SM2 Panel Discussion and Q&A Transcript
2013-14 Series in Regional Collaboration—Produced by SRQ Media Group
“Collaboration in Regional Sports Innovation”
Date: Thursday, November 21, 2013 (7:30-9:00am)
Moderator: Wes Roberts
Opening Presenter: Mike McMullen, President, Seaside Bank
Panelists: Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance
Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission
Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County Government
Parks and Recreation
Wes Roberts: Good morning everybody. I am Wes Roberts. I’m the publisher with SRQ
Media Group. You all know us primarily through our magazines: SRQ magazine, ACCESS,
LUX and SRQ Daily; A whole range of publications and events in the community. SM2 is one
of the exciting programs that we’ve launched, and the subject for today is attracting leaders
in the regional sports industries. Our area has seen an increase in sports related activities,
facilities and resources over the past decade from a high school level all the way up through
the post-collegiate level. As a result, the demand for sports and health experts and
practitioners has drastically increased throughout the community. From the development
of innovative technologies that enhance the ability to prevent, detect and heal injuries to
the research that improves the knowledge and understanding of this extensive area of
interest, sports innovation is an indispensible part of this much-desired industry. Our
panelists are representatives of some of the area’s most successful sports companies and
organizations, as well as being leaders in our community. Today, we’ll gain a better
understanding of the dynamics of sports innovation throughout our region. Our panelists
will provide insight on opportunities for regional collaboration between Sarasota and
Manatee Counties on catalyzing this economic platform. How are sports and technology
innovation companies engaging in our region? What's on the agenda for future
development in this field? These are some of the things our panelists will cover more in
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
depth during today’s panel discussion.
Before our dialogue begins in earnest, I’d like to welcome our elected officials. We
recognize our event sponsor, Seaside National Bank and our collaborative sponsor, CS&L
CPAs, for their support and vision in continuing the SM2 program, where we bring together
leaders from both Manatee and Sarasota counties for lively discussion on important topics.
And here today with our opening presentation is Mike McMullen of Seaside Bank. Mike
McMullan is the regional president for Southwest Florida for Seaside National Bank. Mike
joined Seaside earlier this year following years as president of Bank of Florida in
Naples. He is a veteran of 30 plus years of commercial and community banking, and is a
graduate of University of Mississippi, with an MBA from Columbia University. Please help
me welcome Mike McMullan.
[Mike McMullen, President, Seaside Bank]: Thanks so much. It’s a pleasure to be here.
I’ve gained a lot of knowledge in the last few months about the Sarasota and Manatee
market. I’ve traveled Florida for 25 years as a banker. I’ve ben doing this for 40 years, and
Ive watched communities build and grow and have vision, and I’ve watched communities
that had no vision, energy or purpose. 20 years later, those places lost out on quality of life
opportunities. Sarasota/Manatee is a passionate community that believes in itself. As a
young bank president in Mississippi in the 70’s, I was involved with the Mississippi ballet
company. Back then, we were fighting for our lives in terms of donations and cultural
identity. We found out that the International Ballet Company was going to choose a city in
the United States to host a large competition, attracting ballet dancers from all across the
world. This was the most prestigious competition in ballet. We worked really hard and
Jackson, Mississippi was chosen as the location for the IBC competition. Because of that, the
community got a sense of purpose when it came to cultural direction. 30 years later, that
city continues to thrive. What I se in Sarasota is the opportunity to not miss those moments
that define our community because the impact can be overwhelming. We need to always
take advantage of the defining moments, because if we don’t, somebody else will. I love
spending time here in Sarasota. Last night, I was at dinner at a local restaurant with some
of our long term clients, one of whom is involved with Crunch Fitness here in town. My jaw
dropped when they told me that they had 18,000 members. They told me that this is the
most diverse community when it comes to physical vitality, health, and dedication to being
outside. With the age differential of this community, they have over 130 diferent classes for
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
people of all ages. It’s really spectacular that so many people choose Sarasota as their home
because of these great opportunities. Now, briefly on Seaside Bank, we were formed in
