CHAMBERS IN ACTION

Local chambers across the country are taking the lead in creating and convening clean energy conversations, best practices, events and advocating on local policy.

Chambers for Innovation 8/9/23 Chambers for Innovation 8/9/23

Chamber Leader, Miller Electric Company - Getting the Jump on Electrifying Transportation

Miller Electric Company, a proud member of the JAX Chamber and Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, and ten-year sponsor of the Jacksonville Jaguar’s new solar-powered training facility, the Miller Electric Center, recently broke ground on their newest venture, the Electric Vehicle Innovation Design Center (EVIDC). This new center, a partnership with CBRE, Schneider Electric, Graybar and WB Engineers and Consultants, is being built in response to the rapid shift to an electrified transportation system and will serve as a resource for people to better understand electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging and infrastructure, as well as microgrids.

At the groundbreaking, Henry Brown, Miller Electric’s CEO, explained, “At Miller Electric we believe that sustainability and economic progress go hand in hand. We really see this as an opportunity to grow jobs and invest in our community”. Brown also noted that in ten years, half of cars for sale will be electric. Kerri Stewart, Chief Strategy Officer at Miller Electric and JAX Chamber Board member, added, “We are proud to spearhead decarbonization efforts in Jacksonville and Florida while revolutionizing the way commercial consumers engage with the EV industry.”

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan also spoke at the groundbreaking. “If we are the leader (in EV technology) then that creates all kinds of job opportunities, workforce opportunities - so this is exactly the type of technology I like to see us grow in Jacksonville.”

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) participated in the event as well, bringing along electrified city buses. The Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) also voiced their support and readiness for transportation electrification.

With ambitious growth projections, people may wonder how Miller Electric is finding trained staff to meet their goals - a challenge across the board for growing clean energy businesses. One way is through the DOD SkillBridge program - a program bridging the transition for veterans leaving the military and entering the private sector. Miller provides a three to six month internship opportunity to learn electrical skills on the job. As a member of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Miller works with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) locals across North America to ensure skilled trade professionals are trained and certified on the latest EV charging technologies.

Stay tuned for more news on Miller EV Solutions and Jacksonville’s progress in EV charging (www.millerev.com).

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Anne Feldhusen.

Chambers for Innovation 4/5/23 Chambers for Innovation 4/5/23

Key Elements in the Rebuilding Efforts of Sanibel & Captiva and for Leading Florida Developers

One of the first things people saw when arriving on Sanibel Island was the Chamber of Commerce, whose building greeted visitors and locals on the main road for years.

Six months ago, Hurricane Ian brought ferocious winds and storm surge to Florida’s southwest coast and the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce’s building suffered significant damage, with flood waters overtaking the first floor.

During a webinar hosted by Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy February 16, the chair of the chamber board, Calli Johnson, gave a short update on her family business, Bailey’s General Store, and on the chamber.

“Our store had six to eight feet of storm surge, which pushed the hurricane-rated doors in and bent the block,” she says. “The interesting thing was, even though we had significant roof failure, the solar panels survived except for some damage from flying debris.”

Like all of Sanibel and Captiva, Bailey’s General Store was already becoming energy independent and more resilient. About 20 percent of the building’s energy was from rooftop solar and solar shades in the parking lot.

“I want to do the right thing for my kids and their future,” Johnson says. “As we rebuild, we’re building only on the second story, adding new solar and solar shade structures to meet energy demands. We would like to get 100 percent of our needs met.”

Before Ian, the chamber embraced clean energy, holding events on it, supporting the Renewable Energy Working Group, and showcasing how chambers can lead in embracing resilience, sustainability and clean energy.

Currently, the chamber is a central force in uniting the community and a leader on the community’s resilience committee, formed to rebuild to be even more resilient during storms.

The webinar itself focused on two large community developers in Florida, Kitson Partners, which developed Babcock Ranch near Fort Myers, and Avalon Park Group, which owns communities in Orlando, Wesley Chapel and Tavares and is planning Avalon Park Daytona Beach.

During the webinar, co-hosted by Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce and the Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce, key executives from Kitson and Avalon shared how they create more sustainable and resilient communities.

Avalon Park reduces carbon emissions by creating walkable neighborhoods with everything from school to work located close to homes.

Through a partnership with the utility, Babcock has 150MWs of solar capacity, generating more energy than consumed by the community. Hurricane Ian passed over Babcock Ranch as a category 4 storm. The community did not lose power.

Back in Sanibel, the chamber stressed the island is open.

Repairs to the chamber are nearly complete. Captiva didn’t experience as much storm surge, so many businesses are still open just as before the storm. Others throughout the islands are in temporary spaces or utilize second story spaces.

