CHAMPIONS CUP
Champions Cup was created to recognize and honor businesses and organizations that have championed exemplary best practices, and have had a positive influence on the economic well being of the area's business environment. Congratulations to the 2015 Champions Cup Winners! Here they are:

The next Committee of 100 meeting is set for Friday, November 13, 2015, at 8:00 a.m. Committee of 100 meetings are held at the Health and Life Center (old hospital), 1239 E. Main Street. If you are interested in becoming a member of this prestigious grouip, contact Chairman Brian Hinton at 863-533-4196.

Click here for a complete listing of Committee of 100 members.

Antiques & Collectibles
Chinoiserie Antiques & Gifts
Ms. Virginia Cagle
110 W. Broadway St.
Fort Meade, FL 33841
(863) 285-8050
Join date: 10/01/2015

Gift Boutique
The Krazy Kricket
Ms. Lee Putnam & Ms. Susan Blenk
115 E. Main St.
Bartow, FL 33830
(863) 533-3141
www.krazykricket.com
 Join date: 10/06/2015
Ribbon-cutting: Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m.

Churches
Redeemer Lutheran Church
Pastor Jonathan Horsman
390 E. Parker St.
Bartow, FL 33830
(863) 512-3652
Join date: 10/06/2015
 
Apparel
LegaCy Unique Designz
Sylvia W, Mildrena D, Jennifer C
195 S. Central Ave.
Bartow, FL 33830
(863) 537-7422
Join date: 10/08/2015

Restaurants
Mosaics Community Café
Ms. Elizabeth Combee
315 E. Main St.
Bartow, FL 33830
(863) 534-3000
Join date: 10/21/2015
Ribbon-cutting - Nov. 3, 9:30 a.m.
 
Car Wash/Express Tunnel
Super Suds Car Wash of Bartow
Mr. Brian Briggs
1025 N. Broadway Ave.
Bartow, FL 33830
(863) 533-7628
Join date: 10/21/2015

Looking for a commercially zoned lot, building for rent or to buy for your business? Please check out this site :

You'll get to create an account for free and check out MLS commercial listings for Bartow.
For a downloadable CRA District map, click here, scroll down and look under IMPORTANT LINKS in the right hand column of the Chamber's website.

$25 per run (up to 35 words), call 533-7125 or email Virginia.

COMMERCIAL RENTAL SPACE perfect for small business client consultation and/or satellite office space in Polk County's county seat. Minutes from the courthouse and county administration buildings. The 40-600 square foot move in ready space is located at 1480 N. Broadway Ave., Suite C in Bartow. Rental rates $450-$650 per month. Interested parties should call (863) 559-3180 or (863) 559-0101.

Click here to read the Summer Business Quarterly Magazine!
















Want to find a retail or service business? Click here.

     Fall is here and the Honeybee Festival and Craft Fair is almost upon us. November 14th is the big day and from what I've heard, it's going to be an event you won't want to miss.
      Celebrating 24 years, the name has changed and I like it but I was curious to how it all began 24 years ago, so I started asking around to see what I could find out. The dates may be a little sketchy depending on the memories of the folks that I spoke with, but the chain of events is pretty accurate.
     In the spring every year, the Bartow Art Guild held an art show at what some folks around here refer to as "the glass bank" on Broadway that now houses the Wells Fargo Bank. After some time passed, the Art Guild needed more manpower and enlisted the help of Downtown Bartow, now known as Main Street Bartow.
      The Bartow Art Guild and Downtown Bartow worked together and the show was moved downtown. It was very successful and the Bloomin' Arts Festival was born. In addition to fine arts, the show included quilts, crafts and plants. An antique show was added later.
      In 1999 a car show was added. From 1999 until 2009, Wheels Classic Cruisers held the car show at the Festival. When the car club disbanded, Jim Duane, Tony Murray and Gail Murray took the car show over. They averaged about 120 cars each year. They made it a fundraiser with the  Women's Care Center as the recipient of the funds raised. In 2012 Gail and Tony took over sole responsibility of the show. Last year they were able to make a contribution of $1,400 to the Women's Care Center.
      Somewhere along the line, someone mentioned how nice it would be to have an event in the fall. The Downtown Bartow Promotions Committee took the lead to hold a Fall Festival with crafts and food as a one day fundraiser.
      And so . . . now we have evolved into the Honeybee Festival and Craft Fair. Bartow is the home of the Ridge Beekeepers Association. In addition, Polk County is the second largest producer of honey in Florida and the third largest in the nation, so it's only natural to celebrate bees during this Festival.
      This year along with the arts and crafts, there will be honey-featured treats, honey for cooking and apiculture specialists/beekeepers who will hold educational presentations. The West Coast Square and Round Dancers Association will also be performing at noon. Did you know that there is a Central Florida Honeybee Queen? Well she will be there, too!
      What a great day and a beautiful place for family and friends to gather. There is something for everyone, so come downtown on November 14th and have a great time.
     And, who knows? You might be named the Festival Spelling Bee Champion!!
 
