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Chamber chief puts services out front
By JULIANNE WU © St. Petersburg Times, published January 10, 2001 SEMINOLE -- Three decades in the banking and financial services business taught Gene Anderson how to serve. It's a skill he said he will take to heart as the new president of the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce, a title he will formally assume Saturday at the chamber's installation banquet in the Bayou Club in Largo. "Being in the banking and mortgage business, you're in the business of serving other people," said Anderson, 60, president of CFI Mortgage in Largo and a Seminole resident for over 25 years. "It's a good background for working in the chamber, which is also a service organization." Although Anderson, a native of Richmond, Va., says he is not "an early bird," he is prepared for more early morning meetings -- around 7 a.m. to be exact. It's something he has become accustomed to over the past 15 months as the chamber's president-elect. "We do what's necessary," he said with a smile. "On the chamber board we are all volunteers. We all have jobs, so we do our "free' work first." Prior to joining the Seminole chamber, Anderson was active in chambers in Clearwater and Largo. He said he is looking forward to working with the Seminole chamber's new executive director Jimmy Johnson. "I've known Jimmy for many years. We're both members of the First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks. "Besides, we (the board) are very excited about Jimmy and Gretchen (Cain, the chamber's assistant executive director). We call them the "dynamic duo' . . . They work well together." Anderson said the board collectively drew up the chamber's current goals. He listed chamber awareness as a very important one. "First, we want to reach out to the members to show them the value of their membership," he said. "For instance, we have a mentoring system where members who are starting up new businesses can consult other chamber members in similar businesses." Also, Anderson likes the idea of distributing the membership directories to more than just chamber members. "For instance, when people in the Seminole area want a doctor, they are looking for someone they can trust. Our directory has a credibility factor: People can use our members for their services and they know they can trust them." Anderson said the directories will be distributed at the city library, the Freedom Square retirement complex and other sites as well as the chamber office. Anderson and his wife, Pat, who is the administrative assistant for Challenge Financial Investors Corp., the parent corporation of Anderson's company, have two grown sons. On Saturday, Anderson will be sworn in with John Elias, a Clearwater lawyer who is president-elect; Dr. Claude McMullen, a Seminole optometrist, as secretary; and Dr. James Olliver, provost of the Seminole campus of St. Petersburg Junior College, who will continue as treasurer. Larry C. Cunningham, current president, will become past president. Other board members are the Rev. John Denmark, Mary Morris, Harold "Doc" Kinsey, Janet Long, Jenny Higgins, Bob Holtzman, Wilda Whittle and Carol Hajek (member of the Seminole City Council). The installation banquet is being held in January this year because the board has switched to a calendar year, serving from January through December.
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