- April 4, 2025
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David Fink, of Halliday Financial, with Clint Kasten, of Suncastle Properties
Ronald Engstrom, of Northwestern Mutual, chats with Rotarian Preston Olinger. Northwestern Mutual is a sponsor of the Rotary Club' s Wine Festival.
matt Andrus and Nicole Davila, both of Anna Maria Oyster Bar, with Sally Ullman, of Sally Ullman Photography
Liz Brookins, Bruce Loeppke, Beth Oldiges and Peggy Kronus are with Willis Smith Construction.
Rotarian Christopher Johnson with Melissa DeAngelo, of West Florida Insurance Agency, and Kenny Slezak, of Willis Smith Construction
Michael Saunder' s Mugsie Quinlan shakes hands with Rotarian Ron Myers.
Patty Seidensticker, of Bemer Group, talks with Rotarian Ted Lindenberg.
East Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Lee Whitehurst, Sarasota County Fire Department Chief Michael Regnier and East Manatee Fire Rescue commissioners Richard Jacobs and Don O' Leary came to hear about the event.
Rotarian Steve Bordes, Alliance co-founder Lou Marinaccio and Rotarian Joe Najmy
Brion Sunseri, of Ad-Vance Talent Solutions, got a front-row seat.
World Rowing Championship marketing and communication director Shelley Taniguchi hands out rowing championship cup sleeve.
U.S. Women' s Team coxswain Jenny Sichel tells the crowd how excited athletes are to compete in their home country, as US World Rowing Championship Executive Director Meredith Scerba watches.
As members of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch rubbed elbows during a joint luncheon Feb. 15, they also got a sampling for what’s ahead this year — the area becoming center stage for the world.
More than 200 people turned out for the first-time joint luncheon held at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club to hear panelists representing the 2017 World Rowing Championships. The event will be held Sept. 23 to Oct. XX, at Nathan Benderson Park, and is expected to bring more than 40,000 visitors from across the world.
“It’s the first time in 23 years it’s been held in the United States,” said Meredith Scerba, executive director for the 2017 World Rowing Championships. “(The park is) quite a gem we have here.”
Already, 12 international television stations have committed to covering the event, translating into more than 900 hours of television coverage.
Scerba said the team is organizing an “epic” opening ceremony, showcasing much of the area’s unique offerings, and also has planned themed days and festivals during regatta. There’s even a proposed “visitor experience schedule” encouraging visitors to partake in local activities, such as tours of micro breweries, a stroll around St. Armand’s Circle and attending the Sept. 29 Music on Main concert, in Lakewood Ranch.
