by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The City should narrow its focus in international corporate recruiting and trade promotion, according to a consultant’s report that has provided the blueprint for Jacksonville’s new cooperative approach to business across borders.
The report, titled “Creating an Effective International Business Development Strategy for Jacksonville,” was prepared by Competitive Strategies Group. The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce hired the Atlanta consulting firm in October 2004 to prepare a game plan designed to turn Jacksonville into an international player.
CSG finished the report in April and the City has already put some of its fundamental recommendations to work. Shortly after receiving the report in April, Mayor John Peyton scrapped the JEDC’s International Development Commission and turned over the City’s international economic development to a joint commission comprising representatives from the JEDC, mayor’s office and chamber of commerce as well as other local stakeholders.
Now, as the 15-member Jacksonville International Business Coalition prepares for its first meeting, its early efforts will focus on how to put some of CSG’s other suggestions into practice, said George Gabel, executive partner at Holland and Knight, who heads the Chamber’s International Committee.
“It is my hope that our committee will serve as a forum for suggestions on how to implement many of the recommendations in the report,” said Gabel.
Gabel’s comments came Monday following JEDC Chairman M.C. “Ceree” Harden’s address to the Rotary Club of Jacksonville. Harden said international trade represented one of the largest potential growth areas for Jacksonville’s small businesses. Through its involvement in the JIBC, the JEDC would look for ways to take better advantage of Jacksonville’s port and railroads to enhance trade.
Jacksonville’s location at the gateway of the Southeast U.S. gives the City a competitive advantage in the region, said Harden.
The City’s next step in advancing its international development should be to feature its areas of strength, according to the CSG report. The 55-page document recommended that the JIBC focus on opportunities for trade and recruitment in industries that already thrive in Jacksonville.
Gabel said his committee at the Chamber and the JIBC will use the recommendations to try to increase export business for Jacksonville companies and to enhance the local economy’s prestige internationally. Gabel’s committee works within the Chamber’s Cornerstone division, which focuses on corporate recruiting.
“Seventeen percent of Cornerstone’s current prospects (last year) are international,” said Gabel. “We want to increase our focus in that area.”
The report identified four economic sectors that perform comparatively well locally. The transportation, construction, finance and information industries already account for 70 percent of all local specialized industry employment and 28 percent of total private employment.
These industries represent the local economy’s key drivers, said the report, and provide the most attractive environment for international investment and expansion.
Transportation comprises a wide range of professional services from cargo and passenger ground transportation to water taxis and sightseeing tours. Construction includes building construction, heavy and civil engineering construction and specialty trade contractors. The finance sector is largely made up of credit providers and rental and leasing services. The information industry includes companies involved in computers and broadcasting.
These specialty areas have the greatest potential to generate jobs, higher wages and revenue in the Jacksonville economy. CSG also tagged these industries as “export industries,” meaning they ship products and services out while importing money. They represent the most fertile areas of growth for Jacksonville exports, according to the report.
CSG also recommended that the City narrow its international marketing to focus on countries most likely to invest in the local economy. Canada, Western Europe, Korea and Japan are the countries most likely to provide prospects for business recruitment, according to CSG. Latin American and Caribbean markets provide the most likely trading partners.
The report provides broad recommendations like those and more detailed recommendations like bilingual signs at the airport. Gabel said the City’s new cooperative structure for international development would bring together leaders from both the public and private sector, allowing the JIBC to consider changes in varied areas.
Some other suggestions include resurrecting a program with area colleges to offer foreign students an orientation to Jacksonville, larger cruise ships berthed in Jacksonville, foreign currency exchange service at JIA and increased language offerings at area colleges.