Business Notes
CHAMBER TO HOST VIRTUAL BUSINESS MEETING
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce will hold its next virtual business meeting on May 12 starting at noon via Zoom.
South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Chairman Chauncey Goss and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation Environmental Policy Director James Evans will lead a water-quality discussion. They will also provide updates on related legislative and environmental issues.
The chamber will send a Zoom invitation to its members to register. When they RSVP, they will receive a link to the meeting in advance.
The chamber is seeking a sponsor for the meeting.
For more information on becoming a sponsor or registering, contact chamber Communications and Marketing Manager Landen Drake at 239-472-8255 or Landen@sanibel-captiva.org
SHELL MUSEUM WELCOMES NEW AQUARIST
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum recently welcomed Mark Delves as its new aquarist.
Delves grew up in Puerto Rico, where he spent a lot of time sailing, diving and interacting with ocean life. After graduating with a finance degree from Virginia Tech and spending 10 years in the financial services industry, he decided to go back to school to obtain an aquarium science degree.
Since then, Delves has worked at SEA LIFE Kansas City and Newport Aquarium with a focus on fish, sharks, rays, sea turtles, giant Pacific octopuses and eels.
He also has a history of volunteering in North Carolina, including at the Carolina Tiger Rescue, Duke Lemur Center, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord, and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
CHAMBER WELCOMES NEW OFFICE STAFF
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce has hired three new staff in recent months to replace employees who have resigned. They include Communications and Marketing Manager Landen Drake, Visitor Center Manager Aaron Walton and administrative intern Jade Nakonetschny.
Drake’s past work experience includes guest services representative at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fort Myers, special programs and events coordinator for the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and marketing coordinator with Conric PR & Marketing in Fort Myers. A graduate of the Rosen School of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, she began on April 22.
Walton took his position in March. His most recent employment was for Five Guys Burger & Fries as a general manager, where he handled full responsibility for operations and employees. A graduate of the Florida SouthWestern College in Fort Myers, he studies graphic design part-time at Rasmussen University.
Its first internship ever, Nakonetschny’s position was made possible by a grant from one of the chamber’s strategic partners. She started her 12-month educational internship in September as a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University Nakonetschny will graduate in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in resort and hospitality management.