by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
If you’re upbeat about the future, you have a friend in high places. And, last month, he provided an upbeat message to the Sales and Marketing Council.
Mike Hightower has powerful roles in life:
• He’s a top lobbyist for BlueCross BlueShield of Florida, the state’s largest health insurance provider.
• He’s the current chairman of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce.
• He’s on a first-name basis with almost every major business leader and politician you can name.
When he talked to the SMC members at the University of North Florida’s University Center, he told them that there’s a good reason to look forward to the future.
“No one would have thought 18 months ago that we would be talking about what’s going on in Detroit or what’s going on in New York on Wall Street. These are unique times,” he said. “We are going to make it. Jacksonville is going to make it. There is something happening in Jacksonville that is not happening in other cities in Florida or the Southeast. People are still buying a house. People are still talking to Realtors. People are still talking to brokers.
“Can you imagine having this meeting outside of Detroit or New York or New Jersey? You wouldn’t have this kind of enthusiasm.”
He put in a plug for the Chamber, an organization the has served for two decades in various roles.
While the $344 a year membership dues may be too much for a small business or independent contractor such a Realtor, he also the Chamber is willing to work with potential new members.
With 4,200 members that represent 39,000 businesses in the Northeast Florida area, Hightower says Chamber membership is one of the best networking tools available today.
The existence of eight area Chamber Councils also assures that members don’t have to travel far to keep up on what’s going on in their district or Chamber-wide.
“We are a unique Chamber, different from most,” he said. “The Chamber has evolved to meet the needs of the community and the Chamber reflects what the community looks like.”
While the Jacksonville area has certainly felt some of the recent problems associated with the national economic woes, Hightower says the people and business-friendly climate have helped keep the damage at a minimum. He’s also convinced those two traits will assure Jacksonville rebounds quickly.
“We are one of the few cities in America that companies are still coming to. We also need to keep the companies we have,” he said. “When you create jobs, the building industry likes to see that. Realtors like to see that.
“Jacksonville is growing and the Chamber is committed to making sure if a company is willing to locate here, we are there telling them about Jacksonville.”