Pasco EDC MOU and Penny for Pasco update

47:01Mr. Chairman is here for 36. We had a time certain, but he's ready to speak.

47:06We'll move forward with with regular item thirty-six. There

47:11he

47:12is.

47:12All right. Good morning. Thank you for seeing me early this morning. And uh first of all, let me say my our condolences from the Pasco E DC for the entire Gary Bradford family. each of you and each of our citizens too. It's a a sad day for us um especially as I I sh sit here and and see the flowers in his remembrance. He was such a a stalwart for positive growth in our community. We're saddened to see him go. Um it is uh my honor to to present to you our second quarter

47:42update for the PASCO EDC's results for our memorandum of understanding and our penny for Pasco. uh agreement with the county's Board of County Commissioners. Um in your packets And I made sure I think we all have this are the metrics that go behind this, but I do have an abbreviated PowerPoint so that we can get though fairly quickly, and then if you have questions about the uh metrics, we can go into details. But always like to start with business recruitment. I think people like that

48:12as the good news department because that means people chose us. They intentionally moved here. Uh we set Celebrated not too long ago Global Electronics Testing Services, which is on your cover slide, with their second expansion in Pasco County. But also since then we've had a total of uh three more wins. Of totaling four out of our goal for 12 for the year. So things are moving around, moving forward fairly quickly. And if you look at the mix,

48:43uh, well, first of all, let me say we're almost at our capital investment goal of $250 million. We're at $238 million right now. And just over halfway on the job creation, 765 new jobs to Pasco County. Yeah. But if you look at the mix of what we've got coming in, I think that's really telling because uh years ago we would not have these types of companies looking at Pasco. Uh right now the majority of our projects are in the advanced manufacturing, but look quickly at

49:13the life sciences as quickly as a second coming up behind them uh with over twenty percent of the activity, and then followed by By high tech, who would have thought that uh uh Pasco is leading in high-tech, in life sciences, uh, but especially the fact that these are all jobs that will uh multiply. Each one of these types of industries create other jobs in our environment too. So these are good jobs for our people. 125 projects right now and 117

49:44leads. You guys know that always makes me nervous. that when we have uh more projects than leads that we gotta focus on our pipeline. But 125 projects, again, that's about four times what we had uh last year at this time. Yeah, we're busy. As far as retention and expansion, and this is where we work with our existing business. And we still spend about 80% of our time on existing business and helping them grow. We feel that's the best advertisement we can do for our economy is to show how well we take care of

50:14our existing economy. Company visits, we're out knocking on doors, working with the companies, seeing their facilities, understanding what their needs are. They can grow looking under the hood. And also that includes our workforce development effort. So our talent is still our most precious commodity that we have here. We're one of the few communities that has land, but we've got land and people, and making sure that we get the talent pipeline right is extremely important. Before I go on, uh this

50:44slide reminds me that uh in the last week we also had an announcement that you're gonna see uh again soon. Uh one of our team members, you might remember last year, Mr. Turner Arbor won the award from Florida Economic Development Council as the workforce professional of the year, uh, considering he was very young at the role. Uh most people wait a lifetime to get that status. Well this week I'm happy uh to report that uh one of our youngest

51:14in in in the position, Miss Sarah Alway, was awarded the Daniel Webster Scholarship and recognized as the Young Innovator of the Year. And that's one of only three individual awards that the Florida Economic Development Council gives each year. We're thrilled to have back to back representation from Pasco County, uh from our team and especially because it's our future generation, it's the ones that are coming. We're leaving you in much better hands in the future. Someday I'll retire, I guess. Um

51:45media coverage, we continue to get great coverage and earned media value. And again, this is people telling our story, not us just telling our story, uh over 1.5 million the last quarter. And then the top landing pages of where they're hitting for us uh on our website. Of course they're still coming through the home page, but they're looking at the news like Geary Plastic, they're looking at Smart Start, um, they're looking at those announcements, and where are they looking from? Well, California,

