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

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

Two decades ago Florida hadn’t yet established itself as the gateway to Latin America, but Air Technology Group Inc. founder and President Mike Turner believed that’s exactly where the state was headed. So he moved his business — lock, stock and assorted helicopter engine parts — from New Jersey to Florida, where, today, his vision of easy access to Latin American markets has come true.

From a site near Naples Municipal Airport, Air Tech tends to the power plants of Huey, Cobra and Kiowa OH58 helicopters, industry workhorses for military and security work, firefighting, agriculture and other heavy-duty chores. Almost 80% of Air Tech’s revenue is from overseas — mostly Latin America — and more than 70% is from government contracts.

“Business is strong,” says Turner, whose 25 employees repair and maintain Honeywell T53 and Rolls-Royce 250 helicopter engines and drive-trains. Since relocating to Florida’s southwestern Gulf Coast 20 years ago, Air Tech has quadrupled in size; in 2008, the company generated revenues of $8 million.

Along the way, Air Tech has had plenty of local help, including a partnership with Naples-based Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology to train and certify mechanics. Turner has hired several graduates of the program, and, in turn, he provided a turbine engine to the school for use in hands-on classroom study.

Ready access to Latin American markets and skilled mechanics has helped Mike Turner quadruple the size of his helicopter repair business over 20 years in Naples. [Photo: Eileen Escarda]

In physical size, Air Tech has expanded twice, to about 40,000 square feet total. Collier County helped Air Technology sell $2-million worth of industrial revenue bonds to fund that growth, and the Economic Development Council of Collier County has identified various training grants Turner has used to refine Air Tech employees’ skills.

“The EDC has been invaluable as an advocate for us,” Turner says. “Whenever there are issues with training or resources, they’ve been very receptive to helping.” And Air Tech returns the favor.

Turner was among several area business owners who opened their doors for site tours as part of the EDC’s “Project Innovation” diversification effort. To build the local economy, says Turner, “we obviously have to get away from reliance on tourism, building and agriculture. The EDC is working to do exactly that.”

COLLIER COUNTY

Digital powerhouses find plenty of talent » When Newsbank, a digital information provider with partners worldwide, relocated to Naples from Connecticut, many of its existing 300 employees came along because, executives say, they fell in love with sunny Collier County. » At 4What Interactive, a marketing-training-communications firm launched by three area entrepreneurs in 1995, about 20 employees work as a concept-to-creation production team. From their 10,000-square-foot studio in Naples, they juggle a roster of heavy-duty clients with household names like Boeing, Cisco and IBM. “By using technology the right way, we could basically live wherever we wanted and do business everywhere,” says CEO and co-founder Jim Cossetta. “Over the past couple of years, we’ve been able to attract some good talent — entrepreneurial-minded designers and programmers who maybe lived here before, went to another city and decided to come back.”

New business strategy takes off: In December 2008, the Economic Development Council of Collier County launched “Project Innovation” to create an action plan for attracting new high-wage industries and opening new markets.

Community leaders in business, politics and education explored such topics as “preparing for global competition,” “research, development and commercialization of innovation” and “regionalism in the innovation economy.” And they made on-site visits to high-tech, life science and other new economy firms, where executives explained how they are profiting from their investments in innovation and creativity.

“Project Innovation” is a long-term effort that is garnering short-term results. A $60,000 “Innovation through Export” state grant is helping local firms do business internationally, including Genesis Export LLC, which won a large contract to ship clothes to Hungary.

And a newly formed network of young professionals — the 3G Coalition — launched an Internship Connection to match students statewide with Collier companies. “There is perhaps no better source for input on innovation than this Web-serving, text-messaging member base,” says 3G member Stephanie Check.

LEE COUNTY

Taking a positive approach: Lee County has earned a spot on the CNNMoney.com list of the “Top 25 Best Counties in America” in which to land a job. The ranking is based on factors such as job growth rate over an 8-year period, affordable commercial real estate, low corporate taxes and attractive tax incentives. From 2000 to 2008, Lee County achieved a job growth rate of 56.5%. “Even in these tough economic times, Lee County has not taken the position of hunkering down and circling the wagons,” says Lee County Commission Chairman Ray Judah. “We have been very assertive, positive and progressive on a number of fronts.”

Cape Coral: More Developments » A global marketing firm, Axcion, moved to Cape Coral from Arkansas in February 2009 after buying local company Alvion LLC. Axcion, which received city incentive funding, has about 30 employees, including 19 previous Alvion staffers. » Acology Rx Compounding expanded to a larger Cape Coral retail site in April 2009 with help from the city of Cape Coral Economic Development Office. » Turbine Generator Maintenance Inc. moved its headquarters to larger office space in Cape Coral early in 2009.

