In a recent Beyond the Build podcast conversation, Jennifer Conoley, President and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest, detailed how the organization’s regional coordination model has successfully attracted major economic development projects to the 13-county area stretching from Pensacola to Tallahassee. Since Conoley took the helm in March 2020, the organization has generated over 1,500 announced jobs through direct leads, with significant aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and maritime projects in the pipeline.
The key to this success is a coordinated approach that prevents internal competition among counties. “I like to call us the professional matchmakers,” Conoley explained. “We’re able to identify these opportunities and then filter them down to our 13-county economic development professionals.” This strategy has attracted projects such as Field International’s global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Pensacola and Point Blank Enterprises’ 300-job body armor manufacturing facility to Wakulla County. Most notably, Birdon announced plans for a potential 2,000-job maritime manufacturing expansion at the Port of Pensacola.
One of Northwest Florida’s most compelling competitive advantages is its quantifiable military talent pipeline. Six military bases within a two-and-a-half to three-hour radius generate approximately 5,200 military separations and retirements annually, with an average age of 38. A University of West Florida study commissioned by Florida’s Great Northwest found that 47% of these veterans want to stay in the region after service, with another 19% undecided. “Companies feel more confident in selecting our region” based on this quantifiable data, Conoley noted. Kelvin Enfinger Jr., Vice President of Greenhut Construction and immediate past chair of ABC Florida, emphasized the broader applicability: “Retired service members have a skill set that crosses over many industries. Businesses are beginning to see that as part of a way to fix what we’re facing in our industry.”
Conoley also stressed the importance of site readiness in site selection. “If you can present a site that is truly ready to go, then you’re going to be more competitive,” she said. The $1.5 billion Triumph Gulf Coast fund, created from Deepwater Horizon settlements and continuing to receive $80 million annually through 2033, provides unique leverage. While funds cannot go directly to companies, public-private partnerships using Triumph dollars have successfully attracted major industrial investments without requiring aggressive cash incentives.
Despite recent momentum, Conoley warned against complacency. “You cannot take your foot off the gas pedal in this moment,” she cautioned. Florida’s Great Northwest recently received a $4.7 million Triumph grant to enhance its regional strategy. “Where I see Northwest Florida in the next 5 to 10 years is really being even more well known in that Gulf Coast corridor for both aerospace and maritime work,” Conoley stated. “Keep your eye on Northwest Florida. The pipeline is full.”
For developers and investors evaluating markets, Northwest Florida’s combination of regional coordination, quantifiable military talent pipeline, available industrial land, and patient capital sources offers a compelling value proposition, particularly for aerospace, maritime, and advanced manufacturing projects.
