®
oundtable:
What is needed to sustain growth? Business leaders from the region discuss efforts needed and the challenges to overcome to ensure Tampa Bay remains a dynamic economy even in the face of a potential national downturn.
Kelly Flannery
President & CEO South Tampa Chamber of Commerce
How is the South Tampa Chamber working to support emerging sectors? Everything right now is technology-based and anyone who doesn’t believe that is going to be left behind. However, for us as an organization, we rely heavily on partnerships and resources that are available in the community. One of the things the chamber focuses on very heavily is cultivating partnerships and relationships so that when a business comes to us, if it’s not a service we offer, we know where to direct them to get what they need.
Rick Homans
CEO Tampa Bay Partnership
What specific businesses or industries would you like to attract to South Tampa? With MacDill Air Force Base here, there’s a really big opportunity to attract additional military and defense contractors to this area. There’s a few that are here, but I think there’s a lot of room for growth in that space.
What areas is the Tampa Bay Partnership focusing to ensure growth? On the transportation front, we continue to advance the concept of a regional bus transit project to connect the three counties. This 41-mile project has advanced into the project development phase and there is a lot more to accomplish moving forward. On the workforce front we have advanced our talent pipeline management process according to the structure developed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The process uses the principles of supply chain management to determine demand, competency and credential requirements and then the employer collaboratives collectively communicate this information to workforce providers in the region. This is a new concept for the state of Florida and we are the first in Florida to do this.
What market trends do you think will become a staple in the local economy heading into 2020? We have several multi-use business districts that have popped up. Hyde Park Village, for example, has undergone a multi-year renovation. They’ve attracted a mix of both national and local retail and hospitality brands to this space. They are just completing construction on a coworking space and have completely sold out of all the office space that’s there. Now, they’re recruiting for membership opportunities. Midtown and the Westshore District are two new developments that have already started construction for housing, retail and other concepts. For years, people have been asking for walkable, livable neighborhoods. Developers have listened, and they’re answering the call.
How are you coordinating your effors with other regions? We work as separate counties, and as separate cities; there is virtually no structure in place for us to work together as a region. For the last four years, we have been pushing for some sort of regional planning. We were successful in getting the state legislature to restructure the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) to focus on transit, but getting elected officials from throughout Tampa Bay to actually work together on a project is somewhat challenging. In some cases, there seems to be a ‘my county first’ approach, which does not leave a lot of air in the room to have a discussion about regional priorities.
18 | Invest: Tampa Bay 2020 | ECONOMY