52:16New York, Georgia, Virginia, and Illinois. Out of those five top locations they're looking at us, you might notice that three of those are very high tax states. And that's indicative of the great environment we have here of people that are looking to continue to move to Florida because of our low tax environment. Still have a good following on each of our social media uh platforms. Twelve almost 12,000 followers and again a lot of that

52:46is our small uh startup community, our entrepreneurship programs. They use social media like we use email sometimes. So we get a lot of traction with that and it's really important also for our community to know what we're doing and what resources are available for us. Yes. Getting out on the road. We had 18 industry and trade events that we attended this last quarter, busy time of the year, five conferences and seminars, and then presented to eight business groups and local groups here,

53:16and that's everything from Rotary to FEDC and anyone in the local region. So getting the word out, making sure that people know what we have to. offer here marketing Pasco as a great place to do business. And investors uh still hovering right around 88. Um and our goal though for fundraising for the private sector, we're almost there. So our goal is uh 557, we're at 404,000 as of halfway through the year.

53:46Uh and usually the second half of our year is when we've got uh more events like uh Netfest and um uh the annual awards and things like that. Speaking of which, we've got some new investors, Relefant, which is a company that works with relocations for companies that are moving here. Also Hancock Whitney, I think a lot of y'all know them. And then Clifton Larson Allen, which is one of the largest CPA firms in the United States, has taken an

54:16active interest in what we're doing here. so that they can actually help some of these large companies that are moving here. Upcoming events, uh Pasco fifty coming up uh and that is June. Thirteenth. I'm using my I don't have my reading glasses with me guys, sorry. Um and that's where we bring in the HR professionals and the leadership of companies from around the county to understand what their challenges and obstacles are. Uh also the industrial update. coming up

54:46on July s uh seventeenth, it looks like, or is that fourteenth?

54:51Seventeen.

54:52Seventeen, thank you. And then uh uh and that's at the Hilton Garden Inn. Uh that is uh what used to be almost a sold-out event pretty regularly, and and that's really for a lot of the brokers and people in the community that don't always get up to Pasco. And sometimes we've got to educate our region of what's going on up here, because each time they come up they say, Wow, I had no idea. Um And then annual awards I mentioned will be at the IPAC again, and that'll be the Thursday following Labor Day at

55:22the PHSC Institutional Performing Arts Center. Um also this was sent to you all prior, I think, to the Netfest uh activity. We had half of Netfest uh a couple of weeks ago with the um uh rain and storms that came through the first half of the day the shooting event has been postponed to May 3rd. There's still opportunities for you all to come out uh and shoot and the lunch is included. But we did still have a couple hundred people that came for the evening event. Which is pure networking, and

55:52that's a great way for people to get to know you guys and get to know other leaders in our community. Um I'm gonna segue right into the penny for Pasco unless anybody has any questions on the MOU part. Are you okay with that, Chairman Mariano? Yeah. Okay. Uh ready sites. Again, these are the sites that thanks to the Penny for Pasco, we were able to assess and evaluate. We're getting inquiries all over the United States. And again, we're one of the few places that

56:22has land and people. But we had 12 presentations on those sites already this year. Advanced manufacturing, again, seems to be the one that they're most interested in for the sites, and those are factories and uh things that make things, uh companies that make things. Um and we're on the short list for a couple of those projects already too. So we've had two of those sites go off the market already. One was the Amazon Robotics Center, which you see

56:52is restarted, and then the Baduco site near the Zephyrhills Airport.

56:59Here's a list of the inquiries, 18 inquiries, 15 responses to RFPs in including the ready sites in the RFP, presentations to consultants and developers, 12, and then actual site visits where they get out and kick the dirt and see the site, which is that's a really good sign. That means you've made it through a couple layers of vetting if they're gonna get in the car or airplane.