Fund breathes new life: In 2008, Lee County established a $25-million cash fund to encourage the growth of life science, aviation/aerospace, technology, manufacturing, logistics and other high-value industry sectors. Financial Incentives for Recruiting Strategic Targets — FIRST for short — is a performance-based incentive program aimed at helping companies relocate and/or expand their operations in exchange for creating at least 75 new full-time, high-wage jobs while making a major capital investment in the community. The new influx of cash is getting noticed:

• Gartner Inc., a top information technology research and advisory company, plans to add 200 employees to its existing 346-member staff and build a new $13.5-million, 70,000-square-foot building in Gateway, north of Southwest Florida International Airport (one of the top U.S. airports in terms of growth) and east of Interstate 75. In return, Gartner will receive more than $350,000 in FIRST funds along with state and other county incentives.
• Paramount Transportation Logistics announced in June 2009 it will move its headquarters and service center to Fort Myers and hire 100 employees in the process in exchange for $360,000 from the FIRST fund as well as state incentives.
• Cancer test lab NeoGenomics in June 2009 announced plans to expand its corporate headquarters by 75 employees by 2012, thus doubling its workforce with new jobs that will pay annual salaries of $60,000 or more. Incentives include a state/county Qualified Tax Incentive worth $300,000, plus $315,000 from the county’s Job Opportunity Program.

Growing concern: LYNX Services, announced in late 2008 that it will add up to 100 full- and part-time jobs in North Fort Myers at its 400-employee third-party claims processing center.

Into the pool: The ity of Cape Coral is spending $50,000 on a feasibility study for building an aquatic center and hotel. Officials from Texas-based National Swimming Center Corp. and sanctioning body USA Swimming hope to get $10 million from Lee County, plus land and $5 million from Cape Coral to help underwrite the $30-million project. Backers are aiming for completion in time to host the swim trials that will precede the 2012 Olympic Games.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY

“They gave me their board room to do interviews, let me use it like it was my office for a week. Every one of my hires has worked out very well.” — Mike Forse Blue Bell Creamery, Punta Gorda

Hiring made easier: Before opening Blue Bell Creameries’ 12,500-square-foot distribution facility at Airport Commerce Center in Punta Gorda in October 2008, branch manager Mike Forse needed to hire 18 employees to deliver ice cream to 250 stores. He called on the Charlotte County Economic Development Office for help. Says Forse, “They gave me their board room to do interviews, let me use it like it was my office for a week. Every one of my hires has worked out very well,”

Recent addition: Arcadia Aerospace Industries moved into Enterprise Charlotte Airport Park in Punta Gorda in fall 2008. Executives chose Charlotte over several competing regions, citing low costs, available incentives and help in setting up workforce training programs at Charlotte Technical Center and Edison State College.

Consolidating operations: ADT, which bills itself as America’s largest security firm, consolidated regional activities and put 130 employees under one roof in Charlotte County in 2008. The resulting economic impact comes to more than $15 million annually.

Ongoing makeover: The redevelopment of Punta Gorda’s downtown that began in 2007 continues with the opening of the 106-room Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside in May 2009 on Charlotte Harbor. This luxury resort spearheads a $1-billion rebranding effort by Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “Punta Gorda is a great choice for our first vacation resort,” says Brian McGuinness, division senior vice president.

Since the redevelopment began, Punta Gorda has added more than 500 new hotel rooms, including the 63-room boutique Wyvern Hotel. Why so many rooms in a town of under 15,000? Proximity to the $19.7-million, 43,500-square-foot Charlotte Harbor Event & Conference Center, for starters. Opened in January 2009, the center boasts a meeting area that can handle 112 booths or theater-style seating for 1,500 delegates.

Servin’ up sides: Conventioneers have plenty of options for side trips in Charlotte County, including Rick Treworgy’s Muscle Car City, a collection of 200 historic GM cars that opened in March 2009 in Punta Gorda. There’s also the newly revitalized stadium at Charlotte Sports Park, spring training venue for the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team, and the dozens of golf courses that have helped put Charlotte County in the No. 3 position on Golf Digest’s list of “Best Places to Live and Play Golf in America.”

Fly in, fly out: From Charlotte County Airport, Direct Air now flies to Myrtle Beach, Chicago and Kalamazoo; Allegiant Air serves Knoxville and Greenville-Spartanburg. “We’re extremely pleased to add the Charlotte Harbor area to our growing roster of world-class leisure destinations,” says Maurice Gallagher Jr., CEO, Allegiant Air.

Focused on Green: Florida’s Southwest region has gone green in a big way. » Charlotte County will host the first Southwest Florida Green Futures Expo/Energy Options Conference in November 2009 to showcase products and services that qualify as green. In May 2009, county commissioners passed the Charlotte County Green Building Ordinance (with fast-track permitting). » Florida’s first two LEED-certified public school buildings have opened in Charlotte County and several more are under construction. » The Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association formed a green council in 2009 to further education and awareness of environmentally responsible construction. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Myakka River Branch, which includes Charlotte County, formed in 2009. And the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce’s Sustainable Collier Task Force pushes businesses to go green. » Florida Power & Light and Kitson & Partners are teaming up to build the world’s first city powered entirely by zero-emission solar energy. The 17,000-acre Babcock Ranch development will feature a 75-megawatt photovoltaic facility — the world’s largest — plus a “smart grid” that will let residents and businesses monitor and control their own energy consumption. All commercial buildings and homes will be certified as energy efficient and constructed according to Florida Green Building standards. “No other place in America will be home to such a concentration of new jobs and technologies, and energy saving advances,” says Syd Kitson, CEO of Palm Beach Gardens-based Kitson & Partners.