Staff Writer
A group of government and business leaders traveled to Ireland to spend the first half of this week continuing to develop relationships that would benefit the seaports and airports of both regions.
“There are a lot of similarities between Shannon and Jacksonville,” said Mike Breen, director of the International Department for the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership. “Dublin looks over at them like Miami and Orlando looks at us. We are both logistics and transportation hubs.”
The meetings end today.
The trip is the third meeting between the two groups. One from Jacksonville visited Shannon in 2008 and one from Shannon visited Jacksonville in 2009. The chamber of commerce of each region offers office space for the other and the focus of the third trip is to further the relationships that have been developed.
“The primary purpose of the trip is to begin more direct development of the relationship between the two regions,” said Breen. “We want to begin to develop those relationships in aviation, both sea and air freight, logistics and medical tourism.”
The Jacksonville group will be hosted by the Atlantic Way, an organization similar to the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership. Its chairman, Brian O’Connell brought a group of business leaders from in and near Shannon to Jacksonville last fall and some have already begun to develop business relationships in Jacksonville.
Adrian Fleming’s company, ManageCO2, offers software programs to help organizations measure, report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. Fleming wants to establish offices in Jacksonville.
Luke Curley’s EdWare educational software that specializes in geography solutions was also well received. The company plans to target public and private schools.
The Jacksonville group that wants to develop more of these business relationships includes Breen, City Council members Michael Corrigan and Art Graham, Jim and Patt Delay, JAA Executive Director and CEO Steve Grossman, Barbara Halverstadt, Frank Castellano, former Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Chair Mike Hightower, Stuart and Cathy Klein, Kristi Maeve, Cornerstone President and Executive Vice President of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Jerry Mallot, Michael and Maria Poole, Lyndsay Rossman of Visit Jacksonville and Florida State College at Jacksonville President Steve Wallace.
Ireland attendees
Mike and Kaye Breen, Michael Corrigan, Jim and Patt Delay, Art Graham, Steve and Linda Grossman, Barbara Halverstadt, Frank Castellano, Mike Hightower, Stuart and Cathy Klein, Kristi Maeve, Jerry Mallot, Michael and Maria Poole, Lyndsay Rossman and Steve Wallace
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