Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJEP6klD1lI&list=PLOQvdw7d0cd9RZZkd2lZy2hmrnJv-cfLI&index=83
Host:all right so we are back here on the choose nine five four podcast with good friend local community builder Maria Medina
Maria:hi everybody welcome thank you
Host:you guys didn't know about trees nine five four we started the social movement in to cultivate culture community here in Broward County where we both live in an effort to bring people together over our shared passions keep people in know with all the great things that are going on I really just you know make this a better place to live so we started a podcast to connect you with great people like her they're doing amazing things in the community so you guys can be a little bit more connected and you can engage and I'll tell you a little bit more about some of the great things that come out of here so thanks for joining us
Maria:thank you as a business owner I know that trees night before still helps us as well know what's going on in the community
Host:amen right
Maria:yes things together
Host:so why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself
Maria:so for those of you that don't know me my name is Maria I am the owner of the minimum possible ten makers I am has this actually a franchise so I only this specific location we're a full-service for chop you do everything from design to print and promotional products we basically say if it's got a logo on it we can do it my extensive involvement in the community it's actually it started with the business because I moved here with the purpose of owning a business and in order to grow that business I decided to get more involved in the community and like chamber groups and all that stuff so that people would get to know me as a business owner and would be more likely to use me because they know me
Host:yeah amen yes okay why don't you tell us a little bit the journey of how you did get here and so to the point where you're out right now
Maria:so I guess it's my entrepreneurial journey because I was working for a big corporation I'm originally from Colombia and lives all over and the Egypt Spain in the UK I was actually in the UK for nine years that's where I met my wife and that was seven eight years ago oh she's not watching because then she'll quote me on this it was so when when I met her I was actually going into like my first career I had been working for the same company for a few years but I was really growing wasn't that company but I gotten to a point where I was just at the same level that I had been for a few years she really got me into gear I gotta come up with a promotion within a few years and then I grew so much within that company that there was really nowhere else for me to go and she was like you need to be your own boss we need to look at something because you're driving people in your office crazy you're driving yourself crazy you need to go somewhere where you can actually have a high impact on the company that you're working for or with and on the community so that you feel like you're actually doing something with a purpose we started looking at companies in the UK but in the end we ended up asking my brother-in-law he owns the minute me impressed on 79th Street in Miami and we said is that something you would recommend how is it gonna winning do you think we should go into it and at the same time that we asked that question who won came up for sale in Oakland Park and we just thought it was kismat expense a big we're asking these questions it's become available for sale let's look into it and let's just do it we visited the shop and it wasn't doing the best in sales but it had good staff it had the potential and just it wasn't this location was it no so it was on Oakland Park and if you guys know the area it's on 21st and Oakland West with a purple of art by that big big post office because back in the day there's like 30 years ago whenever they opened up a minumum press location they were like I'll learn do all the businesses need to go the post office so let's put them in and present Sothis but unfortunately the area was up and coming and it was upcoming for the last 15 years and it was next to Lakehurst or it just wasn't the nicest neighborhood and here if I leave at 8 o'clock in 90 it's safe I can walk out it's fine over there I would not get safe walking out at 8 o clock exactly where are we right now we're on the fourth Avenue just north of sunrise Boulevard I will miss Austin right down the street from downtown for Mario from the heart of Wilton Manors right around the corner from fat village message trading you know literally about five minutes from everything yeah we get actually lots of Flagler I do sometimes they have a really good I gave it on the show coming up here soon we're working on some dates doing some great things you do a lot of great things in the community for the sake of time we're gonna actually summarize some involvement between the chamber between all the other groups that you're involved so my first bought the business I had a business advisor helping me find the right business and the first thing she said to me was when my business first thing you need to do join a chamber that's the first thing you need to know do to get to know the community get to know the people that are business owners so that was the first thing that I joined at first you know I'm not I was the person that was like in the corner standing like what am I doing here I'm not used to is how do I introduce myself to people and it's really funny somebody the other day it was like oh so how's the best way to introduce yourself and literally say hi I'm Maria and it's as easy as that when you're first starting out it's so hard to do that I started with the chamber then I became a member of BNI that's a national organization and then I just the group started rolling in and there was a member of Riverwalk I was in November and still my member walk member of tower club member of the National Association professional women and South Florida business connections lesbians who tech that's the National organization that tries to get more women into the tech industry not just the LGBT women but just women in general until the tech end just if industry because it's so saturated and most recently I started helping out being the media supporter for nonprofit that's called ignite South Florida which is for LGBT women in the South Florida issue
