The nominations are officially in! The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards process is an opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Nassau County. Winners will be announced and contacted during the week of February 8th. For questions or more information, please email info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com or call (904) 261-3248. And the nominees are... LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Amelia Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine Baptist Medical Center Nassau First Port City Bank Hot Paws Pet Grooming, Hotel & Spa Liberty Landscape Supply Meridian Waste Millennium Physician Group Orange Park Mall Rayonier Summer House Realty MEDIUM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Amelia Express Care Joe's 2nd Street Bistro Junior's Seafood Palm III Realty The Hurst Company, CPAs, P.A. Wicked BAO SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Amelia Island Adventures Amelia Island Kayak Excursions FASTSIGNS of Fernandina Beach Paisley Grace Makery SJ Brewing Company Surcheros Fresh Grill Villa Villekulla Toy Store BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR Randy Bowman | Orange Park Mall Michael Brooks | First Port City Bank Mark Bullington | Amelia Island Kayak Excursions Durand Childers | First Port City Bank Neal & Marty Cochrane | Cochrane's Collision Center Kerri Foster | Amelia Island Adventures Jodi Henson | Small Business Development Center at UNF Gil Langley | Amelia Island TDC and CVB Octavio Martinez | Hot Paws Pet Grooming, Hotel & Spa Kelley McCarter | Keep Nassau Beautiful Tracy Nazzaro | Traders Hill Farm Tim Poynter | Café Karibo Jaret P. Rice | The Hurst Company, CPAs James Schaffer | Summer House Realty Jenny Schaffer | Summer House Realty Don Shaw | Cambridge South JoAnn Stewart | SJ Brewing Company YOUNG BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR Dr. James Antun | 8 Flags Chiropractic Bradley Bean | Rayonier Advanced Materials Heather Bennett | Paisley Grace Makery Aaron Bullington | Amelia Island Kayak Excursions Theresa Duncan | Villa Villekulla Toy Store Darrin Eakins | Nassau Pride Greg Franklin | Franklin Equipment Sales Martinique Lemke | Redbones Dog Bakery & Boutique Jacob Logsdon | Amelia Express Care Antoinette Richter | First Port City Bank Ricky Rochester | Meridian Waste CUSTOMER SERVICE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Andrea Aroyo | Amelia Express Care Pam Austin | First Federal Bank Kathryn Bell | Millennium Physician Group Kellie Boston | Boston Photography Nik Bremer | Amelia Island Bait & Tackle Aaron Bullington | Amelia Island Kayak Excursions Amber Bullington | Amelia Island Kayak Excursions Rachel Clark | Traders Hill Farm Linda Crow | Crow Jewelers Kim Ferman and Kelly Redlinski | Advanced Muscle Therapy Dearsha Johnson | Story & Song Bookstore Bistro Michelle Myers | Mint Magazine Noelle Najimy | Hartke & Najimy Accounting Services Olivia Harris | Whataburger Amy Petroy | The Patio Place Ricky Robbins | Amelia Island Coffee Emiko Rocha | First Federal Bank Jenny Schaffer | Summer House Realty Tambre Webb | FASTSIGNS of Fernandina Beach Nathalie Wu | Wicked BAO NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR Barnabas Center Boys & Girls Clubs of Nassau County Fernandina Beach Main Street Fernandina Beach Pride Keep Nassau Beautiful Micah's Place Nassau County School System Nassau Humane Society Nassau Pride Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare Take Stock in Children of Nassau County Trinity Love Hoblit Foundation
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![]() The West Nassau Historical Society has selected Saturday, April 17, for their signature fundraising Railroad Day Festival. The all-volunteer nonprofit’s 16th annual celebration is an all-day event held in and around the historic 1881 Callahan Train Depot and adjoining 1856 Florida Railroad bed. This year’s event will include a commemoration of Florida's 200th anniversary of becoming a US territory. Other photos and maps of interest will be on display inside the museum of local history section of the 140-year old wooden train station. The arts/crafts vendors and food vendors are open from 9 AM to 4 PM and the kids’ area will include Joel Pace hands-on music zoo and Hobo scavenger hunt. Local live entertainment will perform on the main depot stage from 9 AM to 4 PM. Callahan Cruisers will host a classic car show at Cochrane's Collision Center next door to the depot Various citizens and sponsors will be honored and car show and contest winners announced during the festivities. Antique engines, tractors, and scaled trains will be exhibited outside the depot while model train layouts will be on display inside the Depot Annex. This is an outdoor event so please bring your lawn chairs. COVID-19 guidelines that are in place during April will be followed. The West Nassau Historical Society is an all-volunteer non-profit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the preservation of Nassau County’s rich and diverse history and entrusted with the upkeep of the historic Callahan Train Depot. Donations to the 501c3 organization are tax deductible in accordance to current IRS rules. Sponsors and volunteers are needed to help make this year’s festival a success. For additional information on the 2021 Railroad Day Festival visit www.wnhsfl.org or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer, vendor, sponsor, member, or donor call festival co-chairs John Hendricks or Emily Baumgartner at 904-879-3406. ![]() December 