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Leadership Now
Our Regional
Economic Scorecard clearly indicates the potential of our
region and also shows us the areas where we need to focus our
efforts. Our research also shows we
are falling behind other areas of the country in the resources we invest
in regional economic development issues.
 Under the leadership of
Roy McCraw, Regional President with
Wachovia and this year's
Secretary / Treasurer and Investors Chair, we are launching the
Leadership Now campaign. Our
goal is to increase operating revenues by $1 million to support regional
economic development issues.
As the
regional organization, we are only able to achieve what we do through the
active involvement and financial support of leaders throughout the
region. Your support is critical to our success.
Sincerely,
Stuart L. Rogel
In Memoriam:
Roy G. Harrell, Jr.
This past month we lost a tireless leader
in our region. Roy Harrell died suddenly late last month.
Roy has been a long standing member of the Tampa Bay Partnership,
actively involved in many of our initiatives including our
transportation effort and was serving as a member of the Tampa Bay
Partnership's Executive Committee.
An attorney with
Holland & Knight in St.
Petersburg, Roy was well known for his expertise in water and
environmental issues and is credited for his leadership in resolving
Tampa Bay's "water wars" in the 1990s. He was a former chairman
and member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)
for 12 years.
Roy will be long remembered for the
dedication to quality of life issues on behalf of the region and the
leaders he helped to mentor along the way.
Strategic
Initiatives: Regional Economic Scorecard
Measuring "How We're Doing"
 In mid-January, the
Partnership successfully rolled out the Regional Economic Scorecard, a
tool to help our leadership and investors measure the progress of our
region and direct resources to areas that will ensure our future
success.
Three key findings of the scorecard
include:
- Tampa Bay is a strong leader in job
creation, employment and labor force growth;
- More work needs to be done to
address the affordable housing issue; and
- Incomes and wages are on the rise in
Tampa Bay though the region still has relatively low wages and income
levels in absolute terms - economic development must continue to be
supported.
The leadership within the Tampa Bay
Partnership is now reviewing this intelligence to guide efforts focused
around its Priorities of Marketing, Public Policy, Research and
Leadership as well as its Strategic Initiatives.
Access a copy of the
news release and a copy of the
Regional Economic Scorecard here.
Strategic
Initiatives: Transportation
Looking At Long-Range Integrated Transportation Needs for the Region
 Transportation
continues to be the number one priority of business leaders surveyed by
the Tampa Bay Partnership. The region’s growth expectations are that our
current population of 3.7 million could nearly double in the next 40
years. In light of this dramatic reality this is clearly a time for
inspired leadership from both the public and private sectors. To that
end, a number of far-reaching studies are underway, commissioned by the
Florida Department of Transportation and other agencies charged with
addressing the regional visioning mandated by the 2005 Growth Management
Bill. Among those are the ongoing FDOT “Strategic Regional Transit Needs
Assessment” and the “Outer Beltway Study.”
In response to these
critically important regional studies, the Tampa Bay Partnership has
formed a “Transit/Multimodal Beltways Regional Visioning Initiative”
being chaired by Joe Smith of the
Walbridge Aldinger Company. Smith’s
group will look at long-range planning, growth management, environmental
and multimodal transportation issues during a period not to exceed six
months, in what Smith is calling “an intense fact-finding mission”.
Read more...
Strategic
Initiatives: Redevelopment
Redevelopment
Tools Workshop Scheduled
 Redevelopment
of underused and neglected urban spaces can create new areas for
business expansion and relocation. As part of the Partnership's
Redevelopment Strategic Initiative, one of our goals is to educate and
advocate about best practices and available resources in redevelopment.
Under the direction of Redevelopment Chair Commissioner Karen Seel, we
are pleased to announce a redevelopment workshop --
Economic Development Finance Tools for
Redevelopment Areas -- on two financing tools that can hold
promise particularly when pursued regionally - the new markets tax
credits program and double bottom-line investment funds.
The workshop will take place Thursday,
February 23, from 8:00 a.m. to noon at the Pinellas Realtor Organization
office, 4590 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater. Public and private sector
attendees are invited to learn about the potential of these programs for
our region and to brainstorm next steps. You can access a copy of
the agenda
here.
For more information
on the Partnership's Public Policy efforts, contact Karen Raihill at
(813) 878-2208 or
kraihill@tampabay.org.
Bruce Tulgan
Announced as
Keynote Speaker for 2006
Regional Leadership
Conference
 Bruce
Tulgan is internationally recognized as a leading expert on young people
in the workplace. He is an advisor to business leaders all over
the world, the author of 12 books and numerous management training
programs, and an engaging speaker. His presentation will discuss
how we engage the younger workforce into helping make long-term
community visioning decisions.
 The Tampa Bay Partnership's 8th
Annual Regional Leadership Conference will be held May 17-18, 2006 at the
Don CeSar Beach Resort in St. Petersburg. This year's theme,
"This
Way Forward",
offers a platform to engage in thoughtful dialogue on the long-term
effects of our current growth and to address the critical issues that
impact the livability of our region's future. Mark the date and
plan to join us. Registration will be available on our Web site in
mid-February so watch for further details.
Sponsorship opportunities are
available. Contact Elisa DeGregorio at (813) 872-2810 or
edegregorio@tampabay.org.
Tampa
Bay Partnership Hires Director of Funding & Investor Development
We're pleased to announce the hiring of
David Boyd as Director of Funding & Investor Development. In this
role, David will be responsible for development and growth of new
regional investors, expanding relationships with existing investors and
improving investor retention and integration. David previously
served as Director of Business Development for Enterprise Florida.
He also served as Vice President, Business Development for Invest
Northern Ireland. David will join the Partnership February 21st. We'd
like to thank Walter Baker, Managing Partner of
Signium
International / Meridian Partners, a Tampa-based retained
executive search firm and a new investor with the Partnership, for
assisting us in this search.
Web Feature -
Resource
Center
 The
Tampa Bay Partnership has a wealth of information and resources about
the Tampa Bay region on our Web site at
www.TampaBay.org.
You can also access downloads and order
copies of our publications within the Resource Center.
For more information about the
infrastructure in the communities of Tampa Bay, click on any of the
community links below or contact Jennifer Taylor, our Business
Development Manager at
jtaylor@tampabay.org.
Attend 2006 Honda Grand Prix of
St. Petersburg Like a VIP
 Grand Prix racing returns to downtown St.
Petersburg March 31-April 2, 2006, and it is now more affordable and
accessible than ever. The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and St.
Pete Chamber of Commerce are working with the
Honda Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg to offer the Victory Circle Club packages tailored to the
number of seats you need. For more information, contact Don Shea at the
St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership at (727) 821-5066 or
don@stpetepartnership.org.)
News Around the
Region
Pasco #1 in U.S.
In Job Creation
Pasco County led the nation's largest
counties in job creation in the spring of 2005, according to figures
released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Between April 1 and June 30, Pasco added
8,500 jobs, an increase of 9.5 percent over the same period in 2004.
That was a rate of growth 5 1/2 times the average for the nation's 322
largest counties.
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