Another year is in the books—quite literally.
No, we didn’t take a page from the grocery chains and drug stores and time hop from the start of school to Christmas and New Year’s.
We’re simply marking the end of another year of service. And while this turn of the fiscal calendar seldom inspires community celebrations, the Business Development Board of Martin County (BDB) recognizes it by ushering in a new board chair—alongside other moves at the leadership level—so it’s a natural time to take stock of what we’ve done together with our partners.
Jeff Leslie, CEO, Leslie Ventures, our outgoing chair, has proven to be a transformative leader. A natural motivator, Jeff excels at inspiring the best from others. He helped us meet and exceed multiple key goals—many of them longstanding priorities of the organization. And now as Eric Kiehn, CEO, C&W Technologies moves into the top volunteer position, we will undoubtedly build on this momentum with his own expertise, positioning the BDB for even greater community impact.
Jeff encouraged us to improve upon the impressive 50 Pulse Visits—in which we tour local businesses, meet with the owners and gain understanding of their unique obstacles, opportunities, and operations—in the program’s debut year.
We finished the fiscal year at 78 Pulse Visits—three over our elevated goal – with the team led by Willian “David” Snyder. Jeff also made sure our door was open to all business and community leaders who wanted to join Martin County’s Economic Team and roll up their sleeves to do the work of economic development with us.
On the entrepreneurial front, we hosted our second annual Side Hustle to Main Gig course, helping prepare the next class of local innovators for market success.
Our leadership network continues to strengthen and expand. The Talent Enhancement Team, led by Tammy Matthew, Bank of America, unites some of the top local minds dedicated to addressing new solutions in talent recruitment and workforce development.
The BDB’s Partner Council – now under the leadership of Katherine Culhane, Associate Director, Florida Small Business Development Center @ IRSC – increases cohesion among our chambers, industry association and nonprofit allies for coordination on common initiatives while building Martin County’s business friendliness and readiness.
The BDB’s business development team, led by our new business development executive Pierre Taschereau, is quickly fortifying international and national connections which are yielding results as we tout Martin County is open for business. Daher, Meltio-Additec, BD Liberator are a few of the legacy and disruptive innovators who recently chose Martin County to create jobs and make investments. And there are more announcements to come including a lauded European company who recently selected Martin County to relocate its U.S. headquarters.
From growing our own through the Pulse Visits, Talent Advancement Team, and entrepreneurial programs, to welcoming new businesses and retaining some too, it’s been a good year at the BDB thanks to the efforts of all involved with Martin County’s Economic Team.
This article can also be found in the October 9, 2022 Friends and Neighbors of Martin County Newsletter.
