Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor Alexis Muellner's Florida Business Minds podcast features top business leaders in the Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville and South Florida regions. His May 7th episode featured his interview with our Tampa Bay Chamber's Chair Elect Ed Narain. The vice president of external and legislative affairs for AT&T, spoke about his career journey, business trends in Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and the Chamber's Minority Business Accelerator - which was recognized in 2023 as a model of innovation during the World Chambers Congress in Switzerland.
Here's a portion of the coverage of TBBJ's Florida Business Minds Podcast:
From the Tampa Bay community to the state legislature, former Representative Ed Narain has served the region for almost 25 years. In this episode, TBBJ Editor Alexis Muellner welcomes Narain to share how his family's blue collar work ethic inspired him, diversity, equity and inclusion, and his future political aspirations.
Ed on Diversity in the workforce: “The truth is, whether it’s the legal profession or corporate America, it is rare that you have a level of diversity that represents the population of the country. If you wanted to argue that African Americans make up 13% – 14% of the nation, you’re not going to have that in most workforces - and in the legal profession in particular. If you look at it that way, yes, there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Ed on using one's talents to serve the community: "What you’re finding is that there are a lot of black business owners that have been so focused on running their business they haven’t had a chance to get together and work together. That is rapidly changing. The Tampa Bay Chamber started the Minority Business Accelerator back in 2017. In 2020, we brought AT&T the idea of bringing in a Minority Empowerment Program to it that’s attracted more black and brown businesses as well. The black and brown dollar has always been in the community, but now the power of it is finally being leveraged and showcased through these programs. “
Click to hear full 30 minute podcast with Alexis Muellner & Chair Elect Ed Narain.
TBBJ's Florida Business Minds is sponsored by TECO Peoples Gas and known for its candid conversations with leaders across West-Central and South Florida.