Port Everglades Hosts White House Business Council Roundtable
Nearly two dozen Broward County business leaders and government officials joined together at Port Everglades, a driving force for business expansion in South Florida, for a White House Business Council Roundtable meeting to connect local business owners with the President Barack Obama's Administration.
Port Everglades hosted the Roundtable for invited local business owners on August 9, 2011, to share their experiences with Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Szabo's role was to listen to business leaders about the challenges they are facing and then to bring their voices to Washington.
Making a real connection between front-line business owners and the federal government is the only way the Administration can improve U.S. economic competitiveness. First-hand feedback about what the Federal government should do more of - and less of - to help jumpstart the economy is invaluable. Szabo explained to the invited business leaders that the government is looking for ways they can help businesses expand, create jobs and improve the economic base in their area.
The Roundtable meeting participants represented a broad spectrum of businesses who discussed similar challenges they are now facing including economic conditions, competition, the difficulty for small businesses to secure capital from banks for growth, their work forces, the increasing costs of health care, government regulations, costly federal mandates, pending free trade agreements, funding for beach renourishment projects, and a variety of other topics. In the productive two-hour meeting, the participants were candid and each brought important insight to the table. Many offered actual examples of why their issues were important.
Among the challenges articulated is the lag time in moving through a government process and communication among governments. Certain actions or delays feed the public perception that government agencies don't talk to each other, said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen.
Bertha Henry, Broward County Administrator, added that some federal regulations adversely impact local governments as well. We are often required to implement new regulations on behalf of the federal government, with no real guidance. This can be very confusing to the private or public sector and add to the myths that all governments are inefficient. More importantly, any new regulation costs money to implement.
The trade agreements pending in Congress was another topic brought up by the group. Allen said: Port Everglades is an 'export port' and the trade agreements, particularly with Colombia, are vital. Exports means U.S. jobs. The value of export cargo from Port Everglades is $11.1 billion supporting 55,000 U.S. jobs. If things stall, what gets left in limbo? U.S. jobs.
Roundtable participants included:
Phillip Allen, Port Director, Port Everglades
Chuck Black, Owner, Signs by Tomorrow
Bruce Cumings, Co-Managing Pilot, Port Everglades Pilots' Association
Ted Deutch, Congressman, 19th District, U. S. House of Representatives
Jose Diaz, Vice President & General Manager, Florida International Terminal
Kent George, Director, Broward County Aviation Department (Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport)
Felicia Goldstein, Community and Business Liaison for United States Congressman Ted Deutch
J. Scott Gombar, Principal & Senior Vice President, Eisman & Russo Consulting Engineers
Bertha Henry, County Administrator, Broward County
Keith Jennings, Senior Vice President, IMR Development Corp.
Margaret Kempel, Executive Director, Port Everglades Association
Willowstine Lawson, Regional Director for United States Senator Bill Nelson
Ina Lee, Owner and President, TravelHost Media
Jose Pepe Lopez, President and CEO, Latin Chamber of Commerce of Broward County
Christine Madsen, Owner, Mad4Marketing; also the President and Chair of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
Vivian Piereschi, Senior Congressional Aide for Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Norman Seavers, Associate Vice President Economic Development, Broward College
Lynn Shatas, Area Manager, Florida Power & Light
Dwight Stephenson, Owner and President, D. Stephenson Construction
Joseph Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U. S. Department of Transportation
Gus Wilkerson III, President, The International Longshoremen's Association, Local 1526
Glenn Wiltshire, Deputy Port Director, Port Everglades
Ludmila Zelkin, Discovery Ship & Port Operations Director, Port Everglades Stevedoring
About the White House Business Council
The White House Business Council, which is part of an ongoing Winning the Future roundtable event series, was created as an effort to better communicate with America's business leaders about the challenges they're facing and turn that input into realized action intended to improve U.S. economic competitiveness. The council was formed during President Barack Obama's Administration as one way to connect directly with the business community. It is made up of more than 200 members from Cabinet and sub-Cabinet agencies and White House offices and initiatives that work with American companies. Senior Administration officials will visit at least 100 communities across all 50 states by year-end.
About Port Everglades
As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of the nation's leading container ports and is South Florida's main seaport for receiving petroleum products including gasoline, jet fuel and alternative fuels. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system, is within two miles of the Florida East Coast Railway hub and is just one mile from the Atlantic Shipping Lanes. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades will have the ability to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry for products shipped around the world. The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County government with operating revenues of approximately $124.7 million in Fiscal Year 2010 (October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations. The total value of economic activity at Port Everglades is almost $14 billion. More than 143,000 Florida jobs are impacted by the Port, including more than 10,000 people who work for companies that provide direct services to Port Everglades. For more information logon to www.porteverglades.net.
