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Tallahassee Chamber conference zeroes in on private sector success, ‘anti-business sentiment’

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Tallahassee Chamber conference zeroes in on private sector success, ‘anti-business sentiment’

AMELIA ISLAND — Chamber officials said more jobs in Tallahassee is the key to addressing much of the city’s issues and fired back at the “anti-business sentiment” from those who annually bash the conference.

The morning kick-off to the annual Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce conference was mostly a celebratory affair – with cautionary notes.

Leaders touted local business that have reaped the rewards of growing and being based in Tallahassee: GT technology, a manufacturer of cars and trucks parts, Ruvos, a healthcare technology company and Danfoss Turbocor, the world’s leader in oil-free compressors that’s expanded four times since it relocated its manufacturing in Tallahassee.

All three are companies with global reach and are job creators in Tallahassee.

Rob Clarke, chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, said this is the path forward and growing the private sector will have a “transformative effect on the community.”

“There have been studies done, there have been test cases done, and the overwhelming conclusion from a variety of studies and experience leads to one conclusion over all other strategies: There is no better way to improve the quality of life in the community more than private sector growth,” said Clarke, a shareholder at Ausley McMullen law firm.

Chamber chair: ‘Anti business sentiment’ deprives citizens of higher incomes, health care

At times during his remarks, Clark went off script and delivered a warning ahead of a primary election Tuesday that could determine control of City Hall. Without naming names, he warned that there’s an “anti-business sentiment” in the city that’s destructive to Tallahassee’s growth.

Clarke said that sentiment “deprives our citizens of the opportunity to take advantage of private sector growth” and offered examples: higher incomes, access to health care and other benefits.

Jeremy Matlow, the leader of the progressive wing of the Tallahassee City Commission that is advocating for a slate of candidates on the ballot, and his aide Ryan Ray, who runs the local Democratic party, have been criticizing the chamber and its leaders for years. They argue that the organization is disconnected from citizens and the conference is a tax-payer funded “junket” for local elected officials.

On Saturday, Matlow said in a statement that developers and “insider interests actively harm our environment and funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to their personal projects.” The local Republican Party even piled on tweeting a facepalm emoji and emphasizing a conference meant to champion the local economy was being held at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island.

Clarke, however, focused mostly on the positive impacts that economic growth have brought to the city.

Amazon’s fulfillment center on Mahan Drive was an “extraordinary” example of what the private sector can do for Tallahassee, Clark said. He pointed to several segments of the city with the highest concentration of low-income residents, including the 32304 ZIP code — the poorest ZIP code in the state.

Clarke said Amazon has employed more than 600 residents from those ZIP codes and injected nearly $48 million in wages, adding the world’s largest ecommerce business has had a “multiplier effect.”

“If our detractors have a better plan for moving this community forward, more than private sector growth, please don’t keep it a secret,” Clarke said. “We have people in our community that are hurting. We need a solution, the solution of private sector growth.”

Clarke urged the audience, made up of elected officials, business and nonprofit leaders, to forge a common vision and said “there’s no easy answers” and said the solution will take time.

Insight from economic advisor Sarah Quinlan: ‘Trees can’t eat, and families need to’

Also during the conference, morning keynote speaker Sarah Quinlan, an economy expert and managing director and founder of SAQ Economic Advisors, offered a simple way to keep the economy humming: shop and spend.

Quinlan’s message addressed a wide range of economic indicators that are impacting the economy and noted the importance of “the value of money,” consumer spending in a practical way and the desire to “live a certain lifestyle.”

The other thing, she said, people value more than anything is time. Her advice: Anything a business can do to expedite a customer’s time will create repeat customers.

On the vital question of if the country is headed toward a recession, Quinlan had a clear answer.

Quinlan said it’s highly unlikely since the nation’s unemployment is at a historic low. Her main takeaway: “You don’t go into a recession if everyone has a job; they spend.”

In addition, Quinlan said the country is 30 million short on housing units, adding “we desperately need to build housing” and not just affordable housing.

Zoning changes, she said, are critical to addressing the issue. Quinlan also told the crowd, “I know you love trees,” in reference to Tallahassee’s landscape and tree-rich terrain.

“But trees can’t eat, and families need to,” she said. “I think you need to really sit there and really think about this issue fundamentally, to say, we need quality housing that people can live in, raise their families in, feel safe in. And the reality is, you’ve got to expand the pool to do that, and there’s just no other solution.”

Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters.

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