TU: FSCJ kicking off Business Speaker Series

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Florida State College at Jacksonville is kicking off the first Business Speaker Series on Thursday.

The free event will cover generational dynamics in the workplace.

Keynote speaker Matt Beaudreau with The Center for Generational Kinetics in Austin, Texas, will talk about how younger and older generations in the workplace can work best with each other, the most effective ways to market and relate to both audiences, and how Northeast Florida is unique from other metro areas.

Annette Barrineau, dean of Career Education at FSCJ, said the school wanted to provide additional opportunities outside of the classroom for students and members of the community.

“We want our students to become aware of current issues and trends affecting business and industry in Northeast Florida,” she said.

“We also wanted to create opportunities for business leaders in Jacksonville to network with each other and our students so they can build connections and become part of the business community.”

Barrineau said the school partnered with First Florida Credit Union, which committed $250,000 over the next five years to support the Business Speaker Series.

“Their mission to enrich the lives of people in Jacksonville fit with this series,” she said. “It’s a partnership that allowed us to collaborate and contribute to the community.”

First Florida Credit Union CEO and President Brent Lister said the company was looking for opportunities to partner with FSCJ to give back to the community.

“We like to focus on financial and business applications and education, so we saw this as a good opportunity to work with the college and help the students and community,” he said.

Lister added, “They have a similar mission, which is to educate professionals who are going into the workforce, and we were looking for those types of partnerships to help the community we live and work in.”

Lister said the topic of the first Business Speaker Series, which covers generational dynamics in the workplace, is important to talk about.

“We all interact differently and have to adjust to different work environments,” he said. “The workforce in Jacksonville is growing, so companies will need trained and skilled workers and the college is a good place to provide that.”

Barrineau said the Business Speaker Series would continue in 2018 with several events throughout the winter and spring before launching again in the fall.

“We’re going to cover transportation and infrastructure in Jacksonville, the health and medical field and host an economic update by the director of research for the Federal Reserve,” she said. “We’ve made a five-year commitment to host this event.”

Barrineau said she hopes attendees find value in the series.

First Florida Credit Union made a donation of $250,000 to the Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Business Speaker Series. (Provided by Daigle Creative)

“I hope attendees gain valuable insight into current issues that will enhance the strengths of business and industry,” she said.

FSCJ’s Business Speaker Series will be held on Thursday, Nov. 9 from 8-10:30 a.m. at the Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts on the South Campus at 11901 Beach Blvd.

Though the event is free to the public, online registration is required and can be made at Eventbrite.com.