57:26International, uh a lot of international activity that part of the year, the second uh second quarter. Um went to Austria to meet with life science companies. Out of twelve meetings, eleven of them became projects or lead. That's really, really high transition rate for us. Usually, if we get one or two good projects out of a trip like that, it helps to justify and pay for it. This is a lot, and almost all of those were life science companies that want to locate around Moffitt. And

57:56if they don't locate around Moffat, we have plenty of other places that they can put them all throughout the county. Uh we also joined uh in our consortium with Global Tampa Bay on a trip to England. Uh we're members of the British American Business Chamber, and this was a follow-up to the trip that we took uh uh two years ago and Commissioner Mariano and Commissioner Starkey. That was two years ago?

58:17Oh my god.

58:22Um and that also met with business service companies, but also defense sector. So we we we're not forgetting about those other sectors uh that we have as well too. SOFIC is right around the corner, uh SOF Week. Uh we'll be there looking for companies that want to be somewhere near uh CENTCOM, SOCOM, and McDill. Uh and then International Business and Tourism Day was celebrated uh as part of the growing global event and that was at Florida Avenue Brewing in Wesley Chapel in the second quarter, which also seems

58:52like it was ages ago, but it was just the other day. Right. We met with thirty-seven companies on exports uh over this last quarter. That is um uh to help them find export markets overseas so they're not just selling to people here in Pasco, but selling to people abroad. Um that's more money that comes into our community instead of just us recirculating it here. Trade missions, nothing during that time of the year, which is not surprising. That is the time of year that most of

59:23our trade goes to places like Latin America, and that time of year is their vacation time. So we will have a trade mission coming up to Vancouver in September of this year. Trade-related events, we had three different.

59:42Mm-hmm. And then enhanced marketing, again marketing those Penny for Pasco programs over and above what we already do for you for the MOU. Continuing to see more information about the international activities in concert with Global Tampa Bay. But Smart Start. Smart Start, the incubator system, tends to still be one of our leaders in social media, but also the onesie-twosie activity of the small businesses, the people that want

1:00:12to start their own company and may not necessarily necessarily want to work for somebody else and we see more and more of that especially as more people move here with trailing spouses and as kids that want to live here stay they want to stay here after graduation they're starting companies as well. So that's an important part of of why we work with the incubator systems and the startups. And then the target industry snapshots. Uh we update those each year to make sure that we're including all the different

1:00:42successes that we have. When companies come here and they look at Um advanced manufacturing for example. One of the first questions they have is who else is here? So w we show them on those brochures of who else is here to show that we have the ecosystem, we have the workforce, uh and that paints a much better picture than me just saying, Yeah, they're here. Um so it gives them a good visual.

1:01:06Uh and workforce Gary Plastics has had two job fairs. Um one of them was over a thousand people. I think you all had already heard about that, lined up around the block. Um that's gonna be a huge uh employment generator for the northwest portion of the county. Uh Workforce Connect assisted in STEM uh fair at Angeline at the New Academy of Innovation. And the uh you guys actually approved the JCI

1:01:36for Getz uh uh that quarter as well. And Getz was the Global Electronics Testing Services. And I think everyone was a little surprised of his reach and where that company is. I mean, six locations all around the world, and even some of the companies when we're abroad meeting with companies, we find out that they send their their chips and their companies.

1:01:59Great success story. And speaking of success, the executive success program. So that's where we bring bring our leadership of our companies through, understand things about Pasco EDC, Pasco County. It's kind of like a leadership PASCO on steroids. They just finished their listening session and attended Growing Global as a class.

1:02:25Co-Starters for Causes kicked off during this quarter and actually it's gonna be finishing uh here in a couple weeks. So you might recall during our annual awards uh we announced that we were gonna uh host and sponsor the very first co-starters class. For nonprofits. As we saw the county was growing so rapidly, a lot of our nonprofits were not scaling at the same rate to be able to take care of the people here. So we sponsored the very first class

1:02:55out of our own pocket to say, let's get this going. And we picked some nonprofits from all around the county in areas of anti-human trafficking, homelessness. Addiction, foster care, uh, recidivism, and we brought them together to teach them how to run their nonprofit more like a business. And our goal is that somebody else, and I'm saying this very intentionally, that maybe somebody hears this uh sponsors the next cohort, and so on, um, so that we can continue to roll out this program for all

