As you’ll notice, the Economic Backbone section in this month’s issue focuses on transportation, trade and logistics, and there is no shortage of any of those three things happening across our ever-growing and developing state.

As parents of four grown children (ages 30, 26, 24 and 23), my wife Jessica and I feel that our lives are a living story of transportation, trade and logistics. We are fortunate that three of our children live in Florida and one lives just over the border, about 40 minutes north of Jacksonville in Waverly, Ga. We feel blessed to have all our children living close by, but many weekends are left with Jess and I deciding where throughout the state we may end up. One weekend, we could be visiting our youngest son in Naples. The next weekend we could be traveling to north central Florida (near The Villages) to see our second youngest son. The following weekend we may be staying closer to home, visiting our daughter and her husband in downtown St. Petersburg. Then there is always the weekend trip that has us heading just over the Florida/Georgia border to visit our oldest son and his wife. Transportation, trade and logistics at its finest.

As part of my responsibility at FLORIDA TREND, I have the pleasure of traveling across the great state of Florida, meeting with industry executives and government leaders — across all regions, from the Panhandle to the Keys — learning directly from these leaders about the growth and economic development that is happening within their part of the state. We talk about the positives, the challenges and the needs within their industries and communities. They share their visions and goals along with their efforts to help continue to transform, elevate and drive Florida forward.

As our editorial team and I work to discover, identify and determine this year’s group of Florida 500 – Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders, the meetings and conversations that I’ve had with executives during my travels across the state are front and center on my mind. There are many qualifiers and qualities that must be present for an individual to be recognized as a Florida 500 honoree — and with only 500 slots across all industry sectors, it’s a heavy responsibility that falls on the shoulders of our executive editorial team.

The decision process is not one that we take lightly. The year-long evaluation includes significant research, analysis, discussions, fact-checking and ultimately the final decision. At the end of the day, selections are made at the discretion of our executive editorial team.

In this eighth year of producing the Florida 500, I can say that the selection process has not gotten any easier or less rigorous.

Each year, more and more individuals are identified as potential candidates and undergo consideration for inclusion within the issue. Even though we limit our selection to 500, we know that there are many worthy business leaders who are doing impressive and important work to move Florida forward. That’s why our editorial team takes this process and final decision so seriously — spending nearly a year of work to ensure their picks are the right ones.

If you know a business leader that is doing amazing work inside and outside of their industry, their community, their region and across the state, please share their information with us — because you never know, they could be chosen for inclusion in a future issue of the Florida 500.

— David G. Denor, Publisher

ddenor@floridatrend.com

Publisher
David Denor

David is the publisher of Florida Trend, the highly regarded statewide magazine and website read and visited by business executives, government officials and civic leaders. David spent nearly 15 years overseeing the business and sales operations for Crain’s Chicago Business. David is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, majoring in criminal justice.

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Interview with Jim O'Connell of UF Innovate