By Gina Jordan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-918847.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – While the economy flounders, our region is flush with economic engines and projects to create jobs. That's what delegates to the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Conference heard over the weekend. Gina Jordan has more from the annual retreat, held this year in Destin.
Florida's Great Northwest is a regional economic development organization representing sixteen Panhandle counties stretching from Pensacola to Tallahassee. They zero in on sectors that appear to have infinite possibilities for the region like aviation, aerospace and defense, and renewable energy. Beth Kirkland is Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County.
"We realize the fact that because we have seven military bases, we've got a tier one research university at FSU and an historically black college and university in FAMU, University of West Florida at the other end, that we have rich educational institutions and assets as well."
Kirkland hosted a session looking at how metropolitan areas and rural communities can work together. She was joined by Janet Watermeier, director of the Bay County Economic Developmental Alliance. She talked about some of the projects underway around Panama City.
"We have the new corporate headquarters of St Joe, a 65-thousand square foot facility. We're really very fortunate with the help of Congressman Boyd; we just landed twenty-one F22's at Tyndall Air Force Base. Our Navy research lab is expanding, as is the Air Force lab and the defense contractors around them. We have about four expansions underway."
The counties are marketing together, and they have a link through FSU's Panama City campus.
"We utilize all the assets you have, and we're hoping in the future we'll be able to give back some. But we're all tied together trough a region that probably has the most potential for economic development over the next decade than any other area at least in Florida and maybe in the southeast."
One project to attract new businesses to Tallahassee involves an effort to commercialize the research being done at the universities. The EDC's Beth Kirkland says they will soon have a program in place to bring researchers together with experienced entrepreneurs and venture capitalists that can help get their products to the marketplace more quickly.
"When that happens, we want that to stay in Tallahassee, for them to be able to create a business, produce the product there, sell it/distribute it there; home grown jobs. Now we balance that with the attractions. We market the assets of our region, we attract companies. The Danfoss Turbocors come because they want to be near the Mag Lab, or some of these other projects that we're working on, the companies come because they want to be near superconducting material institutes where the talent is. So, that's really where a lot of the focus is now."
The Entrepreneurial Excellence Program is funded through a $450-thousand grant from the U-S Small Business Administration. The money will be spread out over three years, and the EDC hopes to have a director in place by October. EDC Chairman Kim Williams says the program will include week-long training courses for potential entrepreneurs, with a curriculum provided by the University of Central Florida at no cost.
"We're going to implement it here with the hiring of the business development director, utilizing the resources and the buildings, the bricks and mortar that's already here. And we're going to do that in a way to try to train people how to become successful entrepreneurs, startups from within our own community."
Tomorrow, we wrap up how Tallahassee business leaders are planning for the future with the pros and cons of social networking.
The Greater Tallahassee Chamber and the Economic Development Council are on the web at talchamber.com and beapartofoursecret.com.