Host:and any oh yes I did mention so my wife actually volunteers for good karma pet rescue we have two pets already that we've adopted there were Fosters and when they became our pest management have a Chihuahua which is a Chihuahua Fox Terrier and we just got a cat that was one so we have a household full of pets in my wife is just she loves animals she can't understand how people mistreat animals or anything like that so we try and do we try and do a lot for them I did a fundraiser I think it was last year for them we helped get them supplies and they try and help them out as much as I can as well awesome so you've been involved with a lot you do a lot of great things and you know see you everywhere what are some of your proudest achievements that you've accomplished so far or just things that you that you're proud that you've been involved in that made an impact in the community sure so with lesbians who tack when we had the pulse Orlando tragedy we actually did a fundraiser and we managed to raise I think I was $4,000 at General Pervez run with Carmen yes and that was one of the connections that we made so we raised funds for that tragedy that was I was able to donate shirts for them that the fire in like three days yeah and that wasn't just like me it awkward I was like pulled into this and I was like yes thank you thank you for getting involved this was one of the the sit across city directors and her name is Carmen Bhama and she she just went into it she's like we need to do something where we belong to this big organization to do something for to bring the community together because a lot of people had moved from really know and have a lot of people that they knew up there and it was very close to their heart and I was still relatively new to the community but the fact that she thought of us and she thought to bring me in I was so flattered and I was I guess whatever you need shirts Flyers whatever you need and we're able to raise $4,000 for oh that's great yeah we miss you Carmen we do that was I forgot about that that was great in like really short time I know you've done some stuff with Karen Prescott yeah so we breathed most recently she Karen Prescott she runs Prescott kids the boatside kids and it's a nonprofit that raises awareness for kids to suffer with chronic pain and she kind of Facebook competition and so I went I had a I went all out and I had like a boat I would like suspenders just to bring awareness or a non-profit and we were very thankful that you were our printing sponsor for our Fort Lauderdale last year helping us look great yeah thank you of course and I know that we've been able to take get you involved with wax and with some other NASM yeah I'm not gonna stop can't stop won't stop no and it's funny you say that because I literally was speaking about wax I I just had a LexA talk last week and one of my advice for the rising leaders of the grade Fort Larnell Chamber of Commerce and everybody was so impressed with her and I swear she was one of the last people to leave and I was like are you okay she everybody wanted to talk to her after that and it was a connection that I'm into you and everybody was like how did you meet this amazing person that was just like Evans know what she's saying Fife are and of course didn't want to be here if it wasn't for Alexis inspiration at the top I know she told me that yeah you never know we're gonna let you know about those upcoming talks soon so yeah there's definitely been a time we can probably walk through four days of just little things here I know that you've been involved with our good friend Phoenix and just a lot of stuff that she does and really just all in the chamber you know members and all the good organizations we connected initially through emergence for Howard yes separate powered and you know can go on and on but with that sense it's really so much going on for Darnell since we're long ago has changed so much what are your thoughts on the current state from our perspective of active you know participating members community building from like a live-work-play all the development going on and all the new things or not what are your thoughts on the current state
Maria:disappointed that the wave didn't go punch through I was actually talking to Jenny Morejon two weeks ago or so and it's like coming from London where you don't need a car or anything cuz you just you can just get on a bus on a train you can get around everywhere when we came here four years ago it was just so like a bit of like a culture shock that you have to drive everywhere and especially in the downtown right in a downtown where the buses are unreliable like what is that so that's the only thing transportation I think is really I mean restaurants are great the developments that are coming up and like all the co-working spaces that they have going on that's amazing but they really need to work on transportation and I know they're do they're working towards it it may be the wave was just one thing that got shot down and hopefully don't work on something else to replace that but for example they put into the bright line and they didn't have like the connector between the break live in downtown which would be you know something very simple and they're actually doing I don't know if you know but to our road on the 4th Avenue they're actually renovating this whole road if you drive from sunrise all the way to five points what they're doing is they're making a single lane
Host:oh wow
Maria:at the moment it's four lanes you're gonna make it two lanes and they're gonna add on ice and a lot of people who are against then they're like oh there's traffic I use it to cut through in sight whoa you're speeding through that's what you're doing there's a high school at the top of my road with kids crossing the street so when they're trying to do they're trying to slow down traffic encourage poor walkability they're gonna extend the sidewalks and I think for a business I think that's great
Host:and Florida happens to be the second deadliest biking city
Maria:I did not know that
