With Christmas and the holiday season just around the corner, the Ponte Vedra Beach Division of the St. John’s County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Jingle and Mingle Holiday Party last week at a stunning model home by Arthur Rutenberg Homes.
The event was not only a great chance to enjoy a classic holiday mixer, but to socialize with other members of the Chamber and business owners from the area.
“All chamber events have two purposes,” said Karen Everett, director of the PVB Division. “One is for people to enjoy themselves, and two is to have a meaningful business networking opportunity.”
Several local companies/business owners sponsored the holiday party, including Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Synovus Mortgage Corp., Berry & Co Real Estate, Iberia Bank, The Ponte Vedra Recorder, Keith E. Johnson, CPA, PA and FastSigns of St. Augustine.
Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres from Biscotti’s and desserts from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse while mingling and listening to live music from performer Samuel Sanders.
Upon entrance attendees were also given the opportunity to enter a raffle for a number of incredible prizes, such as a gift certificate to Spavia Day Spa, brunch for two at TPC Clubhouse, two tickets for the Jaguars vs. Bears football game and much more.
Everett said that events like the Jingle and Mingle holiday party would not be possible without the help of passionate members and local business owners.
“We look for sponsorships and donations to help cover the expenses to put these events on,” she said. “The chamber is very careful with its resources and tries to make membership investment stretch as far as it can.”
Last week’s holiday party was not only a way to celebrate the holiday season, but also to honor some of the Chamber’s extraordinary members.
Normally the Chamber’s Annual Membership Award Presentation is held in May, but with the global pandemic hitting this year, the event was pushed back to coincide with the Jingle and Mingle holiday party.
There were five award winners and two signature award winners presented by Matt Price, chairman of the PVB Division board, on behalf of the Chamber. The “Going The Distance” award was given to the ThomasBaker Agency, the “Crushing It” award was given to Trudy Toche, the “Dedicated Service” award was given to Jackie Smith, the “Key Contributor” award was given to Kari Zerrahn, the “Jeff Jenkins Community Service” award was given to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, and finally, the “Pat Morgan Outstanding Member” award was given to Lippes Matthias Wexler LLP.
“These members were honored for their contributions to the Chamber and to the community,” said Everett. “It all worked out very nicely.”
The next annual Jingle and Mingle Holiday Party is already in the works for December of 2021, where perhaps members will be celebrating the conclusion of a very different kind of year.
