Biz Alliance welcomes new leadership

EAST COUNTY — The unpainted, door-free, empty space that will serve as the new office of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, located in the MGA Professional Center, is significant to Annette Gueli, the alliance’s 2014 chairwoman: It represents change.

She points to the area where two men saw through wood, waving the shreds of debris away from her face with her other hand.

“This is where the front desk will be, and, over here, the television will hang that will flash a screen that says, ‘Thank you to sponsors,’” Gueli explains, smiling.

She can already envision the meetings between alliance members and their prospective clients taking place in the largest area of the room, located in the farthest corner from the entrance — a space their former office does not have.

As Gueli prepares to lead the Alliance into its next year, the grandmother of two and owner of Pro-Motion Notions hopes to encourage members to “pay it forward” and to get involved with as many organizations as possible to give back to the community.

She has been passionate about volunteering for as long as she can remember.

Gueli volunteered with the American Cancer Society even before being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. The volunteers she worked alongside helped others by fundraising and providing education to promote early detection. Those same volunteers reached out to her when she received the news of her diagnosis. They inspired her to continue her own volunteer efforts, as well, she said.

As a member of the fundraising group Team ACS, Gueli and her all-women team have raised more than $130,00 since it formed in 2009.

“I know the support the community offers first hand,” Gueli said. “I have seen the giving hearts of so many residents; I was in the right place at the right time, with all the support I could have possibly needed.”

To demonstrate the importance of charity and nonprofit organizations to the alliance, Gueli plans to launch an initiative that gives more exposure to such types of groups. She hopes to highlight and spread the word about charities that have relationships with the alliance, to draw awareness to the groups’ specific needs.

Better collaboration and open communication are also high on her list to maintain a successful alliance during her time as chairwoman — goals she hopes to better accomplish once an executive director takes his or her spot on the board. The newly created position requires a person who can work side by side with the chairperson and the board, and who embodies the alliance’s mission to grow and help the communities it serves. The board of directors hopes to fill the spot by the end of spring, Gueli said.

Her alliance
Moving her business 15 years ago from Buffalo, N.Y., to Sarasota meant building a local client base from scratch, Gueli explains. Prior to her time in the business alliance, she joined 20 groups in cities from Venice to Tampa in hopes of drawing awareness to her business — a company that creates marketing materials for businesses.

After being introduced to the alliance in 2005 and attending just one meeting, she joined as the then-50th member. Today, there are more than 400 members.

Over the nine years of her membership in the alliance, Gueli immersed herself in a variety of roles within the group.

She served on the board of directors for four years, acted as an events committee member in 2009 and later served as both chairwoman and co-chairperson of the events and fundraising committee.

More recently, as part of the group’s prerequisite to become the chairwoman, she served a year as incoming chairwoman to prepare for her duties; she replaces outgoing Chairman Tommy Klauber.

A PowerPoint presentation from Gueli and her official induction as chairwoman at the alliance’s annual membership luncheon Jan. 15 mark the next chapter in her story.

“I firmly believe the quality in our lives is founded on the quality of our relationships,” Gueli said, “and I’ve met some fantastic people as a member of this dynamic group. I’m honored to serve as the new chair.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].