Sarasota Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 99th meeting

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce gathered Oct. 4 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota to celebrate a successful chamber year during its 99th annual Membership Meeting. The past year saw chamber membership grow by 240 members. 

"The foundation of the chamber is to connect, promote and support you, our members," Chair of the Board John LaCivita said. "I can tell you the chamber is firing on all cylinders right now."

Before introducing the incoming chair, LaCivita awarded the Chair's Cup to Dennis Murphy, Gulfside Bank president and chief executive officer.

"I'm just very passionate about the chamber and its mission," Murphy said. "An organization that does such good things for the business climate and community that brings folks together for networking, provides leadership... [makes it] an easy organization to really want to help."

LaCivita also introduced the 2019-2020 Chair of the Board Paul Caragiulo of Caragiulo's Italian American Resturant. 

The meeting ended with a talk from guest speaker Tony Moore, a culture architecture who specializes in helping businesses cultivate an office culture that retains clients and employees. He told the crowd that "a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor" and shared stories that showed how change is a driving factor in growth.