It should come as no surprise that Jacksonville boasts six Fortune 1000 firms — more than any other Florida city — and the national or divisional headquarters of more than 80 other companies. A world-class intermodal transportation system made up of multiple seaports, airports, railways and highways has made Northeast Florida a focal point for both international and domestic commerce. With its population of close to 1.6 million, workforce exceeding 767,000 and reputation for affordability and accessibility, this seven-county region offers a dynamic market for business relocation and expansion.

In Jacksonville, where city and county governments operate as one, businesses looking to locate or expand are assured of smooth transitions. Banking, aviation, healthcare and logistics are particularly strong industry sectors, and educational opportunities abound in such varied institutions as the University of North Florida, ranked by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance among the top 65 “Best Values in Public Colleges 2014”; Flagler College, listed among the top 10 regional colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report; and Jacksonville University, known for its nursing school where graduates boast a nearly 100% certification pass rate.

WHO LIVES HERE

Young and smart
With a metro population of 842,583 and a median age of 36, Jacksonville is both Florida’s largest and youngest city. It’s also one of the “brainiest,” ranking No. 9 on newgeography.com’s list of the top 10 “America’s New Brainpower Cities” for its percentage of college graduates.

Opportunity seekers
In May 2014, Forbes named Jacksonville 4th best city in the U.S to “find a job right now.” Top industry sectors hiring: business and professional services, financial and healthcare.

Eager entrepreneurs
The website wallethub.com ranked Jacksonville No. 1 on its list of “2014’s Best Cities to Start a Business” based on 14 metrics used to determine entrepreneurial opportunity, including access to financing, cost of office space, employee availability and five-year survival rate.

Skilled military personnel
Northeast Florida has the nation’s 3rd largest military population, providing direct employment for some 50,000 active duty, reserve and civilian men and women. And of the personnel who exit the military here each year, more than 3,000 remain, providing a ready pool of workers with military-honed skills in electronics, technical maintenance, repair and management.

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.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Dream region
Jacksonville’s a great place to live the “American Dream” says the “2013 American Dream Cities Report” from Xavier University’s Center for the Study of the American Dream and The Burghard Group, which ranked this city No. 2 among seven where residents believe the American Dream is best being achieved. Attributes cited: material prosperity, diversity and leisure activities.

Speaking of leisure
Jacksonville has it in spades. Catch the annual Jacksonville Jazz Festival (2nd largest in the U.S.), Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Museum of Science and History and Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. And for history, there’s St. Augustine, named a “Top 20 Must-See Place in the World” by National Geographic Traveler, the Victorian seaport village of Fernandina Beach and the Civil War battlefield at Olustee.

Sports and recreation
Reasons to cheer in Florida’s Northeast include the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, the AFL Jacksonville Sharks, the Jacksonville Suns (AA baseball) and one of college sports’ biggest rivalries, the annual Florida-Georgia Football Classic. Golf is always in season at more than 80 courses, including TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra where The Players PGA Tournament is held every May.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Financial services
On the heels of its 2013 announcement to add 300 jobs and $10 million in capital, Deutsche Bank has received approval from the Florida Office of Regulation to establish an international bank office in Jacksonville, the city’s first; 200 new jobs are anticipated.

Life sciences
An expansion currently under way at the Jacksonville campus of VISTAKON will add 23,000 square feet and another 100 jobs to the firm’s existing staff of 1,900. A division of the Fortune 500 company Johnson & Johnson, VISTAKON manufacturers the ACUVUE® brand of extended-wear disposable contact lenses.

Logistics
Cincinnati-based Total Quality Logistics, the nation’s second largest freight brokerage firm, has opened a sales office in Jacksonville with 16 employees and plans for up to 75 new jobs within three years. This is the firm’s 4th office in Florida and its 21st nationwide.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Aviation/Aerospace

• Fleet Readiness Center SE Jacksonville
• FlightStar Aircraft Services Jacksonville
• Kaman Aerospace Corporation Jacksonville
• Logistics Services International Jacksonville
• Northrop Grumman Corporation St. Augustine

Manufacturing

• Georgia Pacific Corporation Palatka
• Rayonier Jacksonville
• SAFT North America Jacksonville

Finance & Insurance

• Bank of America/Merrill Lynch Jacksonville
• Citibank Jacksonville
• Deutsche Bank Jacksonville
• Fidelity National Financial Jacksonville
• Florida Blue Jacksonville
• JPMorgan Chase Jacksonville
• Lender Processing Services Jacksonville

Logistics/Distribution

• BI-LO Winn-Dixie Stores Jacksonville
• COACH Distribution Center Jacksonville
• Crowley Maritime Corporation Jacksonville
• CSX Jacksonville
• Landstar System Jacksonville
• Ring Power Jacksonville
• Suddath Relocation Systems Jacksonville

Healthcare

• Baptist Health System Jacksonville
• Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
• Medtronic Jacksonville
• VISTAKON Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Jacksonville