1:03:25the nonprofits throughout Pasco County to help them scale and meet the demand of the the services and the growth that uh is required here. So I'm really proud of how people came together for that one and the mix that we have. That uh uh graduation will be coming soon and and you'll each get an invite for that. Uh also we hosted our second annual Microloan Success Luncheon, and this is again a great penny program where we help those companies that are otherwise unbankable. It

1:03:55could be a company who just got a big order from Publix, but they're only a year old and they don't have credit yet, and they need money to get that second machine to be able to fulfill the order. Or it could be someone that has had a a a past track record that doesn't demonstrate how well they could actually do in the future. So these are high-risk loans, um, but they're also very low. Low default because these companies are very loyal, uh, that somebody has given them a chance. And we like to bring those

1:04:26to potential investors so that the banks and lots of times through their CRA funds uh invest in that fund to help it to become a revolving fund. Uh, and that way the the onus isn't just on the penny dollars. Uh and to date we have over three million dollars out on the street. Right now that equates to over five million dollars in activity that was generated out of that. So That is one of my favorite programs that probably doesn't get a lot of uh m uh a lot of attention.

1:04:56Mr. Chairman Mariano Just to touch on that because as y as you highlighted, you know, a few uh several Several months back we We're working with point distillery and they needed that put the second line in place to get it running. to have a chance to get the Rolling Stones and their Hurricane Rum brand. That has led to the success of getting it. Put the put the bottles out, had been shipping out like crazy all over the world. uh great success and what it's done for them is kinda like a a starting for them. because now so many other groups now come to them saying, Well we see you

1:05:26doing it for them on this high end, we want to see what you can do for us. So that's opened up many, many doors for them. They're looking to expand across the board in this county as well. So That's a a classic thing of a small company having an opportunity and we helped them take that step and it's been paying off big time for them. Right.

1:05:43Yeah, you guys helped direct with with that one. That wasn't necessarily part of the micro, but very similar situation that uh uh somebody's going through rapid growth. And um you know, it's it reminds you of the the car that caught the ambulance, you know. What what what do they do or the uh the dog that caught the ambulance. Uh So uh um we had the um Our second big Gro I'm sorry, third big Grow Pasco event, uh which is a day-long event, and it was the biggest that we've had thus far, uh, and

1:06:13that was at the Wellness Center at St. Leo, very well attended. And uh uh the guest speaker, the keynote speaker was Colonel J. Powers. He was head of the Fifth Special Forces, and you all might remember the uh 12-strong movie with the

1:06:29uh

1:06:30Yeah, so he was the uh the colonel overall of that special forces group, but he's also the COO of Tampa Bay Wave. So he totally gets what we do and understands what we do from an entrepreneurship aspect, and they're great partners in the region for. Yeah. 90 events uh seems like a lot uh for for Smart Start, but they're out there almost every week. They've got something going on. 586 event participants, 55 incubator members

1:07:00we have now between the three locations. Uh I think that's the most we've ever had. And two microloans uh totaling 40,000 were issued during that quarter. Hundred and ninety-three one-on-one counseling sessions with those individual companies. That's the team. It's not me that does it. Um I I'm really happy for everything that they continue to to do and as I mentioned earlier, uh we'll definitely have one of them back to um to to brag about

1:07:30her and the recent award that we got from the Florida Economic Development Council. But with that I'll stop and see if you all have any questions.

