The 2013 Florida Economic Conference was held June 26-28 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport. The annual event, attended by economic, workforce and community developers representing 400 cities, 24 workforce regions, 12 universities and 28 community colleges, focuses on all facets of economic development for the state.
And the big winner? Randy Berridge.
Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, was honored during the conference with the 2013 Eunice Sullivan Economic Development Professional of the Year award, the highest honor bestowed by the Florida Economic Development Council.
“With Randy’s outstanding leadership not only with the Corridor Council, but his commitment to economic development throughout Florida, makes him truly deserving of such a prestigious honor,” said Amy Evancho, president and CEO of the FEDC.
Berridge was appointed to the board of directors for Workforce Florida and also serves on the board of directors of the Enterprise Florida Stakeholder Council, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the National Entrepreneur Center, the Tampa Bay Partnership, Central Florida Partnership’s How Shall We Grow Organization, the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, the University of South Florida Technology Incubator, the Florida Photonics Cluster, the National Center for Simulation, the Florida College System Foundation and the UCF Foundation.
Other honorees at the conference included Rusty Skinner, 2013 Toni Jennings Workforce Development Professional of the Year; Andrew Duffell, 2013 Young Professional of the Year; and Bob Swindell, Regional Director of the Year.
The three-day conference closed with “Elevating Florida: A Conversation with Florida’s Leaders,” with Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope moderating a panel discussion with Jesse Panuccio, executive director, Department of Economic Opportunity; Frank DiBello, president and CEO, Space Florida; and Scott Fennell, CFO/CO, Workforce Florida.
The FEDC is a membership-based, not-for-profit corporation that relies on support from its members and investors to educate and inform business and government leaders about key economic development issues and initiatives. The FEDC is open to individuals, agencies and companies that are interested in growing the economy of Florida.