• The undisputed world leader in proton therapy care, IBA PT, Inc, received unanimous approval from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission for a QTI tax credit incentive for the relocation of its national headquarters to Jacksonville from New York.  Click here to learn more about IBA PT, Inc.
• According to a study by Inc. magazine that analyzed job growth in over 350 cities, Jacksonville ranked as the No. 12 Boomtown in the nation.
• On June 7th, Starbucks opened in its highly anticipated second Downtown location.  The coffee giant is located on the corner of Forsyth Street and Main Street, in the 11 East Building, and will undoubtedly be successful in Downtown.
• In the May issue of Retail Traffic magazine, Downtown Jacksonville was named the Best Downtown Development Opportunity in the Nation.  The article focused on the booming residential developments occurring in Downtown and the large influx of private capital investment.
• The City of Jacksonville’s Small and Emerging Business (JSEB) program has launched a mentoring program in which local businesses will be paired with an industry leader in a similar field.  One of the leaders in this initiative is Microsoft Corporation.  They are teaming up with Visual Solutions, Inc. (VSI), a company who specializes in web, database and software development and professional project management to deliver useable technologies to JSEB’s. 
• The JEDC will be participating in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, an event that raises money to support research, community service and public and professional education programs.  Our goal is to raise $5,000.  A donation of $500, $250, $100 or $25 will help fight the Nations No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death — heart disease and stroke.  Thank you for your support of the JEDC and the Heart Walk…click here to make a difference and donate to the JEDC team!
• JAA announced American Airlines will begin flying two daily non-stop flights from Jacksonville to Raleigh-Durham.  Visit American Airlines online for more flight information
• Jacksonville ranked in the Top 25 Best Labor Markets in the U.S. for New College Graduates.  This study was conducted by Bizjournals who analyzed qualities that appeal to recent college graduates in over 170 metro areas around the country.
• AeA, a national technology trade association, recently announced that in regards to tech industry employment, Florida is the 4th Largest and 2nd Fastest Growing Cyberstate in the country.
• A new café is open at the Main Library Downtown!  On May 14th, Shelby’s opened its doors in its second Jacksonville location and serve light breakfast and lunch items to the growing Downtown community. 
• A survey by Black Enterprise, a national business magazine, focusing on opportunities available for educated, middle and upper-class blacks, listed Jacksonville as the No. 10 Top City in the U.S. for Blacks.
• Be apart of the Downtown renaissance, join us for the next Art Walk on August 1st!  This event draws thousands of participants to Downtown Jacksonville the first Wednesday of every month.  To learn more about Art Walk, visit online MOCA Jacksonville or Downtown Vision, Inc.
• Kiplinger’s magazine named Jacksonville the No. 3 Most Tax-Friendly City in the United States.
• A City of Jacksonville "Small Business Enterprise", Easy Edit Video, has recently completed a state of the art upgrade to its production facility showcasing a Hi-Definition production suite that includes a soundproof audio booth, FTP site and digital workstation.
• The Computing Technology Industry Association has chosen Jacksonville to administer a program that provides free information technology training to men and women leaving the military.  Click here to learn more…
• The Bernard Osher Foundation donated $100,000 to the University of North Florida’s Adult Education Institute.  The institute, now named the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, provides noncredit courses to individuals over the age of 50.  Continuing education is becoming an increasingly vital part of higher learning institutions due to the aging workforce and the need to retrain older workers and emphasize lifelong learning.  Visit UNF’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s website at http://www.ce.unf.edu/lifelonglearning.html to learn more about continuing education today!
• Wolfson Children’s Hospital has invested $600,000 in a program that will help save the lives of some of Jacksonville’s sickest children.  The treatment, often used on critically ill infants, is called Extracorpeal Membrane Oxygenation therapy (ECMO).  It acts like an artificial heart or lung for patients in cardiac or respiratory failure.  Click here to learn more about the ECMO therapy offered at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville.
  

Over the past few weeks, the JEDC has played a significant role in events hosted by two prestigious national professional organizations – National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). 

