BUSINESS
Let’s Get Political
Getting involved with local, state and federal government can
help steer the change that impacts your business
By Melissa Campeau When you consider a pile driving contractor’s long
list of responsibilities, political activism doesn’t
usually spring to mind – but business owners
who ignore government affairs do so at their own risk. That’s the
view of Marty Fiorentino, president of The Fiorentino Group, one
of the largest government affairs and business development firms
in the state of Florida. And Fiorentino is speaking from experience:
His firm provides government relations expertise to some of the
biggest companies in the world, and he’s also active in local, state
and national politics.
When you begin to unpack how businesses run, it becomes
clear that taxes, regulations, trade, employment laws, all of these
government-generated measures have a huge impact on your
company, and that’s the case whether you plan to get involved in
politics or not.
“A recent survey of CEOs found they felt that one of the top
threats to their business was government – particularly government
intrusion and regulation,” said Fiorentino. “Those regulations
can have quite a negative impact on their bottom line, how they
run their business, their market and how they interact with their
own employees.”
The best thing a business owner can do to combat a threat is
take action.
“It’s important not only to stay aware of and on top of regulations,
but to also be part of the process and part of the policy
discussions,” said Fiorentino. “You can let all those forces impact
you, or you can take action. You’re either at the table or you’re on
the menu.”
Impact at every level
Business can be affected by government policy at every level. At the
local level, for example, bylaws around when a city might impose
noise restrictions can dictate schedules, timelines and budgets.
“What if the local government said no noise between 10 p.m.
and 7 a.m.?” he asked. “That timing might seem logical and reasonable.
But what if they expand it to 4 p.m. and 9 a.m.? Then things
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