Our 2012 Leadership Team

 

PRESIDENT

Jon Farris, Crosspointe Church

Jon Farris is the Executive Director of two Tampa Bay Area non-profit organizations and a partner-owner of Bay Area Entertainment. His degreed studies include a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Carolina Baptist College and a Master of Arts in Apologetics from Luther Rice University.

 

He is the founder/CEO of New Found Family Inc., a Tampa Bay-based organization which provides principle-oriented resources to individuals and families to help them achieve success in all their endeavors.

 

He is a founder and owner of Bay Area Entertainment (BAE), a major events company that provides the Tampa Bay area with family-oriented entertainment.  In 2011, BAE’s Freedom Fest was ranked #4 by Yahoo! Inc. in their “Top 10 Summer Events” in Florida.

 

From 1995 to 2004, Jon held an officer’s position at Republic Bank and helped them achieve the coveted title of Florida’s largest commercial bank. In the summer of 2004 he accepted the CFO position at Crosspointe Church and in 2010 became the CEO.

 

Jon resides in Pinellas Park with his wife Heather and their three daughters. He volunteers as 2012 President of the Pinellas Park/Gateway Chamber of Commerce, is a graduate and strategic partner of Tampa Bay Lifework Leadership, a key-note speaker and authority in principle-oriented apologetics; and remains passionately focused on networking the Tampa Bay area to bring about a more positive ethics-based social structure to our marketplace and community.

 

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Hope Peterson, New Hope Auto & Truck Services

Hope Peterson has served on our Board since 2009, and in January 2011 was named our Businesswoman of the Year.

 

One of only 17 women to earn recognition as a certified auto mechanic, Hope has been caring for automobiles in Pinellas County since the early 1990s and is recognized in the community for her efforts educating women and teens with free car care classes. 

 

She was the 2011 President of the Rotary Club of Pinellas Park, has served as Vice President of the Mid-Pinellas NPI (Network Professionals International) chapter, and is a member of three Automotive Advisory Committees at PTEC (Pinellas Technical Education Centers).

 

TREASURER

Nancy Hodges, OPTEK

 

SECRETARY

Elliott Steele, Vincent House

 

AT-LARGE

Tim Caddell, City of Pinellas Park Gov't. Relations Administrator

 

PAST PRESIDENT

Paul Ziegler, BB&T

 

 

 

DIRECTORS

 

Ricky Butler, Rick Butler Realty

Ricky Butler joined our Board in 2009, the youngest person we’ve ever pressed into serving our business community.

 

He was our first recipient of the Youth Citizen of the Year Award in 2006, and has since served two years on the Pinellas County Youth Advisory Committee (2006-2008) and joined the close-knit group of community members who re-opened the Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club and led it through a $750,000 renovation. Ricky continues to serve the Club as Treasurer on the reorganized Unit Advisory Council.

 

Ricky is best known as the Operations Director of Celebrate Pinellas Park, Inc., the non-profit organization that produces the Pinellas Park Holiday Parade and the Kenneth City 4^th of July Parade. He has held this position since 2008.

 

Ricky stays involved in government, politics and political campaigns. He is the Chairman of our Government Relations Committee, representing the Chamber in the Pinellas County political arena and lending assistance to Chamber members regarding government issues. He has represented the Chamber as an active member of the Florida Alliance for Main Street Fairness, an organization of small-business advocates leading the move to close the Internet “sales tax loophole” and level the playing field for the brick and mortar retail stores that are the basis of our local economy.

 

Ricky attends St. Petersburg College, majoring in Public Policy & Administration.

 

 

Kim Campbell, Attorney

 Kim Campbell joined our Board in 2011. 

 

An attorney who practices primarily in Pinellas and Pasco Counties, Kim is a 2012 candidate for Pinellas/Pasco Circuit Court Judge, Group 31.

 

Kim is originally from Tennessee and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Milligan College before moving to Florida to attend Stetson University College of Law in May 1998.  She earned her law degree, as well as her Master of Business Administration, in December 2000. 

