Don't be deceived by news of layoffs, foreclosures, bank failures, and tax hikes. South Florida's economy isn't suffering too badly. Take Calvin, Giordano & Associates, the Fort Lauderdale consulting firm that's on track to break its own record with $25 million in revenue this year.
President Dennis Giordano says the company is "experiencing the most rapid growth" in its 72-year history.
And that shouldn't surprise anyone who has been following the firm's
Halliburton-style monopoly on government contracts in South Florida.
As the Juice has reported,
Calvin, Giordano provides basic government services -- from planning
and engineering to emergency management -- to dozens of local
municipalities in Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties. In some
places, such as the City of West Park, the company does nearly everything except police the streets and put out fires.Giordano
says he's helping small cities, by saving them the cost of employing
full-time workers with health and pension benefits.
But with
multimillion-dollar government contracts and consultants who charge
$160 an hour, Calvin, Giordano is certainly getting a good bargain,
too.
