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Miami Business Leaders Tackle Region’s Biggest Challenges

As several hundred business leaders gathered for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s Goals Conference, the typical celebratory mood was tempered in the aftermath of the mass killings in Orlando.

But the resolve to dig in and tackle some of the region’s most critical issues seemed to have strengthened. For this conference, it was more about looking ahead than looking back, and accelerating an innovation economy, bridging the economic divide, solving the traffic nightmares and confronting sea level rise with a smart strategy were all issues on the table, as well as the talk of the hallways and lounges at the chamber’s annual two-day planning retreat. Cuba and cyber-security were also discussed as the event opened last Thursday at the Hilton Miami Downtown.

FIU President Mark Rosenberg assumed the chairmanship of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. Florida International University

FIU President Mark Rosenberg assumed the chairmanship of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. Florida International University

A sense of urgency was highlighted in remarks by incoming Chamber Chairman Mark Rosenberg, Florida International University’s president, and a new economic report by the FIU-Miami-Creative Initiative.

“Miami has a window of opportunity to capitalize on its economic strengths,” said Richard Florida, director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto and Visiting Fellow of the FIU-Miami Creative City Initiative. “We can’t be left behind … let’s get it done,” Rosenberg said.

Much of the talk was about the need for region-wide cooperation and solutions involving businesses, chambers, governments and economic development organizations across South Florida. Indeed, in a surprising sign of regional cooperation, the GMCC and Fort Lauderdale Chamber announced in April they are exploring a merger. “It would be a one plus one equals three,” said outgoing Chamber Chairman Christine Barney.

On accelerating the startup community, Florida said the Miami region starts from a good place, with a culturally rich, urban, diverse lifestyle and environment that help facilitate “collisions” – spontaneous meetings of the minds – that accelerate innovation. Another asset: A creative class of tech, arts, media, academia and other professionals that is more than 700,000 people strong. It’s also No. 2 in the nation in an index that ranks areas based on tolerance and openness, Florida said. But recent reports have highlighted that Miami’s startups aren’t scaling up. [Read the new Creative Class Group-FIU study here.]

“What we really need to do is go from quantity to quality,” he said.

Panelists — Xavier Gonzalez of eMerge Americas, Rebekah Monson of The New Tropic and Melissa Krinzman of Krillion Ventures, had several suggestions, all involving the chamber, with 4,100 members employing more than 400,000. Noting that the startup community was ill-represented in the ballroom, find more ways to connect the two groups, said Gonzalez. The Chamber’s members can be the ultimate user group for startups needing to test their concepts in the business community, said Krinzman.

“The established business community can really help the startup community level up,” said Monson.

Startups thrive on wrapping their heads around big problems, Monson said, and there was a monstrous one discussed in the afternoon panel: Sea level rise. In fact, some of the panelists there said they need the startup and millennial communities to get involved.

Susanne Torriente, Chief Resiliency Officer of the city of Miami Beach, said the fact that Miami was chosen as one of the Rockerfeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities presents an opportunity for Miami to take the lead in this, and urged government and business groups to come together rather than everyone working in silos.

“This is an incredible opportunity for creating one strategy for the whole region,” said Torriente.

Other ideas offered by the panelists, who included Steven Davis of the Everglades Foundation, developer Andrew Frey, Buck Martinez of FPL and Tiffany Troxler, a research scientist at FIU: Build a set of best practices for businesses, with a priority agenda that can be an action plan; increase awareness through exhibits, conferences, messaging and think tanks; and increase the density allowed on appropriate transit-friendly urban areas in order to take pressure off the suburbs and the Everglades.

The conference continues Friday with a session of mayors, another one addressing transportation and a closing luncheon with the theme “Pivot to Asia.” [See the Chamber’s goals around these issues here]

“We have the power to make an impact,” said attorney Marlon Hill, addressing the luncheon crowd after receiving a leadership award along with nine other business leaders. “Just go out there and get it done.”

Honoring Miami’s Leaders

A number of business leaders received awards at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Goals Conference, including:

Adrienne Arsht, M. Athalie Range Miami Pioneer for Progress Award
The Honorable Steve Leifman, Henry M. Flagler Community Award
Dwight Hill, Banking/Finance Award
Nelly Rubio, Entrepreneurial/Professional Award
Jeannett Slesnick, Government Award
Daniel “Dan” Jacobson, Legal/Law Award
Jose Cela, Nonprofit/Cultural Award
Marlon A. Hill, Bill Colson Award
Dr. Michael Alessandri, Visionary Leader of the Year
Alexandra (Alex) Villoch, Power Leader of the Year

 

Source: Miami Herald

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“Clean Tech” A Priority Issue As Chinese President Lands In The U.S.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and the United States could work together to address cyber crimes, a problem that has sparked mutual tension.

