Episodes
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
The primary purpose of Small Biz Florida is to highlight and create awareness for all of Florida’s small business assistance and resource programs. One of the most effective ways to learn about, gather and share information on these resources is to attend and work at Florida’s top small business and economic development conferences.
One of these important business events was the recent Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum hosted at the Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Small Biz Florida was on the scene during the conference, recording and producing segments.
We would like to thank The Florida Chamber Team and Event Organizers for allowing the podcast to be part of the recent conference.
The next 11 segments of Small Biz Florida were all produced and recorded at the conference-hopefully the segments will provide our listeners with valuable and beneficial information.
Please like, rate, and share our show to continue supporting the podcast with your networks, family, and friends. To stay connected and up to date on our latest releases, follow our Instagram @SmallBizFlorida!
We are so thankful for the growing and overwhelming support of our listeners. We hope our work is inspiring and helping all business owners in Florida and Nationwide!
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
On today’s show, host, Tom Kindred is joined by Wes Wood who serves as Workforce Partnerships Lead, Southeast for Veryable
Veryable is the on-demand marketplace for manufacturing, logistics and warehousing labor. Our flexible labor solution connects businesses with high-quality workers at the click of a button, enabling higher productivity and a competitive edge. For workers, Veryable provides immediate access to work, the ability to control their own schedule, opportunities to build new skills, and best of all, next-day pay.
Listen to this episode to get an overview of what Veryable is doing to fill today’s workforce need.
– Check out Florida Veryable: https://www.veryableops.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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
Wednesday Nov 09, 2022
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute & government watchdog for over forty years, Florida TaxWatch works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on residents and businesses.
Learn as Tony Caravajal Executive Vice President for Florida TaxWatch tells us what Florida TaxWatch is and it’s important role in building up our workforce.
– Check out Florida TaxWatch: http://www.floridataxwatch.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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
LT3 Labs are community Collaboration spaces, with the first location in uptown Tampa., and is poised to support nonprofit incubation, youth tech workshops, and various community-driven needs. LT3 Academy houses Florida Department of Education approved registered Preapprenticeship and Apprenticeship Programs in tech occupations such as Software Developer, Supply Chain Tech, Cybersecurity, and Helpdesk. Individuals who go through LT3 training not only graduate with multiple industry certifications, but obtain six months of real world work experience in the field as well.
Listen to this episode to learn more about LT3 Group and the innovative solutions that are building Florida’s workforce infrastructure with Michael Hamilton.
– Check out the LT3 Academy: https://www.lt3academy.com/lt3difference
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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Although innovation is the key to Niagara Bottling’s success, Family tradition of high quality, value priced bottled water will never change. Niagara continues to grow and is the leading private label bottled water company in the United States.
Learn about the background of Niagara Bottling. How it got started and where it is going.
Host, Tom Kindred talks to John Krug who serves as Senior Manager at Niagara Bottling. They explore what manufacturing looks like in today’s society and address the challenges affecting the manufacturing world.
– Check out the Niagara Water: https://careers.niagarawater.com/us/en
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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
TriNet is a professional employer organization, or PEO, that provides small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR solutions tailored by industry. To free SMBs from HR complexities, TriNet offers access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll and real-time technology.
Together Tom Kindred and Jake Stebbins Director of Sales for TriNet discover what the real role of HR Departments should be and ways in which TriNet is giving back time to HR Professionals through their array of services so they can focus on what matters.
– Check out the TriNet: https://www.trinet.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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Florida’s story is just beginning and the Florida Chamber’s leadership is just getting started. While agriculture, tourism, and construction continue to serve as the foundation of Florida’s economy, our increasingly global economy is setting the stage for a more diversified economy through life sciences and biotech, energy, international trade, advanced manufacturing, and space technologies.
By 2030, Florida is expected to be home to more than four million new residents. Nearly five million new drivers will commute on our roads and cars will drive themselves. More than 150,000 million visitors will travel our roads and many on high-speed trains. And Florida will need to create and fill nearly two million new jobs.
Together Tom and Ivette Faulkner who serves as Executive Vice President of Strategic Communication and Marketing for the Florida Chamber, address what Florida in 2030 will look like. Listen to this episode to learn more about the Future of Work, Manufacturing Matters, and the intersection of education and business to create a stronger future workforce for Florida.
– Check out the Florida Chamber: https://www.flchamber.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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Tuesday Nov 08, 2022
Gerry Hoeffner is President of Personnel Dynamics Consulting Group, which specializes in Change Management, Corporate Culture Enhancement and Employee Development.
Personnel Dynamics Consulting specializes in Change Management, Corporate Culture Enhancement and Employee Development. We have decades of experience in transforming the human side of your business.
In this episode host, Tom Kindred talks to Gerry Hoeffner about the workforce shortage affecting many enterprises in the state of Florida, they explore the changes occurring in work environments, and they discuss new ways to attract, and retain employees.
– Check out Personnel Dynamics’: www.PersonnelDynamics.net
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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
On today’s episode we are joined by Dr. Christopher Laney who serves as Senior Workforce Strategist at Lightcast. Lightcast is unlocking new possibilities in the labor market and illuminating the future of work with data-driven talent strategies. Listen to this episode to hear about reports like the “Skillfit Report” and more of the services and products offered by Lightcast.
Formerly Emsi Burning Glass, Lightcast finds purpose in sharing the insights that build communities, educators and companies, and they take pride in knowing that their work helps others find fulfillment, too.
Lightcast brings clarity to the labor market, guiding customers through a complex and changing world and giving them the competitive advantage they demand. Their expertise provides the lens to connect the right people with the right roles (and training) in the right places.
Data isn’t just numbers — each data point represents real people and real opportunities for growth. Their solutions not only progress companies, educators, and communities but also individuals in their careers.
– Check out Lightcast: https://lightcast.io/
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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Brittany Greer who is the Executive Director of Rosie Riveters sits down with Small Biz Florida to help us understand this important program and movement.
Rosie Riveters' goal is to close the gender gap in STEM. In 2019 women made up only 27% of the science and engineering workforce in the U.S. Our programs work toward achieving gender equity in the field by starting early (they begin in preschool and extend through middle school), engaging repeatedly, and building confidence via productive struggle.
So how does this work? To put it simply, our projects are designed so that participants get it wrong before they get it right. Rather than being presented with a list of instructions, our participants are given examples of projects to examine and work from and a table full of materials. There are no directions. Participants will inevitably (and intentionally) fail as they attempt to create their own STEM projects.
This is an incredibly powerful experience, and it forms the core of our programs. It’s about STEM of course - the perseverance it takes to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated field, the comfortability with failure that is required of engineers and scientists, etc. - but it’s also about the confidence you gain when you just jump in and try, when you get it wrong before you get it right, when you’re not afraid to ask questions, or be the only girl in the room. Overall, Rosie Riveters equips young women with the confidence to try - in STEM and beyond.
– Check out Rosie Riveters’: https://www.rosieriveters.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 FloridaMakes MakeMore Summit hosted at the GuideWell Innovation Center Orlando, Florida.
– To learn more about FloridaMakes, visit their website here.

