In a recent Beyond the Build podcast conversation, Jennifer Conoley, President and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest, revealed how her organization’s regional coordination model is winning major economic development projects across 13 counties in Northwest Florida. Since taking on the role in March 2020, Conoley has leveraged a “professional matchmaker” approach to attract aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and maritime investments, generating over 1,500 announced jobs through direct leads.
Rather than allowing counties to compete against each other, Florida’s Great Northwest packages regional opportunities and filters them to appropriate local economic development professionals. This strategy prevented internal competition and successfully attracted Field International’s global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Pensacola and Point Blank Enterprises’ 300-job body armor manufacturing facility to Wakulla County. Most notably, Birdon announced plans for a potential 2,000-job maritime manufacturing expansion at the Port of Pensacola.
One of the region’s most compelling competitive advantages is its quantifiable military talent pipeline. Six military bases within a two-and-a-half to three-hour radius generate approximately 5,200 military separations and retirements annually, with an average age of 38. A University of West Florida study commissioned by Florida’s Great Northwest found that 47% of separating service members want to stay in the region, with another 19% undecided, making job opportunities a key retention factor. “Companies feel more confident in selecting our region based on quantifiable data rather than estimates,” Conoley said.
Kelvin Enfinger Jr., Vice President of Greenhut Construction and immediate past chair of ABC Florida, emphasized the broader applicability beyond aerospace: “Retired service members have a skill set that crosses over many industries. Businesses are beginning to see that as part of a way to fix what we’re facing in our industry.”
Site readiness is another critical factor. Conoley stressed that in site selection, evaluators look for ways to eliminate properties, not add them. “If you can present a site that is truly ready to go, then you’re going to be more competitive,” she explained. The $1.5 billion Triumph Gulf Coast fund, created from Deepwater Horizon settlements and continuing to receive $80 million annually through 2033, provides unique leverage. Public-private partnerships using Triumph dollars have successfully attracted major industrial investments without requiring aggressive cash incentives.
Despite recent momentum, Conoley warns against complacency. “You cannot take your foot off the gas pedal in this moment,” she cautioned. Florida’s Great Northwest recently received a $4.7 million Triumph grant to enhance its regional strategy for the next 5, 10, and 15 years. “Where I see Northwest Florida in the next 5 to 10 years is really being even more well known in that Gulf Coast corridor for both aerospace and maritime work. Keep your eye on Northwest Florida. The pipeline is full,” Conoley stated.
For developers and investors evaluating markets, Northwest Florida’s combination of regional coordination, quantifiable military talent pipeline, available industrial land, and patient capital sources offers a compelling value proposition, particularly for aerospace, maritime, and advanced manufacturing projects.
