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Business Florida 2014 - The Regions
Northeast Florida
Jacksonville, Palatka, Palm Coast, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine
QUALITY OF LIFE
Outstanding education Two Jacksonville schools are among the top 35 on Newsweek’s 2013 list of "America’s Best High Schools": Stanton College Preparatory School is ranked No. 10, and Paxon School for Advanced Studies holds the No. 35 position.
Arts and culture Jacksonville is brimming with cultural assets, including the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Jacksonville Film Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Museum of Science and History, Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. And for history, there’s no place like St. Augustine, where Europeans established their first New World settlement and railroad magnate Henry Flagler built his first of what would become a chain of luxury resort hotels along Florida’s east coast.
Sports and recreation Sports fans have plenty to like about Jacksonville, including the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, the Jacksonville Suns AA baseball team and one of college sports’ biggest rivalries, the annual Florida-Georgia Football Classic. Golf is always in season here too at more than 85 elite courses, including TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra where The Players PGA Tournament is held annually in May.
NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS
Aviation Aveo Engineering, a global producer of high-tech electronics and LED lighting products for the Aviation industry, is constructing a design and manufacturing facility at the Flagler County Airport in Palm Coast with the expectation of creating 300 jobs and investing $7.5 million.
Environmental services Advanced Disposal Services, the nation’s largest privately owned environmental services company, has relocated its headquarters to Ponte Vedra. With operations in 20 states and the Bahamas, Advanced Disposal provides collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services to more than 640,000 residential and 106,000 commercial customers in Florida alone. The firm’s expansion in Northeast Florida will create 85 jobs and retain another 35.
Healthcare dtw Marketing Research Group, a market research firm specializing in pharmaceuticals, plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from New Jersey to Amelia Island, creating 40 new management, sales, IT and hourly flex-time positions.
NOTABLE EMPLOYERS
Aviation/Aerospace/Defense
• FlightStar Aircraft Services, Cecil Field Jacksonville
• Kaman Aerospace Corporation Jacksonville
• Northrop Grumman Corporation St. Augustine
Financial/Insurance Services
• Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Jacksonville
• Deutsche Bank Jacksonville
• Fidelity National Financial Jacksonville
• Florida Blue Jacksonville
• JPMorgan Chase Jacksonville
Life Sciences/Healthcare
• Baptist Health System Jacksonville
• Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
• Medtronic Inc. Jacksonville
Logistics/Distribution
• Coach Distribution Center Jacksonville
• Crowley Maritime Corporation Jacksonville
• CSX Jacksonville
• Landstar System Inc. Jacksonville
• Patriot Transportation Holding, Inc. Jacksonville
• RailAmerica Inc. Jacksonville
Manufacturing
• Georgia Pacific Corporation Palatka
• Pilot Pen Corporation of America Jacksonville
• SAFT North America Jacksonville
• Unison Industries Jacksonville
