November is here, Thanksgiving is just a few days away and Christmas is right around the corner.  Although this has been a challenging year filled with tremendous angst, it is important that we do not lose sight of the numerous blessings and remember to be thankful.  On a personal level, I am extremely thankful for my family, supportive friends, co-workers, and a job that inspires me to stay true to my commitment to our community.  I am also very grateful to my West Orange Chamber family which consists of the extraordinary staff, dedicated board of directors and the entire membership group that is still growing. 

Our West Orange Chamber Family has endured a lot of adversity this year, but together we remained strong in support of one another!  The team worked tirelessly to provide our Chamber Family with relevant and timely resources from a multitude of local, state, and federal agencies, subject matter experts and much more to help guide us through the haze of uncertainty.  I am beyond thankful to the chamber members who renewed their membership this year.  Your investment in the chamber ensures that essential economic development programs are delivered to the West Orange Business Community.  THANK YOU for your continued support!

The chamber team is excited to share our Gratitude with our members at the upcoming “Business After Hours” event, Thursday, November 19th @ 5:30pm, at 429 Inc.   Also, fast approaching is our last event of the year, “2020 – It’s A Wrap”, on Friday, December 11th from 3:00 – 5:30pm, at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center.  This fun filled event will have plenty of door prizes, table favors, center pieces and much more. During the event, I will be passing the gavel to my friend, the incoming Chairwoman of the Board, Camille Evans of Virtus Law.  We will also be recognizing the official graduation of the 2019-2020 Leadership West Orange participants. 

This event is all about Celebrating and Honoring YOU.  We will present the Small and Big Business of the Year and the Chairwoman’s Award.  In addition, one of the biggest highlights of the event will be honoring WOCC MEMBERS who have completely reinvented or innovated their business to succeed AND who have gone “above and beyond” to assist others during the pandemic.  We are currently accepting nominations; you can nominate yourself or other chamber members whom you feel deserve recognition for what they have done and accomplished. 

Please click here to share your nominations.  And to register for either the BAH or It’s a Wrap, please click here.  These events are both in-person and focused on THANKING YOU.

I want to once again, express my extreme gratitude and thank you for your continued support to our West Orange Chamber family.  I wish everyone a blessed, safe and pleasant Thanksgiving holiday……AND please remember, when Holiday Shopping, choose your fellow Chamber Members first.

Sincerely, 

Deborah Rios-Barnes