The Tampa Bay Chamber, South Tampa Chamber, Tampa Bay Defense Alliance (TBDA) and MacDill Support Group are proud to announce that the Tampa Bay region has been awarded the 2024 Abilene Trophy, recognizing the nation’s most outstanding community support to an Air Mobility Command (AMC) base. The award was officially announced by the Abilene Military Affairs Committee in partnership with AMC and Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs offices.
In the announcement, Abilene AMC Civic Leader Sam Nichols said, “For over 85 years, the broad-based communities in the Greater Tampa area have delivered continuous support to meet the needs of Wing and Area Military families. Following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, their incredible collaboration demonstrated their outstanding commitment to MacDill Air Force Base, its mission, their airmen and families.”
This prestigious award honors Tampa Bay’s decades-long commitment to the airmen and their families at MacDill Air Force Base, including extraordinary collaboration in 2024 through AirFest, education initiatives, workforce programs and an unprecedented community response following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The partnering organizations expressed collective pride in the recognition.
“We are honored to receive the Abilene Trophy, a testament to our community’s longstanding commitment to MacDill Air Force Base and the families who call Military Bay, USA home,” said Dr. Bob Rohrlack, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Chamber. “This award celebrates the strength of our partnerships throughout Tampa Bay and the dedication of our business and civic leaders who consistently step forward in support of our military.”
“The Abilene Trophy honors communities that demonstrate exceptional, sustained support for their Air Mobility Command base. Tampa Bay’s partnership with MacDill Air Force Base is part of who we are, and we are proud to see that commitment recognized. For more than eight decades, our community has stood beside the men and women of MacDill, supporting their mission, their families and their vital role in our nation’s defense,” said Kelly Flannery, president and CEO of the South Tampa Chamber.
“TBDA expresses our sincere appreciation to the Abilene Military Affairs Committee for their selection of Tampa Bay as the recipient of the 2024 Abilene Trophy,” retired Maj. Gen. Larry Martin, president of TBDA, said. “For decades, the Tampa Bay Region has demonstrated its enduring commitment to our military members, their families and the air mobility mission, but never so much as before and after the devastation of 2024’s Hurricanes Helene and Milton.”
For more information, visit www.tampabaychamber.com.