Here are the #FEDC18 Award Winners
The 2018 Florida Economic Development Conference, held May 21-23, 2018, at the Sanibel Harbour Marriott in Fort Myers, Florida, recognized the achievements of Florida’s top economic developers.
The Eunice Sullivan Economic Development Professional of the Year award is given annually in recognition of the achievements of an outstanding economic developer within the State of Florida. The award was first given in 1985 and was renamed in 1991 to honor Eunice Sullivan for her dedication and commitment to the economic development profession and the Florida Economic Development Council.
This year, the honor was awarded to Ms. Cathy Chambers, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, JAXUSA Partnership. Cathy Chambers has more than 20 years of experience in economic development. Cathy oversees key JAXUSA Partnership programs, including strategic planning, consultant relationship management, marketing strategy, and partner relations. She has become an essential executive with JAXUSA and her work is a major reason for the success that Jacksonville and Northeast Florida has achieved. Cathy’s extensive knowledge has resulted in the creation of more than 10,000 jobs and significant capital investment during her tenure. She has successfully brought dozens of companies to Northeast Florida.
Cathy has received numerous accolades over the years for her regional and national impacts, including recognition as one of the 50 top economic developers in the United States by Site Selectors Guild; selection to the Board of Directors of FEDC and FEDC chair from 2016-2017; recipient of Northeast Florida Regional Council’s “Excellence in Economic Development Award,” and; recognition by the Jacksonville Business Journal as one of five “Women of Influence” impacting the region for work in advancing the community.
“Cathy Chambers has real presence in this field of economic development and is recognized and trusted by her colleagues, her peers across the state, site location consultants, as well as existing and prospective CEOs,” said Crystal Sircy, COO and SVP of Business Development at the Orlando Economic Partnership. “She is one of the brightest, most competent executives in economic development and is an invaluable asset to JAX USA, the State of Florida and our profession.”
The Toni Jennings Workforce Development Professional of the Year award is given annually in recognition of the achievements of an outstanding workforce developer within the state of Florida. The award was first presented in 2007 to honor and recognize the former Lieutenant Governor’s exceptional leadership in revamping Florida’s workforce system to respond to critical workforce needs and to advance local, regional, and state economic development.
The 2018 recipient of the Toni Jennings Workforce Development Professional of the Year is Ms. Kim Bodine, Executive Director of CareerSource Gulf Coast. Ms. Bodine has 22 years of experience in workforce development and oversees the administration of 45 funding streams and programs with annual budgets of up to $13 million.
Throughout her tenure, Kim has been instrumental in launching numerous workforce development projects that assisted underserved populations such as youth, veterans, dislocated workers, and people with disabilities. Kim has helped more than 25,000 individuals complete in-demand training and has been instrumental in thousands upon thousands being placed into high-paying careers. Kim is instrumental in the establishment and management of Alignment Bay County, a program aligning community organizations and resources so that their coordinated support of Bay County’s youth has a positive impact on public school success, children’s health, and the success of our community as a whole.
The FEDC also honored Javier Marin, Director of Business Development of the Polk Global Trade Alliance for the Central Florida Development Council, as its 2018 Dan Webster Young Innovator Scholarship Award recipient. Given annually by The Corridor in recognition of the achievements of an outstanding young innovator in economic development in Florida, the Dan Webster Young Innovator Scholarship Award winner receives up to $5,000 to be applied towards coursework and fees associated with achieving the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation.
Awards were also given to recognize exemplary achievements in innovation and marketing for economic development and innovative/best practices for our communities and abroad. The 2018 Economic Development Deal of the Year awards were presented as well.
The 2018 winners are:
2018 Deal of the Year – Urban: Pinellas County Economic Development and City of St. Petersburg – Jabil, a Fortune 500 Global Headquarters, $63.7M capital investment and 300 net new jobs.
2018 Deal of the Year – Rural: Jackson County Development Council – Catalyst Fabric Solutions; $3M capital investment and 300 jobs.
2018 Deal of the Year – Regional: City of North Port – new Atlanta Braves Spring Training Complex is expected to create 139 jobs and generate more than $1.7 billion in economic impact over the 30-year term of the deal.
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – Ad Campaign: Charlotte County Economic Development Office
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – Ad Campaign: FloridaWest EDA
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – Direct Mail: FloridaWest EDA
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – Existing Business Retention Campaign: Lee County Economic Development
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – External Publication: Charlotte County Economic Development Office
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award – Single Ad: Santa Rosa Economic Development Office
2018 Promotional and Marketing Innovation Award –Event: Florida Power & LightNorthwest
Be sure to congratulate all the deserving award winners the next time you see them!
