Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Say yes! To Market Opportunities in Florida

A new building that will house the world headquarters of a Fortune 300 company is quietly taking shape along I-75 in southwest Florida. The Hertz Corporation is relocating from Park Ridge, New Jersey, to the Lee County town of Estero. And with good reason. Hertz is the world’s largest airport general use car rental brand, and Florida — the world’s favorite travel destination — rents more cars per capita than any other state. Putting these two together makes good economic sense.

Hertz decided to make the move following its acquisition of Tulsa, Okla.-based Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. Consolidating corporate offices in one location will increase efficiency and position Hertz for long-term growth by providing ready access to Florida’s massive tourism population of almost 90 million visitors annually and a talent pool of close to 1 million skilled tourism workers.

“We have been looking for the right location to blend Hertz and Dollar Thrifty head office employees,” says Hertz chairman and CEO Mark P. Frissora. “Florida is the center of the U.S. travel and tourism industry; this move enables us to be closer to leisure and business customers as well as many travel and association partners.”

Lee County was chosen, he adds, for its reputation as a well-established travel destination with tremendous growth potential and its easy access to the company’s leading tourism markets of Orlando, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Tampa/St. Petersburg.

And while Florida’s hugely attractive travel market was key to site selection, there were people to consider too. Hertz will be bringing 700 jobs from New Jersey to Florida.

“We did not make the decision to relocate lightly,” says Frissora. “We wanted to know that Florida was not only attractive to us as a company but also for our employees. Florida is a great place to run a business and raise a family, and we are proud to be able to call this our new home.”

Florida is very much a people place, and that’s good news for growing businesses. Each year, tourism numbers swell and the permanent population grows. And as those markets expand, so too do your opportunities for business success.

  • Economy
    21st largest in the world
  • Population Gain
    260,000 new residents in 2012
    On track to break the 20 million mark and displace New York as the 3rd most populous state by 2015
  • Consumer Market
    4th largest GDP in America
  • Personal Wealth
    Forbes 2013 list of the 400 richest Americans includes 31 billionaire Floridians
  • Visitors
    89.3 million in 2012 (up 2.3% over 2011)
  • Visitor Spending
    $196 million per day on goods and services