Sarasota Chamber shares members' success stories at annual meeting

About 500 members of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce gathered Oct. 19 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota to celebrate a successful chamber year during its 98th Annual Membership Meeting. The past year saw chamber membership grow by 200 members. 

"Our growing membership is a reflection of our businesses and residents understanding how effective our chamber is in advancing the business community," said Chair of the Board Charlie Bailey. 

The chamber also awarded its Chair's Cup to restauranter Steve Seidensticker posthumously.

"He was a leader with a monumental charitable spirit and he continues to leave a lasting legacy for our community," said Bailey. 

His son and Tableseide Restaurant Group CEO Joe Seidensticker accepted the award on his father's behalf. 

"He was dedicated to giving back and the chamber was his best resource," Seidensticker said. "It allowed him to make connections with local businesses and influencers that exist in no other organization. He considered the chamber a partner in bringing out the good in Sarasota."

Bailey then introduced the board's incoming chair, John LaCivita of Willis Smith Construction. 

The meeting wrapped up with the launch of the chamber's second annual "Your Story" video series which highlights the successes of local companies. The series won best in the state of Florida in the audio-visual category during this year's Annual Florida Association of Chamber Professionals Conference. This year, the stories of Architecture Salvage, ASO Corporation and Dakin Dairy Farms were featured.