Help us spread this important message by prominently displaying the “Buy Lakeland” logo in your business, and by spending your dollars locally before getting on-line or I-4 to shop.  For a quick reference on quality products and services offered by Chamber members, visit our Web site at: www.lakelandchamber.com and click on the “Preferred Business Directory” on the home page.

Remember, by doing business in Lakeland, you’re:

· Protecting the jobs of family, friends and fellow Chamber members.

· Directing dollars to local schools, roads and parks.

· Helping sustain the long-standing economic growth and quality of life in our community.

Special thanks to our partners at Bright House Networks for producing several “Buy Lakeland” commercials promoting the benefits of doing business locally. Watch for the commercials airing on Bright House cable channels over the next few months.

If you need a “Buy Lakeland” window cling to display, just e-mail mstevenson@lakelandchamber.com and we’ll get one to you! The Chamber has also produced “Buy Lakeland” business cards for members to leave when patronizing local businesses. Stop by the Chamber if you’d like a supply of these cards to give out.

By supporting our local businesses in Lakeland, we all win!

GOAL:

A Polk County School Board Process for Selecting Contractors
 that is “Fair, Equitable and Transparent”

A “white paper summary” of a June 15 Meeting between Polk County Chamber of Commerce representatives and Assistant Superintendent for Facilities/Operations, Fred Murphy.

Over the past 90 days, a number of Polk County’s Chamber executives and their
volunteer leaders have been approached by local contractors who felt the process used for selecting contractors to manage major construction projects of the Polk County Public School System was flawed and unfair. There exists a strong feeling that dollars spent for Polk Schools should be spent with those businesses that are legitimately based in Polk County. There also exists a strong desire to ensure the process is free of favoritism.

Following discussions that initially took place between Lakeland, Bartow and Winter Haven Chamber executives, a decision was made to request a meeting with Polk Public Schools Administration. Immediately upon inquiry, Superintendent Gail McKinzie offered to arrange such a meeting with Assistant Superintendent for Facilities/Operations, Fred Murphy. (Murphy was tapped to resolve contractor selection and favoritism issues in November 2008 following the initiation of an FBI investigation into alleged wrongdoing by district staff.)

On June 15, Mr. Murphy met with representatives from the Bartow, Davenport, Haines City, Lakeland, Mulberry and Winter Haven Chambers of Commerce. The two-hour meeting was framed by a thorough review of where Polk Public Schools are in their efforts to create a contractor selection process that is “fair, equitable and transparent.”

Mr. Murphy spoke for the majority of the two-hours allocated and displayed a sincere commitment to creating a selection process that may not always make everyone happy, but a process that will truly be “fair, equitable and transparent.” The phrase is repeated here again to underscore Murphy’s repetitive statement of commitment.

He provided detailed information regarding the policy which is currently in its final draft stages. More importantly Mr. Murphy addressed two important points:

a.)    Within the new policy (under development), the mere offer of a gift by a contractor to a School Board representative will cost a contractor any future right to do business with the School Board.  The gift policy will prohibit school personnel from accepting gifts with a monetary value over $50.00.

b.)   The new selection process will include a “local recognition of proximity” policy that will provide a legally defensible edge for Polk County-based contractors.

Chamber representatives present felt that positive steps were being taken to develop a process for contractor selection that was indeed “fair, equitable and transparent.” Those Chambers present have since conferred and expressed confidence that Fred Murphy’s goals for the Contractor Selection Process will be a significant step forward and hold the potential to restore contractor confidence and respect.

The new policy is expected to be presented to the School Board for consideration by August. When the policy is finalized, we will present the document in its entirety.

The commitment of all Chambers involved is to bring positive change to this contractor procurement process. Mr. Murphy displays a sincere grasp of the challenge and the commitment to make such positive change.

We welcome members’ comments regarding this important “buy local” issue.

Last night, I attended the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) public hearing in Lakeland along with more than 200 concerned citizens and postal workers, as well as city and county elected officials.  I have to say, I was very proud of the professional and respectful tone of everyone who attended and offered their comments, questions and concerns during the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to share recommendations coming out of a USPS Area Mail Processing (AMP) feasibility study supporting that the Postal Service would save roughly $1.5 million annually by consolidating the Lakeland originating mail processing operations with the Tampa operations center.  This proposal is one of 17 under consideration throughout the country in an attempt  to offset projected USPS  losses of $2.8 billion that could escalate to $6 billion if cost-saving measures are not implemented.

What impact will the move of the mail processing operations out of Lakeland have on the businesses and homes in the 338 zip code service area in Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties which account for an average of 284,00 pieces of mail a day?

Of immediate concern, up to 39 Lakeland postal workers will be reassigned to either Tampa or other service facilities.   While the Postal Service reps assured the audience there would be no layoffs, being relocated to other postal facilities within a 150-mile radius will create a great hardship on those affected employees.

From a business perspective, the other major concern is the loss of service and Lakeland identity this move will create.  The study reported that no disruption or delay in postal service will be experienced if the move takes place.  However, several postal workers stated that it would be impossible to maintain the level of delivery service currently provided by Lakeland, and questioned the real cost savings and efficiency if mail was trucked to Tampa for processing and then trucked back to Lakeland or to further points in the 338 service area.

I encourage you to visit the USPS Web site to learn further details on the USPS AMP study:  www.usps.com/all/amp.htm.

After listening to the presentations last night and hearing from members of the audience, a few observations and recommendations to consider………

Lakeland is recognized as the premier distribution center for the southeast, with its strategic location along the I-4 corridor making it ideally positioned to move goods and services to a broad geographic market.   8.5 million people live within a 100-mile radius of Lakeland and close to 600,000 people live in Polk County alone.

With Lakeland between two major metropolitan areas, wouldn’t it create greater cost and service efficiencies to EXPAND the Lakeland Postal Center  rather than shift the processing service to the west?

I was pleased to hear from the postal service representatives last night that Lakeland is rated one of the best mail processing plants in the country.  Why wouldn’t that level of service be utilized to its maximum capacity rather than forcing the Tampa facility to increase their overtime labor to handle the additional mail service?

In today’s economic environment, every business in this country is going through the same challenges the U.S. Postal Service faces to identify cost-savings measures to keep their doors open without jeopardizing their most valuable asset, the customers they serve.

In light of the global competition facing the USPS with the surge of on-line communications service, we ask the U.S. Postal Service to weigh the short-term economic and efficiency benefits reported in the study against the long-term impact to their customers, both internal and external,  and further erosion of their competitive edge in service areas such as Lakeland.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO VOICE YOUR COMMENTS AND CONCERNS ON THIS ISSUE??

I encourage you to contact the U.S. Postal Service to voice your comments, questions and concerns regarding the potential relocation of the Lakeland mail processing center and its impact on your business.   Correspondence must be received by February 26 to be included in the AMP analysis:

Consumer Affairs Manager
Suncoast District, USPS
6013 Benjamin Rd Ste 201
Tampa, FL 33634-5178

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about this important issue, and let me know if you have any other thoughts or suggestions on how the Chamber can represent Lakeland’s interests as we move forward.