Will you park and ride?

If you’ve read the Democrat over the past few days, you know that part of KCCI’s Greenovation team is working with StarMetro to establish a Park & Ride pilot program. The first of multiple “park and ride” locations will be off of Thomasville Road, near Premier Health and Fitness Center. Future stops will be at the Wal-Mart and Target a little farther north on Thomasville. StarMetro Park & Ride buses will take passengers to and from downtown beginning September 4. In October, StarMetro will be adding buses that are WiFi-equipped. If you live up in that area, will you “park and ride”? If not, why? What do you think of this initiative?

Growing Student Businesses

Tallahassee Democrat, July 18, 2007

Student-oriented Green Pages is back again

By Will Brown
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

The business motto of Mitch Brooks and Jonathan Taylor is building student business from the ground up. That is what the pair of FAMU students are doing with The Green Pages, a telephone directory that is geared toward students at Tallahassee’s three colleges. The directory is the brainchild of nine months of work after Brooks said the pair became “interested in how (we) could network student businesses to people who would need their services.”

This fall, Brooks and Taylor will begin the second year of production with 15,000 copies across the city. An edition will be released in the fall and spring semesters.

Look for an additional real-estate section and more locally-owned businesses in the directory, which will be released next month.

The Green Pages is the only directory in town whose staff is its target audience. Students from Florida State University and FAMU comprise the 12-person staff.

“One of my largest clienteles is students in the Tallahassee area, especially on FAMU and Florida State’s campus,” said Tiki Suarez, owner of Tiki’s Tasties, a business that custom-makes cakes.

Suarez said nearly 30 percent of her business comes from students. She added that The Green Pages has helped her expand her student base to where she is receiving orders for summer graduation on Aug. 3.

Suarez is an associate professor in the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University. Brooks was a student of hers last year.

“It’s giving another opportunity for you as a business, especially if you are a student-driven business,” Suarez said. “To me, I think it would be a win-win situation,”

Roger DeFour, chief information officer for VIP Marketing and Promotions, agreed.

DeFour, who graduated from FSU in April with a master’s in information studies, said his business began advertising in The Green Pages after working with Brooks on other projects and trusting his business acumen.

DeFour said advertising in The Green Pages is helping VIP reach its goal of expanding across Florida because local students are from all regions of the state.

Brooks said the most important thing he learned from the first year was that building and maintaining relationships is far more important than building and maintaining the bottom line.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Brooks said. “Our goal is for The Green Pages to be a self-sustaining business in three years.”

Leon County Schools Going Green

KCCI’s Greenovation Team has been working with the Leon County School System and our city and county governments to help our community be as green as it can be, especially with regard to recycling. Here is a link to an article published in the Democrat that talks about energy efficiency in local schools and how much it could save taxpayers: Official: New Lights Could Save Leon Over $200K Yearly

Tallahassee Film Festival Update by Jeanne Curtin

The Tallahassee Film Festival is a 3 day event that will celebrate professional and emerging talent in the film, music and related arts industries.  The Festival is designed to:  feature student work and regional talent; showcase award-winning films from regional film festivals; and, provide educational workshops to introduce young and old alike to the film industry.  Following is a general outline of the event:

Thursday, May 15th 2008 - An evening reception where the planning committee will present a Lifetime Achievement Award and an Emerging Talent Award.  In addition, student winners will be recognized.  (The student component is being managed by the Leon County Schools Foundation.)

Friday, May 16th 2008 – On Friday night “STARFEST” will showcase artistic talent in Tallahassee’s own Downtown GetDown style. 

Saturday, May 17th 2008 – Saturday will feature film screenings throughout the day at multiple venues in the downtown Tallahassee area, the Florida State University will host educational seminars and workshops, and the event will culminate with the “It’s a Wrap!” party.

Additional details will be posted as we continue to move forward.

Help Jump-Start Small Businesses in Tallahassee!

If you’re a small business owner, an entrepreneur or anyone in the creative sector, please take a moment to share your perspectives about opportunities for small businesses in our region. Click here to take the survey. Responses will be tabulated after July 27, and we’ll post the results on this Web site. 

It has been said that folks don’t get involved because they’re not asked. Consider this an open invitation to small business owners, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to get involved with the Jump Start Plan X team. E-mail kccitallahassee@gmail.com to learn more about this initiative, offer suggestions and volunteer to help. Your talent is needed to jump-start more businesses and make Tallahassee the place you want it to be.

Tallahassee on verge of becoming a green leader

Tallahassee Makes Fast Cities List 

Tallahassee is a city on the verge of becoming a green leader, according to Fast Company magazine. The announcement was made by the publication Monday (July 2) as it revealed its annual Fast Cities list.

“Fast cities are considered to be worldwide centers of creativity where the most important ideas and organizations of the future are located. They attract the best and brightest,” said magazine representative Christina Duffney.

Tallahassee made the “on the verge” list of three with Minneapolis and Sacramento.

(Originally published in the Tallahassee Democrat, July 3, 2007)