Economic Update and General Information
Strong job growth, record unemployment and a steady increase in the average wage and taxable retail sales have highlighted the past five years yielding significant dividends for Polk County's family of businesses and for its citizens.
The Business Development Team (BDT), headed by Central Florida Development Council Vice President Dave Touchton, CPA Managing Partner NCT Group, moved forward on all fronts, continuing a 22-year mission to help create jobs, diversify the economy and increase the county's tax base through new business locations and expansions.
For the years 2001-2006, the Business Development Team—working with our economic development and community partners announced 55 projects representing new private capital investment of $542.8 million and the creation of 3,881 jobs. This impressive scorecard represents new companies locating in Polk County and existing companies expanding to provide improvements across all sectors of our community's economy.
"The CFDC and our community partners have done a wonderful job in attracting new business growth to Polk County," said Touchton who is the managing Director of NCT Group. "Our business base has been greatly diversified with quality companies expanding in every quarter of our large county. The volunteer business leaders, working with staff, have positioned Polk County to take its rightful place as the center of the Florida High Tech Corridor."
Some of the top businesses landing in Polk County in the past five years that Touchton is referring to include Ford Motor Company, Coca-Cola, McKesson Pharmaceuticals, Home Depot, JC Penney, Haverty's, Hanson Pipe Company, Polyglass USA, Best Buy, Sun Publications, Metromont, Technology Research Consultants, The Kegel Company and Southern Wine and Spirits. The longtime Polk County business owner cited Progress Energy, Star Distribution, Pepperidge Farm, ButterKrust Bakeries, W.S. Badcock Corporation, Celleynne Corporation, MonierLifeTile, Paver Module, Arr-Maz Custom Chemicals and Composites One as existing businesses which have made significant expansions during the past several years.
"Polk County's economy is hitting on all cylinders," Touchton said. "The most positive development tied to our success is the lowering of our unemployment rate and the consistent growth and diversification of our labor market."
The Vice President of Business Development said believes that economic development is a practice and profession in constant evolution. He said that changes in our economy and the competitive nature of business and tourist development have played a hand in reshaping the CFDC's marketing strategies. Touchton said a prime example of adapting to the times is the strategy of Business Development to attract and provide incentives to companies paying more than 115 percent of Polk County's average wage.
The fastest growing segment of Polk County's employment base is Business Services, represented by continued hiring by GEICO Direct, Summit Consulting, Lockheed Martin, Marriott International Vacation Club and GC Services in Lakeland and State Farm Insurance and Accent Marketing in Winter Haven.
Touchton said the Polk County industrial market continues to outperform the majority of the major industrial markets in the State.
"The market's ideal location between the Tampa Bay and Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Areas, coupled with its relatively low rental rates and cost of living, have helped maintain tenant demand," he said.
An impressive list of major development corporations have also discovered the numerous advantages of building in Polk County. They include Duke Realty, Robert Pattillo Properties, Trammell Crow, The Ruthvens, First Industrial, Heritage Equities, RR Simmons, The Drumond Company, Casto Lifestyle, Cushman Wakefield, USAA Real Estate Company, The Williams Companies, Flagler Development and Victor Posner Enterprises.
Other Highlights
- To assist our community partners in developing new business parks as well as private developers, the Business Development worked with the Board of County Commissioners to approve a new Certified Sites Grant Program. The grant will be used to pay for Site Certification – completing a survey, environmental Phase I report, a geotechnical report, and a conceptual site plan. The County will pay for half of the of the cost for getting the sites prepared for development.
- During the past year, Business Development began in earnest a dialogue with County Management, the County's Growth Management Department and private planning consultants to design a Request for Proposals to find a developer to build a quality, mixed use office, commercial and multi family development in an Employment Center on U.S. Highway 27 North in the 16,000 acre North Ridge Community Redevelopment Area. It is hoped that this attractive project will spur the creation of a cluster of higher paying jobs which may entice the 15,000 persons who travel from Polk County everyday to work in Metro Orlando area.
- Another prime area for future development is the 3,000 acre Polk Commerce Centre Community Redevelopment Area in North Auburndale. The County is gearing up to certify sites for development within the Polk Commerce Centre Development of Regional Impact (DRI). Staff is working with the County's Planning Department and the Community Redevelopment Agency on a short-term and a long-term process to provide development entitlements for the entire DRI. Original development entitlements were approved for Phase I-A of the DRI—a restricted area between Interstate 4 and CR 559-A. The short-term plan is to spread these original entitlements through-out the DRI. For the long-term, the County will be hiring a consultant to complete the required traffic, wildlife, and environmental studies that will create additional entitlements for the entire DRI. It is anticipated that the Polk Commerce Centre will see sustained and rapid growth after the opening of the University of South Florida's new Polytechnic College in 2010 and as the County's and the State's aggressive road improvement plan is completed in the corridor along the Polk County Parkway.
