Major revitalization, new projects, collaboration, valuable small business resources, world-class research, a favorable business climate, a collective emphasis on workforce training, and a knowledge-based talent pool are all contributing to Tallahassee’s explosion in local and relocated business growth.

Tallahassee has 20/20 vision — this city is ready, willing, and able to court, support, retain, and attract businesses large and small to the Big Bend region. It’s the economic hub for North Florida.

“It’s the Relationships”

“Businesses that could be located anywhere are drawn to Tallahassee,” says Sue Dick, president of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. “And it’s more than the ‘quality of life’ — it’s the relationships.”

Since 2011, the Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at Florida A&M University has assisted 154 new small businesses in opening their doors, helping to change the area’s economic driver from government to private industry.

“Local government officials, chambers of commerce, institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations are in sync and committed to creating and sustaining a vibrant economy,” says Keith Bowers, regional director of the FSBDC.

Support for Growing Companies

Another avenue of support for businesses is the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, part of the Florida State University College of Business. While the Florida State University Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship nurtures students through the entrepreneurial process, the Jim Moran Institute helps to grow and sustain established companies.

“We help businesses figure out where they need to go and how to be more efficient,” says Michael Campbell, director of North Florida Operations. Now with offices in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Broward and Palm Beach counties, the Jim Moran Institute requires businesses to complete an application process. If selected for a program, all services are offered at no cost.

Open for Business

Services such as these, combined with Tallahassee’s other unique assets of place and people, are all contributors to Tallahassee’s current business growth. “If you look around Tallahassee, you will see technology companies growing at significant rates, hotels and student housing being built, new restaurants coming online and a sense of placemaking happening,” says Beth Corum, co-chief operating officer at Capital City Bank Group and current chair of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

It’s not just small business that’s taking advantage of Tallahassee’s favorable “open for business” environment. Outside corporations, realizing the value of doing business and having a presence in Tallahassee, are also acquiring homegrown companies.

“It has been interesting to see that in the last few years we’ve had no fewer than 10 banks from other states moving in and becoming players in our community,” Corum says. “Financial institutions don’t open branches in places where they don’t think they will make money.”

Likewise, new companies are moving to Tallahassee to capitalize on the city’s unique business advantages. The Black News Channel, a multi-platform news and information channel targeting African Americans, chose Tallahassee as its headquarters because of its central geographic location and access to Florida A&M University experts and academics for on-air analysis. “We have been welcomed by the Tallahassee-Leon County area with open arms and look forward to a long relationship,” says network Chairman J.C. Watts, Jr.

An Easy Place to be Successful

Tallahassee is an easy place to be successful. Laura Johnson, founder and CEO of Coton Colors, a national lifestyle brand with flagship stores in Tallahassee, Tampa, and Atlanta, and sold in boutiques and major department stores across the country, got her start in Tallahassee after being unable to keep up with the requests from friends and family for her painted clothing and home accessories. ”The support that we received in Tallahassee, especially in the early days, was a major contributor to our success,” says Johnson.

Trulieve, the first and leading medical cannabis company in Florida, is a “seed-to-sale” operation with 55% of the Florida market and 44 stores statewide.

BioFront Technologies creates kits for detecting food allergens for the food safety industry. “We’ve had opportunities to move our business to other cities, but we have always been encouraged by the support and genuineness of the business and science community in Tallahassee — and there’s no state sales tax,” says Jason Robotham, president.

FBMC Benefits Management began 40 years ago and has since grown into a multi-solutions company providing benefit planning, communication, education, brokerage consulting, administration and compliance, and enrollment management to companies nationwide.

Thomas Howell Ferguson, another Tallahassee homegrown firm, now in its 25th year, goes beyond traditional accounting services to offer resources, services, and specialty skills needed to address today’s accounting needs.

Superior Sports Management

Founded in 2017, Superior Sports Management is one of Tallahassee’s newest companies, capitalizing on the sports-crazed culture of the South by creating and managing premier athletic events in the U.S. and Caribbean. Its signature tournament, the Jamaica Classic, is now in its third year, with more destination tournaments on the calendar for the next decade. “These aren’t just tournaments — they’re destination sporting experiences, and what better place than Florida for us to expand our business,” says Jacob Ridenhour, founder.

Manufacturing and Industry

Interestingly, manufacturing is one of the top five fastest growing industries in the community. The Big Bend area is resource-rich, making it a prime location for manufacturers to do business. “The Big Bend area, and specifically Tallahassee with the FSU/ FAMU Engineering campus, Tallahassee Community College, and Lively Technical Institute in close proximity, offers a rich resource pool of technically competent engineering and maintenance technicians to choose from,” says Jack Martin, GT Technologies plant manager.

A Market for Business

Marketing firms abound in Tallahassee. Moore, now with offices in four states, just rebranded its integrated, full-service communications firm to better illustrate their national reach. The company is consistently named one of FLORIDA TREND’S Best Companies to Work For in Florida, and recently got a similar accolade from Inc. magazine by being named one of America’s Best Places to Work.

Strategic Digital Services, a marketing firm specializing in cutting-edge marketing strategies, just made the Inc. 5000 list. The Zimmerman Agency has grown into one of Florida’s most recognized marketing and public relations firms, with clients in multiple industries nationwide. Similarly, Bascom Communications, a strategic communications and public affairs campaign firm, is perfectly located to address all things political, from crisis communications to message development to political communications and candidate campaigns. And RSA Consulting Group, conveniently located in the Capital City, is a full-service consulting firm with government and legislative affairs, community affairs, strategic planning, and media and public relations expertise.

A Business Advantage

“There is no better place to start and grow a business than in Tallahassee,” says Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey.

Regional Collaboration

Collaboration doesn’t stop at the county line. Tallahassee leaders believe strongly in working with neighboring counties because growth for one means growth for all. Wakulla County, which borders the Gulf coast, is only 20 minutes from Tallahassee. Officials are investing in the county with projects such as fourlaning U.S. 319 and a focus on attracting tenants to its two industrial parks. Opportunities await for companies in need of an engaged workforce, land, and quick access to an international airport (Tallahassee International Airport is conveniently located south of town, close to the Wakulla area). Recently, the Wakulla Environmental Institute (WEI), a Tallahassee Community College facility, opened to spur green, sustainable job-creating industries including the aquaculture oyster program, which has 70 oyster leases along Wakulla’s coastline.

Wakulla is also known for its pristine outdoor natural resources and activities such as the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, St. Mark’s Bike Trail, Gulf Specimen Marine Lab and Aquarium, and Wakulla Springs State Park. Because of its underground network of caves and caverns, Wakulla is the “Cave Capital of Florida.”

Gadsden County has five business parks for companies interested in doing business in North Florida, with proximity to important commodities from Florida’s forestry and agriculture industries, access to a large workforce, and a well-connected network to move people and products by air, rail, and river. Hoover Treated Wood Products opened in 2019 after support from the Gadsden County Development Council (GCDC) and the town of Havana helped secure a $323,000 Rural Infrastructure Grant to extend water and natural gas to the site. “Gadsden County is committed to economic development and bringing quality jobs to our community. Hoover Treated Wood Products is a testament to our hard work,” says Antonio Jefferson, chairman of the Gadsden County Development Council.

Currently, the GCDC is working on a new strategic plan engaging business and industry in determining future workforce talent needs and then partnering with K-12 teachers to get students excited about and trained for high-demand jobs. To complement this focus, the Gadsden Technical Institute establish a new Diesel Systems Technician program to support the growing transportation, distribution and logistics cluster.