Are Happy Days Returning to Jacksonville?

[Ocklawaha]

I just did a bit of research after the article about New York financial houses moving their offices to cities 'like Jacksonville, Florida.' What I came away with is a gaurded sense that we might be seeing the beginnings of a new era of prosperity... What's your take?

In December 2010, then Mayor John Peyton announced that Bank of America and Merrill Lynch would add 1,000 jobs to Jacksonville over the subsequent several years.

JAX Chamber said then that with those jobs, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch would employ about 8,000 people in the area. Bank of America owns Merrill Lynch.

“We have a strong commitment to the city of Jacksonville as one of our largest employment centers in the country and continue to hire here,” Toth said in the email.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=535841

Deutsche Bank adding 250 jobs in Jacksonville
Will add 27,000 square feet of office space
Posted: November 9, 2009 - 10:42am

By Mark Basch
Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB) on Monday announced it is adding 250 jobs to its operations center in Jacksonville, where the Germany-based bank employs more than 600 people.

Deutsche Bank opened the facility in July 2008 with plans to employ 1,000 people there by 2011. The company did not say if the 250 new jobs are part of the original plan. John Lafond, head of Deutsche Bank Jacksonville, could not be reached for comment Monday.

http://jacksonville.com/business/2009-11-09/story/deutsche_bank_adding_250_jobs_in_jacksonville

Citibank adds 400 jobs in Jacksonville
Jacksonville Business Journal by Michael Clinton, Web Producer
Date: Monday, July 2, 2012, 5:31pm EDT

Michael Clinton
Web Producer- Jacksonville Business Journal

Citibank    has hired 200 new employees and plans to hire an additional 200 at its Southside Jacksonville campus.
Jerry Mallot, president of JaxUSA Partnership, said Citibank started the hiring process a few months ago and should finish the remainder in the next few months. The hirings were not announced until Monday.
"We are delighted about this, as it will continue to decrease our unemployment rate," Mallot said Monday.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/07/02/citibank-adds-400-jobs-in-jacksonville.html

Florida Blue to add 200 jobs in Jacksonville
Posted: May 16, 2012 - 6:22am

By MORRIS NEWS SERVICE
A Florida Blue subsidiary will add 200 jobs in Jacksonville to manage a Medicare administrative contract covering Texas and several other states.

Florida Blue executives will join Mayor Alvin Brown today at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Building, 532 Riverside Ave., to announce the hiring plans.

Florida Blue obtained the additional business when its subsidiary Diversified Service Options, also based in Jacksonville, bought Highmark Medical Services of Pennsylvania last December.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-05-16/florida-blue-add-200-jobs-jacksonville#.T_OjCGihBFI

ARG Move to Bring 2,000 Sailors to Mayport

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor

ARLINGTON, Va. â€" The Navy’s announced move of an amphibious ready group (ARG) to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., will shift 2,000 Sailors from bases in the Norfolk, Va., area, said Capt. Pamela Kunze, spokeswoman for Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.

On June 14, Mabus announced in a release that the ARG’s three ships would shift homeport beginning in the last quarter of 2013, when the San Antonio-class amphibious platform dock ship USS New York is scheduled to arrive in Mayport. He said the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry would move to Mayport in 2014.

http://www.seapowermagazine.org/stories/20120618-arg-moves.html

AT&T to add 30 jobs in Jacksonville
Date: Friday, June 8, 2012, 2:57pm EDT
Sarah Mueller
Reporter- Jacksonville Business Journal

Jacksonville is expected to gain 30 jobs as part of about 300 job openings available in Florida with AT&T, a news release said.
Some of the positions needed in Jacksonville: national account executive, premise technicians, customer service managers and assistant store managers, a company press release said.

AT&T Spokeswoman Gretchen Schultz said the company is growing products and services into more markets. The company has jobs for every skill set, she said.

