Florida’s Southeast is the state’s most populated region. And with its wealth of business advantages, the challenge for companies considering relocation to any of these seven coastal counties is less about finding right sites for expansion than it is about choosing just one.

It’s no wonder that firms in such high-impact industry sectors as aviation, life sciences and technology have chosen to “cluster” here. Miami, ranked No. 9 by fDi Intelligence magazine on its list of “North American Cities of the Future 2015/16,” is home to more than 100 foreign consulates, trade offices and bi-national chambers of commerce. In Southeast Florida, where five deep water ports and four international airports are channels for worldwide tourism and trade, globally minded firms enjoy ready access to the lucrative Latin American market, and are well-positioned to prosper as the U.S. re-establishes diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Here, too, tourism remains a significant economic driver. From Indian River County to the Florida Keys, new hotels are taking shape, visitor numbers are up and communities stand ready to welcome tourists as eagerly as CEOs sinking permanent roots.

WHO LIVES HERE

Heavily Hispanic In Miami-Dade County alone, 51% of the population is foreign-born, and at 32% and 23% respectively, the populations of contiguous Broward and Palm Beach counties aren’t far behind. Latinos are the most prevalent immigrant group here, averaging 25% of the population region-wide with Miami-Dade, at 66%, the runaway leader among all seven Southeast Florida counties for concentration of Hispanics.

Widely known For the 6th consecutive year, Florida is the No. 1 U.S. destination for international home buyers, and two Southeast Florida cities — Miami and Fort Lauderdale — are among the top 10 most searched by international consumers on Realtor.com.

Young and smart Once populated largely by retirees, South Florida today is a favorite among millennials. According to the consumer website NerdWallet, millennial populations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale have increased by 23% and 21% respectively in recent years, and these younger adults bring their aptitude for technology along. A report from commercial real estate and investment firm CBRE ranks Miami and Fort Lauderdale among the top 50 U.S. cities for tech talent.

Small business friendly Southeast Florida is both an innovation hub and a place where small businesses thrive. In the “2015 Kauffman Index: Startup Activity,” the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area ranks No. 2 for startup density and the rate of entrepreneurs launching new businesses. And on Biz2Credit’s “Best Small Business Cities in America Study,” Miami-Fort Lauderdale is 7th based on factors such as average credit score, annual revenue, cost of doing business and tax rate.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Aviation/Aerospace/Defense

• South Florida aviation parts manufacturer HEICO Corporation continues to grow by acquisition. In January 2015, HEICO acquired majority ownership of Netherlands-based aircraft interior parts manufacturer Aeroworks International Holdings; two weeks later, HEICO assumed ownership of Phoenix-based maintenance, repair and overhaul firm Harter Aerospace. HEICO has headquarters in Miami and Hollywood.
• Military aircraft repair and overhaul firm Kellstrom Defense Aerospace is expanding its south Florida operations to Miramar and adding 20 jobs. Kellstrom’s customers include Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
• Melbourne-based Harris Corporation has opened a new 19,000-sq.-ft. facility in Sunrise with 41 software development engineers to support the firm’s tactical radio business and serve as its Caribbean and Latin American sales hub for secure radio communications products and services.
• Following its acquisition of California-based Luchner Tool Engineering, Aerospace Precision, an aircraft company which already has operations and 40 employees in Florida, will move its headquarters to Hollywood from San Diego and create 25 jobs.
• Commercial aerospace giant GA Telesis announced plans in June 2015 to relocate one of its USA-based distribution centers to Miami, adding 55 new jobs. One of the firm’s aerostructure business units, GA Telesis Composite Repair Group, recently moved from Arizona to Fort Lauderdale.
• Palm City manufacturer of private and business jet seating products PAC Seating Systems has been selected by GDC Technics in San Antonio to provide the seating products for two Boeing 787 VIP planes and one narrow Boeing Business Jet. PAC was named a 2014 “Manufacturer of the Year” by the South Florida Manufacturers Association.

