2 min read February 2022 — Jacksonville is on the rise, with a number of sectors, including fintech and healthcare, taking the lead. In an interview with Invest:, Daniel Davis, president and CEO of the JAX Chamber, discussed the city’s growth and where it could be in five years. “You will not recognize Downtown Jacksonville in five years. We are on the verge of becoming a world-class city,” he said.
What were the JAX Chamber of Commerce’s key takeaways from handling COVID-related challenges?
Our No. 1 job was to make sure we took care of our employees and made sure everybody was safe. All of the team jumped into action quickly at a time when several companies needed help with the PPP and with other financial support coming down from Washington. We were able to provide all sorts of educational learning, with online opportunities for small and large businesses through our webinars around these topics. Our next step was getting the Chamber back up and running, bringing employees back safely and starting to return to outdoor events so our members could interact in-person. We came up with unique ways to keep our employees safe, getting it up and running at full speed from October 2020. We then moved to encouraging vaccinations. We earned a lot of trust along the way just because we looked out for families. While 2020 was a challenging year, 2021 may be the best year in the Chamber’s history, with growth across the board and beyond the chamber — jobs, memberships, the community, real estate values. It is really incredible. We have momentum and we expect it to continue.
Which business sectors have showcased the strongest growth within the Jacksonville area?
For the next couple of years, fintech in Jacksonville is going to be hot. FIS is a global leader in point of sale for the industry and they are building their new corporate headquarters in Downtown Jacksonville. We’re garnering a lot of attention and have a lot of talent focused on financial technology. Black Knight is in Jacksonville. SoFi located their East Coast headquarters in Jacksonville. Nymbus just announced they are moving their corporate headquarters and 600 jobs here. Deutsche Bank has about 2,500 employees here They have the exact same trading floor in Jacksonville as they have in London and in New York. Companies are looking to cities and communities that have a high quality of life and reasonable cost of living opportunities, all of which we have in Jacksonville. Instead of sitting on a train for an hour and a half trying to get to your office in New York, you can surf before you come into the office in Jacksonville.
We also believe healthcare and the innovation and technology around patient care will continue to grow. We are fortunate that Mayo Clinic, Baptist-MD Anderson Cancer Center and UF Health Proton Therapy Institute all call Jacksonville home. Mayo has a plan to grow their campus with a $1 billion investment over the next couple of years. We are also blessed with the JAXPORT, a deep-water port that is being deepened to accommodate Post-Panamax vessels. Miami is the first port of call from the Panama Canal but everything that is brought into the Port of Miami is consumed in South Florida. If you’re trying to move product, Jacksonville is the next shipping destination. We believe there is going to be a lot of growth there and we’re excited about not only distribution but also our infrastructure.
What is the vision behind the Elevate Northeast Florida program?
Elevate Northeast Florida is an initiative by our economic development team. It primarily focuses on upskilling the labor force, making sure we are preparing people for career opportunities and that our curriculum matches what our companies want and need. It’s a great opportunity for business leaders to communicate with the educators, from K-12 to the higher ed institutions in Northeast Florida. Another part of Elevate is that it includes a program called Elevate Women. It ensures executive-level leaders are being prepared to sit on boards, run for office, and lead C-suites. We think that is critically important in Northeast Florida as well. Workforce is the No.1 economic development issue in the next 10 years. The community that produces the workforce wins the economic development all day long. It used to be which communities could write the biggest checks but that’s not the case anymore. It’s about who can fill the jobs, who is developing the employees companies need to succeed.
What is your general outlook for the next couple of years for the Jacksonville area?
We think we will be seeing more advanced manufacturing. Companies are looking to solve the logistics issues they just experienced with supply chains across the globe. Having a deep-water port, one of the longest runways in the country, plenty of developable land and a pro-growth community is a pretty good recipe for that. You will not recognize Downtown Jacksonville in five years. We are on the verge of becoming a world-class city.
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