2006. We have a great mission that we were going to be a very focused bank in the best
communities in Florida. Originally we had 30 relationships and we were going to make
those the best relationships possible. Seven years later, here we are. We were going to raise
$100 million, which we did. We went to Washiongton and said that we had $100 million to
capitalize our bank, and they told us that they had never approved a bank with only $100
million of capital. They wanted us to have $50 billion. So we had to turn back a lot of
checks. Since then, we have become about a $50 billion bank in one of the best markets in
Florida. We have a wonderful five star credit quality. Florida is currently experiencing a
renaissance and a chance to build this economy moving forward, and that’s part of the
discussion today. That’s why were all here. Something really powerful is going to happen in
Florida, and the recovery is going to put Florida in a position to attract herds of corporate
headquarters and relocation. Seaside Bank is in a position to be a part of every community
that we serve in a very intimate way. We’re not a retail bank; we’re a bank for
professionals, entrepreneurs, and wealthier individuals who want to provide solutions for
themselves and the next generation. In closing, ill say that in Sarasota, we love what we’ve
got, but we also know that we can work to make it even better, and it’s great to be a part of
it.
Wes Roberts: Thank you Mike. Now we’re ready to get the panel discussion underway. To
begin our discussion, we’ve asked each of our panelists to introduce themselves to give us a
sense what they do now, as well as their background. To give us a sense of who they are as
a person, ive asked them to throw in their a thought on their earliest sports-related
memory.
[Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance]: Thank you
Wes. We did not know that he was going to ask us that. My name is Chris Ciaccio. I’m the
Vice President of Sales and Marketing at IMG Academy in Bradenton. I just want to say
thanks for having me here today. Its exciting to get out in the community. We’re looking to
share our vision and how we can be a better part of the community. I’m going to jump right
into my earliest sports experience. Sports has always been a big part of my life. As long as I
can remember, I have always looked up to my older brother and always wanted to be like
him. Sports was where he made his mark. He played a short stint in the NFL and was on the
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
Heisman ballot when he was in college. I always wanted to be like him from when I was
eight years old, and when he wasn’t around try to be better than him. That sparked my
passion to mix business and sports, because to me, business is another way of being
competitive and a great way to keep score. That is why im here today, and thanks for
having me.
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): I’m Nicole
Rissler. I’m the Director of Sports for the Sarasota County Sports Commission. I get to wake
up every single day and combine my passion for sports with my experience in marketing
and communications, puclic relations and event planning. A little bit about me as a person,
some adjectives include, passionate, outgoing, and for those of you who do know me, I
would say that I don’t stop when im passionate about something. My earliest sports
memory; I grew up riding horses on the equestrian side of things, and I spent many nights
and weekends traveling around the country riding Quarter horses. That’s my earliest
sports memory.
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: I’m Elliott Falcione. I’m the Executive Director of the Bradenton Area Convention
and Visitors Bureau. Thanks for having us. A little bit about my personality, I try to be
funny, but my wife and daughter remind me that im not. I’ve been successful at hiring
people that are smarter than me. My easliest sports memory. Going back, as a kid growing
up in the city of Pittsburgh, I remember going to my first Pirates game. Back then, the
ballplayers chewed tobacco, and if anyone remembers a guy by the name of Phil Garner,
known as “scrap iron”, he was playing second base vs. the New York Mets, when one of
their players ran past him and lost their helmet. Phil Garner picked up the Mets player’s
helmet and spit a big wad of tobacco into it and tossed it. The good ol’ 70’s. Thank you.
[Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County
Government Parks and Recreation]: My name is Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development
and Athletic Manager for the Sarasota County Government Parks and Recreation. It’s great
to be here, thanks so much. My role with Sarasota County was originally sports
coordinator, which is a position that was needed after the sports development over the
past 10-15 years. First with baseball spring training and then shortly after with the
Benderson project, we’ve done some great things. I helped run Ed smith Stadium through
its inception in 2009. Ive had a very close relationship with everything regarding the venue.
