Northeast Florida

ECONOMIC LIFE

Aviation/Aerospace/Defense

• Northrop Grumman Corporation has begun construction on its 368,000-sq.-ft. “Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence” in St. Augustine, a facility expected to add 400 jobs when it opens in 2015.
• Ballistic protection equipment maker Defenshield Inc. plans to consolidate its Syracuse, N.Y., and Washington D.C. operations in a new headquarters in St. Augustine; 20 jobs are expected.
• AveoEngineering, producer of high-tech electronics and LED lighting products for aviation, has begun constructing a new manufacturing facility at the Flagler County Airport in Palm Coast and hiring the first of 300 projected workers.

Financial & Business Services

• Bank of America will invest approximately $13 million to expand its regional headquarters in Jacksonville, creating at least 200 new jobs.
• Navy Federal Credit Union, which serves more than 170,000 members in Northeast Florida, has opened its 9th branch in the region and plans to open at least three more by 2016.
• The Zurich-based international staffing firm Adecco Group will relocate its North American headquarters from Melville, N.Y., to Jacksonville, adding 185 jobs.
• Technology solutions provider TBD Partners is relocating its headquarters and expanding in Flagler County with 25 new jobs and a capital investment of $470,000.

Healthcare

• Two new facilities are open at the Baptist Clay Medical Campus in Fleming Island: Baptist/Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center and Wolfson Children’s Specialty Center.
• St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Clay County’s first new hospital in 40 years, has opened with 64 beds and plans to grow to 250 beds as population demands.
• Mayo Clinic has opened a 40,000-sq.-ft. primary care center in Jacksonville, its first new freestanding primary care center in 16 years.
• Pharmacy benefits management company OptumRx has opened a customer service center in Jacksonville with 350 employees to handle approximately 750,000 calls per month.
• A new Jacksonville-based AmeriHealth Caritas service center opened in June 2014 with the expectation of 300 jobs to serve members of the firm’s Medicaid managed care plans in five states.

Logistics/Distribution

Northeast Florida’s logistics advantages include:

• Two deep water ports: Fernandina and Jacksonville. New projects at JaxPort, the nation’s largest vehicle exporting port, include channel deepening and a new on-dock rail yard.
• Two commercial airports: Jacksonville International with daily service to 25 destinations, and Northeast Florida Regional now offering commercial flights via Frontier Airlines.
• Multiple rail lines: CSX, Norfolk Southern and RailAmerica can reach a potential 45 million customers within eight hours.
• Three interstate highways: I-95, I-295 and I-10 intersect at Jacksonville; I-75 is just 60 miles away.

Companies benefiting from this region’s logistical edge:

• Railex: Leader in cold chain transportation/logistics making Jacksonville its southeast hub with plans to transport perishables from the West Coast to Florida several times a week.
• R.J. Corman Signaling: Railroad signal system design and manufacturing firm bringing its southeast regional headquarters and 58 engineering jobs to Orange Park.
• Hoegh Autoliners: Norwegian vehicle shipping company relocating its U.S. headquarters from New York to Jacksonville, with plans to add 15 employees.
• Keystone Automotive Industries: Automotive materials distributor expanding to a 51,000-sq.-ft. site in Jacksonville’s Westside Industrial Park to accommodate new product lines.
• Ideal Aluminum Products: Maker of aluminum fence, gates and railing relocating its headquarters and manufacturing plant to St. Augustine; 120 jobs expected.

Tags: Business Florida