• Joe Chimelewski is no longer with Lutheran Social Services and Second Harvest Food Bank. He has accepted the vice president of Partnerships post with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northeast Florida. Chimelewski said he’ll be developing new corporate relationships for the organization and also helping to expand its programs in Duval, Clay, Nassau, Volusia and Putnam counties.
• Maria Coppola has left The McCormick Agency and is now the director of public relations for BroadBased Communications.
• Speaking of The McCormick Agency, we hear The Dalton Agency is in the process of acquiring the Riverside public relations and advertising firm. Dalton vice president Michael Munz would neither confirm nor deny the deal and said only that Dalton is always interested in acquiring quality companies.
• Boomtown Dinner Theatre has found a new location after vacating its Hemming Plaza locale a few months ago. The theater is going to be in Springfield on Main Street and, according to owner Stephen Dare, should open in a couple of months. Dare is also opening Boomtown Bistro on Hendricks Avenue in San Marco across from the tennis courts. The Bistro is open late at night and serves food until 4:30 a.m.
• Speaking of opening, the Baskin Robbins/Dunkin’ Donuts in Atlantic Beach has finally opened its doors for business. The store has been built for a couple of years, but had several issues that delayed its opening.
• Community Connections will honor Ch. 12/25 news anchor Donna Hicken as the 2007 Florence N. Davis Award recipient at its celebration of Leadership event Oct. 25 at the Omni. This year’s honorary chair of the event is Hicken’s husband, Ch. 12/25 chief meteorologist Tim Deegan.
• The 22nd Annual Steak and Steak event to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida raised more than $96,000 for the organization. More than 350 guests attended at the Citibank facility Oct. 4 for dinner, a silent auction and an address by former NBA star Otis Smith. The dinner is held at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide and generates $4.5 million annually for local communities.
• The City Council Rules and Finance Committees will meet jointly Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers to discuss an ordinance that deals with elections and elections regulations.
• If you have been wondering about the luxurious 172-foot yacht moored on the Northbank Riverwalk, wonder no more. It’s the “Gallant Lady” and it’s owned by J.M. Family Enterprises. (That explains all the new Toyotas parked around the vessel.) It’s in Jacksonville for a corporate employee appreciation cruise and to serve as the venue for the hospitality and festivities the company is hosting during the Florida/Georgia weekend.
“The acquisition of knowledge is the mission of research, the transmission of knowledge is the mission of teaching and the application of knowledge is the mission of public service.”
– James A. Perkins, former president, Cornell University