Corporate/Regional Headquarters

• Logisics firm Exquisite Import/Export Trading Company, which also operates under the names ETC Logistics USA and Talford-Guyana Agro Industries, is moving its headquarters from South Carolina to Miami and building 350,000 squre feet of facilities for palm oil processing and bulk storage; 75 jobs expected.
• Charter Schools USA, the nation’s leading charter school management company, is expanding/relocating its national corporate headquarters in Fort Lauderdale; 73 jobs expected.
• USPA Properties, licensing division and wholly-owned subsidiary of the U.S. Polo Association, is relocating from Lexington, Ky., to West Palm Beach; 30 jobs anticipated.
• Sunnyvale, Calif.-based network security firm Fortinet, which opened a 30-person Latin American and Caribbean headquarters in Sunrise in 2014, anticipates a total of 200 jobs within five years.
• Conergy, one of the world’s largest solar energy companies,is relocating its U.S. headquarters from Denver to North Miami; 50 employees, a combination of new hires and relocating personnel, expected.

Life Sciences

• Lupin, the U.S.-owned subsidiary of a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company, plans to create 45 jobs at its new lab in Coral Springs. The firm develops drugs for treating chronic lung diseases.
• Medytox Solutions, a holding company that owns and operates businesses in the medical services sector, plans to expand its corporate headquarters in West Palm Beach and create up to 90 jobs.
• Vicinitas Cancer Care, a nationwide network of physicians and oncology care providers serving cancer patients at the community level, is locating its headquarters in Boca Raton with the expectation of 200 jobs. Vicinitas is an affiliate of Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which relocated its headquarters to Boca Raton from Illinois in 2014.

Trade and Distribution

• PortMiami, one of the nation’s top 20 ports according to Global Trade magazine and the world’s busiest for cruises, now offers post-Panamax gantry cranes that can service cargo vessels up to 22 containers wide, on-dock intermodal rail service and a tunnel providing direct access to I-95.
• Port of Palm Beach provides direct access to Florida East Coast Railway, CSX and Norfolk Southern rail lines via on-dock rail and five miles of port-owned track.
• Miami International Airport is Florida’s busiest cargo airport and was 12th busiest in the world in 2014, according to the Airports Council International.
• Miami-based Carnival Corporation has received approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce to operate cruises to Cuba. Carnival plans to add a Cuba itinerary to its newly established “social impact brand” Fathom beginning in May 2016.
• Coral Gables-based All Aboard Florida has named GE Transportation Systems to design and manufacture the signaling equipment that will be used along the express passenger train’s 235-mile route from downtown Miami to Orlando. All Aboard Florida plans to begin service in two phases: from Miami to West Palm Beach in late 2016, and from West Palm Beach to Orlando in 2017.
• SeaLand will create 65 jobs as it establishes a corporate headquarters in Miramar for its intra-Americas containerized shipping operations.
• Chiquita Brands International is moving the headquarters of its banana division from North Carolina to Dania Beach, bringing up to 90 jobs.

Manufacturing

• Syntac Coated Products, manufacturer of pressure-sensitive adhesive products for the healthcare, automotive, graphic arts and construction industries, will expand its operations in Deerfield Beach; 20 jobs expected.
• Ocean Master Marine, builder of off-shore center console fishing boats since 1975, has relocated its headquarters and manufacturing facility to a 15,000-sq.-ft. building in Martin County and hired two dozen workers.
• Doral-based Badia Spices has opened a 101,000-sq.-ft. distribution hub near its existing manufacturing operations; 20 jobs were created.
• Allied General Industries, a Brazilian manufacturer of office supplies, is expanding to the U.S. and adding 33 jobs in Pembroke Pines.
• Expert Shutter Services, the largest retail manufacturer of hurricane and security shutters along Florida’s Treasure Coast, will build a new 24,800-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility and hire 10 new full-time employees.
• Chicago-based S&C Electric Company is expanding its Florida operations with construction of a new manufacturing facility in Palm Beach County and the addition of 170 jobs.
• Valley Forge Fabrics, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of high-end fabrics and textiles and the largest supplier of decorative upholstery fabrics for the hospitality industry, is expanding to Fort Lauderdale with 40 new jobs and 120 retained.

