The President's Message
Jacksonville Business Professionals - 2024 President, Mark A. Addington
I am blessed with the opportunity to serve as the 2024 President for the Jacksonville Business Professionals (JBP). JBP was founded in January 2022, and has grown considerably in size and community impact over its first two years by focusing on its vision and mission. JBP is comprised of
vetted business professionals that each have a proven record of serving the Jacksonville business community and each other. Our members are highly-experienced attorneys, accountants, lenders, educators, financial consultants and business advisors that we can learn from and collaborate with to serve our clients better.
JBP Educational Initiatives
"As JBP continues to evolve and grow to serve our members and the business community, its primary focus areas remain business education and relationships."
JBP members understand that quality business relationships are important. Collaborative business success is typically the consequence of understanding gained by working with members who demonstrate their professional knowledge and skills while developing trusted business relationships. This is what membership with JBP is all about!
The first major educational gathering took place in the Spring of 2023, as a collaboration with the University of North Florida (UNF) to provide an educational gathering entitled Building & Leveraging Jacksonville’s Next Generation of Business Leaders. The gathering focused on acclimating UNF students to various types of business professionals who work with medium and small businesses within the community. The event resulted in students obtaining internships and jobs, as well as demonstrating to students how to network and build quality business relationships. Additionally, local business leaders learned about the educational and economic trends of Northeast Florida and UNF’s resources available to meet the needs of the regional business community.
"Last year, JBP conducted two major educational gatherings in collaboration with the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University."
JBP’s second major educational gathering was a collaboration with Jacksonville University (JU) in the Fall of 2023 entitled Artificial Intelligence: The Promise & The Peril. The gathering featured local experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and it explored the history of AI, as well as the growth, utility, and associated risks related to the rapidly-evolving technology and business. The program was cutting-edge and very well-received by JU and UNF students, as well as the local business community.
In accordance with its educational mission, JPB is also working with UNF and JU to support ongoing higher education and local businesses by collaborating with these institutions to build relationships with the most promising students in the community. UNF’s Management Honors Program at the Coggin College of Business has teamed up with JBP to allow its students to work on various business projects for JBP’s professionals and their clients. Additionally, JU’s Center for Organizational Research and Executive Education (CORE) at the Davis College of Business and Technology will be developing a speaker’s panel comprised of JBP members to present and work with JU’s graduate students to inspire positive change in Jacksonville business organizations.
JBP also conducts monthly all-membership luncheons featuring a speaker or panel on a subject of interest to the membership. Speakers in 2023 included JEA Chief Executive Officer Jay Stowe; Downtown investment Authority Director of Real Estate and Development Steve Kelly; a Jacksonville Elections
Panel including Jeanne Miller, Rick Mullaney, and John Newman; Jacksonville Beach Mayor Christina Hoffman; World Affairs Council CEO Trina Medarev; Visit Jacksonville CEO Michael Corrigan and Jacksonville Business Journal Editor-in-Chief Timothy Gibbons. Our 2024 luncheon speakers will continue to educate and inspire our members and their clients. Moreover, in 2024 JBP will expand its educational initiatives significantly to showcase its members’ expertise within the community by providing activities like educational webinars and panel discussions on complex business topics.
JBP Relationship-Building Initiatives
"At JBP, we redefine the landscape of professional collaboration"
As the incoming President, I am honored to lead a large community of distinguished business professionals that are united by a shared commitment to business education and the cultivation of authentic, trust-based relationships. Unlike other organizations that prioritize work referrals as a primary metric of success, JBP emphasizes fostering enduring connections founded on trust and competence.
To facilitate building quality long-term relationships, JBP supplements its educational and monthly gatherings with 17 monthly small group gatherings (SGGs). These SGGs are breakfast, lunch, and happy hour gatherings throughout the city conducted by leaders within the JBP community to permit a more intimate forum to learn about each other’s professional services and specializations. Each SGG is limited to a small number of members and prospective members with the intention of providing an opportunity to collaborate, learn about the organization and each other, and develop valuable business and personal relationships.
The true strength of our JBP business community lies in the depth of our relationships. We understand that the success of our members is interdependent, and by prioritizing professional trust and competency, we create an environment where members feel confident entrusting their clients’ needs to fellow members. Our focus extends beyond immediate gains to the long-term prosperity of our professionals and the businesses they serve. We encourage collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and continuous learning, creating a dynamic ecosystem where expertise flourishes and genuine relationships thrive.
Join Us!
This is an open invitation for qualified business professionals to join us in building a future where professional success is not measured by transactions but by an enduring trust and collaborative spirit that define our community. I anticipate that 2024 will be a landmark year for JBP! JBP has an amazing Board of professionals that are dedicated to seeing JBP succeed in its educational and collaborative mission. I encourage all JBP members to join a committee and find ways to get engaged in this vibrant and valuable organization. If you wish to join JBP, please fill out a membership application from our website (https://jaxbp.org/apply) to begin the vetting and onboarding process.
Everyone, member or not, is always welcome to attend our Educational and Monthly Gatherings. We also encourage prospective members to attend a SGG to learn more about JBP and our members. Of course, please feel free to reach out to me if I can help or answer any questions.
With kindest regards,
The JBP VISION STATEMENT:
To be the powerhouse of business professionals in Northeast Florida, providing a robust forum for relationship-building, collaboration and education.
The JBP MISSION STATEMENT:
To serve and support each other, our clients & community by creating opportunities to collaborate and educate.
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