News

Greetings Fellow Skalleagues,

Thank you to Cameron O’Connell and Pat Robinson of ZooTampa at Lowry Park for hosting our September dinner. It was so enjoyable to walk around the spacious outdoor park, enjoying the animals and habitats and then dine in a responsible and socially distanced fashion in their lovely Reilly’s Reserve.

We were proud to be the first in person event following the COVID-19 pandemic and appreciate all the steps the team took to help us #GetWildSafely. If you have visitors and contacts looking for activities or event space, I would highly recommend reaching out to the team at ZooTampa.

I hope you found encouragement in the company of other industry partners during these trying times.  Many of you are experiencing indicators of success as we start to see the industry slowly recover.

Take heart - The World’s Largest Travel Platform, TripAdvisor, ranks both St. Pete Beach and Clearwater in the Top 10 US Destinations for Fall of 2020.

Our beautiful beaches, world-class arts and culture scene, exciting culinary options and more stand ready for our travel-ready guests to return and the signature hospitality of Tampa Bay will be here to welcome them. That is all thanks to you. 

In keeping with the plan for interactive socially-distanced events, we invite you to attend our October 12th event as Clearwater Marine Aquarium unveils their new meeting space and showcases their new dolphin complex that is home to Winter, Hope, PJ, Nick & Hemmingway. 

Having visited these spaces myself many times, you won’t want to miss this event that is guaranteed to go ‘swimmingly’!

Thank you to all who have donated for our upcoming Holiday Auction.  As a reminder, please continue to collect items and bring them to the October and November meeting as we prepare for another unforgettable holiday celebration.

Masks are required for this event.

You and any guests are invited and can register at:   www.SkalTampaBay.com/events

and you can check out all of our past event photos at: www.SkalTampaBay.com/photos.  

Let’s continue to do what we do best in Hospitality - take care of our people!

Please take a moment to reach out to me and share how both you and your businesses are doing at this time – Kristina@amplifyclearwater.com and my cell is 727-804-7292. 

SKAL!!

Warm Wishes, 

Kristina Alspaw

President’s Corner June 2019

Greetings fellow Skalleagues

Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant hosted our group this month and they were fantastic. Thank you Sheri Heilman for your warm reception, exceptional service and mouthwatering food and drink. We also appreciated the information you shared with us on how we can be better stewards of our spectacular beaches and environment by using biodegradable and recycled products.  

Welcome to our newest board member Eric Class of Bahama Breeze – Tampa, we are excited to have you and appreciate your willingness to donate your time and energy to help continue our growth.

A big congratulations to one of our newest members, Linda Lawson of Touch Down  DMC on winning the 50/50 cash drawing. Other wonderful prizes won were a gift basketof delectables from Kilwin’s Chocolates in John’s Pass Village,  4 sets of tickets to Tampa Bay Rays and Threshers Baseball Games courtesy of Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, a 2 day/1 night stay at Holiday Inn, Gaithersburg, MD and a $100.00 Gift Certificate for Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant. A BIG thank you to our generous donors who supply items for our monthly drawings.

Our next meeting will be our Annual Golf Outing, Monday, July 08, 2019 at Top Golf in  Tampa. We LOVE this venue and had so much fun last year that we had to do a repeat. We will once again have a shuttle from Pinellas County thanks to the generosity of SKAL Member Michele O’Hara, Owner of  Carey Limousine.

Be sure to register and notify Steven if you will be riding the Shuttle so he can add you to the list.

You can register at www.SkalTampaBay.com/events and check out all of our event photos at www.SkalTampaBay.com/photos See you all next month!!

SKAL!!

Ed Shaughnessy                    

Collecting items for our Monthly Raffle

The extra raffle items graciously donated by many of you have been great incentives for our members to participate. We have had some fantastic "extra opportunity drawing" items. THANK YOU!!

We are collecting more items for upcoming meetings. We will be mindful of any time sensitive or restricted items but please try to put an expiration date of at least December 31, 2019 on any certificate.

This entire year we are adding additional prizes to our monthly drawings to garner more excitement and showcase our members. If you would like to donate items for the upcoming dinners or annual holiday auction, please email me and let me know what you will be donating and then mail the certificate, gift card, etc. to the following address:

SKAL Tampa Bay c/o Steven Rodriguez

14280 Passage Way, Seminole FL 33776

This is a great way of advertising your business while increasing odds of winning at our events and supporting our club. Thanks so much to all that have and continue to furnish prizes and auction items. 

President’s Corner April 2019

Greetings fellow Skalleagues

  The Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach provided us with a beautiful location for our May meeting.Thank you to all the Management and Staff who made our event so special. If you missed this event and have not yet visited this hotel, I highly recommend you check it out. The sunset from our room was spectacular. You won’t be disappointed.

