Chamber welcomes Selby Gardens president as board chair

According to Heather Kasten, president and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, the past year has been "one for the record books."

She highlighted the chamber's five-star accreditation and record participation in its programs including CareerEdge, Leadership Sarasota and its summer internships. 

Addressing the crowd in a denim jacket, she said that was where the theme of the 105th Annual Chamber Meeting, "rocking your culture," came into play.

Held Oct. 24, the event featured a rock and roll aesthetic while welcoming Jennifer Rominiecki, the president and CEO of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, to the role of board chair and honoring the departing chair Joe Hembree, broker at Hembree & Associates.

Fittingly, the keynote speaker was Jim Knight, a 21-year head of global training and development with Hard Rock International. 

He told companies that they should behave like a nonprofit for "every single person that walks through the door," in order to build their company's culture.

He emphasized culture as more fundamental to success than products, and distinct from concepts like heritage. 

"The true path to Nirvana has definitely been people that have three C's, all three C's, confidence, character and culture fit," he said. "They are the amplifier."

"It is such an honor to be here and to be accepting the role of board chair for this historic chamber," Rominiecki said. "What a privilege it is to build upon its 105 year legacy, along with our incredible board, and amazing staff, in order to cultivate Sarasota's prosperity and quality of life through our member businesses."

She said the board had built upon its three-year strategic plan and had several new initiatives ahead, including an umbrella of new offerings for its businesses centered on building, investment and growth, and more internships than ever before, with a total of 50 internships.