Small Biz Florida

Ep. 162 | All Things EIDL with Public Affairs Specialist for SBA Jack Camp

On this special episode of Small Biz Florida host, Tom Kindred is joined by Public Affairs Specialist for the Small Business Administration Jack Camp.
Together, Tom and Jack discuss Small Business Administration Loan Programs available to businesses that suffered from Hurricane Ian's destruction. Specifically the EIDL program. They cover several topics including an update on the east coast after Hurricane Nicole, where you can go to get help filling out an application, how to prepare for a disaster, and much more. This episode is one you don't want to miss.

Ep. 161 | Florida SBDC at IRSC Bankers Event - Alex Sanchez President and CEO at Florida Bankers Association

Alex serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Bankers Association (FBA). Founded in 1888, and located in Tallahassee, the FBA is the leading voice for Florida’s banking industry. Alex’s responsibilities include representing and advocating for Florida’s banking industry before all legislative and regulatory bodies in Tallahassee and in Washington.
During the Florida SBDC at IRSC's Bankers event, Alex Sanchez spoke and gave a workshop on how aspiring small business owners can become bankable. During this event, local banks gathered to support Alex in teaching aspiring business owners important and valuable information on how to create a business that is bankable. 
Listen to this episode to hear about the Florida Bankers Association (FBA) and it's long history, learn about the event hosted at IRSC, and listen to Alex Sanchez's background and pathway to the FBA. 
 
Check out the Florida Bankers Association: https://www.floridabankers.com/
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram to stay updated on new episode releases. 

Ep. 160 | Equipping teams, organizations, and companies to create high-performing teams, healthy cultures and overall organizational health with Bill “Roto” Reuter Founder of RotoSpeaks

Bill "Roto" Reuter is a former Navy Captain, pilot, test pilot, and Commanding Officer. Upon his retirement in June 2012 after 28 years of Naval service, Roto founded RotoSpeaks, a full-spectrum consulting firm specializing in leadership, executive coaching, high-performing team development, and overall organizational health. 
 
Leveraging his partnerships with world-renowned authors and speakers such as John Maxwell and Patrick Lencioni, Roto and his team have worked with organizations in the fields of leadership, execution, and organizational health serving clients in both small and large businesses in defense, federal and commercial sectors. 
 
Learn more about Roto’s story, his journey to finding RotoSpeaks, and his involvement at this year’s Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum in Orlando. 
– Check out RotoSpeaks: https://rotospeaks.com/ 
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 159 | Future of Healthcare with Moffitt Cancer Center Director of State Legislative Affairs Ellen Navarro Anderson

Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 7,800 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. 
 
Ellen Navarro Anderson, a proud Chilean American, has dedicated her career to health care advocacy, starting her legislative path as a health policy aide in the Florida House of Representatives and then the Florida Senate. She has served as Vice President of State Advocacy for the FHA (2012-15), spearheading hospital payment policy and lobbying to move from volume-based to value-based payment methodologies. In 2015, she was recruited to create and implement a government relations program for Community Health Systems' Florida hospitals and held the position of Director of Government Relations for the FL Division for five years. Currently, she serves as the Director of State Legislative Affairs for Moffitt Cancer Center. 
 
Listen to this episode to learn more about the importance of continuity of care, the growth and future of the medical industry in Florida, and the Pasco County Moffitt Expansion that is in progress. 
 
– Check out the Department of Economic Opportunity:  
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 158 | Discussing the Aftermath of the FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit with Zoraida Velasco Executive Vice President

FloridaMakes is a service designed to strengthen Florida’s high-wage manufacturing sector. We understand the unique needs facing manufacturing firms. Companies can access a wealth of assets to support their business through the network of Regional Manufacturer's Associations – from plant tours, networking, and educational events, to regional manufacturing awards and manufacturing advocacy efforts.
Zoraida Velasco who serves as Executive Vice President sits down with host, Tom Kindred to talk about upcoming plans and news about the aftermath of the recent FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit that happened in October. 
Learn more about this organization and Zoraida’s pathway to working closely to support manufacturing throughout Florida. 
– Check out FloridaMakes: https://www.floridamakes.com/home  
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 157 | Learn all about Film Florida with John Lux Executive Director at Film Florida

Film Florida is a statewide not-for-profit entertainment production trade association run by volunteer members of the industry. The organization provides a leadership role in Florida's film, television, production & digital media/tech industry by representing a coalition of interests, including private industry, local film commissions, industry associations, educational institutions, students, and labor organizations. Its purpose is to offer businesses and individuals the benefits of a statewide trade association to promote the creation of jobs in the film and entertainment production industries and to promote economic development and tourism. 
 
The vast majority of Florida's film, television, and digital media production industry is individuals and small businesses. The industry is a multi-billion dollar industry for Florida and touches many other industries with jobs and spending. 
 