Have a good week,
Sharon Casey
Chamber President, 2015  

Left to Right: Cristian Bruno, Dana Mooers, owner Mike Patel, Elsa Reyes, all of The UPS Store; and Barbara Adamson, Bartow Chamber membership director.Call or email today for online printing, and check out the website for all products and services offered. https://bartow-fl-3115.theupsstorelocal.com/

Business of the Month for November is . . .
The UPS Store
115 E. Van Fleet Drive, Bartow
Phone: 863-519-0800
store3115@theupsstore.com
Call Mike today! He's offering a great special throughout the month of November for Chamber members: 29 cents only for color copies, 8-1/2 x 11 throughout November, 2015.

We have two very exciting Chamber trips coming up:
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?  Call Barbara Adamson, 533-7125, for more information and to secure your seat.

FORTRESS FITNESS IS SECOND SATURDAY

     The Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce presents “FORTRESS Fitness,” a program to promote family fitness began in September at Fort Blount Park.
      “FORTRESS Fitness is a community-wide outdoor workout program for all fitness levels, all ages, and it’s absolutely free,” said Marie Wilmot, organizer of the new program. Wilmot is a wellness and fitness enthusiast, instructor of Pilates, kickboxing, Zumba and other cardio-fitness programs Please mark your calendars for these second Saturdays:

• November 14^th – Sol Torres (Zumba)
• December 12^th – Olly and Anitra Goddard
• January 9^th – Greg, Rick & Krissy
• February 13^th – Darwin Manzueta
• March 12^th – Marie Wilmot
• April 9^th – John Abad
• May 14^th – Jude Dauphin

     “Whether it’s just you, grandparents and grandkids, or your whole family, you are welcome to join us,” Wilmot said. For more information, contact: Virginia Condello at the Chamber, (863) 533-7125 or email virginia@bartowchamber.com. 
 

A-C-T CHILI COOKOFF IS FRIDAY!
     A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure, Inc. (A-C-T) will hold their sixth annual Chili Cook Off on Friday, Nov. 6 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  The flavorful event will help A-C-T raise both money and awareness for United Way of Central Florida and will be held at the firm’s corporate headquarters – 1875 W. Main St. in Bartow (Highway 60 just west of downtown Bartow).
     The public is invited to participate by attending to enjoy a smorgasbord of chili and all the fixings.  Lunch includes chili, beverage and dessert and costs just $10.  Chili will be available in three categories – hot (fiery, light-you-up!); mild (for the more sensitive palate) and imaginative (e.g. white chicken, vegetarian, gluten-free).  Judging will begin shortly before the 11:30 a.m. start and winners will be announced as soon as the scores are tabulated.
A-C-T’s Jennifer Kincart Jonsson, the 2014-2015 Campaign Chair for the United Way of Central Florida and current Vice Chair of the Board, had a vision for making the chili cook off a signature event for the company’s annual fundraising campaign – one that would have broad appeal and grow to involve as many community members as possible.”   Last year’s cook off boasted a record number of both entries and attendees – more than tripling in size over the inaugural year and raising $5,286 in 120 minutes for United Way.  A-C-T expects this year’s event to be an even bigger success.
      Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, former chili judge, had this to say, “A-C-T has come up with a great event and every chili I sampled was so good it made picking a winner a lot tougher than I expected it to be.  That being said, the judges have the privilege of tasting each and every entry in the category they judge and that’s a pretty good deal.  I’d gladly do it again for that benefit alone!”
     And, although he’d definitely sign up for another round, Sheriff Judd has graciously given up his spot this year to make way for some other lucky judges, including Former State Representative Seth McKeel; Dr. Randy Avent (President, Florida Polytechnic University); Lt. Ken Hall (Polk County Sheriff’s Office); Nick Nicholas (DSM Technology Consultants); Jen Leigh (WFLA News Channel 8); Kathryn Leroy (Superintendent, Polk County Schools); Congressman Dennis Ross; Roger Todd (WPCV 97 Country Breakfast Club on-air personality); Robert Fredere (Mosaic); Kevin Drake (The Ledger Media Group); and Stacy Butterfield (Polk County Clerk of Courts).
     Tickets are available for advance purchase at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-c-ts-6th-annual-chili-cook-off-tickets-19170206604. A-C-T is seeking chili entries and accepting donations. For more information about attending the event to sample some great chili while contributing to the United Way of Central Florida, please contact A-C-T at 863-533-2000 x208 or email chili@A-C-T.com.

