JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA– June 11, 2018 – The Conference of Minority Transportation
Officials (COMTO) Jacksonville Chapter held their 10th Annual Bowl-a-Thon on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at Bowl America on Beach Boulevard. Approximately 50 people participated in the event, which supports COMTO’s general and scholarship funds. The Chapter received over $16,000 in pledges and sponsorships for this year’s event.
A core mission of COMTO is to attract the best and brightest to the transportation industry. During the Bowl-A-Thon, three college students who plan to embark on transportation related majors were each awarded a scholarship ranging from $500 to $1,500.
The COMTO Jacksonville Chapter would like to thank our gracious sponsors for their contributions in assisting to raise funds to support our community programs.
A special thank you to Bowl-A-Thon Committee Chair & Co-chairs Chris Macklin and Edrena Bell, as well as participants, COMTO members and a host of volunteers that supported this year’s event.
Pictured above from left: Jeff Price, President, Propeller Club of Jacksonville; Cheryl Freeman, President, Women’s Transportation Seminar, Northeast Florida Chapter; Aisha Eccleston, President, Conference of Minority Transportation Official (COMTO) Jacksonville Chapter; Ike Sherlock, President, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals; Brandon Nelson, President, Transportation Club of Jacksonville, and Scott Lane, President, JAX Chamber Transportation and Logistics Council.
The Transportation and Logistics Network (TALON) hosted a sold out business summit, “Progress 2018: Preparing for the Change to Come”, on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the University of North Florida’s Adam W. Herbert University Center. The event was held to educate transportation professionals about the digital trends affecting supply chains.
The summit featured keynote speaker Brian Wynne, President and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). Propeller Club President Jeff Price served as master of ceremonies. The event was sponsored by Beaver Street Fisheries, Inc. Sea Best Corp., First Coast Industrial, The Grimes Companies, DAMCO, EnSafe, Main Ocean Port Services, and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). In addition, panel discussions on transportation technology and industry projects, as well as networking opportunities, connected maritime, transportation and logistics professionals with information relevant to the industry.
The program concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the presidents of the six host organizations, Propeller Club, COMTO Jacksonville, CSCMP, TCJAX, WTS and the Jax Chamber T&L Council as they pledged to:
inform maritime, transportation, logistics and transit professionals about industry developments;
educate the public about the importance of the industry to the regional economy; and
promote the Northeast Florida region as a hub for multi-modal transportation and logistics activity.
In accordance with Article V of the Chapter Bylaws, COMTO Jacksonville is requesting nominations for Chapter Officers to serve for the period June 2018 thru June 2020. The following officers shall be nominated and elected by the voting membership:
1. Chapter President
2. First-Vice President
3. Second-Vice President
4. Secretary
5. Treasurer
All members “in good standing” are eligible to nominate, to be nominated and hold office. A member in good standing is herein defined as being current with respect to dues payments.
Multiple nominations are allowed. Each nomination requires a separate submission. Nominations will close Friday, April 13, 2018 at 5:00p.m.
We look forward to a successful election with the participation of all eligible members. Please complete this nomination form which is due by close of business Friday, April 13, 2018.
Members of the Council of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) Jacksonville chapter partnered with Children Enriched with Opportunities (CEO) to facilitate this year’s Garrett A. Morgan Shadow Day presentation. Students from the program along with the Executive Director of CEO, Mary Davis-Johnson attended the event to learn about Garrett Morgan’s contributions to the transportation industry. Students participated in a transportation exercise and prizes were awarded for correctly answering questions. In addition, students learned about the wide variety of careers available in the transportation industry.
One young participant, Kolin (pictured above), was so excited by what he learned from the presentation that he told his mother, “I have so much to teach you and dad from what I learned today.” His parents were pleased with his enthusiasm to learn and his desire to educate them on what he learned about transportation.
This month we are featuring presentations focused on small business opportunities, growth and development with a keynote address from Mr. Opio Sokoni.
Opio Sokoni has completed several documentary films but may be best known for “Bessie Coleman Flying the Blues,” a documentary about the life of the first black woman to fly an airplane. She died tragically in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida in 1926. Opio Sokoni is a renaissance man with a plethora of skills and accomplishments. He is an author many times over. His books include, “I Want to Be a Lawyer When I Grow Up,” “Controlling Blue: Race Media and Policing” and “Bessie Coleman Flying the Blues”; to name a few. He is a law school graduate and an adjunct Professor at Jacksonville University where he teaches criminology.
Opio is the past president of a local branch of the SCLC – the organization Dr. Martin Luther King helped to found. He has also been in radio since 2003. His documentary films are as follows: Small City Big Hip Hop (feature), Meth Around (30 min. short), Turn Off Channel Zero (feature) and Bessie Coleman Flying the Blues (30 min. short). Sokoni has registered several screenplays including a feature on the life of Bessie Coleman. He has signed with an investment company to secure the finance needed to place her life on the big screen as his current and biggest project. Finally, Opio Sokoni is an FAA certified drone unmanned aircraft pilot and provide drone services via his company Scholar Research Academy, LLC.
Ever dreamed of owning your own franchise? John Wyche, Business Development for Triton Franchise will discuss the many exciting franchise opportunities available in the Jacksonville area.
JAXPORT’s Lisa Diaz, Manager, FTZ and Logistics Services, today addressed attendees at the Conference of Minority Transportation Professionals (COMTO) Jax monthly meeting.
Lisa shared what led her to work in the transportation industry and how she earned her position at JAXPORT. She provided attendees with three steps to reach their personal and professional goals in 2018: believe and push yourself, find your inner motivation and show up each day.
COMTO is the nation’s only advocacy organization for minority professionals and businesses in the transportation industry.
For the fifth 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 46 years.
Very special thanks to JTA for allowing use of the trolley, our gracious sponsors and the holiday outreach committee chair Sherman Rothwell. They worked tirelessly to organize and facilitate a another successful outreach initiative.
The chapter also hosted its annual holiday social at The Candy Apple Café on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 from 5:00 – 7:00pm. The event was an opportunity to thank our sponsors and for members to network with a wide range of transportation agency leaders and representatives. Pictured above is Holiday Social Chair, Martini White; Platinum Sponsor, Gregory Mundy, President and CEO of IMDC, Inc. and Chapter President, Aisha Eccleston
The COMTO Jacksonville November Membership Meeting featured a presentation on the autonomous transportation revolution by Robert Hooper Jr., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Atlantic Logistics. Autonomous vehicle technology is here and already changing transportation, the logistics industry and the world. This is a once in a lifetime revolution which will save thousands of lives and transform millions of jobs. Buckle your seat belts!
During the meeting, the COMTO Jax Executive Board recognized COMTO National Past Board Chairman Bob Prince on his recent induction to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Hall of Fame.
The Premier Organization for Education, Empowerment and Engagement of Minority Transportation Professionals in Northeast Florida
