Speakers:
Bill Weinaug, president, Wekiva Island
Mary Weinaug, executive director, Wekiva Island
Moderated by:
Rebekah Arthur, president and CEO, Seminole County Chamber
Bill Weinaug was born in western New York. He graduated from Penn State University and moved to Florida to start his career as an engineer. Not long after, he joined several friends as a partner at a small firm. They grew that firm from 12 people to 4,000, starting several divisions that are thriving today. While Bill retired from full-time work at exp in 2024, his time in engineering ignited his love for sustainability, which he applied at home and to his passion project, Wekiva Island.
Bill and his family purchased the former Wekiwa Marina in 2008 and have grown it into a beacon for sustainability in business. Today, Bill's focus is structured around his trademarked sustainability toolbox, C.E.R.O., which stands for Conservation, Efficiency, Renewables and Offsets. Bill believes that, through this toolbox, we can make a difference by saving wasted energy and providing positive impacts on the environment through all types of energy conservation measures and sustainable approaches.
When he isn't working to improve Wekiva Island, Bill is a passionate backpacker and SCUBA diver. He has five children and five grandchildren and has been married to his wife, Mary Sue, for 21 years.
A native Floridian born in Port Charlotte, Mary Sue moved to Orlando in 1967, then Altamonte Springs. She has lived in Central Florida her whole life. Mary graduated high school from Lyman High in Longwood, FL, and went to Seminole State College. Her family bought Wekiva Island on 9/30/2008, and she is extremely proud of what they have built, transforming a business that was very popular but was rotting away from lack of maintenance. They have made it a beautiful venue in Seminole County. Mary has worked at Wekiva Island since they purchased it. It has become her life, and she has fully immersed herself in the Island and the protection of the environment. In 2009, Mary partnered with Keep Seminole Beautiful, and when the Executive Director passed away, she took over. She has overseen as many as 30 river clean ups a year since, pulling an estimated six tons of trash out of the river and off of the roads in the last 16 years.
Mary has also served on the Audubon Advisory Board for the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland since about 2015 and served a four-year term on Seminole County's Tourism Development Council from 2018 to 2021.
Mary has five children and five grandchildren, all of whom she cherishes. She has been married to her husband for 21 years. Mary is passionate about her family and loves to travel. In 2022, her family invested in properties in Tennessee, and she hopes to spend time there with her husband and family.
Sponsors:
AdventHealth
Verizon
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorganChase
Grand Canyon University
Westarp AI+BI
Seminole SCOUT by Freebee
Start your morning off right with a discussion on: The State of Restaurants
Meet our Panelists:
Whitney Dees, Dees Brothers Brewery
Mellisen Griffin, Don Julio Group
Geoff Giordano, Eggs Up Grill
Tavo Mendez, Rock & Brews
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorganChase
Westarp AI + BI
Grand Canyon University
Seminole Scout by Freebee
Meet our Panel:
Guilherme "Gui" Cunha: director, Office of Economic Development and Tourism, Seminole County Government
Jason Siegel: president & CEO, Greater Orlando Sports Commission
Robert J. Agrusa: president & CEO, Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association
Moderated by
George Diaz, former Orlando Sentinel senior sports writer, columnist and editorial board member.
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorganChase
Grand Canyon University
There's a lot of focus on retail these days with tariffs, trade barriers, and more looming on the horizon. But every day, in our community, owners of local stores are succeeding, working hard to serve you.
Join us as we hear from four of our great local retail owners to hear what's making their business pop and what they see coming for retail.
Meet our panelists:
Giuliana Horal, co-founder, The Good Pour
Dani Kelsey, franchise owner, Valhallan Wekiva Springs
Kate Olson, owner, Sunmed | Your CBD Store
Elizabeth Rolon, interior decorator/CEO, APBS
Moderated by:
Tanya Boggs, Senior Regional Vice President, FAIRWINDS
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & StorageWaste ProThe Orlando Law GroupAddition FinancialAlan Byrd & AssociatesGenske & Co. AccountingJPMorganChase
Anyone who has lived in Florida for more than a year certainly understands the power of hurricanes. But disasters can strike any minute as the recent tornado in Longwood showed us.
