BCCA-23-0100

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TranscriptWhat was said at each appearance is below it. Machine transcription, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 98% of 61 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.

1. 1Oct 25, 2022
   Board of County CommissionersR75Regular businessNo disposition in the minutes

   Open this item →▶ Play from 1:50:12
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   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:50:12Okay, now I'm like, where am I? There should be five. Right? R seventy five? R seventy five. Okay, I think we're on R75, which is uh the PEDC Report.

   1:50:31Good morning.

   Bill Cronin

   1:50:32Good morning and happy Tuesday, everyone. It is a great day in Pasco County. I recognize that I am standing between you and lunch, and I'm putting a photo of scallops on the screen to start with. That's where they all

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:50:44went.

   Bill Cronin

   1:50:45Yeah, that's uh those are Pasco scallops. So for those of you that went in Hernando, nothing like that. Those are good Pasco scallops. But uh it's my pleasure to present to you our Our fourth quarter report for this last fiscal year. This will be our final report for the fiscal year. Start out with the memorandum of understanding. And I'm gonna go through these pretty quickly since uh uh since we've got lunch in front of us and we'll talk about some of the big highlights. But Yeah. Let's see. Oh. There

   1:51:15we go. I think this is probably the slide that most people are most interested in, and that's how'd we do in recruitment? How do we do in the the beauty contest that we win when companies come to look at Pasco County uh to invest in? We had 11 wins this past year. Uh of that 11 wins, several jobs. We're going to talk about that in the next slide. But I did want to uh make reference to our lead pipeline and where the activity is coming from. So if you look at the very last line there, advanced manufacturing, you heard from RJ manufacturing

   1:51:46earlier, business is good, and manufacturing still uh tends to be one of our leading sectors because we are still one of the only places that has land and people. And um and that is is rare in Florida.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:52:00Uh a question for you or back. Um when you say aerospace, aviation and defense. Are those not and these are not manufacturing?

   Bill Cronin

   1:52:08Those would be manufacturing that fit into that category. So um you think about our friends at True Simulation and things like that, those fall into that category. So they're in two.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:52:19All right, and can you make sure that I get a list of those five advanced manufacturing wind successes

   Bill Cronin

   1:52:25in their

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:52:25context?

   Bill Cronin

   1:52:26Absolutely, yeah. Thank you. And then this is this w shows you the overall impact of of um of those eleven wins. So our goal was fourteen wins uh this year. We got eleven. But if you look at the numbers, what came with that, our goal for capital investment was 100 million. We ended up with 240 million dollars of new capital investment in DePasco County and over 1,200 jobs. This when I looked at around the state at some of the other counties

   1:52:56on how they did, we're trending with some of the big counties in South Florida, and it's really because We've got the product, we've got the people, and we've got great leadership here. Uh training visits again, I'll go through you all have the packet, so I'm gonna go through some of this fairly rapidly and then save time for questions. We're still out calling on companies. We're still hitting events. We're still working with our partners like AMSkills and the workforce training partners. We're attending conferences nationally, internationally,

   1:53:26and locally, speaking about Pasco as a place to do business, but also letting our partners know what kind of programs that we're working on. Uh earned media value. And again, you can't necessarily put this in the bank. But if you were to go out and buy this type of media, it would cost you four four point five million dollars of earned media value that that we've enjoyed over this past year. And the web it I I ask this question of my staff every single presentation

   1:53:57It shows 96 new ninety-six percent of the users on the web are new to our website. And I said, How can that be? Did they not come back? And it turns out they get the information they need and then they're they're they're working with our staff from that point on. So each time you see this they are genuine new unique users coming in. And pretty good size reach, uh 408,000 impressions. And that's how people uh view our our our our county is by those impressions. And

   1:54:27then on our overall uh complexion of what what does our organization look like right now, we have 91 total private sector investors and our goal this last year was 550,500 uh for private sector investment. Uh for dues we were over six hundred thousand and with events uh over seven hundred and fifteen thousand that came from the private sector. So each time that we use tax dollars, that leverages that private sector investment,

   1:54:57and that's money that the county didn't have to spend, but it also shows that our business community is still behind us. Uh we have 44 members on the board right now and uh new member column art holdings uh they're working on a project up at 52 and 75. I think most of you have talked to them.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:55:13Is that is that 44 up or down or because I don't I don't know how to I don't know how

