Despite the pandemic, Linda Lindenmoyer, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice president of relocation services, said her department has been busier than ever helping new residents settle into Jacksonville.
Part of that can be attributed to an influx of remote workers relocating to Jacksonville, she said. They are coming from more densely populated and expensive regions of the country, like the northeast and northwest.
“Companies in those areas are reaching out to JAXUSA and our company directly about relocating or expanding their business into Northeast Florida because COVID has shown them many of their employees can work remotely,” said Lindenmoyer, who also serves as chair of JAXUSA Partnership’s business development committee.
“So maybe it’s not important to have an office in the city anymore. It’s cheaper to do business here and it’s easier to do business here.”
JAXUSA is the economic development division of JAX Chamber.
Lindenmoyer said individuals reach out to her company directly who want to relocate to Jacksonville so they can work remotely in a cheaper area with a better quality of life.
“We don’t expect that to slow down for some time,” she said. “Even though that’s not our typical customer, we’re here to help anyone who needs help.”
In her role with JAXUSA, Lindenmoyer meets with company leaders who are considering moving their operations to Jacksonville.
She shows them what it’s like to live in Jacksonville and gives tours of the area.
“Everything that you can possibly imagine that decision-makers would be interested in for their company and their employees,” she said.
At Berkshire Hathaway, she and about 100 relocation agents work to coordinate moves to Jacksonville, help newcomers find homes and assist their spouses in finding employment in Jacksonville when they arrive.
Lindenmoyer said JAXUSA already has hit its 2020 target for recruiting companies and new jobs to the area.
She said she suspects that has to do with Jacksonville’s diverse business community, which makes it easier for the city to recover from the COVID-related economic downturn.
“We don’t have a strong dependence on one industry,” she said. “It sets an environment for companies to enjoy doing business here.”
Recently, she said she’s been noticing more workers in several industries relocating to the city: IT and innovation, logistics, advanced manufacturing, financial services and new headquarters.
As far as what those companies want when they arrive, Lindenmoyer said it varies by company and by the individual employee.
On a general tour of the city, Lindenmoyer takes the company’s decision-makers through Downtown, by the sports arenas, to the beach, along the Intracoastal Waterway and St. Johns River and to arts and cultural centers.
Individuals relocating often have specific areas they want to see, such as neighborhoods near their office or their children’s school.
“The good news is Northeast Florida has everything someone could possibly want,” she said. “We have every type of housing anyone could want, except igloos.”
Lindenmoyer has been in corporate relocation for about 22 years. Before that, she worked in residential and commercial real estate.
She realized the necessity of her industry when she and her husband relocated to Jacksonville from North Carolina in 1992. Her husband’s employer covered some moving expenses, but Lindenmoyer said they had no other assistance in house hunting or learning about the city.
“I know what it’s like to struggle to come to a new city, especially one as large as Jacksonville, and figure out where we want to live,” she said.
“I’ve heard so many people say what it has meant to them just to have that resource that will hold their hand through that process. It’s very rewarding.”