2, 2020 (Nassau County, FL) The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners recently partnered with the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce to use a portion of the funds from the CARES Act for the distribution of sanitizing supplies to the local business community. Due to the overwhelming response and need within the business community, more sanitizing supplies are available. Each business will be provided supplies based on the number of employees and materials will be available until all supplies have been distributed. Businesses must bring a copy of either their utility bill or Florida Division of Corporations 2020 registration to receive free supplies. The provided document must show the name of the business and a Nassau County address. Nassau County businesses that previously received supplies may participate again. Cases of supplies will be available at the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce on the following date: Monday, December 14, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Nassau County Chamber of Commerce 961687 Gateway Blvd., Suite 101-G Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 Supply distribution is available for every Nassau County business, while supplies last. For more information about this program, please contact the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce at (904) 261-3248 or info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com. ![]() The West Nassau Historical Society is actively seeking artists and high school students from Nassau County to participate in their 9th annual Nassau Art at the Callahan Depot (NACD) art show. The judged event is designed to showcase the many talented adult artists as well as middle and high school art students who reside in Nassau County, Florida. The exhibit will be held inside the historic Callahan Train Depot located at 45383 Dixie Avenue on Saturday, January 30, 2021. The quaint ambiance of the 139 year-old station and museum offers the perfect venue for county artists to display their works while giving the public a chance to check out many historic photos and artifacts on display inside the depot. During this COVID pandemic several aspects of the county-wide art show has been limited or moved to an exterior location. To keep all artists, visitors and volunteers safe several preventative measures such as temperature checks and social distancing will be followed. Artists will be restricted to only 2 judged art works and any who bring more of their art works to sell will be given an area outdoors on the depot platform. With the unpredictability of the virus and the weather, other aspects of the art show could change without notice. The all-volunteer nonprofit organization hopes all Nassau County artists will visit their web site www.wnhsfl.org for entry applications and art show information. Deadline for entering is noon on Friday, January 15. The group also encourages Nassau County middle and high school students to contact the Historical Society or their art teacher for an student entry form. Prizes will be awarded to the adult artists with the best art work in three categories: painting, photography, and 3-D art. The public attending the NACD event will also be given a chance to vote for their favorite art work with that artist receiving a People’s Choice award. Another judged category will cover artwork from high school students who attend school or study at home in Nassau County. Gift cards and other prizes will be awarded to the top winners of each category. The NACD art show is open to the public from 10 AM to 2:30 PM, with a one hour break from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM to allow for the art entries to be judged. During this intermission members of the Historical Society will serve a luncheon for the artists, students and sponsors inside the iconic 1881 train station annex. The Callahan Train Depot will then reopen to the public at 1:30 PM with refreshments and the awards ceremony. Admission to the 9th edition of the NACD art show is free but donations are always appreciated. The West Nassau Historical Society is a registered 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting Nassau County’s history and culture and is entrusted with the upkeep of the historic late Victorian-style Callahan Train Depot. They are also active in and receive support from Arts and Culture Nassau, a county-wide organization dedicated to promoting the arts and culture in Nassau County. To become a sponsor or for more details on entering the show or becoming a volunteer visit our web site www.wnhsfl.org, call 904-879-3406, or like us on Facebook. The Historical Society is always looking for new members and volunteers to help us promote our county’s rich and diverse history and to put on historical and cultural events such as this. The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners recently designated a portion of the funds from the CARES Act to be used for the distribution of sanitizing supplies to local businesses and reimbursement funds for disinfectant foggers. Sanitizing supplies will be available to all local businesses free of charge on a first-come-first-serve basis. “Providing these programs for the Nassau County business community is critical to the ongoing efforts to assist our citizens, community partners, and businesses recover in these unprecedented times. We are extremely appreciative to the Chamber Board of Directors for the opportunity to partner and execute this program.” Taco Pope, County Manager.