Host:yeah and I Eric Barney there's a lot of great work with bike FTL and raising awareness he was instrumental in helping to get the bike lanes on Las Olas he's big advocate great guy so I think my
Maria:yeah so they did it to power line now they're doing it here and I was talking to Jenny as well how I just went to I just came from from Portland Oregon and they had the sharing bike thank you know the stands where you can run to buy in the new returnin and I think I love you great idea over here
Host:yeah and while you were disappointed out the way they got there probably wasn't anybody more disappointed than Jenny that I know but Jenny knows that my partner and group has come up with some pretty good ideas that you submitted Jenny Ben Lee Feldman and a few folks that for proven methods that we've seen in other markets so it's not a complete waste of course we did have a little bit of the investment you know that went in 12 it but there is some other solutions out there and I think right if we had not been the number two biking deadliest biking cities in the world then yeah we could always improve and have more bike lanes more walkability and more right you want to have this be a place that you don't have to get your car yeah to go to the grocery store so that's the old I mean everything else there's so many restaurants so many places to go I love Broward County you don't even have the it's those response to supersaturated I know it's starting to get there but it doesn't feel even with all the construction that's going on it still doesn't feel like everybody's like all getting ready for school traffic you know that school's back in and it's like and how it's developed into where it is today
Maria:well we actually used to live in alternators
Host:yeah
Maria:and the only downside about how great it's becoming is how expensive it's becoming both for residential and businesses for us you were actually going to go our building was going to go in multi managed but we couldn't find a big enough space they don't have enough space we needed 14-under square feet that we could then expand into grow out of and they don't have that space and I'm finding that a lot of the restaurants in Wilton Manors since the last like six months than them closed down
Host:yeah it's really been I know Robins had a good run over there and I know boa is doing pretty well right
Host:and of course Nero cheese company but yeah you know that's kind of been the double-edged sword with growth and with development come rising costs
Maria:yeah
Host:unfortunately other things come too late gentrification when I was growing up here for our County there was nothing here I think this was industrial and trailer parks as well as Oakland Park both are obviously so much change for the better over time but at what cost that's one of the big decisions I know that the new Commission is facing you know do we keep developing and do we keep you know building or maybe should we focus on infrastructure and having more bike lanes who are not the number two deadliest biking city and having more things to do in accessibility and walkability and things like that affordable housing is definitely a top issue one of the other issues that we both actually kind of work to address indirectly through initiatives is when I was on the six pillars of merchants leader council with the Alliance they were facing the issue of how to try the routine talent we do a good job of attracting talent of course who doesn't want to be here at winter and no shoveling snow so state income tax but the retaining talent is an issue that's plagued fortune 500 businesses downtown a lot of businesses I've been a recruit over the last five years and if you're recruiting somebody from New York or LA or Chicago are you really gonna come here to make less money when there's also maybe less things to do that some of those big cities so thankfully with the growth of downtown with the growth of Flagler fat messager new things are coming and it is helping and I'm really excited for the future of Fort Lauderdale I think both both of us ours we have so much invested in the area that's actually something that the chamber was trying to do for the fortune 500 companies they're able to afford the higher memberships with the chamber which is the trustee the Chairman's Circle memberships and then that's something that they can offer to their young professionals we have this membership you can go and attend and meet these like-minded professionals that are in the same situation as you which is why we started the group about a year ago and it's a great way to especially if you're new to the area
Host:so rising leaders council just give a quick so rising leaders is aimed if you're young in your profession okay so we're not age centric what we try and do is if you are young in where your career is and that is up to 12 to you know your interpretation of yacht if you think 10 years in a profession is nothing come and come up with us if you're still willing to learn from our speakers and get involved us that's the people that we were on at our events yes it does bring in a younger crowd but we also we just tried to change how people are learning of the events and we're also trying to change how people are networking and fundraising so so far we had one minutes a month for the last year we've raised money for Gilda's Club we've raised money for a bend and pet rescue we just had talking about a short time to do something we just did the rising leaders summer story which we actually pulled out in five weeks Allah and we raise money for the chamber and we raised money to send a rising leader to leadership were allotted oh
Host:ha yeah this is not no and we did that in five weeks
Maria:and it was very you know it was very focused her focus was on these people that we know want to reach out to these rising professionals where you can be in your 40s and be in a new career and still be a rising leader and so need to be people in connecting
Host:yeah agent network which the aforementioned organization and we met there were reverent recently relaunched was been a division of leadership for loyal
Maria:yeah
