Erika Spence: Reflections

Reflections

As another year comes to a close, it is hard not to reflect on the past twelve months. If you’re like me, you might feel that the last 525,600 minutes have flown by in as many seconds. I am reminded of the theme from the hit Broadway musical “Rent,” which asks, “How do you measure a year in the life?” Is it in early mornings at the Winter Park YMCA? Sunsets seen from the patio at Hillstone? Cups of coffee at Palmano’s? The miles you’ve ran at Track Shack events?

A few shameless plugs

So how does the business community measure the year? For starters, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce added 137 new members in 2012.

That’s a remarkable number of new businesses, including Prato, Charyli, Rosey Wray’s Roost, and Cask & Larder, among others, who have made such a significant impact on the charm of our city in a short period of time that it’s hard to imagine Winter Park without them. Elsewhere in the community, we saw some dirt moving around to make way for new businesses in 2013, including the much-anticipated Alfond Inn at Rollins College, the Heritage Park office building and the Women’s Health Pavilion at Winter Park Memorial Hospital. These projects will expand lodging, Class-A office space and specialized medical services for the community. And while SunRail won’t roll through town until 2014, watching the project progress the last few months has been an exciting step forward. Another way to measure the year is events. In addition to the annual line up of events, such as Taste of Winter Park, Dinner on the Avenue, art festivals, parades and Harriett’s Park Avenue Fashion Week, the last year felt like one big event as we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of Winter Park. This could not have been possible without great partners like the Winter Park Historical Association, Rollins College and many others. I could fill a book with stats from 2012. The number of fans on the Chamber’s Facebook page: 1,038 as of press deadline (a shameless plug for our social media channel that offers news from the Chamber, its members and general business tips). The number of ribbon cuttings held at new stores in 2012: 36 (you can see their smiling faces on Facebook). The number of restaurants participating in the Taste of Winter Park: 43, the most in history (save the date, April 17, for the next installment).

One last shameless plug

I think it’s worth mentioning one last time that the Chamber, the Park Avenue merchants and the Observer are asking for your help in determining the “best of” Winter Park. That’s right, here’s your chance to vote for your favorite local businesses, including best new restaurant, best hair salon, best business organization, etc. Voting runs through Jan. 2 and the winners will be announced at Business After Hours on Jan. 17 at the Best Western Mt. Vernon Inn.

Erika Spence is the senior director of marketing and communications at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.