Innovative ideas and entrepreneurial activity 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, ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report’s “2015 Top Public Universities,” and Santa Fe College, winner in 2015 of the coveted Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, 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 else in the U.S., North Central is adept at attracting fresh ideas and retaining the talent to grow businesses that will bring them to market.

Enhancing all of this is a well-developed transportation network providing 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, two commercial airports and 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, 43% of residents age 25 and over have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to the national average of 29%.

Growing, yet balanced Ocala ranked No. 7 among 18 U.S. metro areas that will see the most economic growth in 2016 (4.2%), according to a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors prepared by IHS Global Insight. And among 536 U.S. cities studied, Gainesville earned the No. 3 spot on Nerdwallet’s list of “Best Cities for Work-Life Balance” based on weekly hours worked, commute time (just 16.5 minutes) and income/cost of living.

Military friendly Military retirees can expect a warm welcome in Gainesville, according to the 2014 “Best Places for Veterans: Military Retirement” study commissioned by USAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program. Gainesville ranks among the top 10 U.S. metro areas offering opportunities for military retirees to maximize their benefits and find employment that aligns with military skills.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Business support

• The University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator in Alachua won the State Science and Technology Institute’s 2014 Excellence in Technology-Based Economic Development award for achievement in technology commercialization. Since the incubator’s founding in 1995, its companies and graduates have attracted more than $1.2 billion in funding and created more than 2,000 high-wage jobs.
• Civil engineering firm Jones Edmunds & Associates has won a $20-million contract from NASA for work at the Kennedy Space Center as part of the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) program for deep space exploration. Among its responsibilities: make sure the 4-mile gravel road from the rocket assembly building to the launch pad can support the weight of the 25-million-pound SLS launch vehicle.
• On the heels of 300 new hires at its Ocala site in April 2015, customer care provider Sitel plans to add more than 700 new full-time positions in Lake City.

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• For the second consecutive year, UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals nationwide in seven pediatric specialties according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals 2015-16”: cancer, cardiology/heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology and pulmonology.
• UF Health Shands Hospital has begun construction of an eight-story, 500,000-sq-ft. building that will house heart and vascular services in one tower and neuromedicine in a second tower. The $415-million expansion is slated for completion in 2018.
• Fort Myers-based Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Institute is replacing its current facility in Gainesville with one twice as large. The new 25,000-sq.-ft. building will house the doctors’ practice and research center. Anticipated opening: spring 2016.
• Medical device manufacturer Apollo Renal Therapeutics and its contract manufacturing division, Artemis Plastics, will establish their North American headquarters and manufacturing plant in Marion County with the expectation of creating up to 21 jobs.
• Construction currently underway at two Ocala Health System facilities — Ocala Regional Medical Center and West Marion Community Hospital — will add a combined 46 patient beds, 75,000 square feet of patient care space and 75 new healthcare jobs. Anticipated completion date: fall 2016.

Logistics/Distribution

• Gainesville-based Optym, a developer of scheduling software for the transportation and logistics industry, has relocated to a new 30,000-sq.-ft. headquarters to accommodate its existing staff of 75 and the addition of 100 more by 2020.
• An 83-acre parcel of the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park has been designated as Florida’s first “CSX Select Site.” Select Sites are properties identified and vetted as capable locations for future manufacturing facilities along the CSX network and which can be developed quickly since standard land issues and comprehensive due diligence have already been addressed. The Ocala/Marion Commerce Park encompasses 489 acres adjacent to I-75; a rail spur connecting the Select Site parcel to Florida Northern Railroad’s mainline is planned.

Manufacturing

• Just in Time Machining is locating its newest and first Florida production facility in Ocala with an estimated 25 manufacturing jobs. The family-owned firm provides prototyping, computer numerical control (CNC) and CNC-turnmill machining, drilling, milling, turning and sawing, welding and metal fabrication.
• Coates Golf, a manufacturer of high-performance golf clubs specifically designed for women, opened its headquarters and manufacturing/assembly facility in Ocala in early 2015 with the creation of 45 jobs. To help publicize the company’s launch, founders Mollie and Randy Coates signed a three-year contract with the LPGA to sponsor the Coates Golf Championship, the first of which was held in January at the Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.

Technology/R&D

• University of Florida, both a research powerhouse and a catalyst for economic development, received a record $702 million in research funding in fiscal 2014 and was ranked 20th among universities worldwide and 15th nationally for number of U.S. utility patents awarded in 2014. UF helped launch 16 startups in 2012-13 and another 17 in FY2014, according to a survey by the Association of University of Technology Managers.
• Full-service technology and digital consulting firm eResources will relocate its headquarters from Washington D.C. to Ocala and create up to 50 jobs.
• Info Tech, a Gainesville-based consulting and software company that currently employs 240, is building a new 60,000-sq.-ft. headquarters at Celebration Pointe, the 125-acre mixed-use development in Gainesville’s retail corridor.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Life sciences Coquí RadioPharmaceuticals Corp. is bringing its plans for construction of a $330-million medical isotope production facility to the Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator in Alachua. When completed in 2020, it will be the first U.S. site dedicated to the production of the isotope Molybdenum-99, which is used to diagnose and treat conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, renal disease and occult bone traumas. Based in Coral Gables, Coquí Pharma chose the Alachua site for its proximity to the University of Florida’s nuclear research reactor; 164 high-wage jobs are anticipated.

Logistics/distribution FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of the Memphis-based shipping giant FedEx Corp., has begun construction of a 400,000-sq.-ft. distribution hub in Ocala. The facility, which is being built on 150 acres at the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park, is expected to open in August 2016 with 350 employees and automated material-handling technology designed to initially process 15,000 — and eventually up to 45,000 — packages per hour.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Educational excellence Ocala’s Eighth Street Elementary School celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014, making it the oldest school in continuous use in Florida. The former Ocala High School underwent a $2.6-million renovation in 2000. Meanwhile, in Gainesville, more than 20 business, government, community and education leaders gathered in May 2015 to sign the Alachua County Education Compact, a pledge to help students achieve: a 100% high school graduation rate; greater access to sustainable jobs and careers; healthy lifestyles; appreciation for the arts; and a sense of social responsibility.

Fun for all Spanning 13 counties, North Central offers an enticing combination of attractions both natural and manmade. In Gainesville, browse the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art and its next-door neighbor, the Florida Museum of Natural History (general admission to either is free), or check out the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, the only zookeeper training facility in the U.S. with its own accredited zoo on site. Fish the scenic Withlacoochee and Suwannee rivers, hike scenic trails in the Ocala National Forest, browse Cedar Key’s quaint shops or see real Florida wildlife aboard a glass bottom boat at the iconic Silver Springs.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Agriculture and Forestry

• Buckeye Technologies| Perry
• Klausner Lumber| Live Oak
• Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation | Live Oak
• Suwannee Lumber Company | Cross City

Logistics/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
• Ocala Health System | Ocala
• RTI Surgical | Alachua
• UF Health Shands Hospital | Gainesville