I came here a year ago to this position to pursue the passion that I have for sports and what
it can do for the community. Getting into my earliest memory. I grew up a half hour from
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
the ball park in St. Louis. I grew up listening to Jack Buck and Harry Carey. My first
recollection of really following the Cardinals was siting on the back porch with my grandpa
listening to Harry Carey calling the final game of the 1964 season. The Cardinals won the
penant on the last day. When the final out was called, Harry Carey yelled over and over,
“the Cardinals win the penant”. He said that 13 times on a row and I remember running up
and down the street yelling “the Cardinals win the penant”. From that point forward, I grew
u with a passion for baseball, so to be able to tie that into my profession is just tremendous
for me. Thank you very much, it’s great to be here.
Wes Roberts: We’ll start with Nicole and then Elliott for this first question. We’ve seen this
rise of interest in sports innovation, most recently culminating with the World Rowing
Championship for 2017. How are we maximizing and capturing that momentum? When
you have momentum moving forward, that’s the time to strike. How are your organizations
monopolizing on that?
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): In general,
since the announcement, we have started capitalizing on the World Rowing Championship
in a variety of ways. For our organization, we’ve beefed up our sports advertising and
promotion. In 2014 were really going to push the sports business where we weren’t being
targeted before. We’ve taken the successful events and putting them on ads saying
“Sarasota/Bradenton is the host of this event”. This is just the beginning of things we will
do, because the announcement was just made. Over the next few years we will continue to
build our marketing plan domestically and internationally across the board.
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: Regarding the World Rowing Championship endeavor, moving forward we have
waves. The announcement was a tidal wave. Marketplace impressions. We keep saying our
room night impact is important? Yes. Is $25 million of economic impact important? Yes. But
what is more important; marketplace impression. Moving forward, we will continue to talk
about the venue, the event and the assets and amenities of both communities to dig in
further and drive them to our websites. You want them to come here and you want to
expose them to the markets that you could never afford to get into. When they get here
they realize how beautiful it is to vacation and then they come here for a vacation either
before or after. Then they move here, they start a business and that’s the conversion rate
we talk about. That’s why partnership with the EDC is vital. We’ve got to have constant
collaboration because of that conversion rate.
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
Wes Roberts: My next person is for Chris. Can you give me some context on how were
marketing events and the region.
[Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance]: One thing
that makes IMG Academies special is that there is a lot going on that mean a lot of different
things to different people. You have kids who are aspiring to be their role models, who are
training right next to them. You have sponsors trying to sign them to represent their
products and you have researchers trying to better those products all in one campaign.
That synergy is what makes IMG special. You can overlay that collectiveness with events.
For the longest time, events were just a form of marketing for us. It was a way for people to
come to the area and sample our products and possibly buy into it. Over time, we have been
able to turn that marketing tactic into a revenue stream or a business model. Today we host
over 100 events annually, which brings close to 200,000 people to the area. That doesn’t
count just the number of matches, games and tournaments that we run. We have 900
student-athletes playing in local, regional, state-wide, national, and even a global schedule.
If you look at all the events we run, it’s close to 400 events annually. Events definetaly bring
volumes of people, which brings a lot of energy and sponsors. What you’re going to see
over the next couple years from IMG is embracing that research collaboration. We already
have employees from Under Armour who have offices on our campus. Gatorade has a
sports science institute, etc. We give our students another added value with all this at no
cost. When I started 16 years ago, IMG was a 36 acre campus, and today it is a 500 acre
campus that is essentially it’s own community. The staff has grown from 100 employees to
750. That just bleeds over into the community. If it be orthopedics, science, etc. People are
moving here to take advantage of what we offer. Overall our community has grown and our
footprint in the community has grown.
