Announcing the 2013 Good 'Burger Award Winners

Arts & Culture: The Mahaffey Theater
Eats & Treats: The Moon Under Water
Community Service & Non-Profits: SPCA Tampa Bay
Hot Spots & Hangouts: Saturday Morning Market
Sports: Tampa Bay Rays
Cool Companies - Large: All Children's Hospital / John's Hopkins Medicine
Cool Companies - Small: Fit2Run
MVB - "Most Valuable Burger": Mindy Grossman, HSN, Inc.

March 8, 2013 | St. Petersburg, FL – There are now eight businesses and people in St. Petersburg that carry the official distinction of "Good ‘Burger”. The Awards program, designed to honor Chamber members who contribute in a positive way to make our community special, was launched this year by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce® as a replacement for the formal awards programs of years past.

The name comes from the fact that, historically, citizens of St. Pete have been known as "burgers” (as in St. Petersburgers). "We wanted to do something out of the box – something that was all about celebrating the good in St. Pete,” says Chris Steinocher, President and CEO of the St. Pete Chamber. "This program offers us a way to have some fun while calling attention to those members who really stood out in the community this last year.”

The award nominees were selected by a committee of volunteers who spent several weeks selecting over 70 nominees in eight categories: Arts & Culture, Eats & Treats, Community Service & Non-Profits, Hot Spots & Hangouts, Sports, Cool Companies – Large, Cool Companies – Small, and "Most Valuable ‘Burger” (MVB). The nominees were then publicized and citizens of St. Pete were asked to vote online from February 1 to February 15. During the online voting period, nearly 6,000 votes were collected. The winners were determined by popular vote in each category. "This whole program was pulled together by a committee of volunteers – from determining the nominees to putting together the marketing packets for nominees. They did an awesome job in rolling out this first- year program with a lot of enthusiasm and community buzz,” says Steinocher.

The nominees were honored and the winners were announced at the First Annual Good ‘Burger Awards Event, hosted at the St. Pete Shuffle Board Courts, last night. The event was sponsored by Bright House Networks Business Solutions, Common Language, St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport (PIE), Eagle Datagistics, the Renaissance Vinoy, and the City of St. Petersburg. ConceptBAIT helped conceptualize the event and provided event décor services.

For more information about the Good ‘Burger Awards, the Nominees and the Event, please visit www.stpete.com/GoodBurger.

The 2013 Good ‘Burger Nominees & Winners:

Category: Arts & Culture
Winner: The Mahaffey Theater
American Stage Theatre Company
Creative Clay
Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum
Duncan McClellan Gallery
freeFall theatre company
Morean Arts Center
The Armed Forces Military Museum, Inc.
The Dali Museum
The St. Pete Preservation Society
Studio@620

Category: Eats & Treats
Winner: The Moon Under Water
Bella Brava
Ciccio's California
Lucky Dill Deli
Parkshore Grill
Schakolad Chocolate Factory
The Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge
The Kitchen

Category: Community Service & Non Profits
Winner: SPCA Tampa Bay
Abilities Foundation
CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse)
Florida Resurrection House
Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County
Localshops1
PARC
Pinellas Education Foundation

Category: Hot Spots & Hangouts
Winner: Saturday Morning Market
Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill
First Friday
Jannus Live
Johnny Reno's Waterfront Grill & Watering Hole
Postcard Inn on the Beach
PUSH Ultralounge
Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club (The Porch)
The Ale and The Witch/Wine Madonna/Sab Café (The Courtyard)
The Pier

Category: Sports
Winner: Tampa Bay Rays
Beef O' Brady's Bowl
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Rowdies
St. Anthony's Triathlon (LLS)
East-West Shrine Game

Category: Cool Companies – Large
Winner: All Children’s Hospital / John’s Hopkins Medicine
Bright House Networks Business Solutions
Catalina
Ceridian
HSN, Inc.
Jabil Circuit Inc.
Raymond James Financial, Inc.
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport
The Tampa Bay Times
TradeWinds Island Resorts

Category: Cool Companies – Small
Winner: Fit2Run
Bernie's & Son Fashion Jewelers
BionX of America, Inc.
Bruce Watters Jewelers, Inc.
conceptBAIT
Helinger Advertising
LEMA Construction
Sun Country Cleaners
Treby Law Firm

Category: MVB – "Most Valuable 'Burger"
Winner: Mindy Grossman, HSN, Inc.
Shelly Askin – Sun Country Dry Cleaners, Chamber Ambassador
Rick Baker – The Edwards Group, former Mayor of St. Petersburg
Bill Edwards – Mortgage Investors Corporation
Barry Foster – The Corporate Coaching Center, Chamber Ambassador
Bob Devin Jones – Studio@620
Jon LaBudde – Johnny Reno's Waterfront Grill & Watering Hole
Duncan McClellan – artist
Ed Montanari – American Airlines, Chair of Chamber Pier Task Force

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About the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce®

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce®, originally founded in 1899, now serves over 900 member businesses. Finding ways to create and enhance opportunities to do business in St. Petersburg, the Chamber works to improve the local economic climate and to build a thriving business environment. The Chamber is the voice of local business in St. Petersburg, providing leadership on important business and community issues.