Manu Assoc Fla_web

those barriers for them, that’s how the jobs start. “By addressing challenges and obstacles, especially under Governor Scott’s administration and his leadership, we’ve made huge strides, and our members are reaping those rewards. Now they’re expanding, hiring new people, investing revenue in their business, and seeing all this growth bouncing back from the recession in the 2000s. BVM: What is the MAF mem- bership structure? Bowen: “All our memberships are corporate.We don’t take on an individual manufacturer, we take on every employee in their company. About 92 percent of manufacturers in Florida have fewer than 50 employees. Our smallest member is a mom and pop shop with three employees, and it goes up to hundreds of thousands of employees with a globally recognized entity.We listen to all those voices and bring them together as allies with com- mon goals and interests. “Membership is tiered, based on the size of your company, the size of your presence in Florida, and what role you want to have MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA in the organization.We have various board members; some are smaller local manufacturers just starting out, but they’re all corporate, organizational-based, and not individual. MAF staff consists of our President, Execu- tive Director, two Primary Lobby- ists, a Meeting Planner, Financial Accountant, and the rest of the organization is run by volun- teers.” BVM: How do you convince companies to become members, if they can reap industry benefits without having to pay? Bowen: “That’s something we’ve spent a lot of time with because, if your interest is for the common good, the work of the few serves the many.We just let everyone know our member- ships are accessible to anyone in the industry; it’s not an exclusive club.We work closely with so many forces, and partnerships, and organizations in Florida, and the Governor’s office. A lot of smaller manufacturers don’t have access to anyone who can speak on their behalf. That’s something we do. “With issues such as the in- crease in Workers’ Comp that