- Staff met with officials of the Central Florida Regional Planning Council (CFRPC) to advance a five-county Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. The Business Development Team shared with the regional planners our targeted industry list, draft strategic plan and proposed infrastructure projects from throughout Polk County to promote community and economic development. The CFRPC will use this information in developing its regional strategic plan to the US Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA will fund infrastructure projects in the future based on identified goals and objectives found in the regional plans.
- Staff attended the 2nd annual Farm to Fuel Summit sponsored by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and its Commissioner Charles Bronson in St. Petersburg. The focus of the three day summit was Florida's efforts to become a larger player in the growing bio diesel and ethanol technology programs. Guest speakers included Governor Charlie Crist, Commissioner Charles Bronson, Chief Financial Office Alex Sink, US Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Charles Conner and numerous educators and entrepreneurs involved in researching and producing ethanol products. Polk County was represented by the CFDC, executives with the Lakeland office of Farm Credit of Central Florida, several engineering companies and state representatives Marty Bowen and Seth McKeel.
- David Shiflett, Vice President of Business Development for World Energy, discussed his company's operations in Lakeland, which produces bio diesel products from vegetable oils. Alan Banks, CEO of Losonoco Inc., told those attending the summit that his company has plans of expanding an existing ethanol plant in Bartow from 6.5 million gallons of ethanol annually to 12 million gallons annually. The plant has been idle for several years and his company hopes to have it back running by next summer. Eventually, Losonoco plans to build another ethanol plant next to the existing facility increasing capacity to 25 million gallons of ethanol produced annually. Banks said his company originally was looking at corn as a feed stock but may switch to grain products to fuel the plant.
As soon as CFDC staff learned of the fire at Bartow's PrecisionAire, in July, Business Development contacted the company's Director of Manufacturing to assist them get back up and running. PrecisionAire manufactures air conditioning ducts and they own 18 manufacturing plants throughout the country. The Bartow facility is their most productive, employing about 380 people, most of whom live in west Bartow neighborhoods surrounding the plant. We worked quickly with company officials by introducing them to Polk Works officials and showing them several facilities on our Land and Building inventory that they could quickly locate in to set up temporary manufacturing and get their workforce back to work. PrecisionAire stated that their workforce is their most important resource and they had promised them to be back to work within a month. In addition to assisting them find a facility for their workforce, we worked with City of Bartow and Bartow CRA officials to put together an incentive package that would assist them get back on their feet in temporary facilities, as well as construct a new facility on their property on State Road 60. The City and CRA put together a wonderful financial assistance package for PrecisionAire, as they are very anxious to retain the company at their current facility.- The Central Florida Development Council hosted site consultants and company managers from throughout the United States on April 19th-21st at the Sun ‘N Fun Fly-In in Lakeland. The highlight of the three-day familiarization event was a welcoming dinner hosted by the CFDC's Board of Directors to acquaint the executives on the great business climate and opportunities in Polk County. President Hunt Berryman welcomed our guests who included representatives of Panattoni Development Company of Orlando, OPUS Corporation of Alpharetta, Georgia, Greenfield Development of North Carolina, Wolseley – Ferguson of Virginia, Accutek Packaging of Vista, California and Carter Burgess of Orlando and Tampa and the Tampa Bay Partnership.
- Sharing hosting responsibilities with Hunt were Gene Engle, who provided the group an entertaining history and overview of the aviation event, several other members of the Executive Board, County Commissioner Sam Johnson and Dr. Eileen Holden with Polk Community College. During their stay in Polk County, the prospects and consultants were provide site tours of available properties, an over flight of Polk County in a vintage DC-3, VIP treatment at the air show and were guests at the Aaron Tippin concert.
The Business Development Team also collaborated with officials at the Sun N' Fun Fly-In during the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual conference which was held in Orlando for three days in mid October. The CFDC targeted the NBAA show as an excellent venue to introduce the assets of Polk County to nationwide business owners interested in aviation. Some of the other 14 trade shows that Business Development Staff attended included: Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, The Super Sessions Consultant Event in San Diego, Core Net Global Summit and Career Expo '07 in Orlando, Industrial Asset Management Council Professional Forum in Jacksonville, Florida Venture Forum and Business Development Conference in Boca Raton and the Medical Design and Manufacturing show in Anaheim.
Business Development staff accompanied Port of Tampa and Ports America executives to Bentonville, Arkansas to meet with officials of Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods Inc. The Port of Tampa is interested in expanding its container business as is its operator, Ports America. Both Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods are interested in expanding the number of ports for importing or exporting their goods. The Port of Tampa views the proposed CSX Integrated Logistics Center in Winter Haven as a natural draw as an inland port for containers and other products.- The CFDC staff provided the two major companies detailed information on the Integrated Logistics Center, the numerous Fortune 500 distribution centers located in Polk County, large available properties for development, permitting and incentives and education and labor. It is hoped that this presentation will lead to future development in our community. Wal-Mart is already the third largest employer in Polk County with 5,100 associates at seven super centers, two Sam's Clubs and at a 1 million square foot food distribution center in Winter Haven.