1:07:38Yeah. I have uh I just want to thank you again for a great report. It's always so exciting. Um I'm hopeful that one of the uh pitches that we gave that I worked on uh comes comes through. I've heard there's been a little movement, but I'll leave that silent for now. Um I did wanna tell you and I'm Uh my staff has reached out to him. I had a a a meeting the other night and I'll Tell the commissioners about it. Um In a little bit. Uh but one

1:08:08of the gentlemens who participated, he's from Starkey Ranch. He sits on the C D D board. And um I've asked him to call me 'cause we've reached out to him. He's in the tech industry. And he holds twice a year a big tech symposium, similar to that Cineverse or what is the one that he does his own and he and he wants to do it in Pasco County. But there is no place large enough. So he goes down

1:08:38to Tampa. Now i i When I saw that picture of Saint Leo and I went v you know, I went to that um for a little bit. Uh what was that event that was there? Gropasco. Yeah, Gro Pasco. Would they let this gentleman use that space? 'Cause th I think that might fit.

1:08:55Oh yeah, yeah, no, that is a that is a space for the community. Um they've got uh catering service and things like that. The Boy Scouts are gonna be using it for upcoming event uh uh for the sheriff that uh uh getting an award from the Scouts and I think their capacity is well over two fifty or three hundred. um that they can do there. I think uh the the breakout sessions and the ability to host in classrooms or in the rooms around there lend really well to those type of tech events where you've got more than one stage

1:09:25out there. But this isn't the first time we've heard about events and not having a place.

1:09:31And he brings companies in from all over the place and they go to Tampa because there's no place here. So w that is a problem for us. Um I as soon as uh Um I've asked I've emailed him to call me. I did not get his phone number, but I'd like to connect him with you and then and certainly with David Engel. and um and our team and you know, see what his needs are and I I'm hearing this more and more so I think we have to start talking about figuring out a way. To have a centrally located event

1:10:02space large enough for us to have. up you know our own kind of convention center opportunity and and and our TTC

1:10:12uh gentleman back there is saying yeah, he wants that too, right? just

1:10:16gonna suggest that that uh you know this events definitely fall into the the tourism department's area, but it's something that we all see as a big asset.

1:10:25Business too.

1:10:26Yep, you betcha. Business too. Big asset, and then it'd be nice to have somewhere to graduate our kids from as well, too.

1:10:31Yeah, and this year the Cinderella Ball. uh which is the big fundraiser for the Pasco Education Foundation. We were in Tampa. We were at the J C C you know, in South Tampa, so Um We we need something, but I'm ex I was wanting to act on this guy's problem. So we'll get together.

1:10:49Sounds good.

1:10:50Thank you for everything.

1:10:52Thank you for a good report. I was glad to see those results at the front. You make you get that pipeline full and seeing the results really uh makes a difference here in the county. So And you and you've noticed too that more and more businesses are coming to Pasco County and Um we're not just residential. uh county anymore but we are actually probably getting in twice as many businesses or our residential projects. So It's really been good

1:11:22for Pasco County and will be good for our citizens, help keep our taxes lower.

1:11:26That's that's exactly right. They they uh take care of the bigger onus on the tax space and uh Um and I think we're almost at a point now because of the growth and because of what we've got coming in, we can be picky about what types of jobs and what types of companies that are coming in here and really make sure it it it dovetails with our comp plan and the strategy that David Engel and his his shop is working on for economic development too.

1:11:51Mr. Mariano. Thank you. Mr. Chairman Mill, it's always great to hear from you because you always give us great news of how how great we're doing, but your leadership of your team has been phenomenal. Um Recently we heard some stats where we're like third in residential growth, but we're number one commercially.

1:12:06Yeah.

1:12:06And I think it's a huge uh tribute to w what you've done and the opportunities here. I love the line that you used about we have land and people. They showed a picture. And I don't know how you carry that even further, but that is just like such a great uh combination to work with.

1:12:22Well I'd love for everybody to take that sound bite home with them because you all I'm the hired help. You know, if you guys on the street say the same thing, it means so much more. But you're you're you're right. We're one of the only places that has land and people. In most of Florida if you've got people, you don't have land and if you've got land you don't have people. Um We're sitting in a really good situation right now, and it's and it's not just people. We got great people.

1:12:46Yes, we do.

1:12:46And you're making the most of it, and we appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Oakley. Okay.

1:12:52All right. Thank you, Bill.