by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Every year, each of the 10 councils of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Beaches Division and the Small Business Center select one of their members as the “Small Business Leader of the Year.” From that group, one person is chosen as the chamber’s overall honoree.
The Downtown Council heard from a few of this year’s leaders at its breakfast meeting Friday at Currents Riverfront Bistro in the Aetna Building.
The Downtown Council’s leader was Jimmy Johns, owner of Solid Rock Engineering Consultants.
He said being the council’s Small Business Leader gave him the opportunity to “really figure out what business is like during these economic times.”
Johns said his company has been able to weather the recession by diversifying its services.
“We found that a lot of management companies were having trouble with compliance issues and meeting permit conditions. We’ve been helping those companies determine what they need to do to comply, then doing the engineering work. We’ve also added rehabilitation and consulting on maintenance. That has allowed us not just to survive. We’ve actually grown,” said Johns.
Keith Johnson is a CPA and the North Council’s Small Business Leader for 2010. He attributed the success of his business during the down economy to “having a great team” and hiring an office manager who “makes an army general look like Oscar Madison.”
Johnson also said he began conducting seminars for business people about taxes and the impact of health care reform on their bottom lines.
“It really gets out the word about who I am and we’ve gotten a lot of referrals. I’ve learned it’s important to share what you know with other people,” he said.
The chamber’s 2010 Small Business Leader of the Year is Anne Urban, owner of Destination Planning Corp. The former hotel executive’s company provides comprehensive travel planning services for large groups.
She said her firm takes care of services from hotel reservations to airplane charters, ground transportation, hospitality, exhibits and activities. The company also handles all the arrangements for more than 50 weddings a year, some as far away as Australia.
“A lot of people might think we’re travel agents, but we’re more of a management company,” said Urban.
She said she was inspired to change her business model after she learned that up to 50 percent of small businesses would not survive the current economy.
“Driving revenue won’t solve the recession. You’ve got to find ways to tighten your belt,” said Urban.
She said she reduced her inventory and got rid of unneeded equipment and supplies. Urban also renegotiated her lease. The results were positive.
“We have better office space, more warehouse space and we’re saving $12,000 a year,” she said.
Urban also said the economy appears to be improving.
“We’re seeing signs of coming out of the recession. Our phones are busy,” she said.
State Rep. Daniel Davis was a guest at Friday’s meeting to talk about Amendment 4, which could change the way land use changes proceed by requiring a voter referendum on every modification of a community’s comprehensive land use plan.
Davis, who is also executive director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, admitted he was “preaching to the choir,” then urged council members to vote against the amendment on the Nov. 2 ballot and to urge other people to do so as well.
“Amendment 4 kills jobs. If you like the recession, vote for Amendment 4,” said Davis.
He also said that since Amendment 4 would require a public vote on hundreds of land use changes, “you’d have to understand all the technicalities and it would cost more to print the ballots.”
Davis said those issues, as well as the effect on developers and investors who would choose to do business outside Florida, could be costly.
“It will have a $35 billion impact if Amendment 4 passes,” he said.
The Downtown Council’s next meeting is Nov. 5, when Chief Assistant State Attorney Dan McCarthy is scheduled as the guest speaker.
For more information about the Downtown Council, visit www.downtowncouncil.org.
356-2466