JAX Chamber President and CEO Daniel Davis said the best way to know what your customers want is to ask them, and that's what he intends to do the next three months.
Davis started his first day as chamber president and CEO Monday visiting four area businesses: Beaver Street Fisheries Inc., Rethreaded, Edible Arrangements and ASAP Towing. He plans to meet with area businesses over the next 90 days.
"My first 90 days is going to be a listening tour. I'm going to find out what our customers need and want, and how the chamber can serve them better," said Davis.
He is a state representative for District 15 and plans to complete his term, which ends in November 2014.
Before being hired by the chamber, Davis served as City Council member for District 12 from 2003-10 and executive director of the Northeast Florida Builders Association.
Davis also served as Council liaison to the Jacksonville Port Authority, an experience he can draw from when businesses ask about the development of the port.
"Huge for us right now is the port," said Mark Frisch, executive vice president of Beaver Street Fisheries.
"Up until 10 years ago, most of our containers were coming in through Savannah, Ga. Now, with some investment at the port, some infrastructure improvements, we can bring all of our stuff in through the port of Jacksonville," said Frisch.
Beaver Street Fisheries is an international importer, manufacturer and distributor of frozen seafood products. The company initially served the foodservice industry, but has expanded to the retail market.
Davis agreed that the port was an asset that Jacksonville needs to develop.
"Our greatest assets, we need to make greater. I really feel the opportunity for us to be a logistics center is here," said Davis.
Davis made it clear he wants to see all businesses in Jacksonville improve, from a 60-year-old company like Beaver Street Fisheries to new company, and recipient of the most votes at Jacksonville's One Spark crowdfunding festival, Rethreaded.
"We want to be known as the brand that provides freedom," said Kristin Keen, Rethreaded founder.
Keen lived and worked for five years in Kolkata, India, and saw the effects of the area's sex trade on a daily basis.
With her friend Sarah Lance, Keen helped co-found Sari Bari, a business that could offer women a safe haven where they could earn money while learning a skill.
The Kolkata business employs more than 75 people in who create handmade blankets and other products from traditional fabrics.
Keen continues her efforts against the sex trade in Jacksonville through Rethreaded. Working in partnership with the City Rescue Mission, Rethreaded hired its first full-time employee in November and has expanded to a staff of five.
Davis asked the same question to Keen that he asked of the executives of Beaver Street Fisheries, "What can I do to make you better?"
"Increasing sales is my biggest need right now. Whether that is through marketing, I need to know how to better display our product to the market," said Keen.
"Maybe some ideas on how to better store the donated T-shirts," said Keen.
The company makes clothing out of donated T-shirts. and thousands are currently stacked on shelves in the production facility on Barnett Street.
"We want to do all we can to help our young entrepreneurs to sell their product," said Davis.
Rethreaded was founded two years ago and the "upcycled" T-shirts were introduced eight months ago.
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