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Welcome back!
I hope you all had a restful summer and were able to reconnect with your family and friends while our chapter was on break. We’re excited to be back to our regular meeting schedule and have had two great programs, thus far!
In September, our event focused on Artificial Intelligence – a topic that has come to the forefront of business discussions in recent years. We heard from local professionals who are using AI in their day-to-day practice and learned about some useful ways it’s being deployed in the finance and legal industries. Thank you to our panelists – Kevin Cahill, Gabe Higgins and Michelle Six – and our moderator – Dan Thompson – for making this a successful event!
Our October event touched on the current commercial real estate market in Tampa and the rest of the country. We’re very lucky in Tampa that our market has been insulated from some of the changes happening elsewhere in the country. Our panel was very insightful and touched upon all aspects of commercial real estate – from construction to leasing and corporate build outs. Thank you, Tim Kilkelly, Katie Trott, Mary-Kate Michalak, and Jonathan Moore for speaking with our chapter.
In November, our chapter will also host our annual Clays for a Cure charity sporting clays tournament to benefit Bay Area Advisors and Moffitt Cancer Center. If you haven’t attended this event in the past, I highly recommend it. As someone who is not an avid shooter, I can tell you the event is a great time to connect with fellow finance professionals in a unique setting. You also won’t want to miss the incredible lunch catered by Salt Block Hospitality, and the axe throwing competition that is new to the event this year.
Philanthropy is an important part of our chapter, and Clays for a Cure is just one way we give back to local organizations. We also have several ways to support Metropolitan Ministries this year. Our chapter has planned a volunteer day on May 3, and we will highlight them as our featured charity at our holiday social at Tampa Yacht & Country Club on December 7. I had the opportunity to attend the volunteer day last year and it was a memorable experience serving lunch to residents of Hope Hall. Please consider adding our 2024 volunteer day to your calendar.
It's my honor to serve as your Chapter President once again, and I’m looking forward to another great year of networking, events, and learning about organizations in the Tampa business community. Thank you for being a member, sponsor, and friend of our chapter. I hope to see you at an upcoming event!
Sincerely,
Joanne Dempster
Chapter President