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2009 Annual
Meeting & Community Update
Recognizing Achievements
and Looking Toward the Future
Dear Tampa Bay Partnership Investors
and Supporters:
Over the past year, the Tampa Bay Partnership has continued its efforts
to help build the Model for Prosperity for the Tampa Bay region. We must
guide our prosperity through meaningful policy and investments in key
economic drivers that result in future growth that is productive,
inclusive and sustainable.
We will be celebrating these
successes and recognizing the leaders who helped us to achieve them at
our 2009 Annual Meeting & Community Update
which will be held Friday, November 20, 2009 at the
Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club.
Networking and Registration start at 11:00 a.m. and the Program and
Luncheon begin at noon.
Keynote speaker will be Alan Berube,
senior fellow and research director with the Brookings Institution
Metropolitan Policy Program. Mr. Berube coordinates the
development and implementation of the program’s research agenda, and
authors numerous publications on demographic and economic change in
metropolitan America and its implications for policy.
We will also be honoring regional
leaders with the Chair's Cup for Excellence in Regionalism. This
year's honorees include Jeff Lyash with
Progress
Energy and the Board of the
Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority.
Last year's event brought together over 450 leaders from throughout the
Tampa Bay region. Be sure to register early. Last year's event was
a sell-out.
Table sponsorships and other sponsorship opportunities are available.
Contact Elisa DeGregorio at (813) 872-2810 or
edegregorio@tampabay.org for details.
Sincerely,
Stuart L. Rogel
2009 Regional Transportation Forum to Feature Mayor of Charlotte, NC
 Business, civic and community organizations throughout the region
are coming together to sponsor the
2009 Regional Transportation Forum,
scheduled for November 2, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Tampa East, to
show that transportation is the #1 economic development issue for our
region.
 The
forum will feature Mayor Patrick McCrory of Charlotte, NC. Mayor
McCrory has been recognized nationally for his leadership in developing
Charlotte's transportation and land use plan, including efforts to
secure federal funds for light rail and billions in local and state road
improvements. We will hear about his experience, the economic benefits
his city has achieved, the challenges faced in establishing light rail
in the city. He will also address what future success and opportunities
he foresees in Charlotte and in communities around the country who step
up in the name of improved mobility, sustainability and quality of
place.
This year's Forum is being hosted by
the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce and Tampa Bay Partnership and
sponsored by Greater Tampa Association of Realtors and HDR. Over
twenty organizations have also joined as Event Partners in support of
this event. (See
the list.) If you organization is interested in
becoming an Event Partner, contact Katie Franco at
kfranco@tampabay.org.
For more information and to register -
READ MORE
Governor,
Cabinet Endorse High Speed Rail
On September 15, 2009, Governor Crist and
the Florida Cabinet voted unanimously to in favor of an official
resolution of support for Florida's High Speed Rail application. This
top-level support is critical to the success of Florida's application.
 On
October 2, the Tampa Bay Partnership joined the Central Florida
Partnership at a High Speed Rail/Business Coalition Rally hosted by the
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce in Orlando.
Endorsements and Resolutions of Support
from business and community groups along with governmental and elected
leaders across the state continue to come in.
This top-level support is critical to the success of Florida's
application. Florida's application for High Speed Rail funds is
extremely competitive and our state is well prepared to deliver one of
the first true High Speed Rail projects in America. We believe that High
Speed Rail connecting Tampa Bay to Florida’s other economic engines is
critical to maintain our global competiveness.
 Support
Florida's High Speed Rail effort.
Be sure to add your name to the ConnectUs effort and sign up for updates
at
www.fastrailconnectus.com.
Stimulus Funds Go To Work
 Rep.
Kathy Castor announced a significant boost in jobs for Tampa's port
community under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With money
heading to Gulf Marine Repair, the Port of Tampa and the I-4/ Crosstown
Connector, Tampa's port industry is well-poised to hire workers to
support one of the most significant economic engines in the Tampa Bay
area.
READ MORE.
