Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Talk of the bay
Intangibles prompted company to relocate from California
By KRIS HUNDLEY
Published January 16, 2006
When it comes to attracting new companies, economic development officials would do well to remember that it's not only incentives that seal the deal.
Jonathan Brewer, president and founder of EarthWorks Environmental in Roseville, Calif., was casting about last year for a new home for his 10-year-old company. Potential sites included Sparks, Nev., New Orleans and Pinellas County. Pinellas won the bid for EarthWorks' headquarters and 20 new jobs. And the reasons go beyond the Qualified Targeted Industry tax incentives and Brownfield Redevelopment bonus his company will receive from the state.
"First of all, I've got family in the area, including my mom and aunt in Palm Harbor," he said. "I love minor league baseball, spring training and the Pinellas Trail. And I like Florida's workers' comp rates."
During a scouting trip here last spring, Brewer also was impressed by the energy of the Bay Area Manufacturers' Association.
"California is converting to a service economy, with only upper-end technology and engineering," he said. "The whole middle manufacturing segment is gone."
[Last modified January 13, 2006, 17:48:02]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
