While no one knows what twists and turns the economy will take next, there are a number of
economic realities and indicators to help local business people make smart decisions for the rest of this year and beyond.
To help bring the most useful information together in one place, the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, along with the City of Tallahassee, Leon County, Leon County Schools, and the State of Florida, is presenting a forum called “Financial Snapshot: What’s Next in 2010” on April 8 that will feature state,local, and private-sector representatives discussing issues such as:
• updates on capital projects;
• the local employment outlook;
• budget overviews;
• local business trends; and
• a financial forecast for the remainder of year.
This is the Chamber’s first attempt to publicly connect the public-sector budgeting process and private-sector indicators such as building permits, housing starts and workforce numbers, in a way that allows the business community to discuss how they are interconnected and what it means to individual business owners. With the state Legislature currently wrangling with a budget that must compensate for a potential $3 billion shortfall,it is time for the Tallahassee business community to get an accurate picture of what that will mean when combined with other economic factors, according to Chamber President Sue Dick.
“It is important to bring the public and private entities together to forecast what is coming and to openly discuss ways to come up with solutions,” Dick said. “Are there shortfalls in state funding that the local governments are going to have to make up for? What will that mean for the business community and our members?”
Finding the answers to those questions is exactly what the Chamber should be helping to do, said Matt Brown, Chamber Chair and President/CEO of Premier Bank. “Part of our goals as a Chamber is to be a trusted convener and to measure and report in our areas of responsibility,” he said. “We received encouragement from our membership through recent focus groups to play a greater role as an advocate for local business with local government. This forum is a result of our commitment to getting involved in the budgeting process earlier and providing the best information possible to our membership.”
The Financial Snapshot event will be held Thursday, April 8, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Tallahassee – Leon County Civic Center and will feature panelists Anita Favors Thompson, City of Tallahassee; Parwez Alam, Leon County; Barbara Wills, Leon County Schools as well as a representative from state government. It will be moderated by Bill Moor of Capital City Banc Investments.
“This is a great opportunity to see what the Chamber provides, which is bringing ideas together that promote business and the best interests of our community,” Moor said. “It is a unique event to have these leaders under one roof, at one location, to give us a pulse on the local economy and where we are headed.”
Event Details
The forum is open to the public, and the cost to attend is $10 if preregistered by April 6 or $15 at the door. Register online HERE.
Submit Your Questions
Continuing to support our members and our business advocacy role in the community, the Chamber will host the 2010 Financial Snapshot on Thursday, April 8, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center. Please submit specific questions you would like addressed, which may affect your business, regarding City/County budgeting process public sector projects, and private sector impact HERE.
