By LOIS KINDLE
lekindle@aol.com
Next week, after more than 21 years of leading and serving the South Shore community, Melanie Davis is heading home. The outgoing Greater SouthShore Chamber executive director and her husband, Josh Ricard, are starting the next chapter of their lives in rural South Carolina, where they were both born.
“We’re returning to our roots,” Davis said. “Josh and I agreed years ago to return there after my daughters all graduated high school. Now that they have, we’re looking forward to a simpler life, a slower pace and country living.”
Just as they have here, they’ll be connecting with old friends, meeting new ones and bringing Southern hospitality to the community around them through their Roots Southern BBQ food truck and catering service, as well as a new self serve venture called Roots Southern Grace Farmstand.
Davis leaves behind a legacy far beyond the normal scope of the job she’s leaving. Those who’ve served alongside her describe it best.
“More than 20 years of late nights, early mornings, ribbon cuttings and strategic planning — yet Melanie‘s legacy isn’t measured in time but by impact,” said real estate agent Ray Monahan, who served three years as president during the six he’s been on the chamber board. “She’s had a huge impact on me.
“Her commitment to the community was unwavering,” he continued. “She raised her three daughters, and through her daily example, taught them — and all of us — how to thrive, grow and build a successful life. She’s always been the first to roll up her sleeves and help those less fortunate and leaves behind a stronger business community, an inspired family and a lasting blueprint of what it means to lead with a servant’s heart.”
The Rev. Tom Campbell, outreach minister at SeaGlass Church in Apollo Beach, likened Davis to Abigail, one of the Bible’s great peacemakers, in a recent tribute at her retirement celebration.
Campbell said her “selflessness and desire for peace within the community were always evident,” noting how she “brokered the merger of chambers, disarmed many hostile actions and managed exponential growth — with poise, grace and never compromising” her values to achieve her goals.
“This community will forever have your fingerprint on it,” he said. “Communities within the South Shore region are stronger, friendlier, more prosperous and connected because you were here.”
Others built their relationships with Davis on a more personal note.
“I introduced myself to Melanie 19 years ago at my son Duncan’s and her daughter Kate’s T-ball game,” said Apollo Beach resident and schoolteacher Pam Vasquez. “I walked up to her and asked if I could take a picture of her newborn baby, Ginger, because she looked so much like my daughter as a newborn. We became fast friends, and Duncan quickly became part of her extended family.
“Melanie's three girls also became a huge part of our daily lives. I taught both Kate and Roxy at Doby Elementary school — first in third grade and then as their Gifted teacher. She championed me when I started my photography business and encouraged Duncan’s early passion for volunteering, giving him roles at the chamber’s annual seafood and arts festivals, starting at age 8. When he became an EMT in his early 20s, she officially hired him for the Ruskin Seafood Festival. He stayed involved with her events through 2025, before entering the Army Reserve.
“South Shore will feel strange without Melanie, but I'm grateful for the opportunities she gave my son and for the joy of knowing her and being part of her young family's life. They’ve definitely been part of my village.”
These voices reflect the regard so many in South Shore have for her and for the two decades she devoted to the community.
“I had no clue I would make a career of leading chambers and raising my girls right alongside of me,” Davis said. “What started as a job helping businesses succeed became so much more.
“I learned that leading a community means opening its heart to people in need,” she continued, adding her leadership role involved connecting those with the means to help — including businesses —with those who needed it. “If you truly love the community you live in, you care about its people — and when they thrive, so do its businesses.”