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Economic Yearbook 2006 - Southwest Florida
Rich County, Poor County
It's a tale of two worlds across the 10-county region of Southwest Florida.
New Companies
? GE Security, a subsidiary of General Electric that deals in everything from fire detection equipment to embassy security, relocated its headquarters from Austin, Texas, to Lakewood Ranch last summer. The move followed GE's acquisition of Edwards Systems Technology, a fire-detection systems business that already employed about 150 in Manatee County. The deal created an additional 70 jobs with an average salary of $125,000.
? Lehigh Technologies, a company that produces rubber powders from recycled materials for use in tires, tire products, plastics and automotive parts, moved from New York to Naples last year after receiving $8 million in venture capital.
? G?mmerler, a German company that manufactures material handling equipment for the printing industry, will move its North American manufacturing headquarters from Chicago to Palmetto this year. The company's $4.25-million investment in a new 80,000-sq.-ft. facility will initially bring about 85 jobs, but that could grow to about 150 within two years.
? Morrison Homes recently purchased 12.9 acres in south Fort Myers, where it plans to build a gated community with 50 homes.
? Since consolidating his company's New York and Israel operations in Sarasota four years ago, Reuben Ben-Arie, CEO of MadahCom, has multiplied his workforce from four to 70 and moved into a new facility near the Sarasota airport. His company manufactures mass notification and public warning systems for homeland security.
Sarasota
A CEO comes to visit and ends up moving his entire company to the region. It's an oft-repeated scenario in Sarasota that economic development officials are using to their advantage. "If we're talking to a company that's talking to the county for relocation, our hook is just to get them to visit. Then the community sells itself," says Kathy Baylis, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. ... Medical Education Technologies, a local company that makes lifelike computerized medical mannequins, has received a three-year, $5.8-million contract to provide the Army's medical simulation training centers with high-tech human patient simulators. ... A deal to bring minor league hockey to Lakewood Ranch collapsed earlier this year.
Key Newcomers
? Jeff Hazelton was seeking a better quality of life when he moved his high-tech medical animation company from San Diego to Sarasota last year. His six-person firm, BioLucid, creates animation for pharmaceutical and biotech companies such as Pfizer and Amgen for marketing and education purposes.
? Sam Cabral, president of the International Union of Police Associations, relocated the organization's headquarters from the Washington, D.C., area to downtown Sarasota last fall. Reasons cited for the move include a more stable workforce and a lower cost of living. Approximately eight people relocated as part of the move, but the group plans to expand.
Sarasota County
Ultrafast Systems, which manufactures spectrometer/photoscience equipment for academic labs, relocated six months ago from Bowling Green State University in Ohio to a research and development facility in Sarasota. The three-person company has customers across the globe.