  Welcome to our newest members who were pinned at this dinner. Cindy Dervech, Breezin Entertainment and Linda Lawson, Touch Down DMC are our newest SKAL Members and we also welcomed our newest Young SKAL Member – Ming Rogers with Vesta Property Services/ The Bay Club at Westshore.

Speaking of The Bay Club, congratulations to Chef Michaud on winning the 50/50 cash drawing. Other wonderful prizes won were a gift Basket from Vesta Property Management, Dolphin Watch or Sailing for Two from Dolphin Landing and a Gift Basket from Clearwater Marine Aquarium. A BIG thank you to our generous donors who supply items for our monthly drawings.

  Our next meeting will be Monday, June 10, 2019 at Bob Heilman’s Beachcomber Restaurant, also in Clearwater Beach. We are very excited for our first time meeting at this great venue.

You can register at www.SkalTampaBay.com/events and check out all of our event photos at www.SkalTampaBay.com/photos See you all next month!!

SKAL!!

Ed Shaughnessy                    

Collecting items for our Monthly Raffle

The extra raffle items graciously donated by many of you have been great incentives for our members to participate. We have had some fantastic "extra opportunity drawing" items. THANK YOU!!

We are collecting more items for upcoming meetings. We will be mindful of any time sensitive or restricted items but please try to put an expiration date of at least December 31, 2019 on any certificate.

This entire year we are adding additional prizes to our monthly drawings to garner more excitement and showcase our members. If you would like to donate items for the upcoming dinners or annual holiday auction, please email me and let me know what you will be donating and then mail the certificate, gift card, etc. to the following address:

SKAL Tampa Bay c/o Steven Rodriguez

14280 Passage Way, Seminole FL 33776

This is a great way of advertising your business while increasing odds of winning at our events and supporting our club. Thanks so much to all that have and continue to furnish prizes and auction items. 

President’s Corner April 2019

Greetings fellow Skalleagues

A BIG Thank You to Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park and Cameron O'Connell, Group Director Sales and Partnerships for their wonderful hospitality and beautiful wildlife setting. We were greeted by some permanent residents such as Giraffes, Zebras and Elephants to start our evening out right.

The hors d' oeuvres were tasty and plentiful and dinner was delicious, the drinks were top shelf and the service was excellent. An added treat was the two complimentary tickets each guest received from Zoo Tampa to visit the park again in the future. We call that Winning!

Speaking of winning, congratulations to Andy Brouillard on winning the 50/50 cash drawing and thank you for donating much of the winnings back to SKAL Others won a Jewelry Ensemble by Carol Eaves, Art by Kathleen Slaven and a Gift Basket from Zoo Tampa.

We would also like to congratulate, long time member, Peter Krueziger and the Bon Appetit Hospitality Group on winning the Clearwater Regional Chamber's 2019 Large Hospitality Business of the Year Award.

Our next meeting will be Monday, May 13, 2019 at Wyndham Grand Hotel in Clearwater Beach. We are excited to visit one of our newest hotels on Clearwater Beach.

You can register at www.SkalTampaBay.com/events and check out all of our event photos at www.SkalTampaBay.com/photos See you all next month!!

SKAL!!

Ed Shaughnessy                    

Collecting items for our Monthly Raffle

The extra raffle items graciously donated by many of you have been great incentives for our members to participate. We have had some fantastic "extra opportunity drawing" items. THANK YOU!!

We are collecting more items for upcoming meetings. We will be mindful of any time sensitive or restricted items but please try to put an expiration date of at least December 31, 2019 on any certificate.

This entire year we are adding additional prizes to our monthly drawings to garner more excitement and showcase our members. If you would like to donate items for the upcoming dinners or annual holiday auction, please email me and let me know what you will be donating and then mail the certificate, gift card, etc. to the following address:

SKAL Tampa Bay c/o Steven Rodriguez

14280 Passage Way, Seminole FL 33776

This is a great way of advertising your business while increasing odds of winning at our events and supporting our club. Thanks so much to all that have and continue to furnish prizes and auction items. 

President’s Corner March 2019

Greetings fellow Skalleagues

WHO DONE IT?? The mystery of who gagged Biff with a spoon was solved at our SKAL Dinner this month. The setting was The Bay Club at Westshore Yacht Club and we had a great time. This 80's themed event was entertaining and interactive.

The evening started with passed appetizers of crab cakes, lobster empanadas and other delicacies. The open bar was very popular by our members dressed in their best 1980's interpretations. Dinner was spectacular and included Roasted Pork Loin and Truffle Mushroom Risotto. Kudos to the Chef, Staff and our Hostess/SKAL Member, Julie Cortina.