Wes Roberts: Originally, world class athletics was not something associated with SarasotaManatee or even Florida. This has changed dramatically. Do you think there was a defining
moment that got that ball rolling?
[Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County
Government Parks and Recreation]: What I have seen in the community, when people
come here, they don’t know what the boundary between Sarasota and Manatee is. Sports
throughout both of those counties has evolved. Over the years we have realized that if the
counties work together, they can capitalize on more of what is out there. We have worked
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
together with our EDC’s and sports commissions, and what were seeing I the fact that we
can bring this community together to become something on an international scale, and
once we move into the realm of Benderson, we are truly capitalizing on the partnership
between the counties. We’re working very close with the Polo grounds and the Premier
Sports Complex. The momentum is rolling very greatly now, and to be able to continue that
in other ways is exciting. There’s going to be a wave of things coming in the next few years
that are gping to blow your socks off. From a Sarasota County stand point, we are putting
more money and resources into our own recreation facilities so that we can host those
events that we haven’t been able to host in the past and to be competitive. As long as we
have comparable facilities to other places in the county and in the world, the amenities that
Sarasota-Bradenton can provide allow us a competitive advantage over other places and
markets. To see the evolution of it all and to have folks like you that are here because they
are interested in it shows that we are moving in the right direction.
Wes Roberts: Following on that for Elliott or Nicole, is what we’re seeing a National
zeitgeist rise of interest in health and more diverse interest in health or is it somewhat
unique to our region and to us?
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): Certainly,
there is a huge interest throughout the United States and throughout the world for health
and sports tourism. Everyone woke up over the last 5-7 years to the value of sports tourism
and what it can bring to their community, and I think the United States also started to wake
up to the fact that many people are overweight and unhealthy. That combination has
spurred Americans to jump into triathlons and other forms of exercise and physical activity
which bring events. This amounts to heads and beds, families are getting their childen more
active and college tuition is going through the room, which merits more interest in sports
scholarships. There is a combination of things that is making all of that popular and the
communities that are going to take advantage of this are going to benefit.
[Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County
Government Parks and Recreation]: I think another thing is that we’ve proven through
the economic downturn that sports is somewhat recession proof. If you look at the
numbers of spring training attendance, they stayed flat in Florida during the recession. We
were fortunate because the Orioles came here in 2010. Having more resources available
brings a lot more energy to the community.
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
Wes Roberts: Earlier when Mike McMullen was talking, He mentioned Nick Bolletteiri’s
tennis program, which was started in 1978. What that stimulates is if you had asked people
about Florida sports 10-20 years ago, they would have talked about tennis, golf and water
sports. Do those sports still have an important role in Florida as a community and is there
still potential?
[Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance]: Tennis and
golf in our country has declined. Internationally, they have probably remained flat. From a
tennis perspective, if you go back to the days that put Nick Bolletteiri on the map, along
with people like Agassi and Sampras, the issue is that the U.S. hasn’t had a great champion
in quite some time. I don’t think that is going to really impact tennis as it relates to this
area. If you look at our tennis program today, its still the largest program on campus.
Sports like soccer, baseball and basketball have grown significantly, but tennis remains the
anchor of what we do. Our tennis program is probably close to 70% international, and you
have to wonder why they are still fighting their way to Florida, and I think it’s not only
because it’s the best program, but the weather as well. This area has such temperate
weather that we can be outside so many days of the year. The same goes for golf. Our golf
program depending on the day could be the number 2 or 3 program at IMG.
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: You talk about the past 15-20 years and when I worked in professional baseball,
we were drafting players from Florida, California and Texas. If you want to be a hockey
player and you live in Pittsburgh or Cincinnatti, Minnesota or Boston. If you want to get a
scholarship in college in professional baseball, you’re going to go to Florida or California in
all cases, and I think that has really helped create a better brand for our organizations like
IMG.
[Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance]: One last
thing that I wanna mention, we talk about the downturn economy back in 2008 and how
sports in a lot of ways is recession proof. From an IMG perspective, we actually made a very
strategic decision, saying hey, we have the ability and we have the capital means to go on
the offense. We increased our marketing and our footprint, we traveled more to try and
attract more people to the area, which proved to be successful, while others were closing
their doors. We also realized that we are extremely successful internationally. We now feel
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
that our portfolio of sports and businesses is much more hedged depending on what
happens here or around the world.
Wes Roberts: With the current accomplishments in sports in our community, if we look 35 years into the future, what are the next big things that we are all going to be talking
about?
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: I think there is good and then there is always a challenge behind something good
that is going on. We have some of the most unique sports venues in the world. I don’t think
you can replicate IMG Academy. What happens is that Chris ciaccio is charged with putting
as many events at IMG that they can manage. These two are charged with filling up Nathan
Benderson Park. We’ve got to remember not to do Benderson Park a disservice by calling it
a rowing facility. Paul Blackketter will tell you rowing is only about 15-20% of the
programs that will occur there. There will be triathlons, kayaking, canoeing, etc. We can go
on and on about the diversity. If we don’t consistently collaborate and attempt to be
unselfish and transparent, we’re going to have these head on collisions from time to time. If
there is a challenge moving forward, it’s that collaboration. The good news is, the people
around the table today work to find the balance that we need. The answer isn’t to just build
more hotels. When the market is right, developers will do that. It’s hard to build hotels with
Thursday through Sunday business. So, we’ve got to be careful there. That is the challenge
that we face moving forward.
Wes Roberts: Lastly, if the other three panelists could touch on the impediments to
attracting new athletic events and companies to the area and working together as two
counties.
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): I think that
we’ve done a fantastic job in both of our communities with not just building facilities, but
also building the right facilities. In the next 18 months in Sarasota County we will unveil a
new Super Cross BMX track, which will add another international world-class facility. We
will pull international BMx riders to be able to train here in the same climate as the next
Olympics. We wanted to not just improve our BMX track, but build the best in order to be at
the top to bring world-class international events here. I think at certain times, hotel
inventory collaboration is key. One of the other things that we need to be careful of is that
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
people are knocking on our door, which is awesome, but to bring these big events here, it
costs us money and I think one of the challenges will be continuing to see how we fund
those events.
[Chris Ciaccio, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, IMG Performance]: What’s the
vision? Our vision, other than sports, is actually academics and education. I think they go
hand in hand for what we are doing. We see a tremendous area that we can grow in
academics. We will have 1300-1400 students soon. Five years ago we put together a ten
year plan and we’ve accelerated that by almost 50%. The other thing that we see is
continuing organizations that have orthopedics, certifications. We’re building out the
proper venues that can host those events. We feel that the nvironment that we are offering
is dynamic and energetic more so then where they may be currently doing business today.
The other sport that we see tremendous growth in the future is track and field. We are
already getting interest from teams in Canada and Europe who want to come here in
preparation for the Olympics or national championships. It is actually the largest
participatory sport in the world, believe it or not. We see tremendous potential there. The
concept of sports performance. We see tremendous potential for manufacturers, for
retailers, and for researchers of some of these major brands. I think we have a very
dynamic group of sports assets in this area. I think that synergy is how we will continue to
track the progress of the sports industry. I think the biggest impediment is beds. For the
longest time, beds have always been one of our most limiting factors. Our customer wants a
3-4 star bed. We believe that is one area that we need to continue to grow. The Holiday Inn
down the street says that we represent 75% of their business for the entire year. We’re are
always going to look to the community and look to see what we can do to solve for
ourselves. We’ve put $50 million into our campus over the last three years. We’re going to
continue to do that over the next three years as well. We’re excited about the futre and
we’re excited to be here in the area, because there isn’t any place we would rather be.
[Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County
Government Parks and Recreation]: We have talked as people of the sports industry that
this is a hub for sports performance kind of like people look at Colorado Springs and the
USA Olympics. I think down the road we will be a larger part of the Olympics. As far as
impediments, as long as we can continue having collaboration with our elected officials. I
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
just hope that as the electorate moves forward, sports becomes a larger part of what they
do.
Wes Roberts: Thank you. A round of applause for our panelists. I will now hand the
microphone over to our senior editor, Jacob Ogles.
Jacob Ogles: Thank you Wes. I’d like a round of applause for Wes. This first questions
comes from Commissioner Brenner of Longboat Key. What plans are there to organize on a
regional basis the sports attraction business currently pursued separately by each county.
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): Right now,
we collaborate regionally on a daily basis, both sports commissions under the CVBs work
together on bids and at trade shows. There is regional collaboration on almost everything
that we do. That’s working really well at the moment.
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: What comes to mind when we say Agusta? The Masters. What comes to mind
when we say Little League World Series? How many years did people in this region not
think highly of Bradenton, Florida? A lot right. Do we believe in partnerships? Yes, they can
be powerful; the right partnership. It’s almost like sometimes we’re trying to say Toyota
and Ford partner together. We have to protect our brands. If the name of the airport is
Sarasota in the marketplace, that is a problem. It’s important that we protect each other’s
brands. The goal is that the next time we have one of these symposiums, that it says
Sarasota and Bradenton. Let’s focus on Sarasota and Bradenton consistently. There’s times
to engage, and there are times to stay in our own worlds. Do I believe in partnerships?
Absolutely.
Jacob Ogles: This question comes from Evie Tottie. It disusses the 5 K’s. It asks about
Tough Mudder.
[Patrick Calhoon, Sport Development and Athletic Manager, Sarasota County
Government Parks and Recreation]: Tough Mudder was a bit of a surprise the way it
ended up here. It was a tremendous number of people that showed up. It was a tremendous
event and we just wish there had been a bit more planning done on the front end, because
it turned out to be a traffic nightmare. Those are events that we want to go after and to be
able to advise our community of what to expect with proper planning.
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.
[Nicole Rissler, Director of Sports, Sarasota County Sports Commission): Regarding
Tough Mudder, we’ve had multiple discussions about what to do from a planning
perspective should we have it back in a different location. From those of you who think it’s
a nightmare, let’s not hold our breath about it coming back.
Jacob Ogles: Last questions here. What actions are you all taking to bolster and support
growth of the SRQ Airport and are you putting pressure on the airlines for encouragement
to draw traffic to the airport.
[Elliott Falcione, Executive Director, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors
Bureau]: My first answer is yes. We have collaboration with Rick Piccolo and Mark
Stuckey. I think it comes down to awareness. Sarasota-Bradenton consistency of
collaboration is so important because it showcases that we have a nice-sized airport in a
nice-sized market. Bigger airport; birgger market; more volume; lower ticket prices. We all
have to work together to carry that message. We partner with Visit Sarasota and the airport
with the non-stop flights. United Airlines, Jet Blue, Delta. The airport is a big part of our
future. Who wouldn’t want to fly out of that beautiful and easy airport.
Wes Roberts: Thank you Jacob and the audience for great questions for our panelists. Can
we have another round of applause for our panelists? Thank you to The Francis for hosting
the event. We will have a transcript of today’s discussion on the SRQSM2.com website
within the week. We’ll let you know via email when it’s posted. If your question was not
asked today, we will ask our panelists to answer them via email. Thank you to our
sponsors, Seaside Bank and CS&L CPAs. Thank you to everyone in the audience. The next
SM2 Symposium will be on Regional Healthcare and Aging on January 16, 2014. Thank you
everyone, we hope to see you back in January.
TRANSCRIPT: SM2 EVENT PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA GROUP: 11/21/2013: ©Copyright SRQ Media
Group.