Small Business Spotlight: Barbara Wilson with Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, LLC (FGA)

Have a Conversation with Barbara Wilson, President & CEO with Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, LLC (FGA)

What does your business do? FGA is a freight railroad based in Tallahassee with over 400 miles of track running between Baldwin in the east and Pensacola in the west. Our railroad parallels Interstate 10 and is critically important to serving industries that need to transport bulk materials. FGA moves about 30,000 railcars of freight each year, effectively removing over 120,000 trucks from Interstate 10.

What’s your biggest concern as a small business owner? As a private company, our railroad is responsible for maintaining and improving our 400+ miles of railroad track and over 100 bridges. Maintaining our railroad in good condition is critically important because rail transportation is fundamental to attracting new industrial business to the region that we serve. Finding funding for annual multi-million-dollar capital projects is always a concern. The Panhandle region of Florida has land and labor available to meet the needs of a new industry that wants to locate in North Florida. Our railroad has a responsibility to provide efficient transportation services and to partner with community leaders to attract new industries to locate in this attractive region of our wonderful business-friendly state.

Tell us why you joined the Small Business Council and what you would say to other business leaders about the benefit and value of this council. The Small Business Council is a wonderful resource to us for several reasons. The Council has been a valuable resource for state economic data and information on topics that directly impact our railroad and our shippers. The Council also provides terrific networking opportunities with business leaders and state political leaders.

To become a member of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and join the Small business Council fill out the form below.