Monday, Sep. 15, 2008

Developing diversity

Manatee County is more than just beaches and tourists.

The county also is home to a diverse blend of industries that run the gamut from those involved in medical and bioscience products to boat-builders and defense contractors.

"We've got some jewels here," said Nancy Engel, executive director of the Manatee Economic Development Council.

Engel rattles off a list of companies like BioLucid Productions, a developer of medical animation software, and Benz Research & Development, a maker of contact lens materials.

There's also Gyrocam Systems, which makes telescoping cameras for military armored vehicles, and Sunovia Energy Technologies, which produces alternative energy and solar products.

Engel and her agency have been focusing on bringing more value-added companies to the area. These businesses typically sell their products in other markets, bringing outside dollars into the community.

"That area is where we concentrate," Engel said. "Because it's not a local market, they look at a lot of different factors, and they literally are competing on a global basis."

Locally, about 786 people are employed in professional, scientific and technical services, according to the Economic Development Council.

The largest base of employment is in transportation equipment manufacturing. More than 2,000 people work for companies like Pierce Manufacturing, a maker of fire trucks and emergency vehicles, and Chris-Craft, which builds pleasure boats.

Although Manatee County has a diverse set of industries and manufacturers, it could always use more.

Pat Scruggs, who recently completed the Economic Performance Update of Manatee County, said the county must work to continue building its industry diversity.

In particular, Scruggs, of North Carolina-based Scruggs & Associates LLC, said Manatee County should focus on sectors like high-tech, information technology and financial services.

"It's really important to build the jobs that export the products and services because they have other markets to sell to," Scruggs said. "Not every region can have an RTP (Research Triangle Park), and those are the exceptions and not the norms, but you don't necessarily have to have a research university to have a strong economy."

In order to increase opportunities of attracting new industry, Manatee County partners with the Tampa Bay Partnership, a regional marketing consortium of seven counties.

"They have programs and they leverage with Enterprise Florida," Engel said. "And the leads that come through Enterprise Florida and the Tampa Bay Partnership, we share in."

Word of mouth from existing industries also helps, Engel said.

"A lot of leads come from our industries," Engel said. "If we take care of them then they're our best salespeople."

Engel said the area has a number of selling points.

"I think we can look at the network of the university systems in Tampa Bay. We have three ports. We have airports that can get you anyplace in the world," Engel said. "We just don't look at Sarasota-Bradenton, we look at the region and what we can offer."

One thing that plays to Manatee County's favor is its number of small, innovative companies, like Mercedes Medical, a distributor of medical supplies with about 35 employees, and Radiant Power Corp., a maker of "black box" cockpit recorders for the airline industry, with 52 employees.

Those companies' size and innovativeness allow them to be more adaptive to economic fluctuations, Engel said.

"The good thing about having a lot of the companies we have that are that size is that they can respond to opportunities quickly, which gives them the opportunity to grow quickly," Engel said. "I think we have a lot of small companies that are in a niche market that have a high potential for growth."

GROWING, GOING PLACES x

Appreciation inside

Find profiles of the following top Manatee businesses:

• AAA Architectural Elements and Coatings runs on innovation, 2B

• Pierce Manufacturing is fired up about trucks, 2B

• Gould & Lamb finds insurance growth, 2B

• Hydrogel Vision develops comfortable contacts, 2B

• Biolife LLC loves saving lives, 3B

• Gyrocam Systems helps troops, 4B

• New England Manufacturing a packaging novelty, 4B

• Tropitone Furniture makes family pay, 4B