Host:and after a small itis and transition is a primary there's your brower great another great membership-based organization very reasonable membership $40 for the year have a meet and greet every month traditionally in the past have had these connects activities and activations and meetups where maybe one night and you would always be learning something so it would be like learn how to paddleboard and then have like you know meet up drinks and stuff like that I hosted I learned how to play poker one night and you don't learn how to paint but have network there's one at the Museum I'm sure those will be returning soon so you can follow emerge powered on Facebook and also shows rising leaders have a you follow the chamber
Maria:yeah so if you follow the chamber or if you go to FTL chamber comm on their events on the chamber site they actually have all the rising meters about space what are some other things that you would want people to or ship people should keep on the radar and their upcoming events or organizations or things
Host:yeah so with the rising leaders in the chamber we actually have a planning meeting I mean because I don't know they're on September 12 is the rising leaders final meeting because we have all these events so we have all these speakers but there's six of us so there's only so many idea so we have a brainstorming session that everybody's welcome to where you can tell us what you want to learn more about and that's actually the same day so it's there even my thirty rights and leaders have the chamber and following straight after they actually have their monthly nonprofit breakfast which I really like to attend it's where all the nonprofit's get together and the Chamber of Commerce and they talk about what's going on any new technologies that help nonprofits anything that they're looking for actually like excuse me like going and offering their services oh great you can make sure that you follow follow in the same breath in the merger our also follow along the demand press what matters I will link all this in the comments as well you know a few things on our side that you should be following it along as well we're still doing the choose nine five for low Florida's Discovery Series it's a live art pop up at your little restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale off of Las Olas every Wednesday night 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. we're bringing a different artists to live paint when we give them the canvas easel table we don't charge them we don't take a cut of the work ladies drink free for the ladies night we're on our 80th straight week bringing a different local artists to live paint something that we're very proud of and excited to continue doing and connecting those artists with the downtown Fort Lauderdale Yolo crowd in an effort to educate them on the importance of supporting local artists and trying to foster a new wave of collectors in in our creative creative class and creative community here we also are continuing to host a monthly breakfast lecture series and we need TED talk called creative Zen we say it's for the creative community but everybody's welcome everybody's creative those take place the second Friday morning of the month at a different venue it is a free event with breakfast coffee networking inspiring thought-provoking talk we ask that you read a headcount you could find that at creatives ed is next month very very very talented speaker Denise Jacobs former web developer turn author turned 10x south-by-southwest speaker she's great so that'll be September the 14th at Rydell MIT which is down the street in Oakland Park brand new cycle studio I'm also the night before that one of our favorite events a good friend Eden Voss co-host Ross story telling true stories untold that takes place at cafe collective downtown Fort Lauderdale corner Broward and federal free event great event that you need and listen if you want to tell a story if you want to share a story so you could find that at Ross storytelling so far sounds is still going strong songs from a room experience we were one of four hundred chapters around the world if you like live music like indie bands like rock and roll jazz want to be part of a real incredible experience you can actually have to request access or get invited it's not open to the public it's for real music fans if you see the music videos on their YouTube channel online absolutely incredible every every single time that comes out like that like the world class music video so if you go to so far as sol-fa our sounds calm just put your email in there it's not spamming that keep you know when the tickets are available you can request them and if you get granted access you know look it up to go you'll see the experience that we're talking about one of my favorite music mix of the month people are there for the music and there's really not that many places where people go to hear a lot of music in Fort Lauderdale this is one of them and last we are in the process of launching Fort Lauderdale Art and Design Week which is taking place the week of art Fort Lauderdale January 19th through the 27th my partner Andrew and I'm under the United scooper activating all of Fort Lauderdale under an umbrella encouraging institutions and cultural hotspots that either have activities going on that week or would like to create activities going on that week to submit them to us will include them under our umbrella of events under our marketing I wish we're going to you know blow out of the water would think of with the help of a king j-bot say and caught marking with art sir it's really going to be a great week for people to take pride in the community we want to create this civic pride and have something that is unlike any other city in the world where we have the key component with Arthur and the water we're going to have our monthly Art Walk being a fat village of mass district Hamilton happens at the last two days in town I believe we're the only city in North America to get Hamilton in 2019 the rest of our yeah the rest of the year is the international so fortunate that that week we're gonna have an architectural affair architectural walks a bunch of satellite fierce opposition on so its Fort Lauderdale Art in Design Week you can find that online on social as well and that culminates with art Fort Lauderdale they are treading water