Are you ready for the next hurricane season or any weather emergency?
Featuring:
-Alan Harris, director, Office of Emergency Management, Seminole County Government
-Meteorologist Michelle Morgan, News 6
-Michael Kryger, owner, Pegasus Insurance Agency
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Alan Byrd & Associates
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorganChase
Join us for a fireside chat with two new Supervisors of Elections as we talk about their unique backgrounds, the state of elections and their future plans. It's a unique opportunity to meet, engage and learn about two people who will be integral in the future of our region for years to come.
Moderated by:
Maritza Martinez-Guerrero, vice president of external affairs and philanthropy, Orlando Magic
Featuring:
Orange County Supervisor of Elections Karen Castor Dentel
Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Alan Byrd & Associates
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorganChase
Moderated by:
Alan Byrd – Florida Outreach Director, Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy
Meet Our Panelists:
Sharon Arroyo – Vice President, Duke Energy
Chris Cucci – Executive Vice President, Climate First Bank
Ben Pauluhn – President, Optimus Energy Solutions
Kristine Richmond – Senior Director, Sustainability, Waste Management
Bryan Homayouni – Director of Intelligent Transportation Systems, Central Florida Expressway Authority
Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Alan Byrd & Associates
Genske & Co. Accounting
JPMorgan Chase
Next Horizon
Verizon
AdventHealth
Featuring:
John Gyllin: vice president, resource and economic development, Seminole State College
Chris Doney: owner, The Designery
Tiffany Wieder,:area director, sales and marketing, Brookdale Senior Living
William A. McNeil: Chief Revenue Officer and general counsel, The Barista Cup
Moderated by: Rafael Caamano, UCF Business Incubation Program Sponsors:
South Seminole Business & Storage
Waste Pro
The Orlando Law Group
Addition Financial
Alan Byrd & Associates
Genske & Co. Accounting
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Meet our Panel:
Christopher Fojo, SVN Alliance Commercial Real Estate Advisors
Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart
Chris Ham, executive director, Rescue Outreach Mission
Matt Borchelt, COO, The Sharing Center
Sponsored by: J. Wayne Miller Company Waste Pro The Orlando Law Group Addition Financial Alan Byrd & Associates Genske & Co. Accounting JPMorganChase
Central Florida's top economist, Sean Snaith, Ph.D., the director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting, provides his economic outlook for 2025.
Sponsored by: J. Wayne Miller Company Waste Pro The Orlando Law Group Addition Financial Alan Byrd & Associates Genske & Co. Accounting JPMorganChase
Is your business struggling with social media? Are you trying to figure out how to be noticed and drive interaction? Still trying to understand snaps, reels and insta?
We're putting together a panel of social media experts who are working in businesses like yours and making their clients shine.
You'll walk away from this with ideas, direction and a new way of looking at how social media can drive business your way.
Panel Includes:
Moderated by: Chip Colandreo, Lake Mary Life Publications
AdventHealth
Verizon
Next Horizon
The Orlando Law Group
JPMorganChase
Waste Pro
Addition Financial
J. Wayne Miller Company
Alan Byrd & Associates
Genske & Co.
learn about Seminole County and Central Florida’s growing industries and ways you can partner with one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation, Seminole State College, to hire graduates, upskill or reskill current employees and start or expand your business. Speakers from the Orlando Economic Partnership and Seminole County Tourism and Economic Development will join college president, Dr. Georgia Lorenz, and VP of Academic Affairs, Dr. Loretta Ovueraye to highlight the college’s economic impact and programs in business and entrepreneurship, engineering technology, IT and cybersecurity, skilled trades and the College’s Institute for Training and Career Center.
Sponsors:
Waste Pro
Genske & Co. Accounting
Next Horizon Verizon
The Orlando Law Group
Transitioning to UCF in 2021, Malzahn's tenure has been nothing short of remarkable, marking a resurgence for the Knights on the national stage. Under his guidance, UCF has enjoyed three consecutive postseason appearances, injecting itself among the elite collegiate programs. Malzahn's strategic brilliance has been evident in UCF's offensive prowess, consistently ranking among the nation's top units, while his adept recruiting has bolstered the team's talent pool. With a legacy of success marked by conference titles, bowl game triumphs, and a historic 100th FBS coaching win, Malzahn's influence continues to shape the landscape of college football, solidifying his status as a coaching icon.
