Back in 2009, when we were in the tight grasp of the Great Recession, some people said it would take until 2014 or 2015 for the economy to regain its full footing.  And while some statistical measures showed the recession technically ending two to three years ago, numerous employers told me that 2014 was the first time they felt good about business activity for a full year.

We are, in fact, poised for a very positive economy this calendar year.  Consider these factors:

1. Employment has been growing steadily and is at its highest levels – both regionally and nationally – in six years.
2. Interest rates are still relatively low, making it easier for both consumers to buy and businesses to invest in new facilities and equipment to increase their productivity.
3. Oil prices have dropped dramatically, making billions of dollars available for multiple and diverse uses.
4. In greater Sarasota, new businesses are starting and existing firms are expanding – and not just in one business sector.  Manufacturers have built new capacity, retail has substantially grown, and the first hotels to be built in our downtown in many, many years are well underway.

The list of positive trends goes on, but how do we best sustain and leverage this favorable momentum?

First, we certainly can carry forward the (often painful, but necessary) changes we made to be more efficient during and coming out of the Great Recession.

Second, we can work together – through the Chamber, other organizations, and directly firm-to-firm – in 2015 in strategic alliances to continue to improve our business climate, take care of our infrastructure needs, promote our region, and make member firms more successful.

Third, we can understand, as much as possible, where existing trends are taking us and what the future holds.  This may be the most integral factor to our success in the second half of this decade and into the 2020s.  To help all Chamber members view the future without leaving our community, the Chamber and Ringling College have arranged for noted futurist David Houle to be the keynote speaker at a special breakfast early on Friday, February 13^th at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch.

David Houle had an extremely impressive business and media career before becoming renown in his current work as an author, consultant, and speaker about the future.  He routinely speaks to top corporate executives and other leaders around the world, so we expect the event at which he’ll present to be stimulating and memorable.

Wherever you obtain your information to plan for the future, let’s work together to make the second half of this decade great! 

Steve Queior is president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce

With a home, a nest egg and careful planning, we can orchestrate our retirement to make sure we will live as comfortably and independently as we can for as long as we can. Then, with a little help from our family and friends, we can even extend that a little longer. That is what most of us do when we plan for our future. What we don’t plan for is when we can no longer speak for ourselves.

In Florida, it is estimated 50,000 citizens are enrolled in the guardianship program.  Mostly seniors, they are placed under the care of a professional "guardian": someone appointed by the courts and paid out their own pocket to manage their care. These seniors, usually categorized as “incapacitated” due to dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, end up enrolled in the program because a judge decided that they were no longer fit to make decisions for themselves and, for whatever reason, there was not a family member deemed equally as capable.

Most cases start when there is a family dispute regarding care of an individual. On the outset, it makes sense a judge would appoint an independent guardian to oversee the care for someone who is incapacitated. If the family members cannot come to terms in a dispute, an unbiased individual will be responsible. However, it doesn’t take long to start to feel like the system is rigged. 

Retirement funds are quickly depleted and homes are put on the market to pay for the court-required guardianship that bills for each email, phone call and visit.  Family members, who have no rights, are forced to go to court for visitation. Bearing the financial burden, and without legal representation, family members walk into court ill-equipped to navigate the legal web of the Guardianship program.

In a two-year fight to keep her mother, Marise, with her family, local Sarasota resident, Julie Ferguson, writes on her Facebook page, “With a two and half day notice for a court hearing back in January '13, a judge denied me a continuance for a final hearing for a corporate guardianship to take over my Mother's finances and 'person'.  I wasn't given due process to protect my Mother's wishes as designated in all legal paperwork - from her making me her Power of Attorney to having an Irrevocable House Trust.  This is common across the U.S. Lawyers declare "EMERGENCIES", not giving family members a chance to even fight for the rights of a parent/loved one.”

She continues, “We are blindsided and then forced to hire legal counsel, when we're already behind 'the eight ball'. All I want - is to be able to take care of my Mom. Make sure her wishes are fulfilled by being with family who love her deeply and respect her.”

Julie’s story is not uncommon.  Lawyers, professors and doctors have all found themselves in the same situation when it came to their parents.  And one woman’s fight is for her child with cerebral palsy, who she has not seen in four years. 

One has to question the bias of a system that pays for itself by deeming parties incapable or incapacitated. As we fight for the civil rights of gay Americans, immigrants and the poor, we must also remember the civil rights of our seniors.  Because if we wait too long to do something, who will speak for us when we are the ones in need? 

