On Thursday, October 17, 2019, the chapter hosted a Membership Mixer amongst COMTO Jax members, small business owners and potential new members. The evening was filled with great conversation and discussions about COMTO’s impact in Jacksonville while enjoying delicious bites catered by Bleu Chocolát Cafe located in Springfield.

Thank you to all that attended! Next up will be our COMTO Jacksonville Small Business Exhibit on November 20, 2019 to kick off COMTO Week 2019.

Stay tuned for more information!

  (From left to right: Dr. Charles Moreland – Panelist, Deborah Thompson – Panelist, Tina Meskel – Panelist, Cantrece Jones – Moderator, Robert “Bob” Prince – Panelist, Chris Macklin – COMTO Jax President, Ida Blaylock – COMTO Jax 1st VP, Mike Sandifer – COMTO Jax Treasurer, Tsopie D. Trottie – COMTO Jax Secretary)

On Wednesday, September 25, 2019, COMTO Jacksonville hosted the 1^st Inaugural “Ask A CEO/Leader Event” at the FDOT Training Facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Several business owners, leaders in transportation and individuals from the community learned about various leadership styles, identifying problem oriented solutions for your business and how to utilize core values while operating a business.

COMTO Jacksonville would like to thank the members of the panel: Dr. Charles Moreland, City of Jacksonville Director of Community & International Affairs, Deborah Thompson, CEO of Deborah K. Thompson Consulting, Robert “Bob” Prince, CEO of Foot Prince, LLC  and Tina Meskel, CEO of Meskel & Associates for sharing their struggles, triumphs, insight of becoming an effective leader and understanding the importance of strategic growth. Also, a huge thanks to Cantrece Jones for moderating this wonderful panel.

On Saturday, September 14, 2019, COMTO Jacksonville’s President, Chris L. Macklin and Secretary, Tsopie D. Trottie were invited guests on the Praise 107.9 FM Ultimate Gospel Experience morning talk show at 8:00 a.m.

Both provided information about the COMTO Jacksonville local chapter, various programs, accomplishments and information about the upcoming “Ask a CEO/Leader” Panel Discussion on September 25^th at the FDOT Building beginning at 11:00 a.m.

The COMTO Jacksonville chapter would like to thank the Praise 107.9 FM radio show for the opportunity to share information with the Jacksonville, Florida community about COMTO’s platform, networking opportunities and benefits of working in the transportation industry.

     (Pictured from left to right: Tsopie D. Trottie, COMTO Jax Secretary, Chris L. Macklin, COMTO Jax President,

Jharman Lighter, Praise 107.9 talk show host)

The 48th National Meeting and Training Conference was held July 13 – July 17, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. The conference is open to transportation professionals at all career levels, government employees, manufacturers and suppliers, and all interested participants. Conference highlights included:   High-level round tables and panel discussions, CEU courses on industry trends, technical tours of local transportation agencies and projects, multiple mobility initiatives, career and professional development workshops. Also, a big congratulations to COMTO Jax members, Ken Middleton and Ivan Mote. Mr. Middleton won the “Gerald Anderson Service Award” and Mr. Mote was awarded the “Industry Innovative Safety Award”. Job well done!

At the May 2019 General Body Meeting, Dr. Albert Chester II shared information about his success within the pharmaceutical industry. In 2017, he opened The Capstone Institute, a post-secondary career training school which focusing on training students to become pharmacy technicians.  In less than two years, The Capstone Institute has trained over 40 students.

In 2018, he opened New Town Pharmacy, located on the Northwest side of Jacksonville. The pharmacy is an independently owned community/retail business and provides a patient centered service, catering to all the healthcare needs of the individual ranging from free medication consultations, free immunizations, and free medication delivery.

Dr. Chester is a native of Jacksonville, a graduate of Florida A&M University and is also the grandson to Vincent “Red” Taylor who was one of the first black bus drivers to operate in the city. In February 2019, Dr. Chester accepted his candidacy to run for Congress in 2020 to serve for District 5.

Thank you to Dr. Chester for attending and inspiring the members of COMTO Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA– June 8, 2019 – The Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Jacksonville Chapter held their 11^th Annual Bowl-a-Thon on Saturday, June 8, 2019, at Bowl America on Beach Boulevard. Over 60 people attended and participated at this year’s event. Also, for the first time in COMTO-Jax history, because of the generous amount of funds received this year the Chapter awarded five scholarships ranging from $250 to $2,000. A grand total of $6,500 in scholarships awarded. This is the largest amount ever awarded at one time.

A core mission of COMTO is to attract the best and brightest to the transportation industry.

The COMTO Jacksonville Chapter would like to thank our gracious sponsors for their contributions in raising funds to support our community programs.

A special thank you to the Chapter President and Bowl-A-Thon Committee Chair, Chris Macklin, participants, COMTO Jacksonville members and a host of volunteers that supported this year’s event.