Congratulations to Angel Hubayka on winning the 50/50 cash drawing and in honor of her Mom Dina (who was ill) donated the winnings back to SKAL. Other Raffles were won by Richard Nicoleit de Andrade (first-time guest) from Booking.com, Carol Eaves and Karin Donadeo.

Our next meeting will be Monday, April 08, 2019 at Zoo Tampa, at Lowry Park in Tampa. It promises to be great fun for everyone.

You can register at www.SkalTampaBay.com/events and check out all of our event photos at www.SkalTampaBay.com/photos See you all next month!!

SKAL!!

Ed Shaughnessy                    

Collecting items for our Monthly Raffle

The extra raffle items graciously donated by many of you have been great incentives for our members to participate. We have had some fantastic "extra opportunity drawing" items. THANK YOU!!

We are collecting more items for upcoming meetings. We will be mindful of any time sensitive or restricted items but please try to put an expiration date of at least December 31, 2019 on any certificate.

This entire year we are adding additional prizes to our monthly drawings to garner more excitement and showcase our members. If you would like to donate items for the upcoming dinners or annual holiday auction, please email me and let me know what you will be donating and then mail the certificate, gift card, etc. to the following address:

SKAL Tampa Bay c/o Steven Rodriguez

14280 Passage Way, Seminole FL 33776

This is a great way of advertising your business while increasing odds of winning at our events and supporting our club. Thanks so much to all that have and continue to furnish prizes and auction items.                                            

President’s Corner November 2018

Our 5th Annual Salute to Tourism was our biggest attended yet! Thank you to our nominating committee and a very special thank you to fellow Skalleague, Aimie Johnson and her team at the Florida Aquarium for a most memorable evening. Congratulations again to our members, Roberta Blum, Carol Eaves, Andy Brouillard and Dannette Lynch for your dedication and service to SKAL and Tampa Bay tourism.

Everyone is getting excited about our Annual Holiday Party featuring a Silent Auction and Wine Pull at the Belleair County Club. Now is the time to invite your spouse, fellow colleagues and special guests to join for this festive evening. If you haven't yet, please be sure to get your wine and auction donations to Steven as soon as possible. We look forward to celebrating the holidays and the close of 2018 with our fellow Skalleagues.

Collecting items for our Monthly Raffle

The extra raffle items graciously donated by many of you have been great incentives for our members to participate. We have had some fantastic "extra opportunity drawing" items. THANK YOU!!

We are collecting more items for upcoming meetings. We will be mindful of any time sensitive or restricted items but please try to put an expiration date of at least December 31, 2019 on any certificate.

This entire year we are adding additional prizes to our monthly drawings to garner more excitement and showcase our members. If you would like to donate items for the upcoming dinners or annual holiday auction, please email me and let me know what you will be donating and then mail the certificate, gift card, etc. to the following address:

SKAL Tampa Bay c/o Steven Rodriguez

14280 Passage Way, Seminole FL 33776

This is a great way of advertising your business while increasing odds of winning at our events and supporting our club. Thanks so much to all that have and continue to furnish prizes and auction items.                        

Dear Members and Associates:

PLEASE BRING WINE OR AUCTION ITEMS TO NOVEMBER MEETING IF YOU ARE ATTENDING SALUTE TO TOURISM - I WILL COLLECT ITEMS THERE!!

Our December Fundraiser and Holiday Party is scheduled for December 10th, 2018 (Registration is now open) and we're in need of auction and wine pull donations in order to make this a successful event. If you work with wine vendors at your place of business, please consider asking them to donate a case of wine for this event - they can be creative - maybe do a mix and match in varietal and price point (a $15.00, a $40.00, or maybe a WOW $100.00 bottle); we only ask that each bottle be worth at least $10.00 retail. We also still need items for our Silent Auction!

If you do not work with vendors, we ask that each member donate what you can; maybe you belong to a wine club or have a few high-end bottles around the house?? Maybe a very rare bottle that could be the featured prize of the fundraiser recognizing the donor? Attraction, Restaurant, Travel, Merchandise and Event Certificates are fantastic items to donate for our Silent Auction.

At our holiday party last year, members appreciated the opportunity to purchase a great bottle of wine, already gift-bagged, for only $10. This year, the wine pull will be held at our December 10th meeting, in time for those holiday gift exchanges and parties! 

Please bring your wine and/or Auction Item to the November meeting or contact me  to arrange a pick-up. Certificates can be mailed to SKAL Tampa Bay c/o  Steven Rodriguez, 14280 Passage Way, Seminole, FL 33776. We are excited to announce that our Holiday Party will be held at Belleair Country Club this year.

Again, thank you all for your help in this important fundraiser for our Skål club. A really fun, yet useful - savory "toasty" prize could be yours!!

Questions: Please contact Steven Rodriguez: Steven@OurCondo.com