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. Since March 2020, Conoley has acted as a “professional matchmaker,” packaging regional opportunities and filtering them to local economic development professionals to prevent internal competition. This approach has generated over 1,500 announced jobs through direct leads, with significant aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and maritime projects in the pipeline.
Key wins include Field International’s global headquarters relocating from the United Kingdom to Pensacola, Point Blank Enterprises’ 300-job body armor manufacturing facility in Wakulla County, and Birdon’s plans for a potential 2,000-job maritime manufacturing expansion at the Port of Pensacola. Conoley emphasized that the region’s six military bases within a two-and-a-half to three-hour radius produce approximately 5,200 military separations and retirements annually, with an average age of 38. A University of West Florida study found that 47% of separating service members want to stay in the region, making job opportunities a key retention factor. “Companies feel more confident in selecting our region” based on this quantifiable data, Conoley noted.
Kelvin Enfinger Jr., Vice President of Greenhut Construction and immediate past chair of ABC Florida, highlighted the broader applicability of military talent beyond aerospace, noting that retired service members have skills crossing many industries. Conoley also stressed site readiness, explaining that evaluators look for ways to eliminate properties, not add them. The $1.5 billion Triumph Gulf Coast fund, created from Deepwater Horizon settlements and receiving $80 million annually through 2033, provides unique leverage for public-private partnerships to attract industrial investments without aggressive cash incentives.
Despite recent momentum, Conoley warned against complacency, stating, “You cannot take your foot off the gas pedal in this moment.” 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,” she said. “Keep your eye on Northwest Florida. The pipeline is full.” For developers and investors, the region’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.
Listen to the full conversation on the Beyond the Build podcast, available on major platforms and YouTube.
