Florida Chamber Safety Council Announces New Advisory Board Member

Ryder’s Sanford (Sandy) Hodes joins the Safety Council’s mission to unify businesses in making Florida the safest state in the country.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Oct. 5, 2020 — The Florida Chamber Safety Council, the first organization of its kind to serve as the statewide resource for fostering safety, health and sustainability among Florida businesses, today announced the addition of a new Advisory Board Member – Sanford (Sandy) Hodes, senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Ryder System, Inc., a FORTUNE 500® logistics and transportation company.

An incubator for research, leadership and education, the Florida Chamber Safety Council’s Leadership Advisory Board brings together top safety professionals from companies and institutions to serve a powerful role for all businesses, but particularly small to mid-size businesses that often don’t have full-time safety, health and sustainability expertise on staff. For these companies, the Safety Council is a vital resource.

“We’re pleased to welcome Sandy as the Florida Chamber Safety Council’s newest Advisory Board member,” said Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Florida Chamber of Commerce. “Bringing together the strongest safety professionals in the state to serve as a resource for our smaller businesses is imperative to securing the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s goal of growing the state’s economy from the 17^th to the 10^th largest in the world by 2030.”

Mr. Hodes will be representing Ryder System, Inc., a provider of commercial supply chain, dedicated transportation, and fleet management solutions. In his roll with Ryder System, Inc., Mr. Hodes handles legal issues for each division of the company, including commercial litigation, corporate transactions, customer and vendor agreements, and real estate transactions. He is responsible for supporting all corporate functions associated with environmental services; safety, health and security; corporate taxes; information technology; and risk management, and also leads Ryder’s Safety, Health and Security organization where he provides leadership to prevent and manage risk through the company’s operations and safety liabilities, while ensuring comprehensive, consistent and effective policies and procedures.

“Each selected member of our growing Leadership Advisory board is committed to making on-the-job safety a top priority,” said Mark Morgan, the inaugural chair of the Florida Chamber Safety Council’s Leadership Advisory Board and senior human resources manager for Corporate Safety & Workers’ Compensation at NextEra Energy Inc. “A one-stop platform, the Florida Chamber Safety Council helps Florida employers develop employee-driven programs that empower personal accountability for workplace safety and health.”

Current Advisory Board members include Jody McClure, director of Team Member, Legal, Risk & Insurance at ABC Fine Wine & Spirits; Bob Roncsa, executive director for Patient Safety at AdventHealth; Erin Black, vice president of Sustainability and Risk Management at Coca-Cola Beverages Florida; Edwin Foulke, president of Safety Solutions at Fisher Phillips;  John Trevathan, chief procurement officer and vice president of Corporate Services at Florida Blue; Mark Morgan, senior human resources manager for Corporate Safety & Workers’ Compensation at NextEra Energy Inc.; Matt Fisher, senior vice president at Pike Electric; Sandy Hodes, senior vice president and deputy general counsel for Ryder System, Inc.; Chief Carl Metzger, associate vice president for Public Safety and Chief of Police at the University of Central Florida;  Mark Ligon, vice president of Safety & Risk Management at Vecellio Group; and Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The Safety Council is part of the Florida Chamber’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and comes as the state is on target to add 1.5 million jobs by 2030.

For more information about becoming involved in the Florida Chamber Safety Council, training opportunities or the annual conference, visit FLChamberSafety.com or call (850) 521-1245.