For more information, please visit www.comtojax.org

Zachery Bell, Scholarship Recipient; Ida Blaylock, 1^st Vice President; Trinity Bailey,  Scholarship Recipient; Quentin Bostick, Scholarship Recipient; Karlous Lampkin, Scholarship Recipient; Raven Orsborn, Scholarship Recipient; Chris   Macklin, COMTO Jacksonville President

                                                                              (Pictured: Nathaniel P. Ford, CEO of the JTA)

At the February 27, 2019 COMTO Jacksonville Body Meeting, over 60 attendees were educated on the JTA’s initiatives and projects that are underway.

Nathaniel P. Ford, CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority was one of the keynote speakers at the meeting. He shared information about multiple JTA projects such as: lane widening on Girvin Rd., Kernan Rd., San Pablo Rd., Collins Rd. Ford also provided an update regarding the new Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center (JRTC) which will feature JTA’s administration headquarters and connect local, regional and intercity modes of transportation. The JRTC Building is expected to be completed in 2020. Ford expressed his joy to collaborate with several DBE businesses to complete some of JTA’s projects.

(Pictured: Ken Middleton, Dir. of Diversity & Equity Program)

Ken Middleton, JTA’s Director of the Diversity & Equity Program spoke on the success of DBE business owners and providing coaching sessions to jump-start careers. “You must be in business to make money!”, says Middleton. The Diversity & Equity staff have hosted multiple seminars for DBE owners and provided the proper tools needed to establish successful business ventures. In 2018, Middleton says the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) awarded the JTA with the “Workforce Development Grant”.

Guests were given opportunities to ask Mr. Ford and Mr. Middleton questions pertaining to the JTA’s upcoming initiatives, internship programs and about the expansion of transportation in general.

Thank you to Mr. Ford, Mr. Middleton and guests for attending this informative meeting.

(Pictured: Ida Blaylock (member), Marcus Dixon (JTA), Kenneth Jefferson (member), Endya Freeman (member), Ribault Middle School students) 

COMTO Jacksonville celebrated Garrett Morgan Day on February 18, 2019 at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The local chapter hosted ten Ribault Middle School students and educated them on Transit Careers, Operations, Maintenance, Greyhound Buses, and the U2C autonomous vehicles.

The students were intrigued about the future of transportation and this spiked their interests to one day pursue their dreams in working within the transportation/logistics industries. Thank you to Ribault Middle School and the JTA for your participation.

Yetunde Oyewole

Head Strong | Presenting the winning model (Danielle Oyewole) and designer (Kathleen Balbona) the 2018 Jacksonville Magazine Fashion Project

Yetunde Oyewole, COMTO member and JTA employee, recalls when her daughter, Danielle was born:

Twenty five years ago Danielle was born right in the middle of the day at St. Vincent’s Hospital. At the same time of my delivery, her Godmother, Elsie Shofolu (JTA Bus Operator) was hired at JTA and now one of many passengers on JTA Buses! Who would have thought? Yetunde states that as a child, Danielle has always been fashion conscious so it was no surprise to witness her daughter’s most recent accomplishment as the 2018 JAX Magazine Fashion project.

Growing up in a family with three kids, Danielle was quite adventurous, and the one you would be concerned about if the house was too quiet. You may find her somewhere in the corner dressing up, styling her hair or coloring the wall with paint or hair grease. It took me a long time to finally realize that it was her creative talent that was at work.

Danielle made it known to her Dad and I early in life that she was interested in being a model, which we were not objected to at the time, other than we felt she was too young. However, as time went on we came to realize that we needed to support her in this endeavor as much as possible. She was the kid in the grocery basket you would see waving and smiling at everyone! She never met a stranger, which explains why she had a lot of friends growing. This attribute played an interesting role in many of her activities, such as cheerleading, dance and gymnastics to name a few.

I call her my “out of the box” child because she pushes the boundaries, she’s highly talented, strong and determined. I believe the sky is the limit for her modeling career!

Danielle inspires to one day have her own modeling company. Therefore, as a COMTO member, I frequently share information I have received in our meetings with Danielle about opportunities and benefits of networking through the organization, to help her learn what it takes for a minority to start and run a business. Currently, Danielle is seeking advice from small businesses in Jacksonville, Florida and I am thrilled that she has started the process of joining me as a COMTO Jacksonville member.

Please visit the link below to read more about the 2018 Jax Magazine Fashion Project Winning Model: Danielle Oyewole

http://www.jacksonvillemag.com/2018/11/14/fashion-project-2018-winners/

(From left to right: Sherman Rothwell, Emma Gray, Sherri Barr, Chris Macklin, Edrena Bell, Ida O. Blaylock, Robert “Bob” Prince, Jr.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (December 14, 2018) – For the sixth consecutive year, members of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Jacksonville Chapter facilitated a community outreach effort to support the local senior community.

Members boarded a Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) trolley to deliver holiday gifts to the residents of Peterson’s Assisted Living facility in Springfield. The gifts largely consisted of basic need items like warm clothing and personal care products. Peterson provides full support and housing to low-income senior citizens. Community champion, Mrs. Mary Peterson, has been providing these resources in the greater Jacksonville community for 47 years.