Florence Haridan
Executive Director
Character Counts! in Jacksonville
and Conscious Eats
Photograph by Tiffany Manning
At heart, Florence Haridan is a creative marketer. She has worked in branding, design, marketing, e-commerce, and team management throughout her career, for companies large and small. Her current post as Executive Director of Character Counts! in Jacksonville is “her life’s work,” she says on the organization’s website. Character Counts! is an educational framework and national coalition that helps companies, organizations, and schools develop initiatives based on six pillars of character thought of as universal values. Its recent business model is Conscious Eats, which helps ex-felons re-enter the work force via a food-based social enterprise. Conscious Eats has served their fare at various local events and now has a shop at the Jacksonville Farmers Market. They are working on two new projects, opening a Market Cafe and creating a group house for their employees. We talked with Florence about fueling her passions along with those of many others …
1. What is it about marketing that you enjoy?
For me, it is all about creating relationships. Marketing at its essence is about communicating and connecting. Each time I reach out to sell, I’m reaching out to a person who has needs. If I am able to meet that need, that makes me happy.
