Writer: Jerrica DuBois
2 min read March 2022 — Jacksonville business leaders are looking toward the future. Whether it be banking, healthcare or real estate, what’s coming next is a hot topic of conversation. Invest: sat down with local leaders to discuss growth, planning and innovative new services in Jacksonville.
Brian Parks, Regional President, Ameris Bank
We’re experiencing tremendous growth in Jacksonville and I think there will continue to be strong growth in a number of areas. Dun & Bradstreet, for example, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Jacksonville, bringing 500 new high-paying jobs to the area. There’s a big talent migration to Northeast Florida. LinkedIn economic data shows there was a 19% migration gain in Jacksonville from November 2020 to April 2021, which ranked first in the country. Manufacturing is growing in Northeast Florida and I think that trend will continue. There has been a tremendous amount of disruption in the supply chain, primarily due to COVID, and that is making domestic manufacturing much more attractive. Jacksonville is uniquely positioned to benefit from that; we have a strong inventory of industrial real estate, super-efficient transportation infrastructure and a strong labor force. Couple all that with a relatively low cost of living and we are well-positioned to take advantage of manufacturing opportunities.
Laura Gonzales, Regional Managing Director – Jacksonville, Franklin Street
Jacksonville was growing even before the pandemic but at a much slower rate. What we’re seeing now is larger-scale projects and quicker growth. We’re creating a more vibrant Downtown area and investing in older buildings and we’re seeing new projects arise that were previously not a priority when compared to our beach communities. We’re seeing a lot of growth all at once and it’s a very exciting time to be in Jacksonville.
Downtown has a lot of incentives and Arlington has new projects happening as well. Grocery stores are being added to food desert locations and improvements are being made in areas that didn’t have enough demand before. What’s impacting everyone is a shortage of employees to keep up with all this change and the growth projections. That is something we have to invest in: making sure we have the staff and talent necessary to keep projects moving forward.
Nicole Thomas, FACHE, Hospital President, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville
My outlook for Baptist is bright and my outlook for the healthcare industry is great. That is based on what we’ve seen over the last 20 months during the pandemic. We are an anchor organization for our communities. As a healthcare system, we are the largest private employer in the region. That responsibility comes with the duty to help people live well, and we look forward to partnering with this community on a “lifetime of health, together.”
Michael Shumer, Chairman/CEO, Medical Life Holdings/Crucial Care
In healthcare, having a safe working environment is paramount. If our team is not safe, they cannot provide the healthcare that they otherwise should be providing. We’re really proud of the fact that we’ve been ahead of the PPE curve. Second, because we’re in healthcare, we’ve been developing some innovative service offerings for the last four or five years, including giving our team access to our emergency facilities and 24/7 caregivers with no required payment. What we have discovered is that if patients get the right care, at the right time, and in the right place, their healthcare costs go down significantly and we’re also able to give those savings to our team members, something that has helped in recruitment and retainment in these interesting times.
Join these area leaders as they move the discussion forward on the importance of growing responsibly and where the region is headed at the Invest: Jacksonville 2022 Launch Conference on Thursday, April 7, at 11 a.m.
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