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Innovation Event Fosters Growth
 The recent Crossroads of Innovation event highlighted the importance of innovation and growth of local businesses. North Miami Mayor Dr. Smith Joseph opened the program with his vision for growing business in the community.
Jaret Davis, Chair-Elect of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and Co-Managing Shareholder at Greenburg Traurig- Miami, served as a panelist and shared how the Miami-Dade Beacon Council is working to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship with our start-up, growing, and scalable businesses. Davis will help kickoff the organization’s Innovation Initiative at the Beacon Council’s upcoming Annual Meeting on October 13th at the Miami Dadeland Marriott.
The event also featured Keynote Speaker Felecia Hatcher – Co-Founder, Code Fever. Panel members included: Derick Pearson, Co-Founder, Code Fever; Giselle Latorre, Community Outreach Coordinator, StartUp FIU; and Joycelyn Brown, Vice President of Sales & Strategy at EcoTech Visions.
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Past Presidents of Latin America Discuss Miami’s Importance to the Region
Four former Presidents of Latin American countries convened at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council to discuss ways to increase collaboration with Miami and take advantage of the increasing interest in Miami from Multilatinas, Latin American companies that have opened multiple offices in Latin America. Miami offers those companies a pathway to markets beyond Latin America.
The Former Presidents attending were: H.E. Dr. Vinicio Cerezo of Guatemala; H.E. Dr. Carlos Mesa of Bolivia; H.E. Dr. Luis Alberto LaCalle of Uruguay and H.E. Dr. Alvaro Colom of Guatemala. The Presidents are members of the Latin American Presidential Mission, an association of former heads of state committed to greater regional integration, effective and transparent governance, and sustainable and equitable development. Larry K. Wiliams, President & CEO of The Miami-Dade Beacon Council, noted the significance of the mission to Miami, known as the Gateway to Latin America. Williams also mentioned how Miami’s growing entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem adds value to efforts to grow beyond Latin America. “We applaud this unified mission as it will bring more collaboration and strength to the region that can lead to increased economic prosperity for all.” The event was held in partnership with the Latin American Presidential Mission and the Global Peace Foundation.
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Investor Spotlight: Irene White, Senior Director of External Affairs, Miami-Dade for Florida Power & Light
 Tell us a little about yourself.
I have lived and worked in South Florida the great majority of my life. I am proud to have worked for Florida Power and Light for many years and am also a proud graduate of both the University of Miami and FIU. A little known fact is that my husband and I named our boat “IAMACANE”. We still get a good chuckle when we see the looks on people’s faces when they figure it out!
How did you first get involved with The Miami-Dade Beacon Council?
FPL has a long history of being part of the Beacon Council, as a matter of fact we were one of the founding companies. I personally became involved in the Beacon Council three years ago. It is an exciting organization that works
to bring new business opportunities to our community and help businesses of all sizes achieve their goals. I greatly enjoy being a part of this organization that does so much to help our economy grow and prosper and in turn make Miami-Dade an even better place to live and work. What are Greater Miami’s top business assets?
Miami stands out as a city that provides opportunity entrepreneurship. That seems to be its greatest asset. If you have the necessary resources, drive and entrepreneurial spirit, the barriers to entry to coming in here and starting a business are lower than in other major metropolitan areas. This is evidenced by a recent report where the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area again landed near the top of the Kauffman Foundation’s 2016 Index of Startup Activity, which measures new business creation. For the second year in a row, Miami ranked No. 2 of the 40 largest metro areas studied. People from all over the world come here to start businesses, put down roots and raise families, and FPL has a significant role to play in making Miami and Florida a better place to raise a family and conduct business through its economic development and corporate citizenship. What’s next for your business/industry?
FPL is one of the cleanest, most affordable energy providers in the nation because of our persistent commitment to investing in the future. We are always looking long-term, and we recognize that energy storage has enormous potential for both the reliability of the grid and the advancement of affordable clean energy. That’s why we are installing several different types of battery systems at locations in the southern Florida counties of Miami-Dade and Monroe to research a range of potential future benefits of energy storage, including grid reliability and power quality. In addition, the research has the potential to improve the integration of renewables in the future as FPL continues to expand its use of solar energy to serve its 4.8 million customers.
What do you like best about living in Miami?
The ‘energy’ and the diversity that Miami offers is unique and one of a kind. And on top of that Miami will always be home.
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Economic Development at Work:
Assisted Living Management Company Opens National Headquarters adding 150 new jobs and $100,000 in Capital Investments
The leader of Innovation Senior Management (ISM) has seen the Assisted Living and Healthcare sectors grow at a record pace, but with more than 20 years of experience in 23 states, she knows many owners and investors need guidance. The operation plan is to create 150 new jobs in Miami-Dade County in the next three years and spend more than $100,000 in capital investment during that time.
“The Health Care sector is one of our key growth industries in Miami-Dade County,” said Miami-Dade Beacon Council President & CEO Larry K. Williams. “The real satisfaction in what we do is helping a company providing an important service, like Innovation Senior Management, grow and thrive. Many individuals will benefit with the success of this operation.”
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New Free Miami-Dade County App Helps Job Seekers
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and CareerSource South Florida has launched a new mobile App called EMPLOY MIAMI-DADE to assist job seekers find a career.
Download the FREE app today or visit Employ Miami-Dade online services at www.employ-miamidade.com
For more information on the Employ Miami-Dade,
call 305-594-7615
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Publication Date:
Monday, September 26, 2016
Publication Date Long:
Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2016 NEWSLETTER
Left Side:
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott Declares Wynwood Zika-Free
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood Zika-free urging visitors to return to the entertainment district. Read the Miami Herald article. |
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The Miami-Dade Beacon Council in the News
400 job OK quizzed on local hiring
81% of Businesses See Art as Major Economic Contributors
Health care firm plans to create 150 jobs in new office
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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VOTE MIAMI
on OCT. 13
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Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses is providing practical business skills to help take your business to the next level
Through Oct. 4
Apply today! Join one of a series of informational webinars. |
| Zika Virus Conference
Thursday, Oct. 6 noon to 1 p.m. Zika virus raises legal issues for businesses and employers. |
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Small Business Lending Workshop
 Presented by Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan
in association with the Small Business Development Division
Thursday, Oct. 6
10 a.m. to noon
North Dade Regional Library
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2016 BioFlorida Annual Conference
Oct. 9 to 11
The 2016 BioFlorida Annual Conference is taking place in Jacksonville this year at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront. The two-day Conference & Expo attracts the largest and most prestigious life sciences community in the state, and it is at this conference that attendees will connect with more than 400 life science professionals from Florida and throughout the country.
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| MEDWeek, the largest Federally-supported Conference held in honor of minority-owned businesses, is being held
Oct. 13-14 |
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Going Global
Workshop
 Presented by Jean Monestime
Miami-Dade Commission Chairman
Tuesday, Oct. 25
9 a.m. to noon
Gwen Margolis Community Center
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Bottom Side:
Our Mission:
As Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership, The Beacon Council is charged with bringing new, job-generating investments to the community, while assisting existing businesses in their efforts to expand. By doing this, The Beacon Council facilitates the creation of quality jobs for each and every resident of Miami-Dade County. The Beacon Council is an accredited economic development organization.
Will you join us? Call Member-Investors at (305) 579-1326
(305) 579-1326
(305) 579-1326
Source: Old Beacon Site
