Tampa, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Chamber held its 136th Annual Meeting yesterday at the Tampa Convention Center. Attendees came together to celebrate the Chamber's 2021 achievements. 2021 Chamber Chair, Yvette Segura, passed the gavel to 2022 Chair Andy Mayts, Shumaker. The Chamber also received greetings from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. The Chamber collected toys at the event, teaming with Metropolitan Ministries to help bring gifts to the Holiday Tent, which serves more than 26,500 children in the Tampa Bay area.
Segura highlighted the Chamber’s 2021 accomplishments, which aligned with the 10-year vision plan, Vision 2026, and Mayts announced the plans for 2022. The Chamber also announced the 2023 Cohort of the Minority Business Accelerator program. Cablelytics, LLC, Ceiba Ltd., M&G Janitorial Services, Mijan Construction, Ortega Custom Cabinets, Power Civil Construction Services, and ScopeShield, Inc. will begin the two-year program in January 2022. Founding sponsors of the program are Tampa General Hospital, TECO, Valley Bank, and Vinik Family Foundation.
Mayts also introduced the Chamber’s 2021 Executive Committee Members, including:
| Chair | Andy Mayts, Esq. | Shumaker |
| Chair-Elect | Brian Butler | Vistra Communications |
| Treasurer | Brian Adcock | Adcock Financial Group |
| Finance | Rita Lowman | Pilot Bank |
| Legal Counsel | Drew Jenkins, Esq. | Bush Ross, P.A. |
| At Large | Colette Glover-Hannah | Hannah’s Shoebox |
| Jill Manthey | Yacht StarShip | |
| Chris Minner | Tampa International Airport | |
| Edwin Narain, Esq. | AT&T | |
| Greg Olivier | Valley Bank | |
| Mark Pitts | Coca Cola Beverages - Florida | |
| Dr. Jeffrey Senese | Saint Leo University | |
| Lauren Valiente | Foley & Lardner LLP |
The Chamber also presented the 2021 H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award to John Couris. The award is presented annually in recognition of an individual whose leadership has made a positive impact within the Tampa Bay community.
John Couris, President & CEO of Tampa General Hospital, has led the region through the pandemic, collaborating with hospital systems statewide to improve health outcomes related to COVID-19. Since taking the helm of Tampa General Hospital in 2017, he has championed innovation. Under his leadership, Tampa General Hospital was the first healthcare provider in the State of Florida to partner with GE Healthcare to launch CareComm, a care coordination center using artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and industrial engineering to improve safety, quality, and cost.