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Jalal Farooq on Preparing for 2018 Hurricane Season

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Twice a year, the Miami Herald enlists new members for its CEO Roundtable. Jalal Farooq, principal and leader of Al-Farooq Corporation’s team of engineers, was chosen among select executives at small, large and nonprofit businesses. Farooq earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Florida International University and graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree in structural engineering and geomechanics. Each week, Miami Herald asks its CEO Roundtable a question about a topic of interest to South Floridians.

As South Florida gets ready for what’s expected to be another active hurricane season, Jalal Farooq tells the Miami Herald how he’s preparing his business and what South Florida should be aware of on Miami Herald’s CEO Roundtable.

“As a business, the most important thing to make sure is that our data is secure, and we’ve done that,” says Jalal Farooq, principal and senior project engineer at Al-Farooq Corporation. “We specialize in engineering for impact-resistant windows, doors and building envelopes, and I would remind everyone that South Florida has the toughest hurricane codes in the country. With that in mind, if I were in an older building, I would have it checked out by a structural engineer.”

Al-Farooq Corporation has completed more than 15,000 projects around the country and is considered #1 in product approvals in South Florida. In business for more than 35 years, the Miami-based engineering firm is responsible for more than 50% of all Notice of Acceptance (NOA’s) in South Florida.

To read more, visit Miami Herald.

Why Amazon Should Choose Miami for HQ2

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Yesterday, it was announced that Miami made Amazon’s top 20 list of potential cities for its second headquarters, HQ2. The new facility will cost at least $5 billion to construct and operate and will create as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs. Home to a diverse population that is entrepreneurial by nature, here’s why we think Miami is the perfect spot for Amazon’s HQ2:

– Jeff Bezos is a Miami Palmetto Senior High alumnus! In 1982, he was valedictorian, a National Merit Scholar and Silver Knight award winner, and he was already beginning to make big plans for his future. I guess you can say Miami molded him for success, so this is his opportunity to give back!

– Miami’s startup sector is booming! Just last year, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area ranked No. 1 among 40 of the largest metro areas in the country for startups.

– With over 2,000 daily nonstop flights to major cities across the United States and the world, Miami is considered one of the country’s most well-connected cities.

– With proximity and access to major markets, Miami’s multilingual workforce understands global business. Businesses in a multicultural city, like Miami, can draw employees from different backgrounds and experiences to create innovative ideas.

– Florida’s new Brightline regional train system will connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach enabling passengers (and potential employees) to commute faster throughout South Florida.

– Home to hundreds of thousands of college students, Miami appeals to a vibrant millennial community. By being connected to the Internet throughout childhood and early adulthood, Millennials have a different perspective on how to lead, communicate and market.

As Amazon aims to stay competitive in the global marketplace, they should focus on a diverse, metropolitan region like Miami. With its history of welcoming all nationalities and languages, Miami is positioned to continue growing, and we hope it will do so with Amazon in its backyard.