Talent, innovation and entrepreneurship thrive in North Central Florida,a region known for its competitive cost of living, accessibility and abundance of natural resources. Home to the University of Florida and four public colleges, this region offers a highly skilled workforce and the supportive environment emerging companies need to get up and running. And with more business incubators per capita than almost anywhere in the U.S., North Central is particularly adept at attracting fresh ideas and retaining the talent to grow the businesses that will bring them to market.

Here, too, a well-developed transportation network ensures that all businesses have easy access to vital markets. Two of Florida’s major interstate highways — I-75 and I-10 — intersect in this region, which is also served by multiple other roadways, rail systems and two commercial airports as well as deep water ports in Jacksonville, Fernandina and Tampa Bay.

WHO LIVES HERE

Well-educated
North Central boasts some of Florida’s most highly educated people. In Gainesville alone, which is home to the University of Florida and Santa Fe College, 44% of residents age 25+ have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to the national average of 29%.

Innovative
The University of Florida is a catalyst for economic development. UF ranked 22nd among universities worldwide for number of patents awarded in 2012 (70) and 11th in the U.S. for number of licenses/options granted (129). In addition, UF helped create 15 startups, earning 4th place nationally just behind MIT and the entire University of California and University of Texas systems for number of new companies launched.

Growing
At No. 5, Ocala is the only city east of the Mississippi to make Forbes’ 2013 list of “10 Best Cities for Future Job Growth.” Meanwhile, neighboring Gainesville ranks No. 1 on NerdWallet.com’s “Top 10 Cities on the Rise,” based on its rate of growth in three key areas over the past five years: employment rate (up 7%), median income (up 19%) and airport passenger traffic (up 7%).

ECONOMIC LIFE

Life Sciences

• Georgia-based Azalea Health is expanding in downtown Gainesville and creating 10 new jobs. Azalea provides software for cloud-based electronic health records and medical practice management.
• Nanotherapeutics has broken ground in Alachua on a 165,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility to fulfill a Department of Defense contract worth up to $359 million over 10 years to develop drugs against the effects of chemical, biological and radiological attacks. The firm expects to add 95 workers as a result.
• Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation, an Alachua biotech firm developing gene therapy treatments for genetic eye diseases, raised $50 million in its initial public offering on the NASDAQ Global Market.
• Shadow Health, a graduate of the Florida Innovation Hub incubator, became the first company to receive equity financing through a state program designed to help bring publicly funded research to market when it closed a deal worth $200,000 in January 2014 with the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research. Training programs developed by Shadow Health allow nursing students to practice patient examinations virtually.
• Alachua-based AxoGen, a developer of products to repair damaged peripheral nerves, has earned the No. 19 spot on “Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500.” The firm, which had nine employees and no revenue when it moved into the Sid Martin Incubator in 2006, today employs more than 70 and reported revenues of nearly $11 million in 2013.

Logistics and Distribution

• Taking shape at the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park: a 383,161-sq.-ft. FedEx Group Package System hub facility; 165 full-time equivalent jobs are anticipated.
• Refrigerated food distributor U.S. Cold Storage is expanding its warehouse operations near the intersection of I-10 and I-75 in Lake City, creating 15 jobs and investing $15.2 million.
• Wilmington, Ohio-based transportation and logistics firm R+L Carriers has opened a logistics management center in Ocala with the promise of 250 IT and management jobs over four years.
• Hamilton County offers two strategically placed industrial parks — one with 58 acres on I-75 frontage, and the other with 45 acres just minutes from the interstate. Both are shovel-ready with water and sewer available.

Technology/R&D

• Optym, the Gainesville-based developer of planning and scheduling software for the logistics industry formerly known as Innovative Scheduling, will add 100 jobs as part of a $4.8-million expansion.
• Paracosm, a 3-D modeling and navigation software firm founded in Gainesville in 2013, is one of many collaborators on Google’s Project Tango, bringing 3D mapping capabilities to mobile phones and tablets.
• Zeeko Ltd., a British technology company that makes ultra-precision machines used for polishing complex surfaces such as telescope mirrors, is opening a research facility in Gainesville in fall 2014.
• After expanding to Gainesville in spring 2013, Boston-based mobile applications developer Mobiquity has increased its office space to 4,000 square feet and is on track to hire 260 by the end of 2015.

Manufacturing

• Precision machining company ProFab Plastics Corporation has moved its corporate headquarters to Ocala from Waukesha, Wis., with plans to create 60 jobs.
• Creative Foam Medical Systems, a Michigan-based contract manufacturer of diagnostic imaging equipment, will open a manufacturing facility in Ocala and create 20 new jobs.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Indoor/outdoor fun
North Central offers a combination of natural and manmade attractions. In Gainesville, drop in at the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and its next-door neighbor, the Florida Museum of Natural History; general admission to either is free. Then visit the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, housing 75 different species and the only zookeeper training facility in the U.S. with its own accredited zoo on-site. Fish the scenic Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, take a hike in the Ocala National Forest or browse Cedar Key’s quaint shops and galleries before sitting down to a bowl of award-winning clam chowder at Tony’s. And be sure to check out the iconic Silver Springs in Ocala, just named Florida’s newest state park.

The livin’ is easy and healthy
Gainesville ranks No. 35 on Livability.com’s “Top 100 Best Places to Live” and one reason is its healthcare, which was rated No. 4 out of 100. So it should come as no surprise that two local hospitals have snagged 10 top 50 spots on U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 list of “America’s Best Hospitals:” UF Health Shands Hospital for adult nephrology, cardiology/heart surgery and pulmonology, and UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital for pediatric diabetes/endocrinology, cardiology/heart surgery, gastroenterology, pulmonology, neonatology, cancer and nephrology.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Agriculture and Forestry

• Buckeye Technologies Perry
• PCS Phosphate White Springs
• Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation Live Oak
• Suwannee Lumber Company Cross City

Logistics and Distribution

• Cheney Brothers Ocala
• Johnson & Johnson Madison

Manufacturing

• E-ONE Ocala
• Lockheed Martin Ocala Operations Ocala
• Monterey Boats Williston
• Signature Brands Ocala

Healthcare

• Munroe Regional Medical Center Ocala
• UF Health Shands Hospital Gainesville
• Ocala Health Ocala

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Manufacturing

Krausz Industries, an Israeli manufacturer of couplings and clamps for drinking water distribution systems, will establish its North American headquarters and a manufacturing facility in Ocala; 22 new jobs are expected.

Business services

Internationally recognized marketing communications agency 160over90 has expanded to Gainesville with projections for 35 new jobs and $500,000 in capital investment. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the agency provides branding, public relations and creative services for a variety of widely known clients including the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Angels, Nike, Ferrari, UCLA and the University of Florida.