Demographics for the Southwest Region can be found at Business Florida's interactive map of Florida.

Southwest Florida Resources: Universities/Colleges • Edison State College • Florida Gulf Coast University • Hodges University Airports • Charlotte County Airport • Naples Municipal Airport • Southwest Florida International Airport

Encompassing nearly 4,000 square miles and just three counties — Charlotte, Lee and Collier — Florida’s Southwest is one of the state’s fastest growing and most prosperous regions.

Over the last 20 years, Lee County has nearly doubled its population — the number of residents rose by close to 20,000 in 2007 alone — and Lee’s Cape Coral/Fort Myers MSA was the 3rd fastest growing metro area in the U.S. between 2000 and 2006. Furthermore, a University of Florida study reports that Collier jobs pay the highest wages of any of Florida’s 67 counties, and the Naples-Marco Island MSA ranks No. 4 nationally for personal income.

New Focus: While this region’s 100 miles of sandy coastal beaches, fishing, golf, tennis and other recreational opportunities continue to draw residents seeking a laid-back lifestyle, economic developers are increasingly turning their focus to recruiting, retaining and expanding life sciences, computer technology and other targeted high-impact industry sectors.

“There is a need to attract high-paying industries to diversify the regional economy,” says Dr. Richard Pegnetter, founding dean of the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University in Lee County.

#2 Cape Coral-Fort Myers America’s Fastest-Growing Large Metro 2008 — Forbes #10 Naples-Marco Island America’s Fastest-Growing Small Metro 2008 — Forbes

With that in mind, a Southwest Florida chapter of BioFlorida — the statewide non-profit bioscience organization aimed at growing the life sciences industry in Florida — was formed in 2008.

In addition, some 159 technology leaders representing 94 business, science and academic organizations attended a launch meeting for the Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership in May 2008. The purpose of the partnership is to “broaden the economic base, deepen the local talent pool, attract new value-added businesses and help make our area the next hot spot,” says architect Ken Barnhill, who was instrumental in the group’s formation.

LEE COUNTY

Growing High-Tech Sector: Madden Research Loop is a public-private science and technology park planned for 25 of 750 acres at Skyplex Commercial Center on the north side of Southwest Florida International Airport. The driving force behind this venture is the John Madden Company, a Denver-based development firm whose founder owns a home on nearby Captiva Island.

Madden Company, which has developed about 10 million square feet to date, is aiming for LEED certification at its research complex. Phase 1 calls for five buildings totaling 275,000 square feet; the first six-story building is expected to be completed in late 2009. Area economic development officials say that Madden Research Loop could mean 800 jobs when fully built.

Ecological Laboratories Inc. expanded in 2008 into a 60,000-square-foot plant at the North Cape Industrial Park in Cape Coral. The company, which has about 50 employees at the site, makes microbial products for the treatment of environmental issues related to water use and recycling of organic matter.

Business is Booming Businesses of all sizes are finding plenty to like about Lee County: » UPS is expanding its Fort Myers facility by 30,000 square feet; the work should be completed by fall 2009 and will create at least 20 new jobs. “Lee County offers a quality workforce, strong infrastructure and high quality of life,” says Bill Cox, UPS Fort Myers business manager. “These factors are what ultimately led us to choose Lee County.” » Bartley Conderman, plant manager at filter manufacturer Pall Aeropower Corporation, agrees. “Lee County makes it easy for a manufacturing company to do business,” he adds. “The support from local resources is incredible.” A fixture in Fort Myers for 30 years, Pall Aeropower employs approximately 300 workers.

Downtown Redevelopment: Downtown Fort Myers is undergoing a facelift of sorts. The city is more than halfway through a $72-million utilities and streetscape plan — due to be completed in 2009 — that includes underground utilities and brick streets. To the north and south of the historic downtown core, some 1,400 new condos have taken shape in eight towers. And to serve the dwellers of those new condos, Publix opened a new shopping center in November 2007 on McGregor Boulevard just two blocks from the Caloosahatchee River.

Fort Myers’ downtown skyline now includes the new, seven-story, 67-room Hotel Indigo next to the federal courthouse. The city is planning to enlarge Harborside Event Center and perhaps build another hotel nearby. Also, Target Builders is planning two downtown projects, including retail, office and town homes in a six-story development.

Elsewhere downtown, a new 10-story criminal justice center is under construction and an “Art of the Olympians” gallery featuring works created by Olympic athletes is expected to open in 2009. In addition, a $4-million project to transform the city’s old post office into a cultural arts center is under way.

COLLIER COUNTY

Medical Devices: Inovo Inc. is a Naples-based company that since 1997 has made oxygen regulators and related devices for home healthcare, fire rescue/EMS and hospital markets. In recognition of the company’s value to the community, Collier County commissioners approved more than $80,000 worth of incentives in 2008 toward a planned expansion. Inovo expects to grow from about 50 to more than 80 high-wage jobs in coming years.

In early 2008, Arthrex Inc., a manufacturer of surgical devices for minimally invasive orthopedic surgery, announced plans to expand to a 12-acre site in Ave Maria in east Collier County while retaining its corporate headquarters in Naples. The company, which also provides training to surgeons, employs 600.

New Development Grows: Ave Maria is the name of both a new, principally Catholic town 25 miles east of Naples and its resident university. Created by Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, the town welcomed its first homeowner in May 2007, and the university opened its permanent campus in fall 2007. The town’s landmark Catholic church, Ave Maria Oratory, was dedicated in March 2008.

More than 1,000 people currently reside in Ave Maria; plans call for 11,000 homes on 4,000 acres at build-out. Publix has broken ground on a new 28,000-square-foot supermarket near the Town Center with a slated completion date of early 2009 and the promise of approximately 115 new jobs.