SRQ Daily Columnist Susan Nilon is the president of Florida Talk Radio and owner of WSRQ Radio. She hosts The Nilon Report on WSRQ Sarasota 1220AM/106.9FM weekdays 4pm-6pm. Email her at susan@sarasotatalkradio.com.

Does your dog need help keeping his New Year's resolution? The Humane Society of Sarasota County has just the K-9 Training Course for you and your four-legged friend. Each six-week course is taught by expert trainers and ranges from just $60-$80 - almost half the price of other courses in the area.  Choose from Puppy Kindergarten or Basic Obedience levels 1 and 2. Classes take place once a week in the Training Building at HSSC and are one hour long. 

Humane Society of Sarasota County

Recently, Selah Freedom reached out to a Sarasota woman was being pimped out by a man who was arrested for trafficking minors in Manatee county.  When the organization met her through Outreach Program on streets, in jail and at court, she was highly addicted to drugs. Over time she began to trust Selah Freedom and entered its Residential Program noting that she could not believe she was actually in a place where she was not required to perform sexual acts for food and a place to sleep.  The woman has been a member of the Selah Freedom Residential Program for several months and receives healing and restorative care so she will not be vulnerable to returning to her past abuse.  Selah Freedom exists to confront the issue of sex trafficking and exploitation through advocacy, training and restorative services. Selah Freedom brings awareness to the issue of sex trafficking and to provide a safe place for survivors to heal. The organization helps sexually exploited individuals find their voice and purpose and to reclaim all that was stolen from them through their victimization. 

Selah Freedom

For the first time, the board of directors of both Manatee Chamber of Commerce and Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation have elected chairs from the same company – Blalock Walters, P.A.  With a history of leadership and commitment to both organizations, Blalock Walters attorneys have served as Chamber and EDC past chairs, board and trustee members, and have participated on various development committees over the past 40 years. Jonathan Fleece, Managing Partner of Blalock Walters, P.A., has been elected 2015 Chair of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation, the lead economic development organization for the Bradenton Area’s nine communities located south of Tampa Bay, has named Mark Barnebey, Principal at Blalock Walters, P.A., Chair of the 2015 Board of Directors.  

Blalock Walters, P.A.,

A local veteran’s family was recently gifted with a chance for a fresh start in 2015, thanks to a partnership of Goodwill Manasota and Heroes Welcome Home. Nathan Rohleder, his wife, Kara, and their newborn baby, Henley, were presented with a check for $1,000 from Heroes Welcome Home to provide one month’s rent and groceries. Rohleder served for seven years in the Army National Guard; the family moved to Sarasota after he returned home from deployment. Currently, Rohleder is actively searching for employment with the assistance of Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program staff. Heroes Welcome Home was founded out of a desire to help those who have sacrificed for their country. Tony Barrett, board president, and his wife, Kelly Barrett, board secretary, were directed to Goodwill to find a veteran who was looking to purchase a home but required some assistance. Heroes Welcome Home, which is entirely made up of volunteers, raised $1,000 and donated it to the Rohleder family, which was identified through Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program.  Rohleder was grateful for the contribution, which was presented by the Barretts and Goodwill Manasota Veterans Services Program staff directly to the family. “I can’t believe how generous the people in this community are, and I can’t say how much this means to us. Now I can go out and focus on finding a job to provide for my family, instead of worrying about rent for January,” said Rohleder. “It isn’t easy to ask for help, especially when you’re used to taking care of everyone else. Goodwill definitely understands veterans, they understand that we want to find success but we have to learn to fit back into the civilian lifestyle. They have helped me with job leads and interviews, and this gift from Heroes Welcome Home is just icing on the cake.” 

Goodwill Manasota

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has hired Lorrie Liang, a senior healthcare executive from Maryland, as its new Chief Operating Officer. Liang, who currently serves as vice president of the not-for-profit LifeBridge Health System/Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, will assume her new leadership role at Sarasota Memorial on February 16. Liang has more than 25 years of experience in leading hospital operations, service lines, physician practice groups, graduate medical education and clinical research programs in academic and community health systems. She has been especially focused on improving population health through disease management and readmission reduction programs. Liang received her Master of Health Services Administration from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and her Bachelor of Arts in Health Science and Policy from the University of Maryland. 

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System