Port Everglades hosted the Roundtable for invited local business owners on August 9, 2011, to share their experiences with Joseph C. Szabo, Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Szabo's role was to listen to business leaders about the challenges they are facing and then to bring their voices to Washington.
Making a real connection between front-line business owners and the federal government is the only way the Administration can improve U.S. economic competitiveness. First-hand feedback about what the Federal government should do more of - and less of - to help jumpstart the economy is invaluable. Szabo explained to the invited business leaders that the government is looking for ways they can help businesses expand, create jobs and improve the economic base in their area.
The Roundtable meeting participants represented a broad spectrum of businesses who discussed similar challenges they are now facing including economic conditions, competition, the difficulty for small businesses to secure capital from banks for growth, their work forces, the increasing costs of health care, government regulations, costly federal mandates, pending free trade agreements, funding for beach renourishment projects, and a variety of other topics. In the productive two-hour meeting, the participants were candid and each brought important insight to the table. Many offered actual examples of why their issues were important.
Among the challenges articulated is the lag time in moving through a government process and communication among governments. Certain actions or delays feed the public perception that government agencies don't talk to each other, said Port Everglades Director Phil Allen.
Bertha Henry, Broward County Administrator, added that some federal regulations adversely impact local governments as well. We are often required to implement new regulations on behalf of the federal government, with no real guidance. This can be very confusing to the private or public sector and add to the myths that all governments are inefficient. More importantly, any new regulation costs money to implement.
The trade agreements pending in Congress was another topic brought up by the group. Allen said: Port Everglades is an 'export port' and the trade agreements, particularly with Colombia, are vital. Exports means U.S. jobs. The value of export cargo from Port Everglades is $11.1 billion supporting 55,000 U.S. jobs. If things stall, what gets left in limbo? U.S. jobs.
Roundtable participants included:
Phillip Allen, Port Director, Port Everglades
Chuck Black, Owner, Signs by Tomorrow
Bruce Cumings, Co-Managing Pilot, Port Everglades Pilots' Association
Ted Deutch, Congressman, 19th District, U. S. House of Representatives
Jose Diaz, Vice President & General Manager, Florida International Terminal
Kent George, Director, Broward County Aviation Department (Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport)
Felicia Goldstein, Community and Business Liaison for United States Congressman Ted Deutch
J. Scott Gombar, Principal & Senior Vice President, Eisman & Russo Consulting Engineers
Bertha Henry, County Administrator, Broward County
Keith Jennings, Senior Vice President, IMR Development Corp.
Margaret Kempel, Executive Director, Port Everglades Association
Willowstine Lawson, Regional Director for United States Senator Bill Nelson
Ina Lee, Owner and President, TravelHost Media
Jose Pepe Lopez, President and CEO, Latin Chamber of Commerce of Broward County
Christine Madsen, Owner, Mad4Marketing; also the President and Chair of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
Vivian Piereschi, Senior Congressional Aide for Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Norman Seavers, Associate Vice President Economic Development, Broward College
Lynn Shatas, Area Manager, Florida Power & Light
Dwight Stephenson, Owner and President, D. Stephenson Construction
Joseph Szabo, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U. S. Department of Transportation
Gus Wilkerson III, President, The International Longshoremen's Association, Local 1526
Glenn Wiltshire, Deputy Port Director, Port Everglades
Ludmila Zelkin, Discovery Ship & Port Operations Director, Port Everglades Stevedoring
About the White House Business Council
The White House Business Council, which is part of an ongoing Winning the Future roundtable event series, was created as an effort to better communicate with America's business leaders about the challenges they're facing and turn that input into realized action intended to improve U.S. economic competitiveness. The council was formed during President Barack Obama's Administration as one way to connect directly with the business community. It is made up of more than 200 members from Cabinet and sub-Cabinet agencies and White House offices and initiatives that work with American companies. Senior Administration officials will visit at least 100 communities across all 50 states by year-end.
About Port Everglades
As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of the nation's leading container ports and is South Florida's main seaport for receiving petroleum products including gasoline, jet fuel and alternative fuels. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system, is within two miles of the Florida East Coast Railway hub and is just one mile from the Atlantic Shipping Lanes. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades will have the ability to handle future growth in container traffic. A world-class cargo handling facility, Port Everglades serves as an ideal point of entry for products shipped around the world. The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County government with operating revenues of approximately $124.7 million in Fiscal Year 2010 (October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations. The total value of economic activity at Port Everglades is almost $14 billion. More than 143,000 Florida jobs are impacted by the Port, including more than 10,000 people who work for companies that provide direct services to Port Everglades. For more information logon to www.porteverglades.net.