“Free enterprise is really about the American dream… Government needs to be there to help out that process to keep the American dream alive and not ultimately be a deterrent to it.”
Florida Chamber Regional Board Chair, Todd Powell, General Manager, Real Estate for Plum Creek
The Florida Chamber believes that welcoming diverse businesses from around the state to take advantage of Florida’s business friendly climate helps Florida remain competitive. From community engagement to financial investments, businesses must consider multiple issues before choosing a state to invest in.
“Florida is a great place to do business and at Plum Creek we have found a very welcome home here since we started doing business here in 2001,” said Todd Powell, General Manager, Real Estate for Plum Creek, Florida Chamber board member and one of twelve Florida Chamber Regional Chairs. “We’re a very proud part of a forest products industry that helps contribute more than $16 billion to Florida’s economy and employs more than 14,000 Florida residents. … Here at Plum Creek we found that Florida’s economy is the one that provides opportunities for these types of success.”
But in order for Florida to remain competitive, our state must continue to move forward with regulatory reform efforts that create a predicable environment which helps current businesses grow and provides new business the opportunities needed to succeed.
“To me, free enterprise really means a predictability of regulation within business,” said Powell. “For Florida to really be competitive in the future, we really need to have predictability. So if I want to make a capital investment as a business leaders, I’m not saying that we need to be without regulations, but I need to have the regulations applied to me consistently. Otherwise, if there’s going to be uncertainty to how the regulations will be applied, that’s going to make me want to question my decision to make a capital investment within Florida. When you really look at it, the basic foundation to me, free enterprise is really about the American dream. It’s a matter of, if someone wants to take a capital risk, work hard, then they can ultimately be rewarded for it. And guess what? There’s no guaranteed winners and losers. It’s a matter of individuals are rewarded based upon how hard they are willing to work and it’s a matter of government needs to be there to help out that process to keep the American dream alive and not ultimately be a deterrent to it. “
As a Florida Chamber Regional Chair, Todd will be working closely with other business leaders in his community and throughout the state to continue to advocate for the Florida Chamber’s pro-business, free enterprise principles.
“The Florida Chamber has given us an opportunity to share our story and our voice, and use it to bring businesses together and I look forward to working with other regional chairs to see how we can create a stronger Florida,” said Powell.