by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“In our view, Jacksonville is one of the most business-friendly cities in Florida,” said John Rogers, senior vice president and general counsel for the Florida Retail Federation. He was in Jacksonville for the recent stop of this year’s “Florida Retail Masters” meeting held Friday at the Omni hotel.
The program, now in its fourth year, is a leadership development program for retailers across Florida. This year, six sessions are being held in different cities for a group of 19 participants representing different retail concerns.
They devote three days a month for six months to the program and hear presentations from business and government leaders on issues that affect retailers on a statewide level. Topics include current and proposed legislation that could affect retail and how to improve its perception as a career choice among Florida’s high school and college graduates.
“It’s not about hard retail skills, it’s about developing leadership skills,” said Rogers. “We’re not training people to do something, we’re training them to be something.”
He said Jacksonville has been a regular site for the program since 2005. One of the highlights for this stop is the chance to tour aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines and meet military leaders. Rogers said that may not sound like it has anything to do with retail but, “it gives our participants valuable insight into the challenges faced by commanders. Like retail managers, they have to know how to motivate and lead people,” he said.
Each of the six stops also includes a session with the city’s chief executive, so Mayor John Peyton met the group Friday morning to talk about Jacksonville’s business environment and answer a few questions.
Peyton pointed out Jacksonville is different compared to other Florida cities because, “our economy is not based on tourism or retirement.”
Peyton then gave the group an overview of the current and future business outlook. In addition to managed growth, he cited the military presence, the financial sector and the economic development underway at the port as the most important factors for Jacksonville’s future.
“We have two Asian shippers building terminals here that will add 12,000 jobs at an average salary of $45,000 a year. Those are going to be very good retail customers,” said Peyton.
Since Peyton came from a business background before he was elected mayor, the group wanted to know about the differences between the two arenas.
He grinned, then candidly admitted, “I was used to an environment where logic prevailed. There was very little persuasion involved. In government, there are many constituents involved and it can sometimes be a challenge to help people establish ownership of an idea and achieve consensus.”
Peyton also said being in government is different from being in business when it comes to public perception and scrutiny.
“In business, projects go over budget all the time and you can change your mind based on changing circumstances,” he said. “Employees will steal gasoline. That’s just business, but when those things happen in government, it’s front-page news.”
Photo by Max Marbut