Have a Happy & Healthy New Year! - the Parklander

By Bill Johnson
PARKLAND’S JEREMY RING
PREPARES FOR STATE SENATE
AND REFLECTS ON HIS CAMPAIGN
Jeremy Ring of Parkland has ambitious plans. He wants to make a billion
dollars, change the world, and then give the money back to society.
But first, the 36-year-old father of four is dedicating himself to public
service for a while as the newly elected Democratic state senator from
District 32.
Sen. Ring’s path in life took him through Syracuse University and on to
an impressive and lucrative five year run with Yahoo!. He was there at the
start and helped the technological juggernaut’s explosive growth to a
billion dollar company in five years. That’s the past. For the immediate
future, he is focused on public service.
As he looked forward to his first legislative session, Sen. Ring sat down
with the Parklander to talk about his experience and his goals.
Q What was your experience with Yahoo!?
A I started at age 25. The company had just launched. I was living in
New York, and my wife was in law school. I opened the East Coast
operations out of my New York City apartment. I was the first
salesperson hired by the company. I later moved to California to run
its sales programs. Yahoo! was one of the fastest growing global
companies in the history of business. We changed the world.
We made it easier for people to find information and communicate
with each other.
Q Why did you move to Florida and to Parkland?
A We moved to Florida in 2001. I had friends here who were starting a
company, and they asked me to come here to run their business.
Friends in Florida recommended we move to Parkland.
Q What prompted you to run for public office?
A Politics had become tainted. That’s not a blanket statement.
We have wonderful, inspiring elected officials, but much of it has
become tainted. It was too partisan. It was too much about keeping
the job and getting the next one. There was a lessening of a public
service mindset. We’re also fighting this awful battle with apathy.
And I felt that by being an elected official I could bring more people
of my generation into the process.
Q You began campaigning months ago. Did you keep track of the time
you put in?
A We ran an extraordinarily meticulous campaign. Everything we did
was tracked. I ran it as a business. For two years, I worked 10 or 12
hours a day.
Senator Ring’s district includes all – or part of – Parkland, Coral
Springs,Tamarac, Margate, North Lauderdale, Coconut Creek, Pompano
Beach, Lauderhill, and Oakland Park. Senator Ring says he knocked on
25,000 doors.
16 JANUARY 2007
Q Did this experience give you any new thoughts about the
political system?
A District 32 is among the most diverse districts in the state of Florida
– culturally and economically. By meeting as many people as I did,
I understand the issues at the ground level. People in Parkland have
different concerns than the people in Margate or North Lauderdale.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all. There are basic issues – education, health
care, insurance. But underneath that, each community has its own
concerns and challenges.
Q If you’re diligent and effective in the Senate, your service will still be
limited by term limits. How do you feel about term limits?
A I’m a big believer in term limits.
Q Do you go to the legislature with any particular goals?
AI sure do. I think the biggest challenge we’re facing is the gap between
costs and wages. I have ideas on how to create an environment where
entrepreneurship can thrive. We can create a new paradigm for
economic development based on science, technology, research and
intellectual property.
Q Do you consider being a state senator a full time job or will you be
involved in other activities.
AThat’s a good question. For me it’s a full time position.
Q You’re 36 years old with years of opportunity ahead. Have you
thought much at all beyond your service in the state Senate?
A Yes. Make a billion dollars, change the world and give it all back.
If you ask me who my hero is, my hero is someone like Bill Gates,
who changed the world and gave his money back. He didn’t rest on
what he made. He changed the world from a standpoint of making
the world more efficient, now he’s changing the world from the
philanthropic standpoint—saving lives. That’s something
I’d be driven to do.
Q What is the foundation for these goals?
A There are five parts of my life. There’s family. There’s a spiritual
aspect. There’s a philanthropic aspect. There’s a for-profit aspect.
And there’s a public service aspect.
The family aspect of his life is focused on his wife Sharon and their four
children - all under the age of six. The spiritual aspect of his life includes
active involvement in the National Jewish Democratic Committee and
AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee). The philanthropic
aspect is long-range and ambitious. The public service aspect of his life is
now focused on Tallahassee and his service as a new state senator