Businessman Derrick Wallace appears to have hit the ground running in his quest to become the next Orange County Commissioner for District 6.
On Tuesday, Wallace was spotted at the Jewish Chamber of Commerce networking event at the Citrus Restaurant, 821 N. Orange Avenue in Orlando. Last week, he was seen at Vittorio’s Restaurant on International Drive – another networking function which brought members of several Central Florida Chambers together, including the Haitian American Chamber, Caribbean American Chamber and Puerto Rico Chamber.
At the Citrus Restaurant, this reporter seized on the opportunity to ask Wallace a few questions, including his thoughts on the role of local business organizations in nurturing and developing small business.
“Local business organizations have a pivotal role to play in helping small businesses grow, particularly through providing networking opportunities, assisting with branding, training and in some cases helping to facilitate loans and with venture capital,” said Wallace. “I think that these business organizations are a wealth of information and a rich resource on which small businesses can draw.”
Noting that small businesses are the anchor in the economy and create 70% of all jobs, I asked Wallace whether from his experience as a local business owner if enough is being done by the local government, as well as local chambers to support businesses in Orange County.
“If small businesses are to survive, far more needs to be done to support them,” he said. “Particularly in the construction sector, there are large multi-million dollar companies that bid on say, $1 million contracts and squeeze out the small contractors.”
Asked how this particular issue might be addressed, Wallace referenced a Polk County ordinance which has proven to be quite successful, allowing a minimum of three small companies to bid on contracts, once they meet the qualifications.
“Given that small businesses help stimulate economic growth, provide employment, and bring innovation to the community, we need similar protections to help them grow and prosper in Orange County,” Wallace said.
