Sarasota chamber welcomes bestselling author at annual breakfast

By Ian Swaby
| 1:45 p.m. March 22, 2024

Keynote speaker Kyle McDowell, Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Kasten and City Manager Marlon Brown

Sarasota
Neighbors

About 500 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota for the 2024 Annual Chamber Breakfast on March 22, and according to Heather Kasten, the president and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, they all had something to take home as well.

Delivering the keynote address was Kyle McDowell, a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has held leadership roles in corporations including United Health Group, CVS Health and Bank of America.

The event also featured additional speakers including Patrick Duggan of the sponsoring firm Shumaker, and included the presentation of the Spirit of Sarasota Award to Charles D. (Dan) Bailey Jr.

Bailey has served as general counsel to the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority for the past 39 years and currently sits on the governing board of The Patterson Foundation, in addition to many past leadership roles with major organizations.

McDowell discussed creating a positive workplace culture through steps he calls the “10 WEs.”

"It started to become very clear that the questions I had been asking throughout the course of my career, were not the right ones to ask, and when I started to find the right questions to ask, I stumbled across something that I now kind of refer to as my epiphany moment," he said.

Lori Hines, Angie Pantazis, Alyssa Schlegel and Brandi Stiarwalt

Pete Bartosik, Lauren Tominelli and Gail Farb

David Goldman, Étienne Porter and Mark Serio

Brian Hersh greets Scott Mayforth and Demetri Konstantopoulos

Tracie Cardwell talks with Brian Partie.

Heather Kasten, President and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, offers a speech.

Spirit of Sarasota award recipient Charles D. (Dan) Bailey Jr. offers a speech and prepares to receive the award from Darrin Rohr of HH Staffing Services.

Chair of the board Teri Hansen, of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, offers a speech.

Kyle McDowell delivers the keynote address.

author

Ian Swaby

Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.