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BCC Minutes 01/08/2008 W (w/EDC of Collier County) January 8, 2008 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD OF COLLIER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL JOINT WORKSHOP Naples, Florida, January 8, 2008 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Board of Collier County Commissioners and the Economic Development Council in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:00 AM in WORKSHOP SESSION in the BCC Chambers, 3rd Floor, Building "F," of the Government Complex, Naples, Florida with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Commissioner Jim Coletta Commissioner Frank Halas Commissioner Fred Coyle Commissioner Donna Fiala Commissioner Tom Henning ALSO PRESENT: Tammie Nemecek, President and CEO, EDC Carlos Diaz, Gulf Coast American Fabrication Julie Schmelzle, Chairman of the Board, EDC Richard Grant, Grant, Friedkin, Esqs. William O'Neill, Roetzel & Andress, Esqs. Jeff Allbritten, Edison College - Collier Campus Brian Goguen, Barron Collier Partnership Terry McMahan, Hodges University Richard Pegnetter, Florida Gulf Coast University Robert Mulhere, RWA, Inc. Jim Mudd, County Manager Sue Filson, Executive Manager, BCC Office January 8, 2008 I. Call Meeting to Order Chairman Coletta called the Workshop to order at 9:00 AM. II. Welcome, Self-Introductions and Opening Remarks Chairman Coletta welcomed the participants. Self-introductions were made. Chairman Coletta turned the meeting over to Julie Schmelzle. Julie Schmelzle, EDC Chairman of the Board, outlined expectations for the collaborative meeting between the BCC and the Economic Development Council. One of the purposes was to share information. She referenced 'economic development' as one of the components of the Collier County Strategic Plan which was adopted by the BCC in 2006. The goal was to create a business climate that promoted a diversified economy with potential for growth. The objectives were to develop a tax base that distributed property tax equitably throughout the County; to retain existing business; to attract new business and industry; and to create additional jobs with wages that met or exceeded the national average. The PowerPoint presentation entitled, "A Community by Design ". Not by Default," was given with the following points: . Changing population of Collier County . Critical need for community cooperation in order to keep existing businesses in business . Attracting desirable new business/industry that will enhance the community . Proactively targeting industries that the community wants to attract III. What Makes Good Communities Great Jay Garner, President of Competitive Strategies Group, LLC, gave a Power Point presentation entitled, "Understanding What Makes Good Communities Great." His presentation made the following points: . The competition between communities to attract investment and business . The process developed by his firm to assist various corporations investigate areas of the country in order to evaluate which community offered the greatest potential to support a corporation's development and/or expansion goals . 18,900 municipalities are presently competing for business opportunities in the United States Members ofthe BCC asked questions concerning leading corporate "wants." Mr. Gamer stated he could not provide a list of the "top ten" because of the variety of corporations he has represented and the individual needs for each. He cited the "charm factor" of a community - i.e., appearance and aesthetics- as a component that influenced the decisions made by his clients, as well as: . Local community leaders demonstrating the desirability ofliving in 2 January 8, 2008 their specific County . The unified involvement of the community to offer incentives, such as affordable housing, quality educational institutions and recreational amenities, in order to "seal the deal." BREAK: 10:25 AM RECONVENE: 10:37 AM SPEAKERS: Robert Murray stated another key component is the vision of the members of the BCC. He stated he hoped the Commissions would accept the information presented and the suggestions of the EDC. He emphasized the need for diversity, as well as specifically targeting "clean" industry to come to Collier County to strengthen the local economy. IV. Economic Outlook & Cluster Development Gary Jackson, FGCU Regional Economic Research Institute (Was not present) Tammie Nemecek, EDC President & CEO, gave the presentation developed by Dr. Gary Jackson, Director of Florida Gulf Coast University's Regional Economic Research Institute entitled, "Economic Outlook and Cluster Development." (Dr. Jackson was delayed.) The presentation: . Defined the term, "cluster" . Compared traditional with emerging clusters, their interconnectivity and how they assist each other's productivity . Presented research focused on business and financial services, building manufacturing services, distribution services, software and computer services, and medical ("life sciences") applications and services V. What is a Catalyst Tammie Nemecek, EDC President & CEO, gave a presentation entitled, "What is a Catalyst?" The presentation: . Explored the partnering of public and private entities . Cited the direct and indirect economic impact of these partnerships . Outlined the jobs that were created over a five-year trend . Cited the successful building of a biotechnical/pharmaceutical cluster in the San Diego/La Jolla community . Compared the similarities between Naples and San Diego/La Jolla . Reviewed the efforts of other Florida communities to attract entities . Outlined the growth ofrelated companies to the anchor entity VI. Education as a Critical Component Dr. Richard Pegnetter, President of Florida Gulf Coast University, gave a 3 January 8, 2008 presentation entitled, "Education as a Critical Component." The mission of the educational component is to: . Identify the needs of the business, financial and industrial clusters . Develop programs and specialized courses to provide the educated workforce to support the continued growth of these industries. . Foster cooperation among the local educational institutions, i.e., Edison College, Ave Maria University, Hodges University, and FGCU VII. The Action Plan Julie Schmelzle, EDC Chairman of the Board, presented an Action Plan to the BCC: To establish a committee to spearhead a "Catalyst Project." . Will individually meet with the top employers in Naples to obtain their input and suggestions to improve the business climate. . Have active participation from the members ofthe BCC in working groups and on Advisory Boards VIII. BCC Discussion a. Commissioners expressed concern about how to attract business to Collier County. . Negatives include highest land costs, highest taxes and high impact fees. . What could be done because the likelihood of reducing these costs was negligible. . Concern was also expressed about the lack of participation by State officials An example cited was Town of Immokalee which has been targeted for anticipated growth but lacks a rail line for transportation of goods. Obtaining a rail connection and the required land corridor necessitates State approval and funding. . Flexibility and the ability to adapt to the needs of targeted industry are key to being able to attract new entities to the area. . Suggestion: scheduling a Workshop, in conjunction with the Regional Planning Council, with State and Federal representatives, as well as neighboring county officials, to discuss the issue of "regionalism" and how cooperation among the counties can strengthen economic development throughout Southwest Florida. There being no further business for the good ofthe County, the Workshop concluded by order ofthe Chair at 11:50 AM. ***** 4 January 8, 2008 RECEIVED JAN 1 8 2008 There being no further business for the good of the County, the Workshop fe "Commissioners 80ard 0 Qun.,' concluded by order of the Chair at 11 :50 AM. ***** COLLIER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Ja s Coletta, Chairman Attest: . . ~ \ Dwight E. Brock, Clerk , . ,~. . ,ntoOlt".... , s j qnatur"fk 'OiIil*"" These Minutes were approved by the Board on t - dt1 - d1:>O~ , as presented V , or as corrected 5