Focus on Manatee | Bradenton Area EDC navigates toward economic development progress in 2021
As an essential business during these turbulent times, the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp., along with our network of partners in the region, is navigating a path toward economic development progress in 2021.
As the lead economic development organization in Manatee County, we anticipated the challenges local businesses would face in recovering from hits sustained during last year’s shutdown. We quickly compiled necessary resources and communicated helpful information, a process that continues today.
Examples of successful, regional collaborations include boosting the JobFocus.com job opportunities platform, creating an online listing of local suppliers of personal protective equipment, spreading the word about CARES Act funding in Manatee County and working with our regional colleagues to bring more direct flights to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.
We also reexamined our business development work: how we reach out to recruit businesses to locate in Manatee County and bring new, well-paying jobs to the community. I am pleased to report that while traditional business recruitment activities were interrupted by the pandemic, the EDC’s modified business recruitment strategy is delivering results, which bodes well for our community.
Businesses in the Midwest and Northeast, in particular, are looking at options for locating in a state with lower costs of doing business, but with a great quality of life. More than half of the leads we’re working are manufacturing-related businesses, which are looking for production facilities in the 30,000-square-foot range. The commercial office users we are talking to may actually need more space than they might have before COVID-19, due to safe distancing requirements for their employees.
Once we understand a company’s facility requirements, we would typically invite them for a visit. Now, however, we host those visits virtually.
Our GIS-based web platform allows prospects to see aerial and street views of actual sites. We can show them existing buildings and place the footprint of a building on vacant land to show how the site could be configured for the end user. We can also manipulate the view to show a 360-degree perspective.
We have conducted a handful of these virtual visits since last March, and so far, two of those companies plan to locate in Manatee County.
We have also continued to develop global relationships for business development and international trade, despite the pandemic. For example, last fall we announced a new initiative with Orange Sports Forum Foundation, the national body for sports and sports business development in the Netherlands. Pending the status of the pandemic, we plan to host a business delegation and soccer team in Manatee County this year. More than a dozen sports-related businesses from the Netherlands are expected to participate, and IMG Academy will provide training and competition venues and services for the visiting soccer team.
As we all continue to adapt to changes brought about by the pandemic, positioning for the year ahead requires a broad reassessment of our community’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
To gain a better understanding into what to expect for 2021 and beyond, we are once again bringing noted economist Henry “Hank” Fishkind, Ph.D., to deliver our annual Economic Forecast presented by Hancock Whitney Bank. This time, however, Fishkind will provide his insights via Zoom, which allows us to invite a much wider audience to join in, including viewers in other states targeted in our business recruitment strategy.
Registration is open for the digital event at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28. For details, visit BradentonAreaEDC.com/events. Join us to help your business navigate toward a successful 2021.
Sharon Hillstrom is president and chief executive officer of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. (BradentonAreaEDC.com). She may be contacted at info@bradentonareaedc.com or 803-9036.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.