PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

It is an exciting time in Bay County and business is thriving. Everywhere you look there is commercial and residential construction. New roads are being built, while resurfacing and widening projects are taking place like never before.

New businesses from small businesses to major industries are opening. The tourism industry is thriving. Both of our area hospitals are growing and a third one is currently under construction. Port Panama City and Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport are growing beyond anyone’s comprehension and the Tyndall re-build is fast and furious … the list goes on.

Speaking of excitement and growth, in this issue and on the cover, the Bay EDA is highlighting two major employers it announced in January within a two-week time period. That’s just unheard of. Kudos to Becca Hardin and Ben Moorman. They are a lean machine but certainly a force to be reckoned with.

I personally remember a time when our unemployment rate was over nine percent. Now, we have more jobs than we do people. Some of this comes from the loss of residents after Hurricane Michael that have not returned, but it’s a common problem throughout the country. There is an effort currently underway to identify and target the needed individuals for the various job segments in our community. A survey for current employers is being finalized to determine business needs, skill sets and professions needed. Then, we will identify areas in the country where we can recruit those talents and market our community in those areas as a great place to live and work. You’ll be hearing more on this effort in the near future. Later in this issue, you’ll see an update on all of our first quarter governmental affairs activities as we’ve traveled to Tallahassee to deliver our 2022 Legislative Agenda and participated in Northwest Florida Days. It was a jammed packed two days, but we received great feedback from our elected officials and agencies we visited and came home with information on additional funding that may be available for our community. Be sure and check out that complete story.

It is political season again as municipal elections are just around the corner. We all have respect for those of you who are willing to step up to the plate and give of your time and talent for the betterment of our community. On the horizon we’ll have our State Senator and State Representative positions for Districts 5 and 6 on the November general election ballot; two county commission seats and three school board seats. We encourage our business community to get involved as we know there are qualified business leaders in Bay County that can represent us well and are willing to make some tough decisions on change. If you’ve ever considered running for office we encourage you to engage and make a difference.

We sincerely appreciate all of our investors who continue to support our mission to Build A Better Bay County. I invite you to join our team as we can help build your business and, in turn, you’ll help fund the organizations efforts to build a stronger, business friendly community.

Carol A. Roberts

President/CEO

Paradisehas arrived

ON THE EMERALD COAST

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