   Bill Cronin

   1:55:17many

   1:55:20say

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:55:20if that's

   Bill Cronin

   1:55:21it is a it is a a big board but they're very nice people, so they're very easy to manage. Um and also while I've got that slide up, we we did a return on investment for our public dollars. Uh right now we're at 146 to 1. So that means for each public dollar that you give Pasco E D C to put into programs the gross county product that comes out of that. was a hundred and forty six times the amount of public funds going in. So really important to show where that return is because the work we do, the return goes on your bottom

   1:55:51line, not our bottom line. And somehow sometimes it's hard to dig and find uh what that impact really looks like. Um and then just some overall things that have happened. We did take our board on their uh annual scalloping retreat. And again, uh Pasco is doing so much better uh with scalloping and organizing this. This has become a real thing for Pasco County. And applaud to our our tourism group as well that helped us with that. We're starting to use tourism a lot more to market. Quality of place is becoming

   1:56:22very important post-COVID, so you'll see us doing more things together. joined a uh TBBW, Tampa Bay Business Journal CEO Roundtable where I was uh joined with CEOs like Coca-Cola and uh USF and others. It was very nice that they included Pasco County in that conversation. Uh we also concluded our executive success program. That's a a new program. We finished it up this year. It was a success. The success sounds redundant. But we have got new another class that started

   1:56:52uh just last week. And the Japanese Council General came uh for a really impromptu visit. Uh yeah, he was throwing out a pitch at one of the raise games. and came up for dinner and Shoemaker Law Firm put together a dinner uh for him. We have the Southeast US Japan Conference coming to Florida first time in fourteen years in November. So it's important that we continue to embrace that relationship with Japan. Uh and then Senator Scott used our

   1:57:22office for uh his field staff. They have a federal uh agency uh round table or or open hours that you can come in and ask about federal agencies. And then uh last but not least, when I was up at the International Economic Development Conference, was asked to speak on a panel talking about sustainability, uh, and Pasco is starting to get some some attention from uh national economic development groups. Upcoming events, meet the members, that is uh Two days, so that's

   1:57:52the 27th. That is our event where our incubator members get to meet our board members so that we can promote a true B2C and B2B type of connection. Holiday appreciation social, you each will be invited to that. That is going to be December 1st, coming up rapidly. Leadership Pasco Business and Industry Day. Um we still host the Leadership PASCO group for that day. That is a fun day where they get to learn about our businesses. And then our annual economic forecast luncheon, we moved

   1:58:23it again this year. It's going to be at the Heritage Springs on January 19th, fairly centrally located. And we're going to be announcing those speakers very soon. And then last but not least, Grow Pasco. So Grow Pasco, this is our third year. This is all of our entrepreneurs coming together with speakers. Uh there's quite a buzz there, and it's a weekend event. They come out on Saturdays. And if you've got time to come out and join them, there's quite a buzz there with the group. So That's

   1:58:53it for the MOU if you want me to stop or I can just jump into the penny for Pasco and we can Okay.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:59:00You're good.

   Bill Cronin

   1:59:06Scott Kayson is not the penny for Pasco. There we go.

   Unidentified speakerVoice A

   1:59:11Well that's funny. I said too much. Yeah. Oh yeah, we shouldn't work.

   Bill Cronin

   1:59:16Okay. Big pictures.

   1:59:22While it's loading I just wanna commend the Eagle Scouts of here. I'm an Eagle Scout as well too and I was thinking of of great projects and as we had someone with disabilities in here earlier. What a great idea if somebody could put a a handicapped accessible podium here in In each of the centers.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:59:39Yeah, because I poor guy, I couldn't even see him.

   Bill Cronin

   1:59:44Well,

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   1:59:45Or we can get a podium that goes up and down.

