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Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Donna Germain (left) and 2024 Chamber President Dusty Shelton at the Annual Chairman’s Gala and Business Excellence Awards held last week. Attended with It’s IT.offered
Last Friday, business leaders from across the Cape Coral community were recognized as part of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce’s annual President’s Gala and Business Excellence Awards.
The event was held at the Mercola Event Center, where Chamber officials recognized sponsors, volunteers, board members, and all those who gave their time and efforts to make this year a success.
The well-dressed gala included the annual Chamber of Commerce Awards, silent auction, and the 2024 Board of Directors induction ceremony.
“Each year, we are thrilled to be able to recognize and celebrate the hard work of all our members at the President’s Gala.” said Donna Germain, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO. “This year, we added an Excellence in Business element to our awards ceremony. The Excellence In Business Awards are nomination-based and voted on by a selection committee. This year, we are introducing three categories: nonprofit, small business, and large business. We started the year with two categories, and we hope to expand on that in the coming years.”
Germaine said the chamber is fortunate to have a great group of volunteer leaders. The Chamber is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 25 Directors, 4 Trustees, and his 13 Honorary Chairmen.

The 2024 Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors was nominated and recognized at last week’s President’s Gala and Excellence in Business Awards.offered
The winners are:
• 2023 Nonprofit of the Year: Thrive SWFL
• 2023 Small Business of the Year: Preferred Business Solutions
• 2023 Large Company of the Year: LCEC
• Director of the Year: Bill Johnson Jr., IOM, Horizon Foundation

Lee County School Board Members Sam Fisher, Dennis Shelton, and Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce 2024 President Dusty Shelton.offered
• Director of the Year: Eric Gundersen, Photobooth Cape Coral
• New member this year: IncredibleBank
• Welcome Center Volunteer of the Year: Karen Terbenchi, Milov Aubuchon Realty
• Member of the Year: Mick Sheldrake
• Volunteer of the Year: Suzanne Noriega
• Government Affairs Committee Member of the Year: Dan Prieo, Cape Cleaners
• Membership Committee Member of the Year: John Solaroli, Faith Generation Church.
• School Board Member of the Year: Toni Mueller, Finemark Bank.
• Chamber Champions: Cape Coral Rotary Club, Cape Coral Kiwanis Club, Technology at Work, IncredibleBank, Rachel Kaduk.
• Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award: B. Pat O’Rourke
“We have great people who can provide historical knowledge as well as a fresh perspective on where the chamber wants to go in the future.” Germain said.
She congratulated the following members on their appointment:
Dusty Shelton, Chairman – It’s IT. Jay Johnson, Chairman-Elect – Bubba’s Roadhouse & Saloon. Julie Ferguson, Past President, Cape Coral Caring Center; Mick Sheldrake, Treasurer – Guardian Angel for special people. Stephanie Ramirez, Financial Advisor – Assured Bookkeeper Plus. Bill Johnson Jr., Member-at-Large – Lee County Horizon Foundation.
Director: Bill Jones – WastePro USA; Chuck Warren – Coral Ridge Funeral Home and Cemetery. Jay Santos – Busey Bank; Jeff Justin – LCEC; Jenelle Dolan – LCEC; Rory Philbin – Lee Health; Matthew Connor – Boost Creative; Molly Scott – Chris-Tel Construction; Molly Wright – Suncoast Beverage . Nancy Travis – Lee Health; Nita Whaley – CC Real Estate Services; Rachel Kadac – Sanibel Captiva Community Bank. Samara Widener – Leveraging Technology; Toni Muller – Finemark Bank; Barry Cadell – The Westin Cape Coral. Eric Gundersen – Drone SWFL; Curt Godwin – Discovery Map.
Trustees: Suzanne Noriega – Individual Member. Tracy Sicard – Quick signs. Vanessa Chaviano – LIV Digital Marketing; Michelle Richard – Semper Mortgage.
Chairman Emeritus: Annette Carrasquillo – LAI Design Associates, LLC; Brett Bisbe – B2 Technology Solutions, Inc. Christopher Spiro – Spiro & Associates; Donna Meola – Trust Bank. Ed Ramos – Ramos Builders, Inc.; Elmer Taber – Big John’s/Cape Coral Town Center; Joseph Mazurkiewicz – BJM Consulting, Inc.; Michelle Lewis – B2 Technology Solutions, Inc.; Thomas Giles – Avalon Engineering . Wayne Kirkwood – Retired. Trish Lassiter – Lee County Electric Cooperative – LCEC; Joseph Francioni – SWFL Water Testing; Zachary Zeiss – Suncoast Beverage.
“Our amazing team of staff and volunteers dedicate countless hours each year to our chamber’s mission.” Germain said. “We are champions of business and champions of our community.
“We would not be here today without the countless volunteers, leaders and, of course, the incredible chamber staff that this organization has had over the years. Each and every one of them has contributed to the growth of this organization over the past 63 years. I did.”
For more information about the chamber and how to join, visit capecoralchamber.com.
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