Companies in such diverse industry sectors as healthcare, logistics and manufacturing are drawn to Florida’s southwest region for its enticing combination of affordable sites, dynamic workforce and exceptional quality of life.

Here, firms with global ambitions enjoy easy access to both domestic and international markets via I-75, which puts four deep water ports — Manatee, Tampa Bay, Miami and Everglades — within an average 160-mile drive. Just outside Fort Myers, Southwest Florida International Airport is among the nation’s 50 busiest for passenger traffic and along with Page Field, a general aviation facility, and the adjacent 1,150-acre Skyplex industrial park, comprises a designated Foreign Trade Zone. A second FTZ in Charlotte County includes Punta Gorda Airport, where Allegiant Air offers non-stop flights to 24 mid-sized U.S. cities, and Punta Gorda Interstate Airport Park with 4,300 shovel-ready acres awaiting development.

Educational assets in this region include: Florida Gulf Coast University, offering 51 undergraduate and 28 graduate degree programs, plus counseling and workshops for entrepreneurs at its Small Business Development Center; Florida SouthWestern State College, addressing the needs of local employers with the addition of four new focus areas — accounting, retail management and marketing, entrepreneurship and health services administration — to its Supervision and Management bachelor’s degree program; and Ave Maria University, where 83% of law school graduates passed the Florida bar exam in February 2014 on the first try compared to a statewide average passing rate of 64.3%.

WHO LIVES HERE

Growing in size Two metro areas in Florida’s southwest region were among the nation’s 10 fastest growing between July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cape Coral-Fort Myers snagged the No. 6 spot with a 2.7% increase in population; at 2.5%, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island ranked No. 10.

Growing in economic clout At 4.9%, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island topped a list of 18 metro areas across the U.S. that are expected to see the most economic growth in 2016, according to a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors prepared by IHS Global Insight. Other Southwest Florida cities on this list are: Cape Coral-Fort Myers, No. 4 at 4.5%, and Punta Gorda, No. 14 at 4.0%.

A ready labor pool Employers looking to put down roots in this region can anticipate having the workers they’ll need in the years ahead. Population projections from the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research show an increase of 15.6% in Southwest Florida’s 25-54 age group between 2015 and 2025 compared to 7.9% across the entire state.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Corporate Headquarters

• Two years after deciding to move its world headquarters to Lee County from Park Ridge, N.J., Hertz Global Holdings is on track to settle into its new permanent home in Estero with 700 employees before the end of 2015. Finishing touches are underway at the three-story, 300,000-sq.-ft. glass-covered structure on a 34.5-acre campus at the intersection of Williams Road and U.S. 41. In the meantime, Hertz continues to operate out of temporary offices in Naples with 640 employees. Projections call for as many as 300 additional jobs by 2017.
• The citrus division of the Fort Myers-based agricultural and natural resources company Alico became the largest citrus producer in the U.S. with its purchase of three central Florida citrus operations in December 2014. At a combined purchase price of close to $363 million, the acquisitions expand Alico’s citrus footprint to more than 30,000 acres and are expected to increase the firm’s citrus production from 3.4 million to 10 million boxes annually.

Manufacturing

• Bonita Springs-based Global Tech LED is poised to begin manufacturing its lighting products and systems in India, for use in India. The company, which makes LED streetlights, ceiling lights, floodlights and other fixtures for commercial use, has partnered with Jabil Circuit, a global contract manufacturer headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, to actually fabricate its products in India. Global Tech relocated to Bonita Springs in 2014 and over the last two years has expanded from 15 employees to 60-plus.
• Eastern Architectural Systems, the door and window division of Lake Worth-based Eastern Metal Supply, has moved into its new 172,000-sq.-ft. building in Fort Myers. The new facility replaces a 60,000-sq.-ft. leased building the firm previously occupied in Fort Myers and is designed to expand another 80,000 square feet to accommodate future growth.

Logistics/Distribution

• The long-anticipated Cheney Brothers’ West Coast Distribution Center continues taking shape on a plot of land near Punta Gorda Airport and I-75. Plans call for the $40-million, 345,000-sq.-ft. project to be completed by fall 2015. Cheney Brothers is the nation’s 11th largest food distributor, exporting products worldwide and directly serving customers in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas from its headquarters in Riviera Beach and food distribution centers in Ocala, Orlando and, soon, Punta Gorda. .

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• Fort Myers-based cancer genetics testing firm NeoGenomics posted a gain of $25 million in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2014, a 36% increase over the same period a year before. Over the last five years, NeoGenomics, which in July 2014 acquired the California pathology firm PathLogic, has doubled its Florida workforce, creating 124 jobs, including 50 new positions in Fort Myers since 2013.
• Lee Memorial Health System has announced plans to create The Shipley Center for Cardiothoracic Surgery Innovation, Education & Research to advance the care and treatment of heart and lung disease in a 10,000-sq.-ft. space on the first floor of HealthPark Medical Center. In March, Lee Memorial Hospital and HealthPark Medical Center received Healthgrades 2015 “America’s 50 Best Hospitals” Award for the second consecutive year, placing them in the top 1% of hospitals nationwide.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Fun in (and out of) the sun Southwest Florida is home to tons of sunshine and three award-winning sites in which to enjoy it: Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples, ranked No. 2 and No. 9 respectively by “Dr. Beach” (Florida International University Professor Stephen Leatherman) on his 2015 “Top 10 Beaches” list, and Fort Myers Beach, named among the top 25 on TripAdvisor’s 2015 “Best U.S. Beaches.” And now open weekends only in Punta Gorda is the Florida Tracks & Trails outdoor adventure park, offering an 80-acre paintball park, 22 miles of trails for dirt bikes and ATVs and a four-acre manmade lake; plans call for a 40,000-sq.-ft. indoor event facility, RV campgrounds and a zip-line park. Arts and culture are strong here, too. Enjoy symphony orchestras in Fort Myers and Naples, plus a full complement of museums, galleries, theaters, shops and restaurants throughout the region.

Major league action Three MLB teams have their spring training homes in Southwest Florida — the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins in Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte. Tickets are easy to obtain and, since these venues are considerably smaller than their in-season counterparts, fans get to enjoy a more up-close-and-personal baseball experience.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Corporate headquarters In the wake of landing the corporate headquarters of rental car giant Hertz, Lee County is poised to welcome two more. In October 2014, Universal Trailer Holdings Corporation announced plans to relocate its operations from Cincinnati to Fort Myers and create 21 new jobs. And coming to Bonita Springs from Greenwich, Conn.: the financial division of billion-dollar fashion footwear company Camuto Group, known for such brands as Vince Camuto, Tory Burch, Jessica Simpson and BCBGeneration; 50 new jobs are anticipated.

Hospitality/tourism The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort has begun a $250-million expansion that will add nearly 100 guest rooms, double the hotel’s meeting and event space to a total of 100,000 square feet and convert the property to a luxury-tier JW Marriott-branded resort. When renovations are completed in 2017, the hotel will become the only oceanfront JW Marriott in the continental U.S.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Corporate Headquarters

• Alico| Fort Myers
• ASG Software Solutions| Naples
• Chico’s FAS| Fort Myers
• Data2 Logistics| Fort Myers
• Hertz Global Holdings| Estero
• 21st Century Oncology | Fort Myers

Sciences/Healthcare

• Arthrex | Naples
• Lee Memorial Health System | Fort Myers
• LeeSar | Fort Myers
• NCH Healthcare System | Naples

Information Technology

• Gartner | Fort Myers

Manufacturing

• Heinz North America | Fort Myers
• Raymond Building Supply | North Fort Myers
• Shaw Development | Bonita Springs