 

She practiced as an Assistant State Attorney for three years, then entered private practice where her work covers a wider range of legal issues.  She represents clients in family law matters, as well as in criminal law.  She serves as a Special Master for the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board, and is a Guardian ad Litem for children in Pinellas and Pasco counties.  To help others in their pursuit of a law career, she is an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College. 

 

She holds a black belt in Choi Kwang Do Martial Arts and has been an instructor for Women's Self-Defense. 

 

Kim is 2011/2012 President of the Clearwater Bar Association, and a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts of America.  She is a member of the United States Supreme Court, the Middle District of Florida, the Florida Bar, Clearwater Bar Association, St. Petersburg Bar Association, West Pasco Bar Association, Clearwater Bar Foundation, Canakaris Inn of Court, as well as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). 

 

Kim and her husband, a Sergeant with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, live in Pinellas County with their son. 

 

 

 

 

John Della Costa, Della Costa & Neville, P.A.

John Della Costa was invited to serve on our board in 2012.

 

He earned his Bachelor’s degree. from the University of Central Florida and his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law.

 

As a former Deputy Sheriff for Manatee County, John obtained in-depth and first-hand knowledge of the law and investigative processes related to motorcycle, pedestrian, and automobile accidents, which he uses in his law practice to this day.

 

John is also a survivor of a serious automobile accident and this experience provided him with personal knowledge of the emotional and economic consequences resulting from sustaining career-ending injuries. John’s unique perspective drives his compassion, empathy, and dedication to fight aggressively for the needs and welfare of his clients.

 

John is a member of The Florida Bar, the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Florida Association for Justice (formerly the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers), and the Tampa Bay Trial Lawyers Association.

 

 

 

Terry England, England Bros. Construction

Terry M. England is a long-time member of our Board, a Past President (1994), and a past honoree as Citizen of the Year (1997), and is currently the head of our Chamber’s Economic Development Committee, a position he has held since 1998. He also serves on the Pinellas County Economic Development Council. He also chaired the Chamber’s successful “Shoot for Success!” Trap Shoot in November 2011.

 

Terry is a Florida native, born in Avon Park, but he grew up all over Pinellas County and went to school with many others who are now in leadership positions in our City.

 

At the age of 16, while he was still in high school, Terry worked part time at England Brothers Construction Company, learning drafting and working on the construction crew. He is currently President of the Company.

 

Terry met his wife Marsha during his senior year of high school, and they have been married since 1972. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica. Marsha and Jennifer work with him at England Brothers; Jessica works with the Florida Children’s Baptist Homes in Lakeland.

 

Terry has a long history with our local Chamber, and not only as a past president and (past and current) Board member:

 

In 1995 he was a business representative for the “Year of the Gulf” symposium, and was the most tenured member of SWFMWD (Southwest Florida Water Management District), serving on the Pinellas Anclote Basin Board from 1998 until it was dissolved in 2011. He was a member of Commissioner Seel’s US 19 Task Force in 2000, Chairman of the Law Enforcement Structures and Funding Task Force in 2003, a member of the Pinellas by Design Committee in 2004, and a member of the Pinellas County Customer Choice Design Team 2006. Terry also accompanied Gov. Bush in 1998 on his Mexico Trade Mission to help promote commerce and has worked with Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Chamber and the Pinellas County Economic Development Council on “matchmaking” with Reverse Trade missions.

 

In 1999 his company, in coordination with the Chamber and City of Pinellas Park, built the band shell at Town Square Plaza Park (behind City Hall), which has since been renamed England Brothers Park to recognize the contributions Terry, his family, and his company have made to the community.

 

 

 

Housh Ghovaee, Northside Engineering

Rev. Jimmy Hammond, Emeritus

 

Patti Johnson,Amber Glen Feed Depot

Patricia “Patti” Johnson has been a part of the Pinellas Park/Gateway Chamber of Commerce for many years, and has filled many different roles during her more than 25 years in our community.

