This is another in a series on area executives and political and community leaders who have played prominent roles in the development of Downtown or Jacksonville as a whole over the years. Some are still in the area, working or retired or a bit of both. Some have moved away and are working in other areas of the state or country. The series continues with Alberta Hipps, former City Council president.
by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
What she did: City Council member 1995-2003, president 2000-01.
What she’s doing now: President, Hipps Group, Inc.; chair, Local Issues Subcommittee of the Government Affairs Committee of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“I have a different group of constituents now compared to when I was on the City Council, but I’m blessed with good business. It’s very humbling to work on so many projects with so many people,” said Alberta Hipps, who left public service in 2003. She is now president of Hipps Group, Inc. a consulting firm that specializes primarily in real estate development, transportation development and government relations.
Hipps said she enjoys having a small business operation. She works with her daughter, Lara Tanier who is Hipps Group vice president and State Rep. Dick Kravitz, who serves as a consultant for several clients.
“My parents had a small family business,” said Hipps, referring to the family’s fuel oil business that served customers in Picketville and Dinsmore while she was growing up.
Hipps studied nursing at Florida Community College at Jacksonville and later at the University of North Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She then went to work at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in 1980 and served as Assistant Director of Education and Administrative Director of the Heart and Lung Institute.
“I left the bedside and moved into the administrative offices,” said Hipps.
Four years later, St. Vincent’s nominated Hipps as a member of Jacksonville University’s first Executive MBA class. She graduated from JU in 1986 with a Master’s of Business Administration and took on more duties at St. Vincent’s as Director of Medical Staff Support Services.
In 1995 Hipps was elected to City Council and served the people of Dist. 13 in southwest Jacksonville for eight years.
“That was a real right-angle turn from one career path to another,” she said.
Hipps served as president during the 2000-01 Council year and lists among the highlights of her two terms in office helping the Better Jacksonville Plan become reality, converting Cecil Field from military to civilian and commercial use and the development of the Equestrian Center.
For Hipps the opportunity to combine her business training with the experience gained through eight years of government service has turned out to be a blessing.
“One thing is now I can go home and my answering machine isn’t full. People don’t realize being a Council member is a 24 hours a day, seven days a week job. I always carried a notepad with me everywhere I went.
“I had a great time serving on the City Council, but I wouldn’t want to do it again,” she said.
Now when it comes to development and zoning issues, tax incentives, concurrency and land use planning, “I’m on the other side of the table, but I understand the flow chart involved with getting development projects approved,” said Hipps, who added it has been a successful location.
“I’m fortunate that I haven’t had to do much advertising and I’ve gotten quite a lot of my business through referrals.”
Hipps also said having grown up in Jacksonville she can really appreciate how the city has changed and is continuing to change.
“It’s still a diverse area but we’re dealing now with a true urban environment including all the growing pains and joys that go along with that. I’m proud to be part of helping Jacksonville grow and be more productive,” she said.
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