There was standing room only at this year’ s 2018 Empowerment Luncheon. The Citrus Club, with its breathtaking view of the city’ s sprawling legal and business district, in downtown Orlando, was the host venue to the sold-out assembly of community leaders, political figures, entrepreneurs and local business owners. After a brief networking opportunity, the guests were ushered into the formal dining room for an exquisite meal prepared by the renowned culinary team of the Citrus Club. The Host and Moderator for this year was Monica May, Morning Host of The Tom Joyner Morning Show. She is also the News / Community Affairs Director at STAR 94.5 a Cox Media Group station in Orlando. Monica has an extensive history of community involvement and a loyal audience that consistently responds favorably to her public appearances and this time was no exception. She introduced Pastor Roderick Zack from Rejoice in the Lord Ministries who delivered the Invocation. In addition, AACCCF Board Chair, Joyce Odongo, provided brief remarks and recognized all of the sponsors, Board of Directors and the AACCCF team.

The highlight of the afternoon was Troy D. Taylor. Taylor is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC( Coke Florida) headquartered in Tampa Florida. Coke Florida is a family-owned

independent Coca-Cola Bottler that manufacturers, sells, and distributes over 600 products of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies across an exclusive franchise territory that covers over 18 million consumers and includes the major metropolitan markets of Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville. Coke Florida has four production centers and seventeen sales and distribution centers located throughout Florida. The company is the third largest privately-held and the sixth largest independent bottler of Coca-Cola products in the United States. Coke Florida is also one of America’ s largest black-owned businesses with over $ 1.2 billion in sales. In the August publication of the Black Enterprise Top 100, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida was ranked in the Top 10, securing the # 5 spot in its first ranking. Coke Florida is also recognized as one of the Top 100 Employment Leaders with over 4,600 employees.

Troy Taylor and his team at Coke Florida worked with the AACCCF team to change the format for this year’ s Empowerment Luncheon. Instead of just providing a keynote speech similar to past guest, Taylor also decided to have a conversation with the audience moderated by Monica May. Coke Florida is empowering a legacy, one bottle at a time and Taylor wanted the audience to understand how corporate culture, communities, and customers impact the legacy. Assembling leadership from across the country, beginning with 10 associates in May of 2015, today Coke Florida boasts over 4,600 associates, creating what Taylor refers to as,“ Florida’ s largest startup”. As a business leader, Taylor said he makes sure to hire people smarter than he is and he embraces a“ three-pillar culture of passion, partnership and performance”.

In response to a question posed by Monica May, Troy Taylor discussed his entrepreneurial journey. In 2013, he founded Spinel Investment Company, a Houston-based independent private investment firm that specializes in owning and operating highvalue logistics, supply chain management and distribution businesses that have symbolic relationships with blue-chip corporations or government entities.“ After helping others build their brands”, Troy Taylor said to himself,“ I need to start taking my own advice”. And

L-R: Derek Frederickson, Phillip Laws, L’ Shaun Overton, Troy D. Taylor, Katrinda McQueen, Travis A. Warren and David Cross

his road to entrepreneurship began there. In 2015, after a long-relationship as an advisor to The Coca- Cola Company, he founded Coca- Cola Beverages Florida, the first new bottler in the Coca-Cola system in over 60 years.“ We are putting Florida first by redefining what it means to be a local Coca-Cola bottler,” said Taylor.“ We are dedicated to serving customers, consumers, and our associates with the highest level of excellence.”

Taylor uses“ passionate, visionary, and disciplined” as three words to describe himself as an entrepreneur. Others would agree. In June 2018, Taylor was recognized as Earnest & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year, Consumer Products. As part of the recognition, Taylor was identified as a moldbreaker. When asked about that title and what vision he sees for the future of the organization, Taylor replied,” His steadfast focus is on building a black-owned Coca-Cola bottler with annual revenue over $ 1 billion, something that has not happened in the over 100-year history of the Coca-Cola bottling system and is a rarity in American business from a company size standpoint.”

The 2018 Empowerment Luncheon cumulated with concluding remarks from Interim President Ed Parker, Broker / Owner of Parker Realty Group. He thanked the Ambassadors, volunteers and AACCCF Team for all of the work that went into this amazing event. He also extended recognition and thanks to outgoing Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives, Lena Graham Morris for her many years of dedication and service to the African American Chamber of Commerce.

After a brief break, Troy D. Taylor, agreed to sit down for questions and photos with select members of the media, including Jennifer Yon, IBA Success Magazine. She is quoted as saying that engaging, enlightening and empowering were most certainly the words of choice to describe the experience of the 2018 African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida Empowerment Luncheon. n

TARA DORSEY

26 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 4, Issue 5