2015 Gadsden County Business Journal

2015 BUSINESS JOUR NA L

GADSDEN COUNTY

AN 850 BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPECIAL REPORT

Empowering our community the cooperative way Talquin Electric Cooperative has provided reliable utility service to Gadsden County for 75 years, including electric, water and wastewater services.

We are open for Business! Our management team is ready 24/7 to meet your utility needs.

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A Partnership for Progress in Gadsden County What’s Inside Jobs Overview | Communities Site Development Cover Photo by Visit Florida/Colin Hackley

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND EDITORIAL EDITOR Linda Kleindienst PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan CREATIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lawrence Davidson PRODUCTION MANAGER/NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR Daniel Vitter ART DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ADVERTISING DESIGNERS Jillian Fry, Amanda Hartsfield

Tallahassee Community College, part of the Gadsden community since 1966, is committed to offering meaningful training that leads to employment and contributes to the county’s economic development.

TCC’s new Gadsden Center, built on land donated by the City of Quincy, is expected to be completed in early 2016 and will be well-equipped to provide Gadsden residents with workforce programs for in-demand jobs.

SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING McKenzie Burleigh DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS Daniel Parisi

PHOTO COURTESY OF GADSDEN COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

AD SERVICES COORDINATORS Lisa Sostre, Tracy Mulligan ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Darla Harrison, Lori Magee, Rhonda Murray, Will Patrick, Linda Powell, Paula Sconiers, Alice Watts SALES AND MARKETING ASSISTANT Christie Green

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JOBS OVERVI EW

Open for Business

As Gadsden County works to grow jobs, it is also addressing workforce needs

J

ust north of Florida’s Capital City lies the rolling hills, Victorian homes, horse and plant farms and antique oasis of a small, still relatively unknown county named after James Gadsden, an aide-de-camp to Gen. Andrew Jackson during the Florida campaign of 1818.

Once known for its shade tobacco farms — it’s one of only a few places in the United States where the tobacco to wrap cigars could 4 / 2015 G A D S D E N C O U N T Y B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L

be successfully grown — Gadsden’s economy today has a varied mix of businesses that include manufacturing, agriculture, technology and security. Its 508 square miles sit in the midst of a prime location for business development, yet about 46 percent of the county’s workforce travels to work each day in Leon County.

Recruiting new business to any county or city is tough work. A county could have

dozens, if not hundreds, of other competitors vying for that same business.

It all comes down to the sales pitch, location and tax incentives package. It’s standard practice now for counties to offer tax breaks and help coordinate other incentives at the state and federal levels to businesses willing to guarantee a certain number of jobs in an area.

The pitch for Gadsden County focuses heavily on the county’s four intersections with

PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

By Linda Kleindienst

Gadsden’s Major Employers* Coastal Plywood, Havana (300-plus workers) — Largest private employer in the county engineers and distributes wood products throughout the South and Southeast.

(Left) T-Formation, located in Midway, is the third largest volume printer of t-shirts in the U.S. (Above) David Gardner, executive director of the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES WITH SIMILAR GOALS

Interstate 10, as well as its proximity to three deepwater ports (Jacksonville, Panama City and the Port of Port St. Joe, which is being redeveloped), two shortline railroads, a major rail line, two international airports (Northwest Florida Beaches in Bay County and Tallahassee) and two state universities, along with vocational and technical institutions.

About 20 square miles of the county are contained in a state Enterprise Zone, which offers tax incentives and advantages to businesses that locate within the boundaries.

Several business parks are located in Enterprise Zones, including the Gretna Industrial Business Park, the Quincy Industrial Business Park, the Quincy Interstate Business Park and the Gadsden 10/90 Commerce Park.

The county’s economic development efforts are varied.

There is the 2-year-old Gadsden County Development Council, which was formed by the county commission and includes representatives from all the county’s cities, and the Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce, which represents business interests.

Thecountyhasheldmeetingswithresidents as part of its Competitive Florida Partnership Program to get their input on Gadsden’s strengths with the goal of fostering cooperation between everyone involved in economic development and increasing the county’s median household income by 2018. At the same time, the county’s Tourist Development Council has hired a marketing consultant to kick off a major new marketing strategy in the coming months to promote tourism.

The Chamber is focusing on entrepreneurship, small business development and the retention and expansion of existing businesses, according to Executive Director David Gardner.

“There is plenty of opportunity here,” says Gardner. “We are inundated with folks looking to start businesses. It’s exploded.

Supervalu, Quincy (260) — Food distribution warehouse Corrections Corporation of America, Quincy (240) — Gadsden Correctional Institution.

Gadsden Tomato, Quincy (180) T-Formation of Tallahassee, Midway (150) — Screen printing and embroidery.

Walmart, Quincy (130) TeligentEMS, Havana (120) — Electronic manufacturing and services provider.

May Nursery, Havana (120) Tri-Eagle Sales, Midway (110) — Distributor for Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch beverages. * Information provided

by Gadsden County Development Council 2015 G A D S D E N C O U N T Y B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L / 5

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COURTESY OF BASF

Small manufacturing, service businesses, day care centers, health care. It covers a wide spectrum. That’s where I think a lot of opportunities are going to be.”

Beth Kirkland heads the nonprofit Development Council, recognized by Enterprise Florida as the county’s economic development organization, which puts a stronger focus on having the county and its six municipalities work alongside a wide variety of government agencies and local business to bring more business to Gadsden. Targeted sectors for growth include transportation and logistics; agribusiness; manufacturing; ecotourism; law enforcement training, services and supplies; and construction materials and services.

“We have strengthened our relationships with groups like Enterprise Florida, Florida’s Great Northwest, Opportunity Florida, Freight Moves Florida,” she says. “We have made sure every time one of those organizations has brought a site consultant to Florida we are present and engaging. And we are planning our own trips to those consultants.

We need diversification, moving away from a

Employees from the BASF site in Quincy volunteered to bring hands-on science to Gadsden County elementary schools during National Chemistry Week in October. Students actively participated in fun, hands-on chemistry experiments and activities to help them gain an appreciation for science.

rural county that sits next to the Capital City.

We need diversification into sectors away from government.”

TDS Telecom in Quincy has helped ensure that Gadsden is prepared for future growth as far as access to broadband, according to Frank

Holcomb, the company’s regional market manager, who is active in the Chamber.

“I would say over 95 percent of Gadsden now has access to data broadband. As far as technology goes, we’re in a good position,” he says. Still, he thinks the county’s future

“There is plenty of opportunity here. We are inundated with folks looking to start businesses.

It’s exploded. Small manufacturing, service businesses, day care centers, health care. It covers a wide spectrum. That’s where I think a lot of opportunities are going to be.” — David Gardner, Executive Director, Gadsden County Chamber of Commerce

is indelibly linked to Tallahassee and Leon County, because that’s where the major centers for workforce development are headquartered. “We’re more dependent on a regionaleconomicdevelopmentplan,moreso than just Gadsden alone.”

CHALLENGES AHEAD Gadsden does face some challenges when it comes to recruiting businesses.

“One of our weaknesses is the labor force,” concedes Kirkland. “We need to build the pipeline. Most workers now go to the Capital City.”

One company trying to help build that pipeline is BASF, which is putting together an outreach program to work with educators

from elementary grades up through college to promote better preparation for STEMrelated jobs.

The BASF site supports attapulgite mining operations in Florida and Georgia.

The product is used in a wide variety of products, from pet litter to pharmaceuticals, and about 130,000 tons were shipped from Quincy last year, according to Carlos Barrios, production manager.

“And we plan to grow Quincy between 2 to 3 percent a year,” he adds, pointing out that the company is on track to invest $2 million a year into improvements. “One of our benefits here is access to major highways, so when you’re distributing to the Southeast, you can get the product out easily.”

BASF has 79 employees in Quincy, some of them having worked through five different ownerships of the facility, which has been open for 105 years. One worker has been at the Quincy plant for 50 years.

“We’ve not had too much trouble staffing, but we do have an aging workforce like everybody else,” says Larry Ware, the Quincy plant’s human resources manager and leader of local community partnerships and education efforts. “Last school year, we gave a presentation to fifth-graders, having them do an experiment on filtration and absorbability, and then we gave them lab coats and equipment to work with.”

