 Demographics for the Northeast Region can be found at Business Florida's interactive map of Florida. |
| Northeast Florida Resources: Universities/Colleges • Edward Waters College • First Coast Technical College • Flagler College • Florida Community College at Jacksonville • Jacksonville University • Jones College • St. Johns River Community College • University of North Florida Airports |
Two-thirds of the 50 million people living in the southeastern United States are within 600 miles of the First Coast. An interconnected system of roads, rails, airports and seaports means that goods shipped from here can arrive almost anywhere in the U.S. within hours. Three major railroads — including CSX Transportation, the largest railroad east of the Mississippi River — serve the area. Three interstates — I-10, I-75 and I-95 — plus 16 major highways provide additional ground transportation options. Two deepwater ports — Port of Jacksonville and Port Fernandina — help move goods across water; five airports expedite further movement of people and cargo.
Jacksonville/Duval County
On the Move: Jacksonville in Duval County is the center of economic activity in northeast Florida. The key to this city's continuing success is its diverse economy, which includes a thriving port, a booming healthcare industry and a solid financial sector. It's no surprise then that Jacksonville has three times been named among the top cities on Expansion Management magazine's annual "America's 50 Hottest Cities" list. No other city in the U.S. has that distinction. And Black Enterprise magazine ranks Jacksonville as one of the nation's 10 best cities for African Americans, eclipsing such urban centers as Chicago and Philadelphia.
 Jacksonville, Florida's most populous city and a multimodal transportation hub, is a center of economic activity. |
Helping to fuel Jacksonville's success is a thriving port, which supports nearly 50,000 jobs in northeast Florida and provides almost $3 billion in economic impact. JAXPORT is an ideal location for shippers who want to shorten routes between the United States and Panama. One of the world's largest multimodal shipping companies — Asian-based Mitsui O.S.K. Limited (MOL) — started calling on the port in summer 2008, six months ahead of schedule; MOL's subsidiary, TraPac, is opening a 158-acre terminal. In addition, Hanjin, Korea's largest container carrier, has signed an agreement with JAXPORT to develop a new terminal facility. The Hanjin project is slated to open in 2011; estimated costs are between $200 million and $300 million. Hanjin's U.S. subsidiary — Total Terminal — already operates in Long Beach and Seattle; JAXPORT will be its only East Coast location.
Distribution center activity is at an all-time high for this region, mainly due to MOL and Hanjin. Companies that have committed to building distribution centers in northeast Florida include: Unilever (772,000 square feet), Samsonite (800,000 square feet), Sears (815,000 square feet) and Volkswagen of America (260,000 square feet).
No Limits on Quality of Life Professional opportunities plus quality of life make northeast Florida attractive for both newcomers and long-time residents. The region is known for its outstanding cultural venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, home to one of the largest modern art collections in the Southeast. The Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fort in St. Augustine, and the quaint Victorian village of Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island exemplify the diversity of northeast Florida attractions. |
Nassau County
Grassroots Priorities: The nine-session forum "Vision 2032" is bringing citizens together with business and government leaders to discuss how to plan for and manage growth while preserving this county's unique character. Transportation, education and workforce training are among the topics being addressed as is the growing demand for high-quality healthcare.
To meet the healthcare demand in the Northeast region in particular, Baptist Medical Center Nassau is constructing a state-of-the-art medical-surgical inpatient care facility, including an intensive care unit to accommodate up to eight patients — twice its current capacity — and 48 private rooms. The $24-million capital investment is slated for completion by fall 2009.
Amelia Island Plantation, a AAA-Four Diamond resort and Nassau County's largest private employer, is building a 136-room luxury resort hotel, called the Links Lodge. This $55-million capital investment is expected to add 75 new jobs with an annual payroll of more than $2 million. Nearby, The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, a AAA-Five Diamond resort, offers 444 guest rooms.
St. Johns County
Moving In, Expanding: Four employers recently chose to move to and/or expand in St. Johns, a county known for solid transportation options, good schools and beautiful communities.