On May 17th, NAIOP hosted their annual bus tour which provided commercial property owners an opportunity to showcase their available properties in Northeast Florida to interested real estate professionals.  In addition to serving as a sponsor for the event, JEDC staff led a portion of the tour showcasing available land parcels and existing industrial buildings at Cecil Commerce Center.

JEDC serves as the master developer and operator for the 8,300 acre site that is ideal for manufacturing, aviation-related, supply chain logistics and industrial end users.  Tour participants received an exclusive look at Cecil Commerce Center North, an area which is primarily undeveloped that served as a buffer zone for the Master Jet Base to the south.  Driving along the recently completed New World Avenue, participants viewed the future site of the Bridgestone-Firestone distribution center, the nearly completed Cecil campus of Florida Community College Jacksonville (FCCJ) and many parcels of land available for manufacturing and distribution operations.

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) hosted their 2007 Spring Convention in Las Vegas, NV.  JEDC Business Development Manager, Lindsey Ballas, attended the convention to gain insight on the global retail market and provided to key retailers and developers the retail opportunities available in Downtown Jacksonville.  With nearly 50,000 attendees, the conference is the largest trade show of its kind.  Industry trends highlighted in the conference sessions served well for Downtown Jacksonville with topics including:  re-imaging the urban department store, reinventing historic urban landmarks, opportunities in underserved urban markets and mixed-use as a catalyst for downtown transformation.  “The conference provided an exceptional relationship-building and marketing opportunity,” said Ms. Ballas, “Retailers and developers are very interested to learn about the hidden retail gem of Jacksonville.”

The investment that the Jacksonville community is making in its local transportation infrastructure is tremendous as state, federal and local entities plan to invest nearly $1 billion in Duval County.  The quality of existing infrastructure and the possibility for growth in future roadway infrastructure have a direct effect on the community and economic growth in a region.  Transportation not only affects the economy of Jacksonville, but also its quality of life.  The roadway improvements will ease the drive-time commute for Jacksonville residents, create fluid access to the port and airports and provide businesses with more accessible locations. 

Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) has a vision for the future and is committed to the development of the transportation infrastructure and the economic growth of Jacksonville.  This is evident with their direct coordination with state and federal agencies in the current transportation investments on Beach Boulevard, Regency Bypass, Florida 9A, J. Turner Butler Boulevard and the interchange project at I-10/I-95. 

Specifically, the Branan Field-Chaffee Expressway Project is a key element in the expansion, development and investment of Jacksonville’s Westside.  It will provide businesses, transporters and commuters direct access to the emerging industries at Cecil Commerce Center.  The construction for the I-10 & Branan Field-Chaffee Road Interchange is projected to cost $60 million and is scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2009.  This is the first section of the outer beltway which will provide a connection between I-10 in Duval County and I-95 in St. Johns County, outside of the existing I-295 loop.

The investment in the transportation infrastructure will also provide an avenue for the increased number of containers that will be transported from the new Mitsui terminal, currently under construction at JAXPORT.  The terminal will create 5,000 jobs, have an annual economic impact of $900 million on Northeast Florida and will distribute goods across the country.  The Mitsui terminal will not only provide multiple opportunities for the industrial sectors of Jacksonville to expand, but will create a link between the community and the rest of the world.

Transportation planning is an effort fueled by economic development, growth management and customer satisfaction.  The transportation planners in Jacksonville are smart, futuristic visionaries who are committed to the success of Northeast Florida.  The JEDC’s commitment to investment in transportation infrastructure is shown by its development of community relationships to connect emerging industries.  Jacksonville’s roadway infrastructure is an economic development asset and one of the most efficient and user-friendly systems in Florida.

Visit the following links for more information regarding the current transportation investment in Jacksonville:

I-10/I-95 Interchange project
SR 9A Construction Information
North Florida Roads
Florida's Future Corridors
Branan Field-Chaffee Expressway Project
First Coast Outer Beltway Project

Charles Landry, visionary, creative leader and urban innovator, was in Jacksonville to engage city leaders in embracing artistic and cultural communities as strategies are developed for the urban renewal of Downtown Jacksonville.  Serving as the keynote speaker for the Cultural Council of Jacksonville’s annual awards luncheon at the Times-Union Center, Mr. Landry discussed the need for the cultural community and city leaders to come together to find original creative solutions to the common problems that exist in Jacksonville.