SNOW WILL BE FALLING ON BARTOW FORD DEC. 5!
Mark Your Calendars: The snow is falling on Bartow Ford: Bartow Ford and 97 Country have teamed together to create a FREE Winter Wonderland Event. Join them December 5th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. for flurry-filled family fun. Free breakfast with Santa; 30-foot snow slide and snow play area; Polar Express Train; and Musical Appearances by Elsa, Anna, & Olaf.
     Bartow Ford is located at 2800 US Hwy. 98 North, Bartow. For more information, call 800-303-4016.

(All meetings are in the Chamber Boardroom unless otherwise noted.)

NOVEMBER

Tuesday, November 3, 9:30 a.m.
MOSAICS COMMUNITY CAFE RIBBON-CUTTING
315 E. Main St., Bartow

Thursday, November 5, 4:00 p.m.
ALPHAGRAPHICS LAKELAND RIBBON-CUTTING
4130 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, 33813

Friday, November 6, Lunch
A-C-T CHILI COOKOFF
1875 W. Main Street, Bartow

Tuesday, November 10, 9:30 a.m.
THE KRAZY KRICKET RIBBON-CUTTING
115 E. Main Street, Bartow 33830

Wednesday, November 11, 11:30 a.m.
A SALUTE TO OUR HOMETOWN HEROES
Bartow Civic Center
2250 S. Floral Ave., Bartow

Thursday, November 12, All Day
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DAY, LEADERSHIP BARTOW XVI

Thursday, November 12, 5:15 p.m.
BARTOW REGIONAL FUN THURSDAY
(See Attached Flier)

Tuesday, November 17, 3:30 p.m.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 17, 4:00 p.m.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Left to right, Leadership Bartow Class XVI members Kathryn Bevilacqua-Ely, Roxanna Tovrea, Sherrie McCullough and Barbara Adamson.

  This year's Rudolph Roundup is a project of Leadership Bartow XVI,  and the class has plans to make this year the best yet!
     Did you know that there are more than 3,200 children in Polk, Highlands and Hardee Counties that have experienced abuse and/or neglect? We need your help to provide holiday gifts for these children in foster and shelter care, or with relatives or non relatives, many times away from family and friends. Won’t you help the Bartow Chamber fill Santa’s sleigh?
How you can help
     Bring an unwrapped toy(s) to the Chamber at 510 North Broadway Avenue by noon on December 7th. Heartland for Children will pick up the toys from the Chamber office. For a PDF of the most needed items, click here.

SBDC Is Available At
The Chamber On
November 12th
The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at University of South Florida, assists existing and emerging businesses in Polk County, through no-cost confidential business consulting, and low-cost training. Consultants can assist entrepreneurs in a variety of business topics, including: marketing, business certification, capital access, market diversification, developing strategic business plans, export services, and web optimization. A consultant will be at the Chamber on November 12, 2015 and available to Chamber Businesses. To schedule an appointment, visit www.bartowchamber.com and follow the links on the home page, or call (863) 678.4182, ext. 227.

FREE CAREER EVENT - ARE YOU LOOKING FOR QUALITY EMPLOYEES? Your search could end here. The Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce is holding a job fair, giving quality job seekers access to more than 30 employers throughout the Polk County area. Want to participate as an employer? Contact Barbara Adamson, 863-533-7125 or email: barbara@bartowchamber.com for more information. Presenting Sponsor: Spherion Staffing Services
BARTOW CHAMBER JOB FAIR
Friday, January 8, 2016, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Bartow Civic Center, 2250 South Floral Ave.