Photo: Rendering: FSU
Photo: The St. Joe Co.
Photo: Rendering: Santa Rosa Economic Development
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Northwest Florida Roundup
Game Changer
SPOTLIGHT
Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, a Pensacola-based investment firm, recently announced a partnership with Florida State University to develop an FSU Football Operations Facility.
Construction began in December on the $138-million, 150,000-sq.-ft. building that will house a locker room, weight training room and space for hydrotherapy treatment and equipment.
“Catalyst has been instrumental in propelling this transformative project forward,” says Michael Alford, vice president and director of athletics for FSU. “This new facility will have such a positive and lasting impact on Florida State football and the student-athlete experience.”
Led by founder and CEO Chad Henderson, Catalyst has emerged over the past decade as a major developer of health care facilities throughout the U.S. The company also specializes in developing what it calls a “healthspan” approach that integrates orthopedics and sports medicine with health care, human performance, skills training and wellness.
“As a proud alumnus of FSU, this project holds extra significance for me,” says Henderson. “Beyond symbolizing our commitment to advancing healthspan real estate, this project underscores our dedication to making a meaningful and significant impact on FSU’s student-athlete community.”
COMMUNICATIONS
- Several of Northwest Florida’s underserved rural counties and communities are getting upgrades to their broadband internet access. The $38-million project, which will fund the laying of some 630 miles of fiber optic cable, comes from federal grants and the Florida Department of Commerce. Holmes and Jackson counties are receiving the lion’s share of the Northwest Florida grants — $22.5 million that will fund the laying of 350 miles of fiber optic cable.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Jennifer Conoley, CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest, a regional economic development agency, has been appointed to Select- Florida’s board of directors. She was elected vice chair at the organization’s first official meeting. Authorized by the Florida Legislature in 2023, SelectFlorida’s role is to lead the state’s international commerce development efforts. The new board of directors will guide policies and provide leadership to the agency. Conoley was appointed by Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. She joins six other Florida appointees, including Mark Wilson, CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
MANUFACTURING
- Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been commissioned to build two multipurpose support vessels by Hornbeck Offshore Services. One of Bay County’s largest employers, Eastern says the vessels will have several specialized functions, including the capability to lower heavy equipment to the seafloor for offshore drilling operations.
RESEARCH
- Construction has been completed on the Pensacola-based Institute for Human and Machine Cognition’s $40-million research facility. The 40,000-sq.-ft. Human Resilience and Performance Research Complex expands IHMC’s downtown Pensacola campus to three primary buildings and will complement the Levin Center for IHMC Research in robotics, human-machine teaming and intelligent networked systems, says Phillip Turner, IHMC’s director of architectural and engineering services. IHMC currently is working on plans for a grand opening in June.
