Bradenton husband and wife share award for leadership. Their work together has been ‘magic’
With the theme “Better Together,” a reference to turning the corner on the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 630 Manatee Chamber of Commerce members gathered in-person Thursday for the organization’s 58th annual dinner.
“There is no better example of ‘better together’ than John and Amanda Horne,” Bob Turner said in presenting the fourth-annual Robert P. Bartz Award for Outstanding Leadership to the husband-and-wife community activists and restaurateurs.
Individually dynamic, together they really are unbelievable, said Turner, the former Bradenton Herald publisher who received the Bartz honor last year.
“Imagine one plus one equaling a dozen, and that’s what happens,” Turner said of the owners of four Anna Maria Oyster Bar restaurants.
When the governor ordered restaurant dining rooms closed in the early days of the pandemic, the Hornes sent their staff of 335 home with full full pay. When dining rooms were allowed to reopen, they went beyond the measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control to keep guests and staff safe.
“With four very successful restaurants, you would think that’s enough, but that’s just a start for them. I don’t know how they do it. It’s magic,” Turner said.
Their deep dive into making Manatee County better includes co-founding the Horne-Moon Scholarships for gap students to attend USF Sarasota-Manatee, State College of Florida and Manatee Technical College; Amanda’s work on education for women and girls at the Women’s Resource Center; John’s past chairmanship of the Chamber of Commerce and just announced chairmanship of Leadership Florida; their Dive Into Reading program to assist grade school children; and heading up the fundraising campaign for the expansion of Pace Center for Girls.
When the Hornes took the stage at the Bradenton Area Convention Center to accept the Bartz award, it was with humor and gratitude.
John, wearing a sport coat and tie with his customary shorts, praised Manatee County as the best place to live, and his soulmate and wife, Amanda, for helping attain a new level of meaning and success in life.
Much of his message focused on encouraging audience members to make friends wherever they go, by not being afraid to fail, while refusing to be defined by failure, by helping one another, and by offering words of praise whenever possible.
Jacki Dezelski, chamber president and CEO, said that the role of the chamber never seemed more important than during the isolation brought on by the pandemic.
Technology helped bridge the gap imposed by the lockdown with Zoom meetings, new web sites, webinars, and serving as a trusted source of information for members.
But technology won’t replace personal connections, which are becoming ever more valuable, she said, looking around the packed convention center.
Dezelski presented the chamber’s chairman’s award to Dr. Jennifer Bencie, Manatee County Health Officer, for her leadership during the pandemic.
Ernie Withers, 2020 chairman of the board, also focused on the chamber’s valuable role during the pandemic, ranging from providing masks to dispensing information about aid available to businesses.
A new Chamber of Commerce Facebook page, Manatee Strong, quickly gained thousands of followers, while a new chamber web site helped match employer and worker needs, Withers said.
Phill Baker of Boyd Insurance and Investment Services, the 2021 chairman of the board, said that during the pandemic, Withers was calm, available, innovative and the perfect leader for 2020.
The chamber has resumed having in-person gatherings with many more to come in the second half of the year, Baker said.
Keynote speaker Barry Banther of Banther Consulting said that while COVID-19 brought plenty of misery and tragedy, it was also a gift.
“Because it brought out the best in us,” Banther said.
Bob Bartz, who led the chamber of commerce for 35 years before his death at age 65 in 2017, had a heart to help, he said.
“What we are reaping tonight is what one man chose to sow into this community for 35 years. Who could be a better example of a heart to help than Bob Bartz?” Banther said.
He closed by quoting Charles Dickens in a “Tale of Two Cities”: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.’
Banther then asked the audience, is it the best of times or the worst of times?
“You get to choose,” he said.
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 10:09 AM.