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller CompanyWaste ProGenske & Co. AccountingJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
The Orlando Law Group
Featuring: Jason Siegel, president & CEO, Greater Orlando Sports Commission
Jason Siegel has enjoyed more than 30 years of success and accomplishments in sports tourism, major and minor league professional sports, as well as intercollegiate athletics. He is currently in his eighth year as President & Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission (GO Sports).
Under his leadership, GO Sports has hosted more than 400 events and is projected to drive more than $1.5 billion in economic impact from 2016-2023. GO Sports serves one of the largest sports tourism regions in the country and drives economic impact for the City of Orlando, Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. In that time, the Commission?s Board of Directors has quadrupled in size as many public and private sector partners served by GO Sports have taken leadership positions within the organization.
A testament to the collaborative efforts of our local sports community, Orlando was recently named the No. 1 Best Sports Business City for Attracting and Hosting Events in the country by the prestigious Sports Business Journal.
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller CompanyWaste ProGenske & Co. AccountingJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
The Orlando Law Group
Moderated by: Samantha Taylor, publisher, Lake Mary Life Publications.
Panelists include:
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller CompanyWaste ProGenske & Co. AccountingJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
The Orlando Law Group
Our Panelists:
Moderator:
Esteban Saldarriaga, Business Marketing Manager for Seminole County Economic Development
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller CompanyWaste ProGenske & Co. AccountingJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
Listen to a local panel of specialist:
Shaheen Barrett, Senior Manager - HR Business Partner, Verizon
Carol Ann Logue, Director, Programs & Operations, Innovation Districts & Incubation Program, University of Central Florida
Dawn Sipley, President, Sipley The Best
Nilda Blanco, senior vice president of workforce operations, CareerSource Central Florida
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller CompanyWaste ProGenske & Co. AccountingJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
Sheriff Dennis Lemma, Seminole County Sheriff's Office
In 2017, Dennis Lemma was elected Seminole County’s 10th Sheriff and was re-elected for his second term in 2020. As the County’s chief law enforcement officer, Sheriff Lemma leads a work force of more than 1,400 employees and manages a $170 million budget.
In January 2019, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody named Sheriff Dennis Lemma chair of her Transition Advisory Committee Working Group on Opioid Abuse. As chair, Sheriff Lemma works closely with Attorney General Moody, and others, gathering information related to the best practices to stop the influx of deadly opioids, treat addiction, raise awareness and reduce the death toll of this crisis claiming 17 lives a day in Florida.
In February 2022, Sheriff Lemma was sworn in as the President of the Major County Sheriffs of America. The Major County Sheriffs of America is a professional law enforcement association of the largest elected sheriffs’ offices dedicated to preserving the highest integrity in law enforcement. In July 2023, Sheriff Lemma was appointed to serve as Secretary on the Board for the Florida Sheriffs Association.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of the FBI Academy, Sheriff Lemma holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and master’s degree in administrative leadership.
Sponsors:
J. Wayne Miller Company
Waste Pro
Genske & Co. Accounting
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Next Horizon Verizon
Featuring:
Moderator: Chip Colandreo, Publisher, Lake Mary Life Publishing
Sponsors:
Next Horizon Verizon J. Wayne Miller Company The Orlando Law Group AdventHealth Genske & Co. Accounting J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. WastePro TransMedCare
Featuring:
Misty Goff, Director of Marketing, Visit Orlando
Denise Merritt, Merritt Business Solutions
Kelly Rogers, Findsome & Winmore
Karen Aplin, Seminole County Tourism
Next Horizon Verizon J. Wayne Miller Company Alan Byrd & Associates The Orlando Law Group AdventHealth Genske & Co. Accounting J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. WastePro
