Business & Tech

Bloomingdale Attorney Discusses Chamber Goals; FishHawk Resident Named Key Citizen

Bloomingdale attorney Bob Bivins took over the helm of the chamber Friday night while community activist Tammy Holmberg received the coveted Key Citizen Award.

Bloomingdale attorney Bob Bivins is no stranger to the economic pressures felt by businesses large and small in Brandon.

He stressed that point at the onset of his first public speech as the newly named chair of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, at the group's Feb. 3 membership dinner at The Regent.

"The last several years have been a real challenge, for all of us," Bivins said. "The fact of the matter is that we are in a different environment now than we thought could possibly even exist back in 2006."

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Bivins asked the close to 300 attendees to consider the state of affairs just six years ago.

"Everything was booming," he said. "The economy was great. There were home prices going through the roof. As an attorney that counsels businesses, I can attest to you guys, whatever challenges you have, you are not alone."

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He noted that every day he talks to clients whose credit loans have been cut, "or they're out there trying to do more with a third less staff, or they're having to rebuild a customer base that got decimated by the economy."

As he moves from the one-year position of chair-elect to chair, Bivins gave his assessment of the situation today, noting that with "the end of the boom time" came "the beginning of the leaner times," through which the chamber and its members are best served together.

"We had to adapt our business, just like a lot of you had to adapt yours," he added, noting the law firm he and his partner moved from Tampa to Valrico in 2007.

"But what we saw when we moved to Brandon was very interesting to me, which was a level of resilience, a true sense of community, the fact that businesses and people in this community genuinely wanted to help and support each other. We’re all stronger together than we are separately."

In effect, Bivins said, "that's what the chamber is all about."

The chamber "is nothing more than a crucible for its members," Bivins said. "It's a vessel where we can all come together and educate each other, share resources and make ourselves stronger and sometimes just help each other and give each other a pep talk. Whether it's business training, whether it's networking events, whether it's cross-referral arrangements, this chamber is dedicated to help businesses in just the types of times that we are experiencing now."

Key Citizen Named

The community also paid tribute to Tammy Holmberg and, by association, her husband, Paul, at the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce membership dinner at The Regent.

Holmberg, a FishHawk resident, received the 2011 Key Citizen of the Year Award for her tireless work as a community-minded business owner, with a slew of testimonials to her credit for the countless number of events she has supported through the years.

Holmberg, a former honorary mayor of Brandon, her husband are the owners of the Chick-fil-A restaurant in Lake Brandon Village on Causeway Boulevard.

"I didn't expect this," Tammy Holmberg said, in receiving her award. "I just want to say thank you, and from the bottom of my heart. I just do what I do because I love people and I love my community."

Holmberg talked about the early days, when she and her husband moved to the community in 1998.

"We didn't know a soul," she said. "We opened a little Chick-fil-A and we didn't know if it would be successful or not because it was on Lumsden, and who [at the time] ever heard of that road. And there were still cows still grazing next door when we opened."

Holmberg said she remembers that, while her husband was out and about in town talking up the anticipated opening of the restaurant, she was back at the hiring trailer when Tom Reagin, then with the chamber, knocked on her door and asked if she'd like to join the organization.

"I said, 'OK, sign us up,' " Holmberg recalled.

Other Awards

  • Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Earl J. Lennard, the former superintendent of schools, presented the 2011 Leadership Award to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who could not be in attendance but accepted it with a video presentation.
  • The Brandon chamber's 2011 Ambassador of the Year is Charles Shenning.
  • Outgoing chairman, Melissa Snively of Bloomingdale East, gave to Jeff Campbell of Lithia the 2011 Chairman's Award for his help throughout her one-year term.
  • Also at the dinner, Moore Hallmark, of the United States Chamber of Commerce, presented to the Brandon chamber a plaque signifying the group's second attainment of a five-star rating.


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