The company is also working with Tallahassee Community College on a certified production technician program for its employees. The voluntary program includes 80 hours of training, with some of the classes at the college’s facility in Gadsden and other classes at the work site.

“This coming year, I want to invite (high school) teachers out to our facility for them to see how what they are teaching applies to real work,” Ware says.

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COMMU N ITI ES

Gadsden’s Cities and Towns Offer Variety From art to farming to manufacturing, Gadsden’s communities have a wide range of industries

By Linda Kleindienst

G

SCOTT HOLSTEIN

adsden County and its communities are home to a wide variety of industries that have come to the region for myriad reasons, including: an available workforce for a particular industry; handy transportation connections; plentiful natural resources (timber and the rare Fuller’s Clay); existing facilities like the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Training Center, which is becoming a hub for securityrelated companies.

The county has engaged its citizens in a visioning process as part of the Competitive Florida Partnership Program to determine what they see as the area’s greatest strengths. “We have been working hard toward improving our economic development initiatives,” points out Allara Mills Gutcher, Gadsden County’s planning and community development director.

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(Left to right) David Wright, Jim Marois and Nicholas Comerford in plots of carinata (a plant used for biofuel) at North Florida Research & Education Center in Quincy.

Gadsden Demographics

Education

» Population (est. 2014) — 46,281 »G adsden is the 43rd most populated out of Florida’s 67 counties. » Under 18 years of age — 20.6% » 18–64 years — 60.7% » 65 and older — 18.7% » Median Age — 39.6 years

» High School Graduate or Higher — 77.2% » Bachelor’s Degree or Higher — 14.9% » Median Household Income — $35,380 » Land Area — 516.66 square miles » Persons per square mile (2014) — 93.1 » Unemployment Rate (April 2015) — 6.7% » Labor Force as percentage of population — 51.3%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Florida Legislature Office of Economic and Demographic Research

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Here’s a glimpse of what is already happening in the county’s six cities: 1 CHATTAHOOCHEE — Home to the largest public employer, Florida State Hospital, which has more than 2,200 workers. It has a state-recognized Main Street program to help with local business development and there is a growing focus on leveraging the historic Apalachicola River to promote tourism.

2 GREENSBORO — Stands to benefit from the rail line that starts at the Port of Port St. Joe, follows Highway 12 north and connects to the CSX main line — a key to attracting new industry. Has partnered with Gretna on economic development.

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3 HAVANA — The town that tobacco built has become a Mecca for antique shoppers, with many of the shops located in historic buildings, and given birth to an active artists’ community. Has an active economic development committee and large landholdings are available for development.

4 GRETNA — Worked at upgrading its infrastructure and is positioning itself to attract industries that might be interested in several of the properties within its borders that were identified in the strategic site inventory program. It is home to Creek Entertainment, located just off the Interstate 10 exit, a parimutuel facility that provides simultaneous broadcasting of races at other venues along with poker tables and recently won a court decision to allow slot machines — a likely boon to tourism if the ruling stands.

5 MIDWAY — Home to the largest of the county’s five industrial parks, Gadsden 10/90 Commerce Park, which has available space and recently became home to a regional distribution center for Safeway Auto Glass.

6 QUINCY — The county seat of Gadsden.

Has a redevelopment agency and successful Main Street program. Cultural amenities include the Gadsden Arts Center and Quincy Music Theater while lakes, rivers, hiking trails and a local golf course provide recreational opportunities that can boost eco-tourism.

A part of Quincy’s colorful history includes a connection to Coca-Cola that made millionaires out of many residents.

In the early 20th century, a Quincy banker convinced many of the town’s wealthier farmers and merchants to buy stock in a new Atlanta soda company — Coca-Cola.

At the time of its initial public offering in 1919, Coke stock was $40 a share.

Eventually the price rose, the stock split and many Quincy residents became rich.

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PHOTOS BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN (5), VISIT FLORIDA/COLIN HACKLEY (3,6) AND COURTESY OF GADSDEN COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (1,2) AND PCI GAMING (4)

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Engaging industry, education and government in economic and community development strategies to RETAIN, EXPAND and ATTRACT jobs and capital investment.

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SITE DEVELOPMENT

Gadsden Is Setting Its ‘Sites’ Identifying and promoting locations for future economic development is a priority By Linda Kleindienst

A

s the saying goes, it’s all about location.

And as Gadsden County enters the economic development arena with a new energy, the idea is to let the world know there are plenty of locations available for new and expanding companies that want to do business here.

“Selling a county is just like selling a product in a store,” says Beth Kirkland, executive director of the Gadsden County Development Council, which was established by the county in 2013. “You need to have choices. And the more product you have on the shelf, the better off you are.”

Toward that end, the county has been working to identify sites ready for commercial development and wants to begin engaging landowners to let the county market those properties to prospective buyers. The goal is to attract companies that will help grow

the economy of the area, bringing better and higher-paying jobs to local residents.

“Our focus has to be on land (for future economic development),” Kirkland explains, adding that what buildings are currently available might be too old or have height limitations that could restrict a major manufacturing prospect.

A neighboring county to Leon — the more urbanized home of state government, two major universities and one of the largest community colleges in the state — Gadsden retains its mostly rural nature. Farms and other available (and affordable) vacant land cover much of the countryside between the county’s small towns.

In 2014, the county was invited to be a part of Enterprise Florida’s Strategic Site Inventory program funded by Duke Energy Foundation. Duke provided $120,000 for a study

that included 23 North Florida counties — all with access to a major interstate and railroad lines. Gadsden was the westernmost county in the region to be reviewed. The purpose of the grant was to identify 100 sites within the utility company’s service area best suited for prospective businesses ready to embark on large industrial and commercial projects.

“When Florida competes to win business location projects, particularly for large global companies, we are competing not only with sites in other Southeastern states but also with sites in other countries,” said Gray Swoope, former Florida Secretary of Commerce and CEO of Enterprise Florida, when the grant was awarded. “It is important to our objective of bringing new businesses and jobs to the state to be able to demonstrate that we have a broad inventory of suitable sites that meet their criteria.”

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“Selling a county is just like selling a product in a store. You need to have choices.

And the more product you have on the shelf, the better off you are.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF GADSDEN COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

It feels like we invented it; and once you experience the small town charm of Chattahoochee, Greensboro, Gretna, Havana, Midway and Quincy, you’ll think we did too. If you’re looking to live, work, play or vacation differently, we invite you to Do Something Original in Gadsden County.

Land in prime locations for strategic development of industrial and manufacturing projects is considered to be at an alltime premium. Duke Energy’s investment in the Strategic Sites Inventory program provides communities in the initial program area — all of them located along logistically optimal routes for manufacturing — with key information about best possible sites for development and gives those communities a distinct competitive advantage in winning new projects.

“Our partnership with Enterprise Florida on this important initiative underscores our shared focus and commitment to economic development and job creation in Florida,” says Alex Glenn, Duke Energy state president for Florida. “The Strategic Sites Inventory program will enable the state of Florida to proactively market premium site locations and more effectively compete for projects through advancedsiteselection.”

The study inventory identified 119 sites within the 23 counties.

In Gadsden, it found 20 sites ranging in size from 200 to 1,200 acres — the most in any of the counties surveyed. The next largest inventory — Beth of available sites was in Kirkland, Executive Sumter, which has 12.

Director of the “These are sites that exhibit strong potential Gadsden County for projects,” explains Development Council Kirkland. “That means there is low impact from undesirablefeatures.Therearenowetlands,noendangeredspecies, no important archaeological sites. They were mainly looking for high and dry parcels of land close to transportation assets.”

She says it is now up to the county to look at prioritizing those sites that have been identified for further research.

“We now need to start the due diligence stage,” she says. “It’s important to reflect that we have robust utility infrastructure and a number of providers. Enhanced water, sewer, electric and natural gas exist in some places. That’s what businesses want. They want to see a site that is ready to go. In the sites we’ve identified so far, we have work to do.”

The end result of the program is to feed a pipeline that allows communities to take sites through an evaluation or site certification program, leading to additional qualified options for companies that want to grow in Florida by investing capital and adding jobs.

In 2013, Gulf Power launched a similar site certification program for Northwest Florida counties in its service area. Nine sites are currently pending certification.

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