Source Refrigeration opened its regional headquarters here in summer 2008. A key factor in the decision to locate here was the workforce training provided by First Coast Technical College.
Brown Jordan International Inc., a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of home furnishings, has set up its headquarters in St. Augustine at World Golf Village, a unique residential community incorporating retail shops and office space.
 Leisure furniture manufacturer Brown Jordan International has found the right headquarters site in St. Augustine. [Photo: Brown Jordan International Inc.] |
Appliance and electronics retailer HH Gregg is the first company to locate in the recently completed Phase 1 of the First Coast Distribution Center (FCDC). The initial phase of this $7.5-million project offers 208,000 square feet of "flex" space in southwest St. Johns County. The new HH Gregg facility will take up 72,000 square feet and will serve as the distribution hub for northeast Florida retail locations.
An already existing business is thriving in St. Johns County, too. Northrop Grumman Corporation is adding an estimated 176 new jobs after winning a $1.6-billion contract from the U.S. Navy to design and build an unmanned surveillance aircraft that can patrol coastlines and open ocean.
Clay County
Future Focus: Clay County's strategic plan titled "Focus on the Future" is designed to ensure adequate real estate for business and job growth. An integral element of this ambitious growth management strategy is the construction of the First Coast Outer Beltway (FCOB) connecting I-10 to I-95.
While this interior county looks to its future, officials also are keeping the present firmly in mind. Businesses find Clay County an area that can be "molded" to fit their individual needs. Recent expansions include VyStar Credit Union's move to an 85,000-square-foot facility. Further growth for VyStar is reflected in the additional 290-plus jobs created at its Fleming Island branch.
AT&T Florida also is diversifying its operations in Clay County, adding 260 new jobs. Florida Boiler Tube, a new manufacturer of boiler components used in electrical power generation, chose a 50,000-square-foot facility in Green Cove Springs for its new center of operations. The company has hired 30 people.
Banking on Northeast Florida
 John Lafond |
Jacksonville's reputation as a burgeoning financial district was cemented in 2008 when German-based Deutsche Bank chose this city as the site for its new hub to support operations in New York and New Jersey. Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership played a key role in the decision.
For Deutsche Bank, the northeast Florida facility means a $10-million capital investment and the hiring of some 1,000 new employees over three years. Some executives will be transferred to Jacksonville from the bank's New York and New Jersey offices. Deutsche Bank Managing Director John Lafond believes their transition will be smooth.
The commute, he contends, is "reasonable," nowhere near the 90 minutes he's been used to traveling twice each day between his house on Long Island and his office on Wall Street. Employees who make the transfer may find they have extra leisure time.
Northeast Florida offers "lots of housing choices within a reasonable commuting distance," Lafond says. "I think Jacksonville is quite compelling for the right people. There's a huge difference in the lifestyle here. Their quality of life will clearly improve."
Deutsche Bank became familiar with the Jacksonville area after acquiring the residential mortgage banking company MortgageIT Inc. in 2007. Lafond says Deutsche Bank was impressed with northeast Florida's "available workforce." He expects that many of the new hires will be University of North Florida graduates.
