"Regionalism is critical," says Janet Watermeier, executive director of the Lee County Economic Development Office. "From Europe, Southwest Florida is a dot on the map." Companies moving in draw from the entire region's labor pool, making little distinction whether a worker is from Punta Gorda or Venice, she says. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), which opened last August, has encouraged this mindset. Its Center for Leadership and Innovation in Bonita Springs houses research operations, a small business development center, an executive MBA program (which currently enrolls 26 students) and an office of Enterprise Florida. It is also implementing a training program for Microsoft.
FGCU's arrival "filled in a gap that was missing," says Wayne Daltry, executive director of the Southwest Florida Regional Development Corp. "Now there is a complete educational system."
Dick Pegnetter, FGCU's Dean of Business, also chairs the Southwest Florida Economic Development Coalition, which includes county commissioners from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties (and, sometimes, Sarasota County) and representatives of Southwest Florida International Airport, the Southwest Florida Manufacturers Association and the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council. "Within our differences, there are a lot of opportunities to advance. We can move in that direction and not make anybody feel like they have to give up their own destiny," he says.
Within the region in 1997:
- Tourism, construction and retail fared well. Agriculture, particularly tomato farming, performed poorly.
- Lee County leads the way in relocations and expansions of businesses. In all, the county announced 1,200 new jobs in 1997, carrying an estimated economic impact of more than $100 million. One Naples manufacturer, Heinz Foods, after signaling its intent to close shop, instead unveiled plans for a $6 million expansion of its Ore-Ida facility.
- In Collier County, plastics manufacturer Tyton Hellermann, a subsidiary of British firm Bowthorpe, broke ground on a 105,000-square-foot facility. Columbia/HCA obtained permission from the state to build a hospital, but competitors are appealing the decision.
- Sarasota County is carving niches for itself in medical technology, software development and light manufacturing. A recent survey uncovered 271 technology-related companies. Sarasota County Technical Institute reports a 22% rise in jobs in machinery and manufacturing. FCCI Insurance Co. will build a 200,000-square-foot headquarters and hire 100 new workers in 1998.
- Manatee County welcomed Chicago-based Ameritech's security monitoring subsidiary SecurityLink, which moved into 100,000 square feet at the Lakewood Ranch development in March. It plans to employ 500 by 1999.
The downside to all the growth is the absence of an adequate work force. Sarasota made headlines in December when its unemployment rate fell to 2.3%. That figure has since risen to 3%, but remains the lowest in the state. Lee and Collier report unemployment around 3.2%, but businesses aren't yet feeling a pinch. Charlotte County's rate stands at around 3.5 %.
At the Bradenton-based Florida Center for Manufacturing Excellence, the biggest problem is persuading recruiters not to hire students away before they complete their training. "Manufacturers are in desperate need of skilled people," says Maura Howl, Manatee Technical Institute's marketing specialist. "When it's a choice between taking someone who has had one semester of training or someone with no experience, the choice is obvious."
Sarasota and Manatee
Status Report: Sarasota County is building an Ohio connection. Not only are the two newest players in banking, Provident Bank and Huntington Bank, from Cincinnati and Columbus, respectively, but the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team will move its spring training facility to Sarasota this year.
Although Manatee's service and retail industry accounts for about 44% of the county's roughly 114,000 jobs, the number of manufacturing positions grew by 1,271 from the first quarter of 1996 to early 1997, a gain of 11.3% to 12,581 jobs.
Person to Watch: Piero Rivolta, auto magnate and land developer. The Rivolta Group, which designs high-performance automobiles, is set to build a mixed-use office tower in Sarasota to house its operations, a car museum and other tenants. The building is to be the first high-rise downtown since the mid 1980s. Rivolta's company also has a marine division that plans to build yachts at Port Manatee.
Business to Watch: Last year, Arthur Andersen Technology Solutions (AATS) consolidated its Sarasota operations by building a technology park just west of Interstate 75 on Fruitville Road. In 1998, AATS will continue that expansion by hiring 250 employees to supplement the current 650 workers, including staffing for the American Operations Center, a new administrative support division.
