Board Members, Swore in new Board Members, Installation of Board Chair and to Look ahead to 2022!

Michael Berthelette, the chamber’s outgoing chairman, singled out Zimmermann by presenting him with the Chairman’s Award for 2021. “I really took some time to really think about who I wanted to honor with my chairman’s award for 2021,” Berthelette told those gathered.

He said Zimmermann demonstrated that the ice center could achieve its goals, despite the challenges and told Zimmermann the award is “in recognition for your contributions toward a broad range of economic development activities that demonstrate substantial investment in our community, your economic development efforts have required agile planning and a comprehensive approach to implement solutions that have made the North Tampa Bay community a more attractive place to live, work and play.”

Zimmermann was surprised by the honor. He told the crowd that he thought he was just joining some of his staff for breakfast at the chamber meeting. In accepting the award, Zimmermann said: “You guys have been awesome. It’s been a great community.

“I just want to thank the whole community, all of the businesses, the educational systems, my staff — unbelievable staff. “The chamber has been great. I just really appreciate it. I didn’t expect this, today,” Zimmermann said.