With its waterfront views, art sculptures, and mix of old and new architecture, the “Tampa Bay Effect” was tangible from the moment the planes touched down.
The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance is hosting nearly 140 leaders from the business, government, education, and nonprofit spaces for an intercity visit to Tampa. Over the course of three days, the group is uncovering the competitive advantages of both the Tampa and Charlotte regions, and discovering more about what differentiates the two economies.
“Welcome to Tampa!”
The program began Wednesday afternoon. Kieth Cockrell, president of Bank of America Charlotte and Head of Sports Sponsorships, and CLT Alliance chair, opened the event in a downtown hotel overlooking the bay.
“Our focus this year has been on and will continue to be on intentional impact,” Cockrell said. “We all know we’re trying to drive for a greater economic impact and opportunity for all those who live in the region.… Never underestimate the power of listening and collaboration.”
Participants have the opportunity to both listen and collaborate. Through panels featuring top leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit spaces, the Charlotte contingent is taking deep dives into topics like talent attraction, innovation, small business and entrepreneurship, and education.
During a fireside chat with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Tampa’s Mayor Jane Castor opened up about how they have tackled challenges such as affordable housing, and growth.
“We explored every avenue that we could,” Castor said, referring to their approach to affordable housing.
The city allocated millions of dollars in its budget to provide rent and mortgage relief, rehabbed old buildings to create microunits, gave city lots to contactors at no cost to reduce the land cost for housing development, purchased tracks of land to construct housing units, and offered density bonuses.
“We showed the value of affordable housing to developers,” Castor said.
Housing availability is critically important in Tampa, much like Charlotte and other fast-growing cities that are challenged to remain affordable.
“The Tampa Bay Effect”
As it has grown, so has its reputation as a top destination in the country. Marketing execs at Visit Tampa Bay said their campaigns are reflective of the diversity of offerings in the region: the warm weather, beaches, affordability, culture, history, sports, and theme parks.
“You have all these different ingredients, but not one singular thing stood out,” Adam DePiro, vice president of convention sales, Visit Tampa Bay, said.
Now coined: “The Tampa Bay Effect,” DePiro said it describes Tampa’s juxtaposition of active adventures with a relaxing vibe to create a vacation experience that is authentically Tampa Bay.
That authenticity brings a smile to Castor’s face. The community’s diversity of offerings and people are some of its biggest strengths, Castor said, but so is its identity.
“We grow so quickly,” Castor said. “But we have been able to maintain our identity. People still describe Tampa as welcoming, friendly and safe.”
The pitch
Thursday morning, the Charlotte delegation donned sunglasses and comfortable shoes to begin day two’s excursions.
The day began at Tampa River Center for a series of conversations overlooking Riverfront Park.
Craig Richard, president and CEO of Tampa EDC, opened up about the challenges they face when competing with Tampa.
“When we get the short list, Charlotte is almost always on it alongside us,” Richard said, joking: “We know it’s gonna be a dogfight!”
Richard said their organization values itself on being able to speak from “a place of authenticity” when talking to companies that are in Tampa or looking to relocate.
“We get great insight into what businesses need,” Richard said. “Today, it’s about the talent, it’s all about the talent.”
Their economic development equation has three parts, Richard said: business development, talent attraction and development, and placemaking.
The influx of in-migration offers a competitive advantage for Tampa in the hunt for talent. There is also a strong emphasis on the talent pipeline, Richard said, highlighting the partnerships with the colleges, universities, and educational systems in the region.
Why companies choose Tampa
A panel of leaders representing companies with a presence in Tampa offered insight into what set Tampa apart.
“We found an incredible campus with incredible infrastructure that allowed us to hit the ground running on day one,” said John Faith, whose company DTCC relocated to Tampa after the Sept. 11 attacks. “So it was the site, but it was also the incredible recruitment partners we found here.”
Nearly 20 years later, his company has grown its presence in Tampa from 300-400 employees to nearly triple the amount.
Biotech company Amgen chose Tampa in 2017 after considering 270 cities worldwide.
“We were scaling quite rapidly and it was becoming quite challenging to recruit people to Thousand Oaks, California,” Haresh Patel, Amgen site head and executive director of business services, said.
Julian Waits, senior vice president and executive in residence at Rapid7, said his company was looking for a more cost-effective way to attract talent and provide amenity-rich office spaces.
When asked their thoughts on Tampa’s biggest challenges, all three agreed: transportation, infrastructure are at the top of the list.
“Tampa is at an inflection point,” Patel said. “It’s got huge potential. The barrier is its infrastructure. The infrastructure has got to keep pace.”
Looking ahead
Thursday afternoon, participants broke into smaller groups to spend the remainder of the day on learning tracks which will offer a deeper dive into education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Friday will bring a panel about the important role sports can play in the business community, and will close with critical conversations on transportation and infrastructure, and some of the biggest lessons learned in Tampa.
To continue exploring Tampa with us, follow along on Twitter and LinkedIn!