   Bill Cronin

   1:59:52Okay, while he's while he's bringing it up, I d you remember on the Penny for Pasco I actually have a executive summary sheet that it's the beginning. You should have um the first slide there. So ready sites uh still continuing to get great looks on on ready sites. This has become one of the programs that now has gotten the attention of the surrounding counties because they don't have land. A lot of those are now coming to you with projects attached to them, so it worked. We needed the product. uh international program I think

   2:00:22uh there's been quite a few um new meetings with the global competitive uh Uh global commerce Global Competitiveness Committee and uh from what I understand this week was a full house as they get ready to plan for events this next year, looking at a couple trade missions and a couple foreign direct investment missions, but uh definitely a renewed uh interest in that and I think again people have not been traveling for the last couple of years so that's that's part of it as well.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:00:48And and uh we're talking about doing a Pasco International Day. And um thinking that we'll do something here at the board meeting and Uh February, is that when we said? Uh and then we'll have an event uh that the following Wednesday night with all our international uh partners in the county. So we just wanna celebrate all those international

   Bill Cronin

   2:01:08and that'll be business and culture as well.

   2:01:13Okay, there we go. Um International Program. We we also um Uh worked with the commercial service on a uh a gold key program. One of our companies here, Florida Avenue Brewing, uh went on a trade mission with Enterprise Florida to Panama and they were scholarshipped to participate in that. We hope they get some some sales. And then Morgana's Alchemy uh in New Port Richey won our international achievement award this past year and is all over the world. Literally. Uh

   2:01:43enhanced marketing, again getting the the message out on the sites, the Workforce Connect, Smart Start, uh each of these penny programs come out of that and Workforce Connect is still getting a lot of uh attention working together with Amskills and our other uh training partners. And the executive excuse me, executive sex program I just mentioned. And then lastly, Smart Start. We just had 10 small businesses that were awarded grants through Santander, one of our

   2:02:14newest investors here. We are in the middle of a move on our east, I'm sorry, our West Uh Pasco Enterprise Center, which is going to be co-located. With AM skills. So we'll start to see a lot more of that interface with makerspace, hackerspace, startups, and so on. We're also talking to Tunnel Tunnel Tunnel for Towers right now, too, about helping them with those people that are going to live in the village for entrepreneurial type programs. So

   2:02:44this is still one of our best programs, and that's our our Smart Start program. And I think going forward this next year, you're gonna see us really doubling down on emphasis on startups and emphasis on the talent pipeline. We still have to come up with 14,000 jobs. For our friends at Moffett. Some of them haven't been born yet. Um so that is is gonna be a big focus, not just for us, but all of our partners here.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:03:10You don't mean fourteen thousand jobs, you mean fourteen thousand employees.

   Bill Cronin

   2:03:13Yes. Yes. And that's just for the Moffat piece of it. That's not for all the companies coming around.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:03:19Then they have to have a place to live.

   Bill Cronin

   2:03:21Yeah. So I will stop there. I know we're we're getting Getting towards the end for for lunch, but uh again, thank you all. Uh shout out to Commissioner Moore. I know this is our last meeting to present to you. I don't see any produce or any vegetables to throw at me, so I'm I'm happy. But I know you're coming to our board meeting tomorrow too there. Yes. Thank you. I've enjoyed it.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:03:41And uh Bill, a little shout out to our Santander folks. Um they gave Amskills a hundred thousand dollar grant. Well for uh I think uh boot camps or I can't remember what it's for, but yeah, they're they're being a good community partner. So Yeah,

   Bill Cronin

   2:03:54I th I think the the investment they've made in this community and they've shown where their heart is, uh helping small businesses, helping minorities and helping those get a leg up isn't just them going through the motions because they're in this community. They genuinely care and they actually made those investments before they're even fully staffed. So I mean that says a lot about how they're treating our community.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:04:15I'm lucky to have them.

   Jack MarianoVice Chair

   2:04:16Madam Chair.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:04:17Yes?

   Jack MarianoVice Chair

   2:04:17Just a quick statement. Bill, I I love the list here with the Ready Sites program. Uh and I think you know that Tom Ryan and David Engel are working with a group up in Hudson on Hicks Road.

   Brentford Adumwa

   2:04:26Yes.

   Jack MarianoVice Chair

   2:04:26Uh if you would keep an eye on those guys, kinda coach them along as far as their next step, but we get some I think big things brewing up there to add an another one this pie.

   Bill Cronin

   2:04:34Yeah. So there are some there are some big projects moving around right now, so I'm very excited about that. Thank you.

   Jack MarianoVice Chair

   2:04:39Okay.

   Kathryn StarkeyChair

   2:04:40Thanks. Okay. Thank you.