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 driving economic development across 13 counties. Since taking the role in March 2020, Conoley has overseen a strategy that packages regional opportunities and directs them to local economic development professionals, preventing internal competition and attracting major projects.
Key wins include Field International’s global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Pensacola, Point Blank Enterprises’ 300-job body armor manufacturing facility in Wakulla County, and Birdon’s planned 2,000-job maritime manufacturing expansion at the Port of Pensacola. “I like to call us the professional matchmakers,” Conoley explained. “We’re able to identify these opportunities and then filter them down to our 13-county economic development professionals.”
One of the region’s strongest assets is its military talent pipeline. Six military bases within a two-and-a-half to three-hour radius generate about 5,200 military separations and retirements annually, with an average age of 38. A University of West Florida study commissioned by Florida’s Great Northwest found that 47% of separating service members want to stay in the region, and 19% are undecided. “Companies feel more confident in selecting our region” based on this quantifiable data, Conoley noted. Kelvin Enfinger Jr., Vice President of Greenhut Construction, emphasized the broader applicability: “Retired service members have a skill set that crosses over many industries.”
Site readiness is another priority. Conoley stressed that site selectors look for ways to eliminate properties, so presenting truly ready sites is critical. The $1.5 billion Triumph Gulf Coast fund, created from Deepwater Horizon settlements and receiving $80 million annually through 2033, enables public-private partnerships that attract industrial investments without requiring aggressive cash incentives.
Looking ahead, Florida’s Great Northwest recently received a $4.7 million Triumph grant to enhance its regional strategy. “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,” Conoley stated. “Keep your eye on Northwest Florida. The pipeline is full.”
For developers and investors, the region offers a compelling mix of regional coordination, a quantifiable military talent pipeline, available industrial land, and patient capital sources, particularly for aerospace, maritime, and advanced manufacturing projects.
