a place where spending time at work isn’t work at all. the pensacola bay area

A place wherespending time at workisn’t work at all.

The Pensacola Bay Area

Pensacola Bay Area’s Structure• EDC housed under the Chamber of Commerce• Separate EDC Board made up of business leaders

and city and county administrators• Funding: 50% Private and 50% public• Core Economic Development focus is Escambia

County with services spread throughout the region• Structure allows holistic economic focus including

military commercialization, education, legislative activities, PR, entrepreneurship and traditional ED

Economic Development Tracks• Traditional (Jobs, Investment, Payroll)

– Marketing – Recruitment– Retention

• Non-Traditional (Innovation, Talent, Entrepreneurship) – Entrepreneurial Environment (networks, capital,

support services)– Education (K-12 and Universities in the region)– Commercialization– Research Base

Traditional Economic Environment• Small company growth – aerospace, renewable

energy, software• Large Company Strengths/Growth

– GE Wind Energy– Navy Federal Credit Union– Wayne Dalton

• Past layoffs at major employers in the area– IP– Daws– Sterling

• More to come

Activities• 2 Start-ups formed in the last 5 months• 4 of the 6 WIRED entrepreneurship grants

awarded to companies in Escambia County• Whitesands Angel Fund set to launch in the next

few months• Regional Technology Entrepreneurship portal

set to launch in January/February• Beginning branding initiative in January for

Pensacola Bay Area