Holly Borgmann, ADT’s Vice President of Government Affairs, has been named to Florida Trend magazine’s Florida 500 list for 2023. The honor recognizes Florida’s most influential business leaders.
“I’m really flattered,” said Borgmann, who joined ADT in 2013. She started her career as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives. At ADT, she is responsible for federal, state and local legislative and regulatory advocacy. “It’s a tremendous complement to be included on this list.”
ADT has been headquartered in Florida since 2012. Florida is the fourth largest state economy in the United States and counts the third largest workforce. If Florida were an independent country, it would have the fifteenth largest economy in the world.
Borgmann serves on several boards and is currently the Vice Chair of Enterprise Florida, the primary economic development, international trade, research and marketing group promoting the state.
With that expertise, we asked Borgmann to tell us more about doing business in Florida.
Q: What are aspects of Florida that make it a great place to do business?
A: I think we are the No. 1 state in the country to do business with because of our favorable business climate, the tax structure, predictable regulatory environment and our great quality of life here in the Sunshine State. And, while the cost of living has increased over the past two years, it is still far less expensive, overall, than many of the areas in the U.S. with whom we compete for business.
Q: When you think of Florida’s talent pool, what stands out to you?
A: Florida has been ranked the No. 1 state for higher education for the past five years. Our governor and legislature have also invested heavily in workforce education in recent years to ensure that, no matter the industry, Florida has the workforce to support your business’ needs. In addition to technical skills, many people in the state of Florida have spent time working in the hospitality industry, teaching them the soft skills that are in such high demand. Also, a significant percentage of our population is bilingual or even trilingual.
Q: What economic development trends are you seeing in Florida now?
A: There are a lot of talented people in the public and private sector working to ensure that Florida continues to diversify its economy. In the past, Florida’s economy was traditionally agriculture- and tourism-based. While those are both important industries for the state, we’ve seen tremendous growth in recent years in the tech space, as well as industries such as aviation and aerospace. I’d personally love to see more manufacturing jobs come to Florida.