Put a Check in The Diversity Box

Sue Dick, the president and CEO of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, told the Chamber’s annual meeting on Sunday (Aug. 16) that the mission of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, Inc., which she also serves as president, is three-fold. The EDC, she said, seeks both to recruit and retain talent; works to ensure that greater Tallahassee provides a fertile environment for opportunity; and strives to see to it that Tallahassee is home to diverse industries. Then, as if to prove Ms. Dick’s point, the founders of five Tallahassee start-up businesses ascended the stage in succession (each to the strains of “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas) and briefly described their enterprises and the factors that led them to site them in Tallahassee. Diverse? Yeah, you could say so. The five: Penny Same Day Shipping, a business that makes same-day deliveries throughout Tallahassee for a fraction of the cost charged by FedEx for overnight delivery; Bicycle Capital, an electric bicycle sharing program based on a membership model; HWind Scientific, providers of highly advanced weather data gleaned from satellites and other platforms; SCPI, a manufacturer of crystals; and KynderMed, developers of a medical device that promises to lower the incidence of premature births for the first time in 40 years. While the businesses are substantially homegrown, the quintet’s presentations, noted Tallahassee Community College president and EDC chairman Jim Murdaugh, demonstrate that Tallahassee is retaining and attracting business and fostering entrepreneurship.