Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 8-18-17

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Chairman And CEO Of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Engages Participants At Opening Of Minority Enterprise Dev. Conference
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Growing up, beverage giant Coca-Cola was ever present throughout Troy Taylor’s Lafayette, La., com- munity – on store shelves, stamped on the shirts of Little Leaguers.
It was an impression that stayed with him through col- lege at Marshall University and into his first career as an investment banker.
Taylor, 46, leveraged his love of the brand into a busi- ness, and today owns the fifth-largest independent Coca-Cola bottling business in the country, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. No small fete, because it was the first time in 60 years that Coca- Cola opened the door for a new bottling business, when Taylor, the only African American owner, started in 2015.
And every time a truck emblazed with the iconic sign rolls through a community, it’s an opportunity for young Black people to see Coca-Cola
on the minority business landscape and corporate so- cial responsibility as the fea- tured guest at Tuesday’s opening luncheon at the 2017 Florida Minority Enterprise Development Conference.
Hosted by the Minority Enterprise Development Cor- poration of Tampa Bay, Inc., the three-day conference fea- tured workshops and events that exalted the conference’s focus on business growth.
In her opening remarks, Machelle Maner – presi- dent of the corporation’s board of directors – implored business owners to seize op- portunities to make connec- tions that will help them advance their enterprises.
“Our focus is connecting businesses to opportunity,” she said. “Our hope is that you’ll find many opportuni- ties...somebody you can do business with and learn something that you did not know before.”
Several dozen business owners and government offi- cials listened intently as Tay- lor fielded questions from
Troy Taylor of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, the only African- American Coca-Cola bottle company owner.
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Chairman and CEO, Troy Taylor with Minority En- terprise Development Board President, Machelle Maner.
making an impact on their community – just like Taylor did.
“It’s a great example for young kids of all races and ethnicities...and young black kids to see someone doing their thing,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to show our Black brothers and sisters that example at all times.”
Taylor shared his outlook
Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County’s Small Business Development Cen- ter.
Prior to establishing his bottling company, Taylor founded Spinel Investment Company, a Houston-based private investment firm.
During the two-year process of developing the firm’s business strategy, Tay- lor said he used resources available to him while em- ployed at JP Morgan, includ- ing seeking the insight of clients.
The tools that can truly catapult a business to the next level – such as access to capi- tal – remain out of reach for minority business owners, Taylor said.
He pointed to the white supremacists who clashed with anti-racism protestors last weekend in Char- lottesville as part of the prob- lem.
“I bet among the white su- premacists you had a lot of business owners, managers, who make decisions with companies,” he said. “We cannot forget that or brush it aside and say that it isn’t play- ing a role.”
Coca-Cola
Florida is expected to post revenues of more than $1 bil- lion and poised to grow by 40 percent in the next five years.
But Taylor says his com- pany’s success doesn’t shield him from experiences as “just another Black man” when he walks into a business meet- ing.
It’s important that minor- ity business owners remain passionate about their busi- nesses to help them overcome hurdles, he said.
“Chase what’s in your heart,” he said. “If you do that, you’ll create opportunity for success.”
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