Various distribution dates and locations have been established, making it easier for all businesses throughout Nassau County to access difficult to acquire sanitizing supplies. Each business will be provided supplies based on the number of employees and materials will be available until all supplies have been distributed. Businesses must bring a copy of either their utility bill or Florida Division of Corporations 2020 registration to receive free supplies. The provided document must show the name of the business and a Nassau County address. Free supplies are available to Nassau County businesses one time only. Businesses that received supplies during our first event in Fernandina Beach will be unable to attend again in Yulee or Callahan. Supplies will be distributed on the following dates and locations: Monday, November 9, 2020 from 9:00-11:00 A.M. The Journey Church parking lot 95707 Amelia Concourse Yulee, FL 32097 Tuesday, November 10, 2020 from 9:00-11:00 A.M. West Nassau Historical Society parking lot 45383 Dixie Avenue Callahan, FL 32011 Businesses may participate in the reimbursement program by submitting a receipt for a disinfectant fogger. The deadline to submit your receipt is November 10, 2020. For more information and restrictions, please contact the Chamber of Commerce. According to Regina Duncan, President of the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce, “This program, coupled with the recent distribution of small business grants, will play a significant role in the recovery of our business community. We are pleased to partner with Nassau County to aid the entire business community.” Supply distribution is available for every Nassau County business. For more information about this program, please contact the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce at (904) 261-3248 or at info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com. As the major safety net organization for Nassau County residents in need, Barnabas Center is on the front line of helping residents in need during the COVID-19 crisis. Services offered to Nassau County residents with low to moderate incomes include food assistance, financial assistance and urgent medical and dental care.
Food Assistance: A short-term supply of food is provided that may include produce, dairy, meat and nonperishable items, depending on availability:
Mobile Food Distribution:
Financial Assistance:
Medical and Dental Care: We provide medical and dental care to adults who are uninsured and do not have a primary care doctor. Please contact us to discuss. For more information about our health services, visit www.barnabasnassau.org/get-help/health-services. For information about available assistance and eligibility, contact Barnabas at (904) 261-7000, visit www.BarnabasNassau.org, or follow our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BarnabasNassau. For your safety and others during the pandemic, please call Barnabas for a telephone pre-screening for financial assistance, food stamp and/or Medicaid applications before visiting the office. Nassau County has received the official notice of approval from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation on the the Nassau County Vacation Rental Plan. Effective immediately, vacation rentals can begin accepting and welcoming reservations again.
Below are a list of resources to assist with implementing the new Nassau County Short-Term Vacation Rental Plan:
For assistance with the sourcing of cleaning supplies for your business, please contact the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce at (904) 261-3248 or info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com. A plan for short-term rentals from the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners was sent to the State this morning. County Manager, Mike Mullin, and Assistant County Manager, Taco Pope, met with the Tourist Development Council this morning to review a draft plan to be submitted to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations to reinstate short-term rentals in Nassau County. The final plan was submitted at 11:04 this morning. A copy can be found attached below. CLICK HERE to download the documents. Once approval is received from the State, an Emergency Order will be issued to codify the plan. Barnabas Receives Support From the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences4/22/2020 As the major nonprofit safety net provider in Nassau County, Barnabas Center is responding to the needs of individuals and families in crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this crisis, Barnabas Center is on the front lines for providing food to people in need in Nassau County. Many of our neighbors are being disproportionately affected by this crisis, especially those who are lower income, disabled, elderly, or unable to work due to business closures or layoffs. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Family nutrition program supports access to food for people in need. UF/IFAS will help support Barnabas Center with donations of needed supplies for its food distribution sites. With recent business closures and job losses, the services that Barnabas provides to the community are more important than ever. Barnabas thanks UF/IFAS and other community partners for their support during these uncertain times. Through its food pantry, mobile food distributions, crisis assistance and medical services, Barnabas will strive to help those in crisis to help them remain healthy and stable. For information about available assistance and eligibility, contact Barnabas at (904) 261-7000, or visit www.BarnabasNassau.org. For information about how to help or to make a donation, visit the website or contact Tania Yount, Chief Development Officer at (904) 261-7000 ext. 107 or tyount@barnabasnassau.org. The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce has announced its services to assist workers who are left unemployed or unpaid due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
In partnership with Barnabas Center, the Chamber of Commerce has created a Workforce Assistance Program and Information Hotline. Individuals who need assistance with rent, utilities, food and other necessities may contact the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce office at (904) 261-3248 or via email info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com. Applicants may be eligible if work hours have been reduced due to Coronavirus, or if the workplace closes or instructs employees not to go to work, resulting in not being paid. Proof of Nassau County residency is required. “Early in March, as the situation evolved, we recognized the need to serve as an information source for not only businesses but residents. We are in a unique position with outreach to the entire community and the knowledge, structure and resources to help” said Regina Duncan, President, Nassau County Chamber of Commerce. As the surge of jobless claims continues to overwhelm the state unemployment office, the Chamber of Commerce began providing paper unemployment applications. Over the past 10 days, more than 1600 applications have been distributed and are still available outside of the Chamber of Commerce office, located at 961687 Gateway Blvd., Suite 101-G, Fernandina Beach, Florida. While the Chamber of Commerce hosts two hiring events each year, the April event has been postponed until further notice. However, job seekers are encouraged to continue to visit www.NassauCountyFLChamber.com for available job openings and resources. For more information on the Workforce Assistance Program, Information Hotline, or any of the other programs offered by the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce, call (904) 261-3248 or email info@NassauCountyFLChamber.com. |
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