Host:any questions on that don't hesitate to reach out to me evan snow choose nine five four I'm an open book where can they find you on social medias they can find me on Facebook just Maria Medina you can find our company page mini-map press Wilton Manors were on Instagram I don't use that should use a mark or Instagram and then our website is really the best way to get in touch with us which is ft lauderdale thought man so what were some of the other day i know i got like something my photos so getting over a cold so i belong to national association professional woman which recently just became an international association of women and actually run that group we have a women's luncheon once a month the next one is september 19 and the speaker is lori medica and she's going to talk all about how to protect your online reputation great so if you you know get about review or if somebody starts thrashing you or anything like that it's gonna be a good topic then September 25th is the Women's Council mixer and September 26 is the right great that's generally the last Wednesday of the month last one sample meant okay so you can try to save the date last once in a month find out more about the rise and leaders Council of mixers on the Chamber's website the chamber also has live great new things going on between govt acts between rising leaders I understand they're working on developing a cultural Council or folk so that's something we're very excited about with my partner and you're chairing in these small business committee or co-chair and small business committee so much more than we could share but for the sake of time the rest you can find on the choose that pie for bed calendar on Facebook page working on getting it back on the website Facebook made some changes unfortunately there is one other one I know if you're involved but we might get you out there Salvation Army redesigned bash now a really great annual event October 19th I believe loaf artists can redesign a piece of the discarded furniture or a chair or a table it's all benefiting Salvation Army which is a great organization as well and they have a bash big event generally have an HDTV or at DIY star come so that's something that we're working to promote been working to promote the auction off the pieces they are chopped pieces oh yeah and they're really great some local artists participate I know Francis Herrera came in see I definitely check that out handy school Palooza I believe is October the 5th Andy's a great organization as well that we're supporting they do amazing things creating education opportunities and job opportunities career advancement opportunities for kids and you know teenagers that are kind of aging out so there's an end October October 2nd is the big bad barbecue with the dental builders that's benefiting Special Olympics awesome and there is so much more than ever right for the sake of time we will leave it there we appreciate you tuning in as you can see there is plenty of ways that you know you can get involved in the community you don't have to get as involved this as we can be it's good no but I mean even if you you know go to a mixer join up the chamber join emerge for our you know or maybe it's something that you'd like to do go you know volunteer at a non-profit yeah they are always looking for board members
Maria:yeah
Host:last one I would plug feeding stop Florida one of my all-time favorite nonprofits where you can actually see the impact in the community they take the food that is basically donated to them by Publix or other supermarkets after the sell-by date but before that used by date and they repackage it and repurpose it into food banks that they distribute to either elderly kids that they have a backpack program for so the kids can get meals throughout the weekend they basically leave school on a Friday amazing organization I've done the sort of thought a few years which is generally in September for for hunger month so that's just the way you can go spend a couple hours give back just help sort some sorts of food are really great cause yeah because I saw the statistics when they were saying how some kids the meals that they get at school are the only males they get yeah crazy yeah so there's you know feeding stop for it is a great one but you know like I said you know just getting a ball there's one thing that we've kind of discovered you know you're not born to just live it go to work and just go home that's not really fulfilling life and honestly I don't think anybody really moved here or chooses to live here in Greater Fort Lauderdale to not have that play element of life you know play for us has also become business as well and it can be for many people but there's so much going on there there's so much that this area has to offer it it's really just a matter of you know connecting and engaging finding it out you know being being part of the community and that's why we're doing all these that's why we're doing these podcasts in it that she was great people like her that's why we're letting you know about so far sounds in Roth storytelling any creative Zen and the cheese knife at four local arts Discovery Series so you can see so many things that they might not be on your radar maybe they'll make it to the sunset and all maybe they don't make it to the new times but that's what we're working through cheese knife i-4 as a social platform to utilize this platform to promote all the local arts and cultural institutions and the people that are doing great things that maybe just need a little boost so people like yourself can find out about them so if you have an event or you have a non-profit or you have anything that you want to get you know maybe some support for or maybe you want to get you know local artists to participate in and that's one thing that we always trying to do is connect local artists with businesses if you're looking for a mural if you're looking for our work for you to lobby or for your office or anything
Maria:yeah
Host:that's right that's right and there's an amazing mural right next door yeah Josh holiday are one of my favorite for our based artists did I willed wings absolutely incredible so don't hesitate to reach out and if you need anything printed with your logo on it
Maria:yes it's got your logo on it we can do it
Host:yes anything thank you guys for joining us until next time
Maria:thank you
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