In this Nov. 12, 2014, file photo, President Barack Obama toasts with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. There could be some awkward undercurrents when the Chinese president is honored with a state dinner at the White House on Friday. The Obama's will honor a guest whose country has been accused of cyberspying, trampling on human rights and engaging in assertive military tactics. Greg Baker, File-Pool AP Photo

In this Nov. 12, 2014, file photo, President Barack Obama toasts with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. There could be some awkward undercurrents when the Chinese president is honored with a state dinner at the White House on Friday. The Obama’s will honor a guest whose country has been accused of cyberspying, trampling on human rights and engaging in assertive military tactics. Greg Baker, File-Pool AP Photo

Xi’s statement came shortly after leaders from both countries signed an agreement to advance renewable energy and clean technologies to combat climate change. Xi, in a speech in Seattle at the end of the first day of his official visit to this country, also said China would continue its policy of aggressive development to help more Chinese people “live a better life.”

Striking agreements to ensure continued robust international trade was a top priority, he said. “China will never close its open door to the outside world,” Xi said, according to a translation of his remarks. He said China was a staunch defender of cyber security, but it had also been a victim of hacking.

Acknowledging that China and the United States don’t always see eye to eye, Xi said China is ready to set up a joint effort with the United States to fight cyber crimes. The issue of cyber attacks is a sensitive one between the two nations. American officials say hacking attacks originating from China are approaching epidemic levels.

As Xi spoke Tuesday evening, protesters gathered near the downtown hotel he was staying at, objecting to things like the country’s policies in Tibet and other issues.

Earlier Tuesday, meetings with governors from five U.S. states and local Chinese officials produced the deal to work on clean energy. “We can be the core for our national leaders to learn from,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who has made five trips to China in five years, told his counterparts.

Xi arrived in Seattle for talks on how U.S. and Chinese experts and businesses can collaborate on issues such as nuclear energy and smarter electricity use. The visit comes a year after Xi and Obama announced their nations would cooperate to fight climate change.

“These are the largest economies in the world, and we’re the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, so improving cooperation and collaboration is really a necessity,” said Brian Young, Washington state director of economic development for the clean technology sector. “Second, it’s a huge business opportunity. Both sides recognize the opportunity for job creation.”

The governors who met with Xi included Snyder, Jay Inslee of Washington, Jerry Brown of California, Terry Branstad of Iowa and Kate Brown of Oregon. All five — along with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, who did not attend the meeting — signed the accord in which they agreed take actions to reduce transportation emissions, support clean energy technologies and exchange ideas.

Chinese leaders at the meeting included Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun, Shandong Gov. Guo Shuqing and others.

U.S.-China cooperation on climate-change has been a warm and fuzzy point of relations between the superpowers.

In November 2009, Obama and then-President Hu Jintao formalized a renewable energy partnership, including the establishment of clean-energy research centers focused on electric vehicles, cleaner coal and water energy programs.

Last November, Obama and Xi announced that the countries would work together on climate change, with China announcing it would try to cap its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, or sooner if possible.

By contrast, hacking attacks on the U.S., said to be directed by Beijing; China’s moves to assert its territorial claims in the South China Sea; and human rights issues have been sore spots.

Xi’s visit to the U.S. includes a state dinner on Friday with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. The trip comes at a time when China’s economic growth has slowed considerably as the communist nation overhauls its economy.

Some clean-tech firms in Washington state, which relies largely on hydropower and where natural gas is currently cheap, may find markets and investment in China sooner than they might domestically.

Also on Tuesday, TerraPower Inc., an energy company founded by Bill Gates, entered into an agreement with China National Nuclear Corp. to work together on next-generation technology for nuclear power plants.

China invested a record $83 billion in renewable energy last year, according to the Frankfurt School’s Center for Climate and Sustainable Energy Finance in Germany.

Supporters turned out in Seattle to welcome the Chinese president and other dignitaries traveling in his motorcade.

Wendy Hu, a native of Guangdong Province who has lived in Seattle for 20 years, brought her 11-year-old daughter, Anna Ni. “China and the U.S. are good partners now, with Boeing and Microsoft,” Hu said. “I love both countries.”

Hundreds of protesters from the religious group Falun Gong also demonstrated, holding banners and banging drums as the motorcade passed. Falun Gong says its members are persecuted in China. “It’s about compassion and tolerance,” said Sabrina Chang, 28, who traveled to Seattle with other Falun Gong practitioners for the protest.

 

Source: Miami Herald

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