Building A Flourishing City Environment

Betsy Gardner Eckbert is the epitome of a strong, female leader. My daughters admire her character after meeting her. She has been helping Winter Park, FL flourish for over six years. I invited Ms. Gardner Eckbert onto Crossman Conversations CEO Edition to talk about the strong community of Winter Park, and how as a small city, it is one of the best places to start a business in Florida.

Ms. Gardner Eckbert is the President of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and serves on the advisory committee for Rollins College . The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 100 years of bringing community leaders and businesses together. The city has come a long way since its inception, thanks to the Chamber of Commerce. Eckbert explains how Winter Park is the perfect mix of small-town feel with a sense of elevated sophistication. Working in real estate has helped me to understand that Park Avenue, located in the heart of Winter Park, is a unique phenomenon because it has a beautiful college and museum encasing the area. Eckbert explains how the layout of Park Avenue appeals to businesses and consumers.

“It's about an elevated experience, but it's also about critical mass. When you think about Park Avenue, the ingredients that make Park Avenue work is that we've got green space, which attracts people there, and you've got the pedestrian as king, and you've got mixed use real estate there. So, people actually live, work, shop and dine there. That buzz of the diversity, of activity is kind of what some of the secret sauce is. Then, again, it’s making sure it's a pedestrian friendly, human scaled experience. I think that's a key part of it as well.”

Not only did Eckbert and I discuss Winter Park, but we talked about the key to replicating Winter Park’s atmosphere in another area of the country. Additionally, we discussed being a courageous leader and navigating challenging times as a CEO. Eckbert and I talk about how our culture sometimes does not know how to handle a strong businesswoman.

?You can hear Betsy Gardner Eckbert discuss the city of Winter Park, and what makes the city flourish here: https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation-ceo-edition/episode/s1e05-john-welcomes-betsy-gardner-eckbert-president-of-the-winter-park-chamber-of-commerce/

Last week, I spoke with Lisa LaBoo on financial advisement. You can hear more of our conversation here: ?https://www.theshepherdradio.com/podcasts/the-crossman-conversation-ceo-edition/episode/s1e04-lisa-LaBoo-president-of-an-investment-firm-shares-on-keys-that-all-business-leaders-should-have-in-their-toolbox/

John Crossman is the founder of Crossman Career Builders , the host of The Crossman Conversation , and the author of Career Killers Career Builders . Check out Crossman Career Builders on YouTube . Connect with John on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .