St. Pete Times columnist Robert Trigaux writes about the latest study on revitalizing the economy in the Tampa Bay area. Some of the recommendations sound familiar:
• Build a regional economic brand identity beyond beaches and weather.
• Support innovation with business incubators, grants, venture capital and access to university research.
• Support existing local businesses instead of rolling the dice for “big corporate relocation.”
• In applied medicine, promote Tampa Bay as the capital of clinical trials.
• Build a network for marine, medical and defense businesses to swap ideas.
• Sharpen Tampa Bay’s image as a hot spot for outsourcing HR, sales and marketing services.
• Support aquaculture and alternative energy, especially algae-based biofuels
Read column.
Here is a two-page summary and more.
My point in posting this is that the world isn’t waiting for Pensacola and Escambia County to get their acts together. Much larger coalitions/regions are also recreating their images and aggressively revitalizing their economies.
We don’t need to back off of offering corporations incentives and applying for grants to help our current employers, but basic quality of life components – education, environment, culture and public safety – could be difference makers in giving us the edge in this competition for jobs.