Dreams vs. Reality

When northeast Florida executives paint their dreams for the local economy, the portrait is filled with computer chip makers, biomedical research centers and other high-tech, high-wage employers. A snapshot of the economy circa 2005, however, shows a different reality: Customer support, corporate accounting, telephone sales and other so-called "back-office" jobs continue to drive employment growth. Consider these recent announcements from the regional Cornerstone Economic Development Partnership:
ITC Financial, 250 new finance and "infotech" jobs
State Farm, 300 jobs in finance and technical support
Option One, 300 new insurance information and customer support jobs
Washington Mutual, 725 jobs in call center support and planning
According to a Cornerstone survey, 1,800 of the 3,700 new jobs the group tracked in 2004 were created by national insurance, financial and information service companies that have set up back-office hubs in northeast Florida.

Though growing in size and stature, the Jacksonville area remains attractive to these employers because land remains relatively cheap and wages low -- particularly when compared to the state's other metropolitan areas.

NEW COMPANIESLombard, Ill.-based Harvey's Supermarkets is building a 244,000-sq.-ft. grocery warehouse in Green Cove Springs, which will employ 100.
Rulon Co. of Brunswick, Ga., will hire 100 workers to staff its 75,000-sq.-ft. facility in northern St. Johns County. Rulon builds high-end suspended ceilings.
Lloyd Industries of Montgomery, Pa., will hire 30 at its 25,000-sq.-ft. fire damper manufacturing plant in northwest Jacksonville.
Harrisburg, Pa.-based D&H Distributing, a wholesale distributor of personal computers and accessories, is building a $3-million, 80,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Jacksonville, which will
employ 45.
Innovative Petroleum Products of South Africa, a manufacturer and distributor of specialty pipelines, has opened a logistical headquarters in downtown Jacksonville, employing 20.

EXPANSIONSMerrill Lynch Credit Corp. has added 150 employees to its southside Jacksonville campus, focusing on home financing and personal credit programs.
Southern Belle Frozen Foods has expanded its seafood processing plant on Jacksonville's northside, adding 77 employees.
The Wal-Mart regional distribution center in Macclenny continues to grow, adding 300 jobs in the last year.
The Northrup Grumman aerospace and defense integration facility in St. Augustine recently announced plans to hire 100 workers.
Simpson Strong Tie added six employees at its hurricane clip and sheet metal stamping factory in northwest Jacksonville.

JACKSONVILLE
Now that Navy officials plan to scrap the USS John F. Kennedy within the year, Sen. Bill Nelson is leading the fight to get a nuclear aircraft carrier moved from Norfolk, Va., to Mayport Naval Station...

Mayor John Peyton's surprise veto of a residential development off crowded Baymeadows Road could spell trouble for similar "fair-share" agreements already in the planning pipeline...

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver says the city will likely bid to host its second Super Bowl in 2010 or 2011...

Environmentalists and neighborhood activists could sink the Jacksonville Port Authority's plan to build a permanent, 100-acre cruise ship terminal on the edge of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.

Notable Names: The future of the city's largest downtown development, The Shipyards, rests largely with LandMar Group CEO Ed Burr. LandMar has until April 30 to strike a deal with city officials to take over the riverfront commercial/residential complex abandoned by TriLegacy following an incentives scandal...

Following news the supermarket filed for bankruptcy protection in February, Winn-Dixie Stores CEO Peter Lynch is pinning the company's hopes on an ambitious store upgrade plan that is under way in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market and is spreading throughout the chain.

ST. AUGUSTINE
Downtown business owners are concerned about how the $77-million project to widen and restore the historic Bridge of Lions will affect downtown business...

Following a period of public input, the National Park Service will choose among four plans for a new visitor center at the Castillo de San Marcos...

City officials say negotiations to merge city and county fire departments have reached a "make-or-break" phase.

ORANGE PARK & Clay County
Orange Park Councilman Steve Jones pulled double duty at the ribbon-cutting for the new, 108,000-sq.-ft. Lowe's home improvement store on Kingsley Avenue. In addition to representing his town, the appliance department manager introduced his new workplace. Most important, Jones says, is the fact that Lowe's has brought life to a blighted former Publix shopping plaza across from the town's high school...

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is breaking ground on a $25-million operations center in fast-growing OakLeaf Plantation -- part of a countywide initiative to attract higher-paying jobs. In exchange for a 75% property tax rebate over the next five years and 50% rebate over the five following years, Blue Cross executives promised to set its average salary at $48,500 per year.

St. Johns County
Notable Name: The glass-and-steel headquarters of Ring Power has become the centerpiece of the county's new industrial hub -- World Commerce Center, located next to the World Golf Villlage complex off I-95. The construction equipment company is leaving Jacksonville to become the anchor tenant at the new 933-acre industrial park, moving into 350,000 square feet there.

Nassau County
Notable Name: The new point person for the county's job recruitment effort is Melanie Ferreira, executive director of the Economic Development Board. Perhaps the most important task facing Ferreira is attracting industry to the area. She must also deal with an increasingly vocal anti-growth movement on wealthy Amelia Island.

Putnam County
Notable Name: Just one year after opening a plant in Crescent City, Space Coast Truss already counts more than 100 employees. The company designs roof and floor truss projects for residential home builders in Florida, Texas and North Carolina. The Crescent City plant is a major supplier for Mercedes Homes, central Florida's second-largest home builder.

Baker County
The county's first proposed Development of Regional Impact has county officials scrambling to understand the intricacies of state and regional land-use rules. County commissioners recently met with the head of the Northeast Florida Regional Council to discuss Miami developer Amram E. Adar's plans for a 3,600-acre project near Glen Saint Mary.

2.4% or
higher1.1% -
2.3%1% or
lessPOPULATION TOTALSCounty???2005Average Annual Growth
????2001-2005??????TrendBaker23,9331.43%Clay166,5073.32%Duval835,8781.33%Nassau64,7632.34%Putnam72,5820.73%St. Johns147,9403.26%FLORIDA17,612,5841.84%

Tags: Northeast