Education Report: In response to labor shortages, Manatee Technical Institute added a host of skilled offerings to its curriculum last February, including programmable logic controller and computerized numerical control programs. Sarasota County Technical Institute is focusing on healthcare and machinery and manufacturing.
Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands
Status Report: In Tallahassee, $500,000 earmarked for a civic center in DeSoto County survived the first round of budget deliberations. Sebring Airport's industrial park boasts big improvements this spring, including new roads. Expect to see greater interest in U.S. 27, the forgotten byway that cleaves the state south of Orlando. Highlands County is widening its portion of the road to six lanes.
Person to Watch: Jim Stanfill, executive director, Highlands County Economic Development Commission, is overseeing the organization at a crossroads in the county's life. Anticipating the day when the county's population hits 100,000, he has commissioned Atlanta-based consultants Lockwoode-Green to develop a strategic plan for the county's economic future.
Business to Watch: Leza-Lockwood repairs airplane engines and manufactures complete do-it-yourself airplane kits at its 50,000-square-foot plant at Sebring Airport. The company has grown from six to 23 employees since opening three years ago.
Education Report: In Avon Park, South Florida Community College President Catherine P. Cornelius is organizing a letter-writing campaign to persuade legislators in Tallahassee to permit the two-year institution to offer four-year bachelor degrees in education, business, computer science and applied technology.
Charlotte, Glades, Hendry
Status Report: For the second year running, Money magazine named Punta Gorda the Best Small Town in the South. 1998 is shaping up to be the strongest year in construction activity in Charlotte County since 1989, when 2,443 single-family residences were built. Despite their best efforts, don't expect significant growth in population or jobs in the last half of 1998 for Hendry or Glades.
Person to Watch: She's a long way from the family-owned Manhattan nightclubs which schooled her in hospitality, but Cheryl Lauzon feels right at home as director of the new Charlotte County Visitors Bureau. Armed with a $1.3 million budget, Lauzon aims to turn Charlotte into a year-round vacation spot. "If she's successful, it could have a significant impact on the future of the area," says Richard Yarger, provost of Edison Community College in Punta Gorda.
Business to Watch: This spring, U.S. Sugar will open a refinery in Hendry County, creating 170 new jobs. The company also intends to become Florida's second largest producer of premium orange juice by expanding its citrus processing operation. In Glades County, U.S. Sugar will continue to convert pasture land to sugar cane fields, creating 50 jobs.
Education Report: Last March, Edison Community College opened a $22 million branch in Punta Gorda. It enrolls 1,400 students, and its curriculum includes healthcare and environmental and computer science classes. The proximity of Florida Gulf Coast University to Hendry and Glades counties will help to bolster their frail educational infrastructures.
Lee & Collier Counties
Status Report: Collier officials recently announced a $500,000 partnership with the private Economic Development Council to market the county and add four full-time EDC staffers, including a recruitment specialist. After a year in which business growth flew off the charts, Lee in 1998 will stick with what works: $1.5 million in incentives to draw companies from out of state.
Person to Watch: Alan D. Reynolds, president & CEO of Wilson Miller Barton & Peek, is the pre-eminent landscape architect in Lee and Collier and much of Southwest Florida, specializing in upscale, master-planned communities. Wilson Miller, with 200 employees, is branching into transportation consulting, undertaking more international work and mulling over opening shop in Tampa.
Business to Watch: Development officials are swooning over Arthrex Inc. High-tech and environmentally sound, the brainchild of Reinhold Schmieding designs and manufactures orthopedic surgical devices and trains doctors from around the world at its state-of-the-art facility and business park in Naples.
Education Report: The opening last August 25 of Florida Gulf Coast University ushered in a new era for Southwest Florida. Led by Dick Pegnetter, dean of the school of business, FGCU began spearheading regional economic development efforts two years before students arrived.