FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Florida’s Great Northwest Unveils Blueprint
to Revitalize Region
NICEVILLE – After a year and a half of extensive research, detailed planning, regional input, and thoughtful discussion, Florida’s Great Northwest today released a blueprint for revitalizing the region’s hard-hit economy– a strategic plan that identifies the region’s most promising opportunities for transformative economic growth.
Florida’s Great Northwest, the region’s economic development group, worked with more than 860 of the region’s business, government, educational, and community leaders to create the regional strategy for economic growth.
The planning document, “Northwest Florida Forward: A Regional Strategy for Economic Transformation,” was unveiled this morning at a Regional Economic Transformation Implementation Launch held on the campus of Northwest Florida State College. It outlines a unified vision for how the region can move ahead economically and offers a framework for prioritizing projects and allocating resources in the most impactful way for the region.
“Our region took a punch to the gut when the BP oil spill put the brakes to our economic progress, but this strategy points the way forward as we reinforce our strengths and build new areas for success,” said Rick Byars, Board Chairman for Florida’s Great Northwest and Gulf Power’s Community and Economic Development General Manager. “This plan shows how we can work together to create jobs, training, and opportunities for all our residents.”
The regional strategy sets out guiding principles that reflect the values of the region’s residents and businesses and define economic vitality in Northwest Florida. It identifies the region’s strengths and needs, and looks at demographic and economic indicators and trends. The document provides a set of overall goals, strategies, and actions designed to ensure economic vitality by enriching the region’s talent base, attracting and growing companies with stable and high-paying jobs, creating an innovation ecosystem, investing in infrastructure, and making Northwest Florida an even more desirable place to live for a new generation.
The strategic plan was produced by TIP Strategies, Inc., an economic development consulting firm with offices in Austin and Seattle. Florida's Great Northwest and the University of West Florida were able to contract with TIP after being awarded an Economic Development Administration grant in Summer 2016. TIP notes that the regional transformation strategy is not the responsibility of any one organization to implement. Instead, it is a strategy for the entire region that will require a range of engaged partners for it to succeed.
“This regional strategy will help guide Northwest Florida to the best use of its resources, including the BP money, to foster strong economic growth that will benefit everyone,” said Kim Wilmes, President and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest. “In order for this to truly come to fruition, we must all embrace the initiative, work together, and collectively move forward.”
Implementation of the strategy will be guided by five councils (talent, business vitality, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and innovation, and quality of life) led by business leaders in the region. Individuals throughout the region are encouraged to join one of the five councils to play an active role in helping to make a difference in the region’s economy.
A few of the key strategies in the plan call for:
- Creating a regional workforce by training prospective employees to meet the needs of Northwest Florida employers; leveraging military talent in the area; and establishing employer-driven workforce training for students and adults.
- Boosting the growth of key industry clusters, like aerospace and defense, financial services, water transportation, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing, and promoting Northwest Florida’s industry and workforce competitiveness.
- Collaborating across the region to address shared infrastructure needs and develop sites, particularly in rural areas, to accommodate business expansions and relocations.
- Developing the region’s entrepreneurial hubs and connect them with industry clusters and networks, as well as establish commercialization tools and programs.
- Encouraging vibrant downtown areas and new town centers, promoting mixed-use developments, and investing in amenities and infrastructure in underserved communities.
“We designed this regional strategy to be a framework for prioritizing projects so everyone in Northwest Florida benefits,” Chairman Byars said. “This plan underscores the importance of a regional approach to build a diverse and vibrant regional economy now and for generations to come.”
A pdf copy of the full Northwest Florida Forward regional strategy is available atwww.NorthwestFloridaForward.
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Florida’s Great Northwest is the regional economic development organization representing the 12 counties in the Florida Panhandle: Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Washington. The organization serves as the unified voice for Northwest Florida through advocacy, collaboration and promotion of the 12-county area as a top business location.
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