North Central: Timing is Key
 Demographics for the North Central Region can be found at Business Florida's interactive map of Florida. |
| North Central Resources: Universities/Colleges • Central Florida Community College • Lake City Community College • North Florida Community College • Santa Fe College • University of Florida Airports |
In Ocala — The Pensacola-based Institute for Human and Machine Cognition has finalized an agreement on its “ideal site” for a branch research lab. And
Duratek Precast Technologies is relocating its corporate headquarters and building a new production facility.
In Gainesville — Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a company on the cutting edge of computer gaming, is locating its new studio and software production facility in the city’s energetic downtown area.
In Columbia County — United States Cold Storage (USCS) and Target are managing their shipping costs by locating new distribution facilities just minutes away from the intersection of I-10 and I-75.
In Madison County — Fast Track and Love’s are opening new fueling/food stations in key locations, taking advantage of the recent completion of a county infrastructure project.
Gainesville/Alachua County
Academic Clout University of Florida — the nation’s 4th largest university — is a key player in this region’s economic prosperity. Enrolling 50,000 students annually, UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutions, including the Center of Excellence in Regenerative Health Biotechnology, the Center of Excellence for Nano-Bio Sensors and the Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy Technology Incubator. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report ranked Shands at UF among America’s top 50 hospitals in 11 specialties — the most of any hospital in Florida and the highest ranking of Florida hospitals for endocrinology, geriatrics, heart and heart surgery, respiratory care and urology. |
High-Tech Development: Gainesville/Alachua County is enthusiastically inviting high technology companies to locate here, in close proximity to the University of Florida’s world-renowned engineering and intellectual resources.
A new Innovation Zone in downtown Gainesville is described by the city and the Center for Economic Outreach (CEO) as “conducive to high-tech development.” Ignition Entertainment Ltd., a UTV Software Communications Ltd. Enterprise, which develops innovative computer games, has located in the zone, setting the stage for this district’s further development. Ignition is in a stage of rapid growth, preparing for multiple next-generation platforms. Its new studio/game development facility has open positions across the spectrum of game production and is expected to attract high-tech talent to the local workforce. Ignition has partnered with FloridaWorks, the local regional workforce board serving Alachua and Bradford counties, for the initial hiring and later expansion stages of workforce development.
“When we started talking about locating Ignition’s new game development studio in Gainesville, first on our minds were the city’s cultural energy, skilled workforce and effective cost of operation,” says Studio Director Jeremy Stieglitz, a University of Florida graduate. “Everyone is looking forward to creating fantastic games here as we grow to incorporate more world-class talent. It’s a dream come true to do this work from an area we know and love.”
DIXIE, Taylor & LAFAYETTE Counties
Future Looking Bright: Officials in Dixie are pleased with progression of a Department of Corrections Work Camp project. The facility is expected to bring an additional 100 jobs to the area.
Positive Activity: Independent power producer Cogentrix Energy LLC has responded to an RFP issued by Progress Energy Florida that could result in construction of a $200-million, 300-megawatt natural gas power plant in Taylor County. Cogentrix officials expect to learn in mid-October 2008 if they are on the short list for the project.
Perry-based ammunition manufacturer Martin Electronics Inc. (MEI) has been purchased by Chemring Group TLC, a British supplier of military products. CEO Rick Gardner sees the purchase as a positive step. “We currently employ about 250 people, and we expect those numbers to maintain or grow over the next several years.”
Job Growth: A+ Trailers, builder of custom utility trailers for corporate and personal use, has moved into the Industrial Park of Mayo, bringing 15 new manufacturing jobs to Lafayette County.
Columbia County
“We feel like we got here at the right time. People are beginning to see the logistical benefits of this area for getting products throughout the Southeast.”
Mark Doughty, Operations Manager |
New Arrivals Mean Jobs: It’s always exciting when a community can announce projects that will bring future jobs. It’s even more gratifying when the community sees its own residents immediately fill those positions as arriving companies build and open their new facilities.
That’s exactly what has happened in Columbia County, where two new distribution centers are now open, with workforces trained and ready to chill and distribute products throughout the Southeast. United States Cold Storage (USCS) began shipping in March 2008 from its new 450,000-square-foot distribution center at Lake City. Retail giant Target also began shipping from Lake City in August 2008; its new 465,000-square-foot cold food storage distribution center supports Target SuperCenters in Florida and Georgia.
 U.S. Cold Storage found the right site in Florida for a new distribution center, says Operations Manager Mark Doughty. [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
“We were fortunate to have these projects in the pipeline as the construction industry had a downturn,” says Lake City-Columbia County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim Poole. Community leaders were delighted to see both companies utilize local subcontractors during a slow economic time.
“We moved to Columbia County four years ago and find it to be a very business-friendly, pro-active community,” says Greg Ridilla, president of Hunter Panels, a manufacturer of energy-efficient roof insulation panels. He was glad to see Target locate its first cold storage distribution center nearby. “We ship our product all over the country,” he adds. “It really was nice to be in a location bringing a major customer like the Target Distribution Center ... we shipped product just down the road.”