 

She and her husband, Del own and operate two businesses in Pinellas Park: Amber Glen Equestrian Center on 102nd Avenue, and Amber Glen Feed Depot on Park Boulevard. Patti is also a professional, court-appointed guardian for the 6th Judicial Circuit, and an elder care consultant. She has over 25 years’ experience in probate and guardianship services.

 

Patti has a long history of service to society’s most vulnerable citizens: the elderly and the handicapped.

 

In 1982, she was the Executive Director of Freedom Village, a HUD-assisted housing development for the elderly and the handicapped, operating under Goodwill Industries. She managed similar housing complexes for the City of St. Petersburg Housing Authority and went on to work with AARP and the National Caucus and Center for Black Aged, teaching seniors to manage their own apartment complexes and handle property matters.

 

Patti has served many on boards and with organizations that support senior independence and safety, such as Pinellas County Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) and the Pinellas County Triad.

 

In addition to her service to the the elderly and handicapped, Patti has put her considerable skills to work in the service of the citizens of Pinellas Park:

 

• Pinellas Park Board of Adjustment – 5 years (1 year as Chair)  
• Pinellas Park Code Enforcement Board – Member  
• Boys & Girls Clubs of The Suncoast Board of Directors – Member  
• Pinellas Park Boys & Girls Club Unit Advisory Council – Chairman  
• Pinellas Park/Gateway Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors – Member
• Florida Alliance for Main Street Fairness Tampa Bay Executive Committee – Member
• Pinellas Park Police Department Volunteers Mounted Unit – Member

 

 

Julio A. Marquez, First Home Bank

Julio Marquez, Branch Manager at First Home Bank, joined our Board in 2012.

 

Julio began his career in banking in 1998 as a customer service representative in telephone banking and has since worked in many different lines of business within the financial services industry. At one point he was in charge of leading over one hundred employees at a customer service operation center in Tampa.

 

Julio’s top priority has always been to make a positive difference for his customers and employees, and his passion is the one-on-one relationship he maintains with customers.

 

In addition to his banking career, Julio has 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur in the window treatment industry, giving him a unique perspective in understanding the needs of the small business owner.

 

He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Financial Services/Banking through St. Petersburg College, and is a director for Friends of Bay Pines VA, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to the families of veterans hospitalized at Bay Pines Veterans’ Administration.

 

Julio shares that First Home Bank serves business as well as consumer clients, and strives to build strong, lasting relationships with its customers.

 

He invites residents and business owners in the Pinellas Park area to stop in and see his beautiful branch and meet the friendly staff at First Home Bank. 

 

 

Walt Morey, CORE Business Solutions

Walt Morey joined our Board in 2010, and quickly helped the Chamber create its popular Success in Business Series, and through the Chamber offers classes in Social Media. In January 2011 Walt received the Chamber’s Businessman of the Year award.

 

A seasoned business executive, Walt helps build value in firms by helping entrepreneurs cross the management bridge to become more effective leaders.

 

An accomplished networker, Walt is a Director for both TampaBayNetworkers and Free Networking International.

 

Walt holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire and a degree in Finance from the American College in Bryn Mawr, PA. He has over 35 years of progressive business and management experience in many different industries, with start-ups, small- and medium- sized businesses, and Fortune 500 companies such as Met Life, Raytheon and MCI.

 

His experience includes marketing, outside and inside sales in consumer and B2B markets, customer service management, training of sales and service teams, individual coaching, product management and pricing, daily operational management, employee management, human resource management, new hire onboard training, employee benefits implementation  and management and financial planning. Walt is an Executive Advisor accredited by the Institute of Independent Business.

 

 

 

Ethel Mudd, Mainlands Real Estate

Ethel Mudd has been part of the Pinellas Park community since 1967.  She owned her own beauty shop before making the leap into banking, where she worked as a Financial Specialist and in Lending, Insurance and Mutual Funds before retiring from the field in 2004. In 2006, she served as Chairman and Executive Director of the Chamber, and in 2011 she earned her Real Estate license. Ethel now works with Mainlands Real Estate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara Sheen Todd, Emeritus