Gainesville is North Central Florida’s employment hub. Government and business leaders are committed to economic growth aimed at maintaining Alachua County’s exceptional quality of life and its desirability as a business location.
Most of the county’s employment opportunities can be found in government, retail and service jobs. The University of Florida is the area’s largest employer; with the health care industry a strong second in both employment and economic impact. Within the area’s diversified labor force, average education levels are significantly higher than state averages.
A number of large corporations have located their corporate headquarters in Gainesville. Two examples are Regeneration Technologies, Inc., a biotechnology company, and Shands HealthCare, which operate a growing regional healthcare network. Gainesville is also home to the state headquarters of the Florida Farm Bureau and regional office of Nationwide Insurance.
Agriculture is also one of the area’s largest industries. The University plays a significant role in the industry, and federal agricultural agencies are located in Gainesville. The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences also serve the entire state through its extension offices and research and education centers.
The innovative atmosphere is evident in the continued success of several companies that originated in Gainesville and have grown to become assets in the community. These companies include CH@M HILL, Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q, Barr Systems, Driltech Mission, Exaxtech, Fabco-Air, and Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. Technology-driven stimulating and profitable as The University of Florida research brings together science and industry with more than $300 million each year in sponsored research funding.
The Council for Economic Outreach (CEO) was established in 1991 to promote the economic development and business diversification in Alachua County. In 2006, it began a five-year initiative called “Opportunity 2010”. The mission of this plain is to support local businesses that continue to grow, attract and assist startups eager to make Gainesville their home, and work with targeted industries to locate businesses in Alachua County.
This economic development program will provide better employment opportunities for a healthier community and become a successful model of collaboration by the local business community, municipal and county government, The University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College.
Last year alone, there were announcements made by several major companies that decided to relocate and/or expand to Alachua County. CEO worked with these companies extensively to ensure a smooth transition into the community.
In 2007, CEO worked on more than 37 economic development projects, including a project involving Ignition Entertainment, a software development company , that will create up to 70 jobs at an average annual wage of over $45,000. Additionally, CEP was excited to see the efforts of pervious projects come to fruition.
Eclipse Aviation and DayJet both began their operations at the Gainesville Regional Airport and the Wal-Mart Distribution Center opened their doors in the City of Alachua with over 700 employees. CEO, along with FloridaWorks was able to secure a training grant of $168,000 for Baugh Southeast, as they prepare to engage a workforce and begin operation in 2008.
The Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center (GTEC) is a technology-incubator that offers tech startup companies quality, value-added services to help them develop and grow into self-sufficient, viable companies. GTEC is a cooperative strategic economic develop endeavor between the City of Gainesville Alachua County and the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce. The organization’s goals are to help establish tech companies with high growth potential, commercialize technologies, developed at the University of Florida, create high-wage jobs, diversify the industrial sectors and increase the private-industry tax base for Gainesville and the surrounding community.
If you are an early stage tech startup with a protected, innovative product or technology and are interested in taking advantage of the help and services GTEC can offer; we invite you to consider participating in our program.
FloridaWorks is the one place that assists with all of the hiring and employment needs in Alachua and Bradford Counties. FloridaWorks mission is growing business and jobs through a skilled work force and the FloridaWorks One-Stop Career Centers are designed to provide a full range of employment services under one roof.
FloridaWorks has partnered with several community organizations including the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, North Florida Regional Chamber of Commerce, Arbor Education and Training, Community in Schools of Bradford County, The Dignity Project, and Focused Management Solutions.
The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce has taken on the operational role of Business Services for Alachua County. This team manages a variety of functions for FloridaWorks including marketing job listings, employee matching, career fairs, and facilitating communication needs to local employers and FloridaWorks.
The services offered through the One-Stop Career Centers are of no cost to employers and job seekers. Services are available to help businesses find, train, retain and advance employees. Learn more about the valuable services offered at the One-Stop Career Centers by visiting www.floridaworksonline.com.
FloridaWorks is also a member of Employ Florida, which is a new online database that is designed to attract a broad range of job seekers by providing access to thousands of jobs from multiple sources in one simple-to-use Web site. Employers can post job openings at no cost and search for candidates to fill their employment needs.
Anytime the employer needs assistance in developing or writing a comprehensive job description the Business Services Team is just a phone calla way at (352) 334-7100.