Writer: Gabriela Enamorado
2 min read February 2023 — In their efforts to continue to grow and develop the local economy, Palm Beach County’s public and private leaders are working to foster a more inclusive and equitable business community.
As it pertains to economic development, diversity typically strengthens a workforce by bringing in assorted viewpoints and perspectives that can help create a more inclusive environment to grow a business. The BDB has been working to make this vision a reality and promote Palm Beach as a place to do business by representing the entire Palm Beach County community, as per their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy.
“One of the things that we understand is that the way to capture good quality companies is to make sure that there is a holistic and comprehensive ecosystem in Palm Beach County that is diverse and inclusive of all people,” Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) told Invest:. “We have adopted a DEI policy. We also have sat down with multiple firms that are looking to engage in the local community to make sure they’re reaching their DEI metrics and introduce them to appropriate resources and organizations that can help them meet their diversity, equity and inclusion deliverables.”
According to the policy, the BDB works with members, chambers of commerce, and the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to identify qualified board members that will continue to diversify the organization. Another way they push their DEI goals is identifying resources needed by underrepresented groups in the community.
Various other organizations throughout the county have also stepped up to the plate, eager to make sure the business ecosystem reflects the community at large.
“Prosperity must work for everybody in our community,” Stephanie Immelman, CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce told Invest: last year. “We’re highly focused on that and making sure that we touch all sectors of our society. We want to get them involved in our Chamber because from the very beginning, our brand has been about community. We want our whole community to be involved in each other’s successes and to celebrate them. DEI is one of my priorities in terms of recruiting and in terms of membership recruitment.”
The continued influx of people to South Florida has been a boon to the overall business community, as this inmigration brings with it changing demographics representing more languages and cultures.
“Looking at our group of consultants, we represent the communities we serve,” Sandra Marin Ruiz, regional director of Florida SBDC at FAU told Invest:. “We have consultants who provide business consulting in multiple languages, and we recently hired someone who is a native speaker of Portuguese and we are able to increase our export assistance with Brazil as a target market. Although doing business in the US requires English proficiency, helping somebody in their own language makes the difference and is such an important connection to build. It’s not just demographics; it’s languages, origins, and cultural approach.”
Florida SBDC at FAU also partners with FAU’s procurement department to help support minority-owned small or medium-sized businesses in offering them high-level consulting and training. Another effort by Florida SBDC at FAU to reflect its diverse community was in launching their program called Grassroots in 2021. Grassroots, in partnership with the Citi Foundation, provides technical assistance to grassroots organizations owned by people of color.
