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Clayton Pritchard, a Jacksonville-based product marketer with experience at Meta, LinkedIn and Twitter, joins This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition to explain his acquisition of a B2B product marketing agency (Olivine) and why he’s choosing to run it remote-first from Jacksonville Beach.

Small businesses are spending more on marketing in 2026, even with inflation worries—but many owners still aren’t confident they’re putting those dollars in the right places. In this episode, Constant Contact’s Dave Charest explains why the most effective “one-two punch” remains social media plus email, and why email delivers more control and more reliable engagement than algorithm-driven social feeds. We talk about the trap of chasing every new platform, how focusing on one channel and building an opt-in audience can drive real revenue, and why retaining existing customers may outperform constantly chasing new ones. Charest also shares practical ways small businesses can use AI to save time without losing authenticity, plus simple automation ideas that keep marketing working even when you’re busy running the business. Finally, he offers clear, actionable priorities for the rest of 2026—and what trends may surprise business owners in the months ahead.

Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, a Jacksonville Republican now running for governor, kicked off what he’s calling his “Affordability Now” tour this week in Northeast Florida, arguing that everyday costs have outpaced Floridians’ ability to keep up.

Kent Justice visits the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus in downtown Jacksonville and talks with Artistic Director Darren Dailey about how a youth arts nonprofit became a world-class cultural institution - and why that matters to the region’s growth. Dailey explains JCC’s mission of high-quality choral education for children of diverse backgrounds, the international invitations that signal Jacksonville’s rising profile, and the tangible outcomes for students, including major scholarship opportunities. He also describes why JCC chose downtown, how the new facility was designed for safety and function, and the chorus’s long-term sustainability push - aiming to grow an endowment to ensure the organization thrives for decades to come.

Kent Justice talks with Jacksonville contractor Fabian Videla about the least glamorous construction bottleneck: permitting. Videla says projects can stall for weeks or months at multiple points - figuring out the right forms for each city/county, collecting signatures and notarizations, waiting through plan review, and then stopping work for inspections. Those delays, he argues, ripple through Northeast Florida’s economy by raising costs for contractors, slowing business openings, and frustrating homeowners. Videla’s company, Permit Rockstar, aims to streamline the process end-to-end using AI-assisted form completion, remote online notarization, private plan review to speed approvals, and same-day virtual inspections. He says Florida law already allows private providers to help, and the next big improvement would be a uniform permit application across the state.

Two surprise Democratic wins this week — one in Hillsborough County and one in Palm Beach County — are being read by local analysts as more than isolated events.

This week’s episode of This Week in Jacksonville, Business Edition previews Players Championship week at TPC Sawgrass with executive director Lee Smith. He explains why running the tournament is a “52-week-a-year job,” outlines changes for this year — including a smaller field, new fan areas and drone coverage — and discusses economic impact for northeast Florida.

In this episode of This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition, host Kent Justice talks with Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, about the latest data showing a decline in childhood poverty across Florida. They discuss what this means for local businesses, the importance of targeting efforts at the zip code level, and how businesses can play a crucial role in breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan addressed recent controversies during her appearance on This Week In Jacksonville, including criticism over a hologram display at Jacksonville International Airport and tensions with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier regarding a gun registry probe at City Hall.

Florida State Senator Tom Leek, representing St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam counties and parts of Volusia, shared insights from the ongoing legislative session in Tallahassee. Leek highlighted progress on Senate Bill 482, known as the AI Bill of Rights, which aims to protect vulnerable populations.

In this episode of This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition, host Kent Justice sits down with Bryan Moll, CEO of GatewayJax, to discuss one of Northeast Florida’s most ambitious redevelopment projects. Moll shares insights from his experience overseeing $6 billion in real estate projects and explains how Pearl Square is poised to transform downtown Jacksonville with new housing, retail, parks, and a full-service Publix grocery store. Tune in to hear about the challenges, community engagement, and exciting progress shaping the future of Jacksonville’s urban core.

In this episode of “This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition,” host Kent Justice talks with Revival 250 organizer Chris Widener and Bold City Church pastor Jason Masters about Revival 250—an upcoming faith-focused event scheduled for May 3 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, with a national and international livestream.

Jacksonville attorney and Republican candidate for governor Paul Renner pointed to a simple but critical problem: costs have risen faster than wages while discussing affordability.

Victor Dover - co-founder and principal of Dover Kohl & Partners and keynote speaker for Scenic Jacksonville’s Sixth Annual Great Cities Symposium (Feb. 5) - joins Kent Justice to discuss how cities can grow in ways that strengthen quality of life and long-term economic competitiveness. Dover argues that communities aren’t just recruiting businesses; they’re recruiting people—and the experience “outside between buildings” can be a deciding factor for talent, investment, and lasting prosperity.