Ocala/Marion County
Research Institute Chooses Ocala: Leaders in Ocala and Marion County will be seeing a dream come true when the Pensacola-based Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) opens a branch research lab in the former public library building in downtown Ocala. IHMC’s researchers specialize in artificial intelligence and robotics and focus on making technology fit humans rather than the other way around. In addition to high-caliber computer scientists and engineers, IHMC employs cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists, physicians and social scientists. Fifteen to 20 high-paid scientists will work in the Ocala facility.
Quoted in Florida Trend magazine in summer 2008, Marion County Commissioner Stan McClain said, “This is precisely the kind of business any community would love to have because it will spark change. It really raises the bar for Marion County.”
IHMC is headed by Director Ken Ford, the only Floridian on the National Science Board. Institute officials began considering Ocala for a branch because of its proximity to partner universities in Orlando, Tampa, Melbourne and Gainesville. They also cite the area’s quality of life that could help lure some of the country’s top scientists.
“The folks we hire tend to be people who can live anywhere,” says IHMC Deputy Director Timothy W. Wright, who’s overseeing the renovation of the library. “They spend a lot of time thinking deep thoughts and working on computers, and then they may want to escape to the coasts or to the national forest.”
Corporate Headquarters On the Way: Marion County is also preparing for the arrival of Duratek, a manufacturer of precast concrete walls used to provide sound barriers along busy highways, as well as security and aesthetic walls for gated residential communities.
A new company subsidiary builds precast walls for homes, and for commercial and institutional projects that are designed to provide high-quality stability and protection from strong winds. Duratek recently built the first “fortified-designated” home in Belleview’s Cobblestone community. “Fortified-designated” is a new standard developed by the Institute for Business Home Safety to signify disaster-resistant structures.
Duratek is relocating its corporate headquarters and bringing 150 new jobs to Marion County. With the slow-down in residential construction, some might deem this the wrong time to expand an operation with such a strong housing component, but Duratek’s President and CEO Barry Stem sees opportunities.
“Actually, costs are down somewhat right now to build,” he says. “It will take about a year to complete the Marion facility. I believe the markets will rebound, and we’ll be ready when they do.”
Bradford & Union Counties
 Starke’s 3rd annual Bike Fest in June drew close to 15,000 for rides, music, food and fun. |
Economic Boost: Two events pumped more than $2 million into the local economy in 2008. The annual Strawberry Festival drew 17,000 people to Starke’s historic district in April. In June, thousands flocked to Starke for the 3rd annual three-day Bike Fest.
HAMILTON, SUWANNEE & GILCHRIST Counties
Natural Beauty: Hamilton County is separated from the rest of Florida by two rivers: the Withlacoochee on the west and the Suwannee River to the east and south. A third — the Alapaha or “River of Sand,” which disappears underground during certain parts of the year leaving a dry, sandy riverbed — runs through the middle. Not surprisingly, recreation and tourism are major industries here. One project being negotiated could have significant impact on local tourism. In addition, this county’s many sites appropriate for clean energy facilities and its access to significant bio-mass feed stock are proving attractive; several companies in the clean energy cluster are investigating the area for possible site location.
New Industrial Park: Live Oak and Suwannee County have joined together to improve one of their greatest economic resources, the Interstate 10 interchange at U.S. 129. Utilities have been extended to the interchange to foster retail and industrial development, and the first phase of a perimeter road connecting the new industrial park — East 90 Commerce Center — to the interchange has been completed.
Strategic Planning: Officials with Gilchrist County are working with the University of Florida’s Extension office to develop strategies for the community’s future development. One vision that has already come to fruition is the new Emergency Operations Center that opened in August 2008. Also in the works: a proposal from Lake City Community College to build a satellite campus in the community of Bell.
Madison County
New Infrastructure Draws Business: The completion of an important Madison County infrastructure project has paved the way for construction of two new fueling/food stations. New infrastructure includes a paved road and utilities along a county-owned five-mile stretch of road paralleling I-10 and encompassing nearly 50 acres.
Love’s and Fast Track are now serving customers at new sites. “We had a previous location here that was destroyed by fire,” says Alan Fogg, president of Land O’Sun Development, which owns the Fast Track station. “We knew the county was planning some infrastructure developments and waited to rebuild until that was in place. We feel like we’re in the right place at the right time to be ready for the development that will come from the county’s land purchase.”
Madison County Commissioner Ronnie Moore is ready to welcome more companies and new jobs to the area. “We have land and zoning in place. Our legislative coalition has taken this dream and made it a reality.”
Levy County
Powering Up: In July 2008, Progress Energy Florida got the green light from the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) to build two nuclear reactors on a 3,100-acre site in southern Levy County. The regulators deemed the $17-billion project both necessary and cost-effective.
The new facility will be among only a very few nuclear plants in the country to be constructed on a greenfield site over the last three decades, and will require development of one of the single largest transmission infrastructure projects in Florida’s history.
PSC approval is the first leg of a lengthy process Progress Energy Florida must go through to help ensure that nuclear energy remains a viable option for Florida’s future. And the economic impact could be huge. The proposed new plants would mean an estimated 800 full-time, high-paying permanent positions, generate approximately 1,000 to 2,000 indirect jobs and employ about 3,000 people at the height of construction.
If Progress Energy’s plans are fully approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the company decides to move forward with the project, the two advanced technology reactors could begin generating electricity as early as 2016.