Sarasota Chamber honors Observer CEO, hosts Florida Chamber president

The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce kicked off the new year by turning the spotlight to two individuals, one in the local community and one at the state level.

Held Jan. 17 at The Ora and presented by Shumaker, the New Year's Kickoff Brunch attendees saw Observer Media Group's founder and CEO Matt Walsh presented with the Spirit of Sarasota award, and the president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Mark Wilson, offering the keynote speech. 

The award, sponsored by HH Staffing Services, honors an individual who has "made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of the Sarasota area business community."

Walsh and his late wife Lisa Walsh started the company in 1995 with the acquisition of the Longboat Observer, and it currently includes seven newspapers, four websites, four magazines, social media channels and a podcast. Walsh is also co-founder of the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, and has served on numerous nonprofit and industry boards.

"I firmly believe that every newspaper is obligated to be a builder of this community, and we strive to do that every day at the Observer," Walsh said. "I tell my colleagues that they are also the glue that holds the community together, to keep you informed  — informed of the good, help you celebrate the good, and sometimes keep you informed of the bad, and I tell them they are catalysts for a strong economy."

Photo by Ian Swaby

He said other roles of a paper are to bring buyers and sellers together and help the local community prosper, and thirdly, to "be a strong, unwavering voice on its editorial page for what is right and good."

"We should make you think, and it's in your interest, it's in everyone's interest, that we positively make the case for a free market-driven economy, that we are the watchdog of government, and that we are a steadfast advocate and defender of individual liberty," Walsh said. 

Afterward, Wilson shared wide-ranging data on Florida and Sarasota, highlighting their economic strengths but also spotlighting areas to improve.

"If Florida was a stock, I would literally be cashing everything I had, to buy as much of this stock called Florida that I could be," he said, also stating that if Florida were a mutual fund, he would find Sarasota "one-hundred percent, absolutely," deserving of inclusion.

He highlighted four major issues he had observed in the state, which included people being out of work, often due to childcare; a shortage of affordable housing; lawsuit abuse; and the prevalence of traffic, and he closed out the speech by discussing the importance of the next generation. 

Photo by Ian Swaby

He said the community should support young people pursuing career roles, such as that of a mechanic, outside of those more conventionally seen as high-paying such as a doctor or lawyer. 

"We have completely done a disservice to an entire generation," he said. "There are so many cool jobs in Florida that pay six figures after two or three years out of your technical training."

He said Sarasota was excelling at third-grade reading scores, surpassing the state average of 55% at 70%, and was six points above the state average of kindergarten-readiness at 57%, but called for the community to bring rates to 100 percent. 

"Nothing will matter to economic development or quality of life more than getting it right on the front end," he said.

Sarasota Chamber Presient Heather Kasten highlighted some upcoming initiatives of the Chamber as it enters the New Year.

She said less than 48 hours ago, a group of Chamber leaders had visited Charleston, South Carolina to explore best practices in areas including affordable housing and although still synthesizing the findings, were eager to share their knowledge with Sarasota, while the Chamber team was also headed to Tallahassee in three weeks as part of the Florida Chamber's Legislative Fly-In.

Board Chair Joe Hembree noted that last year, the Sarasota Chamber's CareerEdge program granted $100,000 to 13 local employers and is projected this year to provide training and development to over 300 individuals; its Opportunities For All internship program provided 30 students with work experience, and its Leadership Sarasota program saw unprecedented participation by high schoolers, with 43 students. 

He also said the Chamber's Fast Track program, beginning in two weeks, will train HVAC technicians, plumbers and certified nursing assistants.

The Chamber, he said, is now home to over 1,500 business members representing over 60,000 employees in the region, with a goal of gaining 1,600 members in 2025.