“We’re excited to have a place for businesses to just show up with what they need for the day,” Johnson says about the chamber offices. “I’m amazed at how much recovery has taken place. There are places to come for lunch and places to stay and I’d like to welcome anyone to come visit.

She adds: “Come visit us – it’s the best way to help.”

Watch the full webinar here.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Alan Byrd.

Winter Park Chamber leads community sustainability with innovative prosperity scorecard

Winter Park is one of Central Florida’s more desirable communities. It’s home to a top private college with an established shopping and dining area downtown. Its business community is engaged, led by multigenerational family residents, but filled with fresh voices and faces.

The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce has been a staple of the community since 1923, sharing its offices with the city’s Welcome Center in the heart of the community.

When COVID-19 hit, the Winter Park Chamber, like so many others, mobilized to work on a multitude of issues outside of the typical purview of a chamber, even creating an Economic Recovery Task Force.

“We became aware of needs that we didn’t traditionally look at, like poverty and food insecurity,” says the chamber’s president/CEO, Betsy Gardner Eckbert, IOM. “Afterward, we thought we needed to create a tool measuring total prosperity where everyone could plug in and see the factors that create prosperity.”

The Winter Park Prosperity Scorecard launched earlier this year. While it has the traditional aspects of prosperity models – employment, industry types, housing costs, social services – it also includes measures on sustainability and clean energy, specifically:

Public electric vehicle charging units (38 units)
Percentage of city fleet that is electric (six percent)
Breakdown of renewable/clean energy mix under city utility portfolio (20 percent)
Number of annual solar permits (residential and commercial) in the city (45 permits)

“We like going to places that align with our community,” Gardner Eckbert says. “We’re focused on incentivizing the private sector by showcasing our successes and leading in this space.”

The chamber and its leadership know sustainability efforts can be improved. The community of 25,000 residents count its embrace of solar electricity for homes and businesses as a success. But the city-owned electric utility only purchased renewable energy for 20 percent of its wholesale power.

“If you’re going to be sustainable, you want to use renewable energy for your electric vehicles,” she says. “We’d like to see strategic planning on how to grow that mix of wholesale power – we think that percentage should be much higher.”

Gardner Eckbert believes leading on the issue of sustainability should be part of any chamber’s plan. With a background in corporate governance for multinational businesses, she has personally seen how companies that embrace sustainability usually have better financial results.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Alan Byrd.

FL Clean Energy - Powering Workforce Development

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) partnered with the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals to present a panel discussion, ‘Clean Energy - Powering Workforce Development’ at FACP’s bi-annual meeting on May 11, 2022. The panel included:

Britta Gross, Orlando Utilities Commissioner
Adrian Brand, Sales and Experience Center Manager, Arcimoto
Racquel Asa, Chief Marketing Officer, BEEP
Don Long, Co-host and CEO, Lake Nona Regional Chamber

The panel, moderated by CICE’s Alan Byrd, discussed how rapid growth of the clean energy sector presents economic opportunity in Florida and how critical it is to have a workforce with the right skills and training in order to attract clean energy companies to both urban and rural areas. A key message for the audience of chamber of commerce executives, was to keep in mind that from June to August, hundreds of millions in federal funding will flow into Florida thanks to the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). That funding can be used for transit and clean energy advanced manufacturing, and approximately $200M is coming to the Florida Department of Transportation for EV Charging alone.

Additional key takeaways from the discussion:

Supply Chain and Investment: Britta Gross of the Orlando Utilities Commission emphasized, “This is a moment in time - if we don’t jump on board, we’ll lose significant GDP - due to global competition. There is urgency and a need to manufacture chips and batteries in the US.” This presents an opportunity for Florida as auto manufacturers make multi-billion investment in EVs.

Chamber Innovation Insight: Panel co-host and CEO of the Lake Nona Regional Chamber Don Long said that Florida communities need to demonstrate they are ‘willing to innovate’. The entrepreneurial culture built in Lake Nona sends this message. Don urged communities to ‘look at forming a cluster of clean energy companies.”

Key Economic Impact for Businesses: Britta Gross provided additional compelling statistics. “By 2030 50% of cars sold will be EVs and 100% by 2035. I’d recommend looking at tourist spots where people want to spend time and install chargers at resorts. For every one minute a person spends in a store while their car is charging, they will spend $1. With a level 2 charger, they may be in a retail location for 50 minutes and will spend $50. See who is willing to raise their hand for having chargers on their property. Be a matchmaker and start to marry the chargers to your member businesses and property owners.”

First and Last Mile Innovation: BEEP has the longest running autonomous vehicle network in the US. According to Racquel Asa of BEEP, “We are solving the first and last mile problem and improving transit’. Racquel went on to say “workforce development is significant for us at BEEP. One of our employees started as a shuttle operator and is now an autonomous vehicle support engineer’.