CEOs for Cities Talent Dividend Tour
Coming to Tampa Bay
Educational attainment is the biggest predictor of success for cities
and metro areas today. Research has shown that the more educated the
region’s population, the more robust its economy will be. In Tampa Bay,
increasing college attainment by one percentage point will produce an
annual Talent Dividend of $3.06 billion.
 CEOs for Cities, in partnership with the Lumina Foundation and DeVry,
Inc., has calculated the Talent Dividend for each of the top 51 metros,
and between March and December of this year, will visit several cities
across the country galvanize cross-sector groups of urban leaders to
engage in the development of strategies to move people up the education
pipeline and ultimately increase the number of people who come out of it
with a college degree.
Tampa Bay has been designated by CEOs for Cities as a location for the
Talent Dividend Tour. The Tampa Bay Talent Dividend Summit is scheduled
for Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at the Collaborative Labs at St.
Petersburg College. The invitation-only event will run from 8:30 – 11:00
am. If you are an educator or a professional involved with the
education system and would like to know more about this event, contact
Elisa DeGregorio at
edegregorio@tampabay.org.
New Investor Spotlight:
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club
 We
welcome one of the new Board of Directors investors in the Tampa Bay
Partnership -
Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.
Situated on 900 wooded acres of rolling hills and
70 acres of lakes in Palm Harbor, Innisbrook is
located just 25 minutes from Tampa International Airport. Recently and
completely renovated, Innisbrook features 72 holes of championship golf,
608 spacious guest suites and rooms, four restaurants and three bars,
the Innisbrook Golf Institute, 11 tennis courts, the new full-service
Indaba Spa with 12 treatment rooms and state-of-the-art Fitness Center,
six heated swimming pool complexes, a nature preserve, and three
conference halls with 65,000 square feet of meeting space. Innisbrook
is a member of the prestigious Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Preferred
Golf Club programs.
www.innisbrookgolfresort.com. For more information, contact Doug Schmidt, Director
of Marketing & Membership, (727) 942-2000.
Join Tampa Bay Partnership
Social Media Community
You can now join the Tampa Bay
Partnership community on a number of social media networks. Become
a fan of the Partnership on
Facebook, join our group in
LinkedIn, and
follow us on Twitter for the latest updates about Partnership efforts (www.twitter.com/TBPartnership)
and news about the region (www.twitter.com/TampaBayUS).
News Around The Region
Pasco Company Inks $200 Million
Deal with China
 Tampa
Bay-based Dais Analytics announced it has secured a $200 million trade
agreement to sell its products to a subsidiary of the Chinese
government. The company, which produces products for desalination,
wastewater and energy storage, plans to add 1,000 jobs over the next
five years.
READ MORE
Tampa Bay Firms Win Governor's
Business Diversification Awards
Six Tampa Bay companies were given the Governor's
Business Diversification Award, which recognizes exceptional
contributions toward statewide economic diversification through job
creation and distinctive community involvement and investment.
Winners were chosen for demonstrating a commitment to creating jobs for
Floridians, increasing capital investment and promoting corporate
citizenship. Tampa Bay award recipients included:
- Newcomer, Mega
Market -
Draper Laboratory (Hillsborough and
Pinellas counties)
- Entrepreneurship,
Mega Market -
Intezyne Technologies (Hillsborough
county)
- Entrepreneurship,
Major Market -
IntegraClick, Inc./Clickbooth.com
(Sarasota county)
- Export Excellence,
Major Market -
MyUS.com (Manatee county)
- Innovation, Mega
Market -
Financial Information Technologies,
Inc./Fintech (Hillsborough county)
- Green-to-Gold,
Major Market -
Covanta Energy (Pasco,
Hillsborough, Lake and Lee counties)
READ MORE
University of South
Florida Launches
Academy of Inventors
 The
University of South Florida recently established the USF Academy of
Inventors to recognize the contributions of scientist-inventors
across all disciplines in the USF community. Researchers at
USF hold more than 400 patents, out of the 7 million in the United
States. They've found new ways to treat diabetes, track
changes in ocean waters and peer into the human eye. Currently, 117
individuals have been recognized for membership in the Academy of
Inventors.
READ MORE
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