Technology

• UTC Building & Industrial Systems, the world’s largest provider of building technologies, has selected Palm Beach Gardens as the site of its new product showcase; 380 new jobs are expected at The UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings.
• Tokyo-based SATO Holdings has established its subsidiary, SATO Global Solutions (SGS), in Fort Lauderdale, creating 35 jobs. SGS provides technology to tag, track and link objects to IT systems by barcode, radio frequency identification (RFID) and other high-tech solutions.
• Avid Technology, a provider of audio and video technology for the media and entertainment industry, will expand its North American administrative offices in Boca Raton over three years; 100 new jobs anticipated.

QUALITY OF LIFE

World-class attractions Bask in the sun at Hollywood Beach or South Beach; both are named among TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 U.S. Beaches.” Shop ‘til you drop for designer togs in Miami-Dade’s Bal Harbour or along Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, or for bargains at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, adding another 30 luxury outlets this year. Browse the works of Latin American and Caribbean artists at Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Florida Highwaymen collection at the A. E. Backus Museum & Gallery in Fort Pierce or eclectic creations at the funky galleries along Duval Street in Key West. Southeast Florida is packed with things to see and do.

Exceptional specialty healthcare For the 12th straight year, University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute has been named the nation’s No. 1 hospital for ophthalmology on U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 list of “America’s Best Hospitals.” Additionally, three Southeast children’s hospitals — Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Miami Children’s Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital at Memorial Medical Center in Hollywood — were named among the nation’s top 50 “Best Children’s Hospitals 2015-16” in at least three pediatric specialties each.

Educational achievement Eighteen Southeast Florida high schools earned gold medals in U.S. News & World Report’s “2015 Best High Schools” rankings; seven of them were among the top 75 high schools nationwide. This region is also home to nearly 20 not-for-profit institutions of higher education, including the University of Miami, site of the UM Life Science & Technology Park, the nation’s second largest Health District; Florida International University, partnering with Florida Power & Light Company on a commercial-scale, distributed solar power facility; and Keiser University, which in 2014 opened its first residential campus in West Palm Beach.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Logistics/distribution Online retailer Amazon opened a sorting center with 300 employees in Doral in October 2014. One of 15 such centers nationwide, the 335,841-sq.-ft. facility processes orders from Amazon’s fulfillment centers for final delivery to customers.

Business services Sitel has opened a new call center in Pompano Beach with 350 employees and plans to hire another 750 to support the customer service operations of a large financial services institution. Nashville-based Sitel is among the world’s leading providers of outsourced customer service.

Life sciences Biopharmaceutical firm Sancilio & Company is expanding in Riviera Beach, adding 275 jobs. The firm, which develops and manufactures branded prescription, over-the-counter and generic prescription pharmaceutical products, was named a 2015 “Manufacturer of the Year” by the South Florida Manufacturers Association.

Aquaculture Construction is underway in Indiantown on Fresh Shrimp USA, a facility that, when fully operational in 2016, will employ 60 and produce an estimated 100,000 pounds of organic shrimp in its first year.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Aviation/Aerospace

• AAR Corporation-Aircraft Services| Miami
• HEICO Corporation| Hollywood and Miami
• Piper Aircraft| Vero Beach
• Pratt & Whitney| West Palm Beach
• Sikorsky Aircraft | West Palm Beach

Business/Financial Services

• American Express | Plantation
• iVox Solutions | Palm City
• Office Depot | Boca Raton
• Zimmerman Advertising | Fort Lauderdale

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• Actavis | Davie
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America | Boca Raton
• Martin Health System | Stuart
• Noven Pharmaceuticals | Miami
• University of Miami Health System | Miami

Logistics/Distribution

• Ryder Integrated Logistics | Miami
• SEACOR Holdings | Fort Lauderdale

Technology

• Citrix | Fort Lauderdale
• G4S Secure Solutions | Jupiter

Travel/Tourism

• Carnival Cruise Lines | Miami
• Royal Caribbean International | Miami
• Spirit Airlines | Miramar