In the News - December 2025

150+ attend Final Allied Relations Council Breakfast of the Year at SeaWorld

The Allied Relations Council hosted its final ARC Breakfast of the year at SeaWorld Orlando. Special thanks to Steve Vinciguerra, Sarah Nemes, and the team at the Sharks Underwater Grill for another amazing interactive experience with the sharks!

During the meeting, incoming 2026 ARC Board Chair Jackie Bozzuto of Lowndes announced the recent election results and the 2026 Allied Relations Council Board Members. This included six re-elected (*denotes re-elected) ARC Board Members and two newly elected (**denotes newly elected) ARC Board Members.

Congratulations to the 2026 Allied Relations Council Board and Leadership including:

Chair - Jackie Bozzuto of Lowndes

Vice Chair – Amy Walsh of Domino’s

Immediate Past Chair - Beatriz Dominguez of Clean Tec Services

Jonathan Box of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida

Kevin Cedik of The Mall at Millenia

*John Gill of Elevated

*Andre Gucailo of Wealth Management Strategies of Florida

Maureen Haggerty of Spinout Guest Laundries

Heather Hutter of Kustom

Steve Kliamenakis of Global Sourcing International, LLC

**Christina Martinez of SimpleFire

*Daved McLouth of GLE Associates

Colleen Mera of Brush and Brand

Brendan Richmond of Universal Orlando

Earl Roach of A&E Hospitality Solutions

*Kyle Salinsky of Minuteman Press

**Mirella Thomas of Unimac Management

Steve Vinciguerra of SeaWorld Orlando

*Norah White of the I-Drive District

*Greg Wiley of GX Solutions

Peter Woodruff of Southeastern Laundry Equipment

Additionally, we would like to thank our outgoing 2025 Allied Relations Council Board Chair Beatriz Dominguez of Clean Tec Services, for her outstanding leadership throughout the year. Furthermore, we appreciate thefollowing Allied Relations Council Board Members for their amazing service, as their terms will end on December 31, 2025!

Cindy Andrews of Sunbrite Outdoor Furniture

Tina Early of BMS Cat

Anna Territo of Territo Electric

Lastly, CFHLA would like to thank the 2025 Allied Relations Council Breakfast Sponsor, CEC Entertainment, and our gracious breakfast host - SeaWorld Orlando - for their support of "Members Doing Business With Members."

Final Board Meeting and Silver Partner Luncheon

The CFHLA Board of Directors held its November Board Meeting and Silver Partnership Luncheon at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. CFHLA would like to thank Clean Tec Outsourcing for their generous sponsorship of this important and final Board meeting of the year. We also would like to thank CFHLA Board Member and General Manager Ross Barker, along with his team for hosting the meeting and this outstanding luncheon! 

CFHLA also thanks our Silver Partner Members for their strong support of our events and initiatives throughout 2025.

During the luncheon, 2025 Board Chair Chris Mueller, General Manager of the Hilton Orlando, shared a recap of the year and introduced the Incoming 2026 Board Chair Jon McGavin, Area General Manager of Grande Lakes Orlando. Additionally, we were thrilled to hear an update from Mark Tester, Executive Director of the Orange County Convention Center(OCCC).

Did you know that the Orange County Convention Center had a record breaking year in 2024 - 2025 with 184 total events and more than 2 Million attendees? This resulted in a $4.6 Billion in positive economic impact for our region!

Additionally, the CFHLA Board of Directors approved several organizational changes for 2026, and we look forward to sharing our newly elected CFHLA Board of Directors and leadership soon.

We are incredibly thankful for the strong leadership of our outgoing 2025 Board Chair Chris Mueller and looking forward to our incoming 2026 CFHLA Board Chair Jon McGavin beginning in January.

Lastly, we'd like to recognize and thank our outgoing CFHLA Board Members for their time, dedication and support by serving on the Board of Directors.

CFHLA Awards Over $178,000 in Student Scholarships and Grants during Annual GIVES Luncheon

Last Month, CFHLA in partnership with the CFHLA Foundation, proudly hosted our annual Gives Luncheon at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista South (Thank You, Phil Klinkenberg, General Manager).

This year, through the support of our members and partners, we were thrilled to distribute another $160,300 to 62 local students who may not have had access to an education without our financial support. Each of these students have now been given the opportunity to further their education in either hospitality management or culinary.

Additionally, the CFHLA Foundation has now awarded more than $1.5 million in student scholarships since 2000.

Furthermore, this luncheon featured the following highlights, including:

Aubrey Pugh was selected as our newest Don and Lorraine Freeberg Foundation Scholarship recipient. Aubrey graduated from Wekiva High School last spring and is continuing her education at UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. Aubrey will be receiving a $52,000 scholarship and a paid internship opportunity at the Caribe Royale Orlando and at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista South.
The CFHLA Foundation awarded nearly $18,000 in educational grants to three local schools and county-wide initiatives including:
- Horizon High School – $2,750 to support nearly 300 students annually through the purchase of equipment that teaches ice cream making and supports program fundraising.
- Seminole County Public Schools Foundation – $5,000 to enhance culinary education for more than 200 students by updating kitchen equipment and supplies.
- Orange County Public Schools Culinary and Hospitality Competition – $10,000 to support competitions that allow high school students to showcase their culinary skills, hospitality knowledge, and marketing creativity.
Lastly, the recognition of 112 CFHLA lodging and allied members who participated in the association’s Adopt-A-School Partnership throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. This was a 9% increase from the 2023-2024 academic year.