Workforce Development: EV manufacturer Arcimoto, maker of a three-wheel and very affordable vehicle, brought one of their cars to the conference. The car has a range of 100 miles and can travel up to 75 miles per hour. According to Adrian Brand, “We need a workforce that is passionate about our product”.

The panelists all provided actionable and practical steps for chambers to capture economic opportunity. If you are interested in any of the above takeaways, speakers, or learning more about the workforce and supply chain opportunities of clean energy and resilience, please reach out to Anne or Alan.

If you would like to learn more about navigating clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Alan Byrd.

Event Recap: Hot Topics in FL Clean Energy: Rooftop Solar, Federal EV Money & More

If you would like to rewatch or share the event with your members, you can watch it on our Youtube channel here. While there, please subscribe to be alerted for any future events.

Hot Topics in FL Clean Energy: Rooftop Solar, Federal EV Money & More (webinar recording)

Net Metering, Rooftop Solar, Electric Vehicle, and Legislation Follow-Up:

Net Metering/Rooftop Solar

If you would like to read the report developed by the Washington Economics Group for Conservatives for Clean Energy, and The Comprehensive Economic Development Impacts of the Rooftop Solar Power Industry on the State of Florida, you can find that here.

Our organization has also developed two information documents dealing with the rooftop solar issue. The two papers are:

SB 1024 & HB 741- Renewable Energy Generation: Changes to Florida’s Net Metering Policy

Net Metering Background Information for Florida Chambers of Commerce

Bipartisan Infrastructure Investments and EV Toolkit

“If you are a small business, make sure you are building those relationships with potential joint venture partners and your DOT district office. It’s vital right now that you are developing those strategic relationships.” Kimberly Rosier Jean-Louis

During the discussion regarding investment dollars coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Kimberly Rosier Jean-Louis provided great information for chambers and businesses to ensure they can capitalize on the more than $7 billion coming for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Here is the follow up from her:

You can find more information about the Orlando MBDA Business Center, as they help businesses with all types of business issues.

You can read Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure; the toolkit we referenced in the webinar.

Finally, Kimberly discussed a program Duke Energy is undertaking to help create and grow businesses in the clean energy space. You can find more information about Duke’s Diversity in Clean Energy program.

Additional Clean Energy & EV Bills

“This is an exciting time as there are real resources available and others on the horizon as well.” Congressman Darren Soto

We wrapped up talking about some of the bills that are moving in Tallahassee this session, including legislation dealing with our state’s vehicle fleets, floating solar and permitting for solar.

Scott Thomassan, our policy expert for the discussion, passed along these links for bills that look like they may pass this year:

“There’s another EV bill that will be a big debate next session that takes on who is building these charging stations and what that market will look like.” Scott Thomasson

At Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, we’re looking forward to what’s next on the horizon and you’re ahead of the game by hearing about the big issue for the 2023 Legislative Session, about the electronic vehicle industry.

While they are not expected to pass this year, it is looking like this may be the focus of our legislature next year. Be even more prepared by reviewing the bills filed this year:

Again, thank you for participating in our webinar. We look forward to keeping you informed on issues that affect your members and your community.

For further follow-up information contact

Alan Byrd or Anne Feldhusen

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FL Businesses Encouraged to Work with Insurers and Government to Stabilize Insurance Costs

Florida has come a long way in a relatively short time to understand that the climate is changing and that businesses and residents alike need a plan. The link between the climate crisis and insurance rates has prompted insurers to evaluate the amount of risk they are willing to take as weather disasters become increasingly intense. Insurance rates for property and business owners in the sunshine state are rising rapidly in some locations.

Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) partnered with Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP) and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce to discuss how chambers, businesses, insurers, and local governments can work together to build climate resiliency and stabilize insurance costs. Speakers included:

Dan Lindblade, CEO, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
Anita Byers, President, Setnor Byer Insurance
Chris Sharek, Senior Project Manager, Jacobs and Board of Directors, Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Alex Reed, Director, Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Data confirming the climate crisis is undeniable and “It’s shocking that we go on with business as usual,” says Dan Lindblade. He encouraged chambers to discuss climate resilience within their board of directors and work to educate members on the issue. Climate risk includes droughts, fires, excessive heat, storm surge, flooding and sea level rise. The groups insuring against these events include insurance companies, financial institutions, and the government. The cost of climate risk (internationally) is 2% gross of domestic product (GDP), but it is expected to rise to 4% by 2050 due to climate induced costs. While most insurance companies recognize the magnitude of climate risk, fewer than half have taken real steps to resolve the risks, but insurance companies are changing their perspective. Insurance companies are no longer worried about scaring away banks by talking about climate impacts. Historical models, which have been used to project climate risk, are no longer viable due to the increased pace of climate change.