Learn more about Film Florida’s role in the Florida Small Business industry and see how you can get involved with this organization. 
 
– Check out Film Florida: https://filmflorida.org/
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 156 | Learn How Step Up is Allowing Families to Personalize their Children’s K-12 Education Experience with Alexis Laroe, Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs at Step Up

Step Up for Students is a state-approved non-profit scholarship-funding organization. Scholarships administered by Step Up For Students support Florida families by allowing them to personalize their children’s K-12 education experience. 
 
Alexis Laroe is the Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs at Step Up. She joins host, Tom Kindred on another special segment of Small Biz Florida to discuss this important program. Alexis explains basic eligibility for the 4 different programs that exist. Listen to this episode to learn more about eligibility requirements to get access to these benefits. 
– Check out Step Up:https://www.stepupforstudents.org/   
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 155 | Learn About Career Karma with Ruben Harris CEO of Career Karma and Co-Host of the Breaking Into Startups Podcast.

Over the past couple of years, Ruben has worked with academics, organizers, politicians, and union leaders at Hustle, Honor, and AltSchool focused on improving their personalized outreach, healthcare, and education. 
Ruben began his technology career working in Partnerships and Sales after writing a viral blog post called Breaking Into Startups about how he moved to San Francisco without a job and landed a position 3 weeks later. 
After receiving thousands of e-mails asking how to break into tech, Ruben Co-Founded the Breaking Into Startups Podcast to demystify the process, resulting in a social media reach of ~3 million people, 200,000+ downloads, 10,000+ website visits per month, over 100+ reviews on iTunes, a Facebook Community of 10,000+ people, and invitations to be a Contributor for TechCrunch and Black Enterprise. 
Prior to working in tech, Ruben worked as an Investment Banker focused on Food, Consumer, and Retail companies in Chicago and Atlanta. As a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, he recruited others to focus on issues related to food security, climate change, and agriculture. In 2010, Ruben worked on operational improvements for Senior Living Communities after completing a double major in Business Administration and Music. 
During college, Ruben organized 50+ events for non-profits, athletes, and celebrities including Tyrese, Kim Kardashian, and Jay-Z. Ruben has been playing the cello for ~25 years, taught music, performed in venues all over the world - including Carnegie Hall, and landed placements from Def Jam. He is also an active member of the NAACP.
Learn more about how Ruben got Career Karma started, his incredible story, and his panel at this year’s Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum. 
– Check out Career Karma: https://careerkarma.com/ 
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 154 | Why is Florida So Important for International Trade with Senior Vice President of International Trade for Enterprise Florida TJ Villamil

TJ Villamil is the Sr. Vice President of the International Trade and Development unit at Enterprise Florida, Inc. The International Trade and Development (ITD) unit is headquartered in Miami and maintains offices/representation in six Florida cities as well as twenty cities around the world. EFI’s ITD division is widely considered one of the best statewide international economic development organizations in the United States. EFI’s ITD program focuses on 1) assisting Florida companies (most of which are manufacturers) in export sales and export promotion, 2) recruiting international companies to invest and grow in Florida (Foreign Direct Investment), and 3) supporting the Executive Office of the Governor of Florida on international business mission trips. TJ is a proud double graduate from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in communications and a master's degree in Entrepreneurship from the business school.
Tune in to this episode from the Future of Florida Forum to hear all about the importance of Florida when it comes to international trade, everything you need to know about the STEP program, and an overview of services that you can access through the international trade office at Enterprise Florida. 
– Check out Enterprise Florida:  https://www.enterpriseflorida.com/ 
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.

Ep. 153 | Learn about Second Chance Hiring with John Koufos Owner of Cottage Four

John Koufos helps companies optimize second-chance hiring and mitigate risk. He started his career in New Jersey before moving to Washington, D.C., to work on national second-chance hiring, healthcare, and criminal justice issues. He works extensively in Florida.
John’s work has helped thousands of people with criminal records secure jobs. He is a nationally recognized criminal justice advocate with deep experience building and leading criminal justice organizations and campaigns. He has worked with multiple Presidential Administrations, dozens of Governors and Cabinet members, and countless businesses and nonprofits.
John wrote and hosted an upcoming Second Chance Hiring and Retention documentary/training that will be released in late 2022 called Retaining Talent. Retaining Talent was filmed all across Florida and Washington, D.C., with businesses that hire people with criminal records, government officials, law enforcement, corporate and banking leaders, and at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Learn more about Cottage Four and Owner John Koufos as he discusses his views on second-chance hiring and the importance of tapping into this workforce.
– Check out Cottage Four: https://cottagefour.com/ 
For more segments like these, subscribe to Small Biz Florida and Follow the official Small Biz Florida Instagram! This and the following segments were recorded at this year’s annual Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
– To learn more about The Florida Chamber, visit their website here.