Central Florida Development Council – FL

OPPORTUNITY: The Central Florida Development Council (CFDC) has been successful in leveraging Polk County’s unique geographic position in the state of Florida to create a logistics and warehousing hub. The community’s Central Florida Innovation District, a 3,000-acre tract with access to cutting-edge technology at Florida Polytechnic University and Florida’s Department of Transportation 4,275-acre testing facility, SunTrax, gives the region a unique opportunity to further diversify the local industry portfolio and economy beyond the hub. To identify future opportunities, CFDC engaged VisionFirst to conduct an asset optimization analysis of the district and provide niche target industries that could best utilize the district, while increasing economic wealth.

SOLUTION: VisionFirst conducted a review of the district as if it were conducting a site search for a competitive project. High-level data analysis was conducted of Polk County and the region with an emphasis on the economy, workforce, educational attainment and the talent pipeline. Targeted and niche industry sectors were also identified that the district could align itself to compete for new or expanding industries on a global scale. This effort sought to gain an understanding of global and national trends and develop regional competitive advantages for CFDC to promote to site selectors and business decision-makers.

RESULT: The analysis by VisionFirst provided CFDC and its partners with an in-depth market analysis of niche industries to target. Each industry is expected to grow globally, and many are forecast to have unprecedented growth in the southeast. With the right marketing campaign and targeted approach, the district can be viewed as a top location for emerging niche industries.