Florida Trend published its 2020 Economic Outlook in the January 2020 issue, which included commentary shared by panelists at the BusinessTrends 2019 event hosted by Trenam Law in October 2019 at the Tampa River Center. Entitled “Business Trends: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown,” the event was moderated by WUSF Morning Edition co-anchor Bradley George, and included an insightful discussion from a panel of revered business leaders, including Tim Bogott, CEO of TradeWinds Island Resorts; Scott Curtis, President of Raymond James Private Client Services; and Tony DiBenedetto, serial tech entrepreneur and former CEO (and Co-Founder) of Tribridge Capital.
A full summary of that discussion is available here, and the key takeaways included in Florida Trend’s outlook included:
- Tim Bogott (Hospitality) – “In terms of the economy overall, there are a lot of positive signs right now – unemployment, etc. – and lots of concerning signs. It’s a mixed bag. What really does concern me, though, is we are 11 years into our recovery, so there’s this expectation that we have to have some sort of pullback, and I think that may be one of the most probable reasons there will be some pullback. It’s just expectations.”
- Tony DiBenedetto (Technology) – I tend to view the world through a tech lens. I think most of the companies I’m on the board of or I consult with, they are typically selling in a broad or global market. I do think those broad things that are happening with China and economic conditions in other countries, tend to have an impact. It feels like lots of things are pointing to a negative future, but we continue to outperform in the short term. And so it’s a little confusing, I think. I read the data and go: ‘Well, something bad seems like it’s coming’ – but I thought that a year ago. I’m comfortable with the short term. Obviously, the long term just seems uncertain to me. I’m concerned for all of my companies. Even though they serve different sectors, I think they’re affected by all the global indicators.”
- Scott Curtis (Financial) – “There is a lot of money now flowing into shorter-term investment vehicles that offer yield but some certainty of principal. What we’ve seen, I would say, is a bit of a pullback in money flowing into investments that are more at risk. People are, I think, interested in a greater amount of certainty given economic uncertainty.”
Florida Trend subscribers may access the full Economic Outlook here.