Prior to his speaking engagement, leaders from the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC) and the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, took Landry on a tour of Downtown Jacksonville so he could gain a greater understanding of the successes and challenges that surround the urban core.  Throughout his tour, Landry collected a series of photographs that narrated a story about Downtown Jacksonville.  These photographs were later used in his presentation, to emphasize to city and cultural leaders that the theory of a creative city applies, not only to large European metropolises, but to Downtown Jacksonville as well.  Landry was very impressed with Jacksonville’s RiverWalk and the surrounding historic neighborhoods.  

Charles Landry is an international authority on creativity, urban renewal and artistic urban planning.  He challenges cities and urban planners to think creatively by looking at the future in imaginative and extraordinary ways.  He believes it is imperative that cities have a greater understanding of why creativity is so important in achieving social and economic progress in the changing global economy.  His innovative ideas have influenced city leaders, from around the world, to open their eyes and imagine the potential greatness of a city.  He challenged his Jacksonville audience to design future buildings and public spaces that engage the environment. 

His most recent book, The Art of City Making, advocates the need for a culture of creativity to be embedded in the way in which urban stakeholders operate.  It also explains the need for cities to adapt to the shifting global economy.  A scope of international case studies are used to show how the future of creative cities lies in those who develop imaginative urban areas for the global community, not in the global community.  It is easy for individual people or organizations to be creative; it is challenging for cities to be creative as it requires the collaborative efforts of diversely thinking stakeholders. 

Creative cities need an incredible sense of leadership among the business, governmental and cultural communities.  Charles Landry looks to the future and imagines the unimaginable; he remains practical in his vision for cities and helps them achieve greatness.  Working with its partners at DVI and the Cultural Council of Jacksonville, the JEDC’s commitment to the arts and cultural community and futuristic urban planning is apparent by its initiatives to support local arts and cultural events and promote unique design in Downtown Jacksonville.

For more information on Charles Landry, Comedia (the creative cities consulting group founded by Mr. Landry) and creative thinking, visit these websites:

www.charleslandry.com
www.comedia.com

Also visit the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville at www.culturalcouncil.org

The monthly Art Walk, The Players Championship Downtown Experience, Annual Film Festival, ACC Baseball Championship and the Lion King production are just a few of the engaging activities that recently took place in Downtown Jacksonville

At the 2007 Spring Music Festival held at Metropolitan Park over Memorial Day weekend, festival goers were able to experience a night where music and movies collide.  They were treated to a high energy performance by the Jim Belushi and The Sacred Hearts Band, followed by a showing of the animated film “Hoodwinked”.  This family-friendly event took place in the heart of Downtown Jacksonville and provided those who live outside of the urban core an opportunity to experience the safe, welcoming and vibrant atmosphere of Downtown that residents and workers experience on a daily basis. 

Maritime enthusiasts were able to test their sea legs at the annual “Sail Jacksonville”.  The event took place on the banks of the St. Johns River, filling the RiverWalk with hundreds of observers.  Tall ships from around the world were on display as people watched the battle between the pirate and merchant ships, participated in demonstrations and enjoyed the live entertainment. 

These are just a few of the fun events that take place in Downtown Jacksonville.  Those who work, live and visit Downtown have their choice of great restaurants and watering holes to enjoy an intimate dinner or relaxing happy hour.  After work or on the weekend, come enjoy happy hour, a sporting event or the culturally rich Art Walk and truly experience what Downtown Jacksonville has to offer.

Exciting upcoming events for Downtown Jacksonville include: 4th of July Freedom, Fanfare, Fireworks Celebration; First Wednesday Art Walk; live music and bands at various locations throughout Downtown; Jacksonville Suns Baseball games and more…!  Downtown is truly one of the most exciting neighborhoods in Jacksonville!

Click on these sites to see what’s happening Downtown Jacksonville:

Downtown Vision, Inc
Florida Theater
Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum
Times Union Center for the Performing Arts
City of Jacksonville Office of Special Events