Surgical device manufacturer Arthrex Inc., a long-time fixture in Collier County, will retain its headquarters at this site in Naples while expanding to new facilities in nearby Ave Maria. [Photo: Arthrex Inc.]

Nanotech Comes to Collier: With its move to Collier County in early 2008, nanotechnology firm EnVont LLC has consolidated its entire operation under one roof. The company, which develops nanotechnology coatings and materials for use in medicine, manufacturing, construction and other fields, had previously maintained a headquarters office in Michigan and a research and development facility in Connecticut.

The move brings both entities together in Naples, along with 20 high-wage jobs and the possibility of adding another 40 positions within three years. EnVont expects to pay an average salary of more than $56,500, or 150% of the county average.

Collier County was a natural choice for the relocation given that EnVont President and CEO J. Nicholas Shevillo already lived in Naples and had commuted from Florida to Michigan and Connecticut for years. The Economic Development Council of Collier County further solidified the move by helping EnVont tap into state and local incentives.

For now, EnVont is occupying leased space; however, plans call for construction of a headquarters building if the company’s growth projections are realized.

A Living Laboratory: Located just outside Naples on the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands, the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve represents one of the few relatively undisturbed mangrove estuaries remaining in North America, and serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for students and scientists from around the world.

Encompassing 110,000 acres of pristine mangrove forest, uplands and protected waters, the Reserve is home to more than 150 species of birds and many threatened and endangered animals. Here, research staff and visiting scientists work to promote coastal stewardship through land management, restoration research and education. Their collaborative efforts include projects such as monitoring mangrove and oyster reef ecology, overseeing estuarine fisheries and analyzing the effects of mosquito control aerial spraying.

At the Reserve’s Environmental Learning Center, visitors can catch a glimpse of real research going on inside a working laboratory and view some of the many living estuarine “residents” on display at the Center’s 2,300-gallon aquarium.

Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve encompasses 110,000 acres of coastal lands and waters between Naples and Everglades National Park. At the Reserve’s 2,300-gallon aquarium, visitors can see estuarine “residents” up close. [Photo: Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve]

Charlotte County

Punta Gorda Makeover: Hurricane Charley may have landed an unwanted blow on Punta Gorda in 2004, but it gave community leaders a chance to redevelop their downtown in a big way. “We’ve had a lot of success, and we’re hoping for really big things here in the next couple of years,” says John Fersner, vice president at Marine Bank and president of the Main Street Punta Gorda community organization. “Hurricane Charley created a sort of urban renewal opportunity for us.”

A combination of construction and renovation is putting a whole new face on downtown Punta Gorda. [Photo: Punta Gorda]

The rapid remake of Punta Gorda’s downtown includes:

Play Ball!: The stadium at Charlotte Sports Park — spring training venue for the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team — is undergoing a $27.2-million renovation. Funded by a combination of state grants and county tourist tax revenue, the revamp includes new playing and practice fields; 5,400 new seats; and a two-story, 43,000-square-foot clubhouse/administration building. It is slated to be ready for spring training season in 2009.

Logistics Center Going Up: East of Punta Gorda on 24 acres at the U.S. 17/I-75 interchange, developers are building a $21-million train-truck transfer station projected to handle 4 million tons of freight annually. The Southwest Florida Intermodal and Logistics Center is adjacent to Enterprise Charlotte Airport Park.

In addition to roads and three rail spurs connecting with Seminole Gulf Railway, plans call for out-parcel development and warehousing. “We’ve already had calls from Wal-Mart, UPS and others,” says Jeff Weiler, a 25% owner of the project and principal at Weiler Engineering. He estimates the center’s economic impact as high as $27 million annually.

Routes to Success Southwest Florida offers a variety of transportation options to keep commerce humming. » Interstate 75 runs north-south through the region’s three counties before curving east in Collier to become “Alligator Alley” and head toward Florida’s Atlantic coast. A solid network of state and local roads provides connections between coastal and inland communities. » Southwest Florida International Airport (SFIA) in Fort Myers — the eighth fastest growing airport in the U.S. — has enjoyed record-breaking passenger traffic and airfreight in recent years. Also in Lee County is Page Field, one of the busiest general aviation airports in Florida, serving more than 90,000 aircraft operations per year. Both SFIA and Page Field are Foreign Trade Zones. Other airports in the region include Naples Municipal Airport and Charlotte County Airport, which has a new $5.5-million, 16,000-square-foot terminal. » Seminole Gulf Railway also serves the Southwest region.

Higher Education Options

Florida Gulf Coast University opened in 1997 in Lee County and has since quadrupled enrollment to 10,000-plus; officials expect to double that figure within a few years. The youngest and fastest growing university in Florida, FGCU is particularly proud of its small-business development center and of helping area business startups and expansions.

“We really see ourselves increasingly as a convener for economic development interests within the region,” says FGCU President Wilson Bradshaw. “We want to help bring everyone to the table and serve as a catalyst for developing and expanding the economic climate in southwest Florida.” With that goal in mind, Bradshaw was among several corporate and academic leaders who accompanied Gov. Charlie Crist on a business development mission to Europe in summer 2008.

Edison State College is one of nine Florida community colleges approved for participation in a pilot program to create a new state college system. While participating in the pilot study, Edison will retain its primary mission of meeting community needs through postsecondary associate degree and certificate programs.

Established as a junior college in 1961, Edison now serves 17,000 students on campuses in Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties and at the Hendry/Glades Center at LaBelle High School. The school is currently approved to award bachelor’s degrees in six program areas: supervision and management, public safety management, elementary education, secondary education-mathematics, secondary education-biology and nursing.