 WELCOME   Gray SwoopeFlorida Secretary of Commerce President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc. Florida friends, as the economy recovers, we are seeing more and more businesses looking to expand their operations and hire more workers to meet rising demand. This is great news for Florida and certainly great news for the people who are finding it easier to land a job now than it has been in the last couple of years. One of the sectors where we have seen recent activity has been the food manufacturing and distribution sector. As you see from the stories featured here, businesses as diverse as food manufacturers, distributors, retailers and restaurant franchisers are expanding in our state. Their actions further prove Florida's importance as a large and growing market and a business-friendly location for companies of all sizes. To ensure that the Sunshine state remains a favorite place for business, Enterprise Florida closely followed the developments during the recent 2012 Legislative Session. I am happy to see that many of EFI's recommendations made it through and are on their way to the Governor for signing into law. You can read more about them below. We are thankful for the Governor's unwavering support for economic development during this legislative session and beyond. His focus on removing the barriers to beginning, relocating and growing a business in Florida make our state and our communities more competitive in the global market, while creating jobs for all Floridians. And this is what economic development is about, after all. -gray HELPFUL LINKS  Why Florida? Florida Knowledge Center Florida Labor Market Statistics Florida Incentives Region/County Statistics Florida's Industry Clusters Florida Tax Advantages Florida Rankings International Advantages
| | FEATURED STORY   Florida Secures Combined Headquarters for BI-LO and Winn-Dixie In mid-March, hot on the heels of its merger announcement, BI-LO and Winn-Dixie supermarkets announced that Jacksonville, Florida will serve as the location for its combined headquarters. The project will result in approximately 900 jobs being retained, 100 new high-wage jobs being added, and $93 million in capital investment. Randall Onstead, CEO and president of BI-LO holdings explained in a project announcement, "Jacksonville is centrally located within our eight-state operating area, with an existing infrastructure that is best positioned to host the combined BI-LO and Winn-Dixie support center, corporate office, and distribution facilities." The Enterprise Florida business development team including Cristal Sircy, Rob Sitterley and Marty Wilson, worked with their local partners at JAXUSA to make this deal possible and bring the headquarters of another major company to Florida. moreFood Manufacturing Is Big in Florida and About to Get Bigger Food products comprise the second largest manufacturing sector in Florida, employing more than 27,000 workers and accounting for about $5 billion of the state's GDP. Given Florida's own large market and the influx of over 85 million visitors to the state every year, it is not surprising that food is big here. We all have to eat, after all. But this piece of Florida economy is poised to grow, judging by recent news. Over the last couple of months, Florida has enjoyed a wave of announcements from food, beverage, and grocery companies opening or expanding manufacturing, distribution, and headquarters activities in the Sunshine State. Here are some of them: HotBrands International Establishes U.S. HQ in Manatee County HBI, a multi-brand, multi-national franchising operation, recently announced that it will establish its U.S. headquarters in Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County . morePublix Super Markets to Build a New Distribution Center Publix Super Publix Super Markets is reaffirming its commitment to Florida by investing nearly $190 million and creating jobs for 150+ workers as it builds a new Orlando distribution center . moreMission Foods Choses Lakeland for Its Newest Food Processing Plant Mission Foods, the newest member of Polk County's growing Food & Beverage Industry Cluster, will open a food manufacturing operation which will produce tortillas and tortilla chips and create 133 jobs . moreSugar Producer Banah International to Grow in Miami-Dade County Banah, which began supplying Wal-Mart Stores with its sugar late last year, plans to house its new headquarters and hire nearly 300 employees in Hialeah. moreCheney Brothers Expansion to Net 380 Jobs Riviera Beach-based food distributor Cheney Brothers Inc. has announced plans to begin construction in 2012-13 on a large new distribution center in Charlotte County . moreIf your company is looking to expand, consider the advantages of a Florida location. Call 407-956-5600 or e-mail us for more information today! |
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