INVESTOR NEWSLETTER - August 2009

JEDC Approved Incentives for Saft
The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission approved an incentive package for Saft America Inc. to build a lithium ion battery plant at Cecil Commerce Center that will employ nearly 300. This approval comes after an intense process to recruit Saft and fend off North Carolina and other states.

The incentive package, pending approval from City Council, will include incentives from the city, state and federal government. Saft America chose Jacksonville because of its overall attractiveness and available, high-level workforce. The process was set in motion after a contact came to Mayor John Peyton.

Saft America intends to invest a total of $200 million in private capital to build the plant on a 12-acre parcel at Cecil Commerce Center. Most of the nearly 300 jobs will be filled locally with competitive annual wages and benefit packages and company executives predict that more jobs will likely be created in the future.

Regional Announcements
InEnTec Chemical, a clean technology and chemical recycling company, has chosen Clay County, as the site of its new headquarters. This move, along with the Saft announcement, affirms our focus on attracting clean technology companies and provides InEnTec with access to the state's high-level research universities, sustainability-minded suppliers and utilities, and a growing talent pool to support clean technology industry needs.

The company chose Northeast Florida because they found our region most receptive to their needs and recognized the wealth of talent and a burgeoning clean technology hub.

Jaguars to Participate in Third Quarter Luncheon
Join Wayne and Delores Weaver and the Jacksonville Jaguars players and coaching staff at the third quarter luncheon on Friday, September 4 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. This unique event will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how the team has impacted our region in the last 15 years, what they have given back to the community and a look at the exciting season ahead of us.

The luncheon will kick off the new season and showcase the first of the season’s “Show Your Teal” where fans are being asked to wear teal on Fridays to show support for the team. Attire for the luncheon is business casual. For more information, visit the Chamber's Calendar of Events.

Chairman's Plan Grows Per Capita Income
The 1983 Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, Jim Winston, prepared a strategic plan with our members--"Jacksonville 2005. A Regional Vision." Since its inception, a number of the strategies outlined in the document have been accomplished, including the per capita income strategy--"Per Capita Income Well Above the National Average by 2005." Several years ago, the Chamber and Cornerstone partnered with the City of Jacksonville on the Blueprint for Prosperity initiative, with the goal of increasing per capita income. To view the trends in per capita income chart, click here.

In 2004, the Duval MSA matched the U.S. per capita income and rose above the U.S. for the next three years. This rise in income was achieved during a period of significant private sector job growth, which resulted in a decrease in the percent of government jobs for our MSA. The percentage of these jobs dropped from 26.7 percent in 1969 to 11.7 percent in 2007, with a U.S. average of 13.4 percent. The increase in per capita income could only have occurred with strong growth in higher paying private sector jobs. To view the MSA employment chart, click here.

The top three drivers of the Duval economy that have contributed to this increase are:

• Health care, bio-science and related industries
• Logistics, including wholesale trade, transportation (sea, air, truck and rail) and warehousing
• Finance and Insurance

Even during these difficult economic times, recruiting high wage jobs in these targeted industries remains the central focus of our economic development program.

2010 Strategic Intermodal System Workshops
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is hosting 12 regional workshops August 27 through September 22 in order to garner public and partner input on the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) strategic plan update. The main purpose of the workshops is to provide a a venue where FDOT can solicit your comments and feedback on draft proposals for updating the plan.

More information can be found online at www.sisupdate.org. For a list of workshop dates and locations, please click here.

Headquarters - A Cornerstone Targeted Industry
Throughout the year we have focused on each of our targeted industries, providing you an overview of each industry. This month bring us to our last targeted industry overview, headquarters. Our region benefits from a wide spectrum of national, regional and divisional headquarters. Typically, headquartered companies make large capital investments, offer high paying jobs and invest heavily in the community.

Companies choose our region as the location of their headquarters because of our competitive business environment, talented workforce, excellent quality of life and strong public/private partnerships. Some of the companies that chose Northeast Florida for their headquarters include:

• The PGA Tour
• Fidelity National Financial
• Rail America
• SteinMart
• CSX
• Pilot Pen
• Ion Beam Applications
• Landstar System
• Southeast Toyota Distributors

For a complete list of headquarters, visit our Website at www.ExpandInJax.com A common link with all of these companies has been a familiarity with Jacksonville prior to the move. Most of them had a small operation or purchased a company here. We are looking for corporate headquarters and it will more than likely come from a company that already has a presence here.

For more information on our headquarters industry, contact Jerry Mallot, president, Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership, at (904) 366-6654 or Jerry.Mallot@jacksonvillechamber.org.





Cornerstone Gets Linkedin
Stay connected to news, events and discussions through the new Cornerstone Linkedin sub-group of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce. To join our group today sign in to Linkedin and search for the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership Group.

2009 Jacksonville Chamber Leadership Trip

• Where: Kansas City, InterContinental Hotel Kansas City at the Plaza
• When: October 6-8, 2009
• Why: To get to know the leaders within Kansas City and discover how they were able to positively change the direction of their community with a single strategic vision. See first-hand results of that vision and learn how leaders overcame challenges along the way. This trip is not about a city; it's about the leaders of a city who made change happen. To find out more about Kansas City, click here.
• How: To register for the trip, click here and download the registration form. The registration deadline is Wednesday, September 2.

Hugh Greene to Speak at Federal Health Care Reform Workshop
Hugh Greene, president and CEO of Baptist Health, and Katie Hays, executive director of the Congressional & Public Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will present information on the proposed federal health care legislation at the next Business Advocacy Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 2, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., at the Chamber of Commerce. This will be a great opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the health care reform being considered by Congress.

Lunch will be provided at the meeting. If you would like to attend please R.S.V.P. to Wendy Havens at 366-6639 or e-mail your response to Wendy.Havens@jacksonvillechamber.org.

Sincerely,
Greg Smith

Cornerstone Chair
Jacksonville and Northeast Florida President, Bank of America

Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns Counties
3 Independent Drive • Jacksonville Fl 32202 • 904.366.6639
bizrelo@jacksonvillechamber.org • www.expandinjax.com
Where the Future Leads®