Williamson, Tempio elected to NE Florida RV Trade board

CLAY COUNTY – The Northeast Florida Chapter of the Florida RV Trade Association has elected new board officers for 2020-21, including two from Clay County.
Vince Ponciano, an RV consultant with Dana Drake’s Countryside RV, was elected board president. Ponciano, who began his career in the recreational vehicle industry more than a decade ago as a sales consultant with Suncoast RV in Jacksonville, also recently served as an RV sales manager with Creative RV.
Craig Williamson, service manager with General RV Center in Orange Park, was re-elected as board vice president.
Gerard (Jerry) Tempio, a sales consultant at General RV Center, was reelected as treasurer.
Mary Ponciano, an account certified interpreter at Pickard International, was elected board secretary.
Rob Rothenhausler, the owner of Ocean Grove RV Camp Resort in St. Augustine and Ocean Grove Boat & RV Storage, was also elected as a director for the local chapter. Rothenhausler has served on both the regional and state FRTVA boards for more than 20 years.
Ken Loyd, who had served as the chapter board president for more than four years, thanked the members and the officers for their support during his tenure. Loyd, currently the general manager at the new Keystone Heights RV Resort, said he looked forward to supporting Ponciano and the new slate of officers as a FRVTA region member.
For more information, contact the Florida RV Trade Association at 813-741-0488, or visit the association’s website at www.frvta.org.

WJCT’s Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive opens at VyStar

CLAY COUNTY – WJCT, in partnership with VyStar Credit Union Suddath and the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships, has launched the 18th annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive. This beloved community tradition, which runs through Nov. 30, collects new and gently used sweaters, jackets and blankets to donate to nonprofit organizations across Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau Counties.
WJCT joins Public Media stations across the United States participating in this event, which celebrates the memory and legacy of Fred Rogers, host of the groundbreaking television show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” In 2019, the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive collected more than 15,000 articles of clothing and cold-weather necessities for First Coast residents.
“Fred Rogers was the epitome of a good neighbor. His trademark red cardigan has become a symbol of compassion and civility — traits that are just as important to our society today as they were when his show debuted more than 50 years ago,” said David McGowan, President and CEO of WJCT. “We invite our neighbors across our region of service, from Palm Coast to Georgia’s Golden Isles, to join us in sharing with our neighbors in need this November.”
WJCT will collect donations at its headquarters, located at 100 Festival Park Avenue in Jacksonville. Donations may also be made at area VyStar Credit Union branches, Suddath offices and Tom Bush dealerships.
Locally, donations may be dropped off at: VyStar Credit Union at 1755 Eagle Harbor Pkwy. on Fleming Island.
“VyStar cares deeply about the communities we serve, and among our strongest beliefs is the importance of providing additional assistance and resources to those who need them most,” said Brian Wolfburg, President/CEO of VyStar Credit Union. “With that in mind, we will once again gladly open our branches to collect gently used items and encourage anyone who is able to participate in this worthwhile initiative to consider making a donation.”
Suddath will use its moving trucks to collect donated items, then bring them back to its Jacksonville warehouse for sorting, before delivering them to participating nonprofits.
“Last year, Suddath added ‘Caring’ as one of our core values, which honors our tradition of philanthropy and giving back to the communities where we operate,” said Dick Eschbacher, president and general manager of Suddath Jacksonville. “We’re particularly grateful to participate in the Sweater Drive this year, when extraordinary circumstances have unfortunately left many of members of our community disadvantaged.”
The Tom Bush Family of Dealerships has been a sweater drive presenting partner since 2017.
“We are driven to serve the community we call home,” said Megan Bush Del Pizzo, Vice President of the Tom Bush Family of Dealerships. “Our goal is to ensure every donation goes the distance to help our Northeast Florida neighbors.”
For more information, including a downloadable flier to share with your neighbors and a full list of donation locations, visit wjct.org/events/sweaterdrive/.

Carrie Briley joins Berkshire Hathaway’s Fleming Island/Orange Park office

FLEMING ISLAND – Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty added Carrie Briley to its Fleming Island/Orange Park office.
Carrie joins Florida Network Realty as a Realtor with a strong business background, and as a longtime resident of Jacksonville. Although new to real estate, Carrie is not new to business – she has extensive experience working at AT&T as a Client Relationship Manager in Business Marketing, and also with Auditmacs as their CLM Director.
In these roles, Carrie worked on internal projects that reduced billing errors, improved the customer experience, and implemented products and services that led to a significant increasing in sales revenue for the company. In addition to this, Carrie excelled at managing and leading her team members, and helping them to maximize the savings for their clients.
Now, as a Realtor, Carrie is taking her expertise in management, negotiation, and customer service and is channeling it into helping her clients have a smooth real estate process from beginning to end of the transaction. She knows that her strong business background will help her reassure clients and let them feel comfortable, knowing that they’re in capable hands.
“I am excited to welcome Carrie to the Fleming Island Office! Although new to real estate, Carrie is ready to hit the ground running, and from the very first meeting to the final closing, I know Carrie will provide best-in-class service to her clients.,” shares Linda Benson, Broker/Manager of the Fleming Island/Orange Park office.
The Fleming Island/Orange Park office is located at 3535 U.S. Highway 17, Suite 10, Fleming Island.