Healthcare Takes Center Stage As area hospitals and clinics move ahead with expansions and new construction plans, northeast Florida continues to garner high marks for healthcare availability. That, says Baptist Health President and CEO A. Hugh Greene, bodes well for the region's economic future. "This area's medical environment is part of the magnet that draws people here." Baptist Health has been a driving force in northeast Florida for better than 50 years. Today, this comprehensive healthcare system includes a downtown Jacksonville campus (Baptist Medical Center Downtown and Wolfson Children's Hospital), plus three outlying medical centers: Baptist Beaches, Baptist South and Baptist Nassau. It is the only health system in northeast Florida to earn official "Magnet" status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center; fewer than 5% of hospitals nationwide hold this designation. Also serving the healthcare needs of northeast Florida is the renowned Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, where 2,000 patients come every day for diagnosis and treatment. While most are treated as outpatients, the 214-bed Mayo Clinic Hospital is available should hospitalization be needed. Mayo Clinic Florida is heavily involved in medical research, and in 2008 combined forces with Florida State University for collaborative work on cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, which, says Dr. Thomas Brott, a neurologist and director of research at Mayo Clinic Florida, "could lead to discoveries in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and stroke that could not occur with either institution working alone." Wolfson Children's Hospital and its partners — Nemours Children's Clinic and the University of Florida — provide access to outstanding pediatric care. In addition, Shands Jacksonville, part of the University of Florida Health System, offers the benefits of an academic medical center, including advanced treatment protocols based on the latest research findings. |
Putnam County
Sky's the Limit: Construction on a new terminal building is under way at the City of Palatka's Kay Larkin Airport; future plans call for extending the main runway length to 8,500 feet. Nearby, Phase 1 of construction on a new 175-acre business park is complete.
In downtown Palatka, work continues on plans to revitalize the west side of St. Johns River near the Memorial Bridge. The Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and City of Palatka Main Street Program are working together to select a consultant for the project, and a five-story apartment building has been razed to make room for a hotel/convention center along two riverside blocks. Slated completion date is 2010.
An 850,000-square-foot Wal-Mart distribution center at Crescent City in south Putnam County is in the works. The $40-million project is expected to provide 600 new jobs which, Chamber President Wes Larson says, will pay $26,000 annually — almost double the per capita average income.
BAKER County
Development Boom: Baker County has given the go-ahead to Adrian Development Group for a 3,200-acre development called Cedar Creek. The mixed-use project will include 5,500 housing units for persons aged 55 and older, plus 27 holes of golf, 300,000 square feet of office space and another 500,000 square feet of commercial space.
Baker County is also positioning itself to share in the economic growth expected as the result of the upcoming Port of Jacksonville expansion. The county hopes to develop 3,000 acres of available land into industrial property.
Employees Make the Difference
Jacksonville-based Web.com has carved a niche for itself by helping small employers capture the power of the Internet. While providing a full range of web services — including website design and publishing, online marketing and advertising, search engine optimization, lead generation and e-commerce solutions — to foster small business success, this company has prospered, blossoming over the years into a 400-person firm. Web.com's Harvard-educated CEO David Brown attributes the company's success, in large part, to the employees who work there.
"There is an ethic around work and serving customers in Jacksonville that is aligned with our corporate culture," Brown says. "You find here in Jacksonville folks who want to work. They appreciate the job, and they're excited to be involved with a technology company. There's great loyalty because of that."
Palm Coast/Flagler County
Easy Access: With a population increase of 7.2% in 2007, Flagler is the 6th fastest-growing county in the U.S., and Flagler County Airport in Palm Coast is recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the nation. To accommodate continued growth, the airport will soon be getting an air traffic control tower. Slated to open in spring 2009, the $3-million tower will streamline takeoffs and landings for the approximately 190,000 non-commercial flights that use the facility each year.
Elsewhere in Flager, a section of the Lehigh Greenway Trail, a project several years in the making, will open in December 2008 along a 6.8-mile-long railroad spur that once carried cement and other materials to and from the Lehigh Portland Cement Plant in Flagler Beach. Winding through portions of the 3,000-acre Graham Swamp, the trail offers elevated views of the surrounding wetlands for pedestrians, cyclists and inline skaters.
MILITARY CONNECTION
Strong Workforce: Each year in northeast Florida, more than 4,100 military personnel exit or retire from service; 80% of them choose to remain in the area and many go looking for opportunities to put their skills to work in the private sector. In fact, only Norfolk, Va., and San Diego, Calif., have a higher concentration of highly trained Navy personnel than the greater Jacksonville area. So if you're looking for experienced, highly skilled workers, look no further. Northeast Florida has some of the best.