In Florida insurance companies are getting more selective on what properties they will insure. This change could result in a 100-150% increase on older properties, especially if the roof is older, and a 10-15% increase for newer properties/roofs. Climate risk is also impacting other types of risk, including general liability and directors and officer claims.

“The business community must be proactive. For so long, risk was simply transferred to the insurance company and property owners washed their hands of the risk. Property owners need to start now to make sure their risk is the type of risk that they are willing to fund themselves, because if they aren’t willing to fund it themselves, they may not find anyone else to fund it,” says Anita Byers.

With extreme weather becoming more dangerous and destructive, it’s important to be proactive and look for solutions before the next storm or flood hits. Chris Sharek with Jacobs said we need to be “solution focused” when talking about climate resilience. Jacobs, an engineering firm, has been working on climate resiliency projects throughout the state, aiding businesses of all kinds to be proactive. One project in particular, executed for Tyndall Air Force Base, included a 4 billion dollar rebuild of the base to create a new design standard as a result of the damages endured by Hurricane Michael. This is a prime example of the private sector throwing their hat in the ring and making efforts towards climate resiliency alongside government entities.

State and local governments play a vital role in climate discussions. Senate Bill 1954, signed by Gov. DeSantis in May 2021, otherwise referred to as the climate resilience legislation has four key components.

Affirms that Florida has a problem with sea level rise and flooding.
Introduces a grant program to help communities adapt.
Affirms this is a state issue, not just a coastal issue.
Outlines the need for a statewide vulnerability assessment with prioritized funding going to the most critical assets.

This legislation has been a great first step for advancing climate resiliency throughout the state.

Alex Reed with the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the state department tasked with implementing SB 1954, said businesses can be a big help by reaching out to their local government in support of climate legislation. “This needs to be a community effort,” says Reed. Not every community has the same assets or needs, but the business community can help identify regionally significant assets that may support adjacent communities.

Businesses of all sizes will continue to be affected by the climate crisis, especially in a high risk state such as Florida. Taking action as a chamber is beneficial for members, and the community in which everyone serves. Chambers have the opportunity to lead by example and work alongside government entities and businesses to ensure a better future for all. Claim your seat at the table and be prepared for a bumpy ride.

Watch the full video here.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Anne Feldhusen.

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Jacksonville Chamber Leader and Business Owner Capitalizes on the Growing Clean Energy Sector to Expand Nationally

Miller Electric, based in Jacksonville, Florida, was founded in 1928 and to this day is still run by family members. The business helps companies across the U.S. build, monitor, maintain, and optimize the entire life-cycle of their energy and information infrastructure. Miller Electric has tripled its business in just the last few years, with much of its growth attributed to the tremendous advancement in the clean energy and information technology sectors. For a company with origins working in electrical, Miller had the core competence and foresight to expand into high growth areas such as the installation of EV charging stations, including the scale needed to power the Jacksonville Transit Bus Network. Miller Electric provides comprehensive electrical and technology energy solutions to local and national clients in a diverse range of industries.

Henry Brown, CEO of Miller Electric, is currently serving a multi-year term as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Chamber and knows that it is not just companies working directly in the clean energy sector, such as his, that are interested in staying on top of energy issues. “Many companies have a renewable energy target, some are looking to provide onsite EV charging for employees, and others want to electrify their fleet,” says Brown. “The need for education and leadership on these topics exists throughout almost all businesses.” Clearly, chambers of commerce have a real leadership opportunity here.

Further, Brown continued, “Business communities across the US recognize the need to address the growing number of extreme weather events and find ways to reduce and manage energy risks.” This focus has led to many governments across the country hiring resilience directors, as Jacksonville, Florida has just done.

With new businesses and members, comes new leadership, not only in the Chamber world, but in business communities across the nation. With clean energy and climate issues pushing to the forefront of many business and community plans, it’s helpful to embrace the growing sector as it creates new jobs and contributes to a growing economy. Miller Electric is a prime example of a business harnessing the power of the alternative energy sector and creating a valuable business with continued opportunity for growth in the field of clean energy.

If you would like to learn more about clean energy opportunities in your community, please contact Daren Cheatham.

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Local Chamber in Gadsden, Florida, Installs Solar System on Office Building

Demonstrating the power of local chambers to lead by establishing pilot projects, the Chamber of Gadsden County in Florida has announced plans to become the first business in its area to install a fully integrated solar energy system.

The chamber will install four solar panels capable of generating 1 kilowatt of energy on its building. The project will demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating a solar system into an existing building as an alternative energy source.

According to Independent Green Technologies, the company handling the installation, the parties have agreed to a barter relationship. The chamber gets a solar installation and Independent Green Technologies receives a membership to the Gadsden chamber.

The Gadsden Chamber is online here. Independent Green Technologies can be found here.