from staff
Gov. Charlie Crist has invited more than 20 small business owners from across Florida to participate in a statewide small business summit next month in Tallahassee. Crist, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, the Governor’s Director of the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development Dale Brill, and leadership from across the administration and the private sector will convene a day long series of discussions and workshops (date and time to be released in the coming weeks) aimed at establishing ideas that can foster and promote free competitive enterprise for Florida’s small business owners.
Three of those invited are from Jacksonville: Bailey Publishing & Communications, Inc. President Jim Bailey, CEO of Community Rehabilitation Center Reggie Gaffney and Drummond Press President John Falconetti.
“Florida small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they will be the spring board for sustainable economic growth,” said Crist. “This summit will tap into the practical wisdom of those in the trenches of our state’s economic recovery each and every day.”
Statewide, small business summit discussions and workshops will cover:
• Florida Small Business Regulatory Advisory Council: Recognizing the Unique Challenges of Florida’s Small Businesses
• Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development and the University of Central Florida: Accessing Florida’s Economic Gardening Program
• Department of Business and Professional Regulation: Cutting Red Tape for Florida’s Small Businesses
• Workforce Florida: Connecting Small Business Owners with Florida’s Workforce
• Florida’s small business membership organizations: Finding Strength in Numbers
The invited participants represent a diverse cross-section of the kinds of small businesses throughout the Sunshine State that play a vital role toward strengthening our state’s economic engine, including publishing, transportation, health care, hospitality, environmental services, contractors and financial services.
“Small business owners are on the front lines of Florida’s economic turnaround and I look forward to hearing from this diverse group during the course of this summit,” said Crist. “Tapping into their entrepreneurial spirit is an ideal source for identifying opportunities to get government out of the way and allow Florida’s small businesses to thrive in the ever changing global economy.”
According to the Small Business Administration:
• Florida’s 1.9 million small businesses provide economic opportunities to diverse groups of people and bring innovative products and services to the market place; and
• Small business accounts for nearly 60 percent of new jobs created in Florida; and
• Small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms in the United States; and
• Research indicates that small businesses have the highest potential for growth and new job creation, which will help build a stronger Florida both now and in the future; and
• Partnerships between higher education communities, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations assist in the development and education of Florida’s small businesses.