by Karen Brune Mathis
Managing Editor
Onsite Environmental Consulting LLC owner Janet Herrick did a little dance onstage at the Florida Theatre Downtown Tuesday night when announced as small business leader of the year.
The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce chose Herrick from among nine small business owners nominated by the group’s area councils and divisions. Herrick was nominated by the West Council.
Hundreds of chamber leaders, members and guests gathered for the group’s 126th annual meeting.
The event started at 6 p.m. in front of the theater along Forsyth Street, which was closed to traffic to host food and drink tables and a band.
Hugh Greene, CEO of Baptist Health, took leadership of the group from 2010 Chair Kelly Madden, North Florida Wholesale Regional President of Wells Fargo.
Before Madden turned the meeting over to Greene, she summarized the year and also announced that Gov. Rick Scott will be the keynote speaker for the chamber’s March 11 Cornerstone meeting, planned at the Hyatt Downtown.
She also called Jacksonville Port Authority Chair David Kulik and Paul Anderson, the port’s new CEO, to the stage.
It was Anderson’s first day on the job. “We have a lot of opportunities,” said Anderson, a former Federal Maritime Commissioner. “We plan to engage on a global basis,” he said, asking for “support and partnerships with all of you.”
The chamber paid tribute to two former chairs who died the past year, Walter McRae and his son-in-law, Henry “Tip” Graham.
The group also thanked Mayor John Peyton for his leadership during his two terms in office, which he leaves in June.
“I enjoyed being your partner, and I look forward in the private sector to doing the same,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, attended and said he looked forward to working with the JPA to find funds to deepen the St. Johns River to accommodate the larger ships that could call on Jacksonville by 2015 after the Panama Canal is expanded.
Nelson said the channel is being deepened to the Mayport Naval Station near the Atlantic Ocean to accommodate an aircraft carrier. “But other parts of the river have to be deepened,” he said.
Nelson was optimistic about Jacksonville’s potential in general. “I think the sky is not even the limit,” said Nelson. “I think the stratosphere is the limit for Jacksonville.”
Greene told chamber members he would focus on several areas, but four are in the forefront:
• Jacksonville’s port. “It is a critical economic engine for our region.”
• Downtown development. “It is a huge opportunity,” he said, repeating what the mayor of Indianapolis said on the chamber’s recent visit. “You can’t be a suburb to no place.” He said the chamber would work to implement a plan to redevelop Downtown.
• Small and second-stage business development.
• Government relations. He said the chamber would “foster a partnership” with the new mayor, City Council and other officials who will be elected this spring.
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