In 2012, AT&T plans to engage in a deeper and wider manner with the military veteran candidate community, a news release said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/06/08/att-will-add-30-jobs-in-jacksonville.html?s=print

GE Working Capital Solutions to open Jacksonville office, hiring up to 3
Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 11:45am EDT - Last Modified: Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 6:39pm EDT
Michael Clinton
Web Producer- Jacksonville Business Journal

GE Working Capital Solutions is planning to open an office in Jacksonville and could hire nearly 300, according to Jax Chamber.

GE WCS will use Jacksonville as an accounts receivables and management center, the Florida Times-Union reports.
The office will be located in the Flagler Center off Old St. Augustine Road near the Baptist South hospital.

The company has 50,000 customers in more than 150 countries and has 47 offices worldwide.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/05/08/ge-working-capital-solutions-to-open.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2012-05-08

KCI Aviation brings new hangar, jobs to Cecil Airport
Date: Monday, January 23, 2012, 4:11pm EST

Michael Clinton
Web Producer- Jacksonville Business Journal

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority    Board of Directors approved a lease with KCI Aviation for the construction of a new 30,000-square-foot hangar facility at Cecil Airport. Along with the new facility comes new jobs, KCI is planning to hire at least 30 workers by the end of 2014 with an annual salary of approximately $46,000.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/01/23/kci-aviation-brings-new-hangar.html

Medtronic starts expansion on Jacksonville's Southside
Posted: April 10, 2012 - 7:33am
By David Bauerlein

Medtronic broke ground Monday on a $14 million expansion of its Jacksonville office on the Southside.

The 75,000-square-foot addition will be finished in 2015. Medtronic also will add 175 jobs to its 600-employee Jacksonville workforce by the end of 2015.

The expansion will house space for research and development, laboratory work and marking and customer training. Jacksonville and the state teamed up for $2.5 million in financial incentives.

Medtronic's surgical technology division, which accounts for about $1 billion a year in revenue, has its main office in Jacksonville.

http://jacksonville.com/business/daily-briefs/2012-04-10/story/medtronic-starts-expansion-jBusiness / Daily Briefs

Bi-Lo would get $6.6 million in incentives to come to Jacksonville, bring 100 high-wage jobs
Date: Monday, March 12, 2012, 11:24am EDT - Last Modified: Monday, March 26, 2012, 9:57am EDT

MICHAEL CLINTON
Mayor Alvin Brown welcomed Bi-Lo to Jacksonville in a press conference Monday. Bi-Lo received $2 million in incentives from the city to move its headquarters to Jacksonville.

Bi-Lo Holding will receive $6.6 million in incentives to move its company combining the grocery chains Bi-Lo LLC    and Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.    to Jacksonville.

The incentives were announced at a press conference this morning with Mayor Alvin Brown, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll and Jerry Mallot, president of JaxUSA Partnership.

Bi-Lo, which announced its merger with Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. in December, will receive a $2 million Revenue Enhancement Value grant from the city over 10 years. The grant is used to assist businesses that are expanding or relocating in Jacksonville.

The state has offered more than $4 million as well, with $1.04 million coming from Florida’s Quick Response Training program, which supports business expansion efforts, and $3.6 million from the Quick Action Closing Fund, which will offset the costs of relocation expenses and equipment purchases.

The company announced Monday that it would move its headquarters from South Carolina to Jacksonville.
Over 10 years, Bi Lo will create 100 new high-wage jobs and make a capital investment of about $93 million in Jacksonville. Mallot said most of that $93 million will be spent on improving IT equipment at the headquarters and distribution center.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/03/12/bi-lo-gets-6-million-in-incentives-to.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2012-03-12

Northwestern Mutual to add 30 Jacksonville jobs
Date: Friday, March 2, 2012, 10:21am EST

Michael Clinton

Northwestern Mutual’s    office in Jacksonville plans to hire 30 financial representatives in 2012, as part of the company’s nationwide effort to recruit more than 5,000 financial professionals in 2012.

The company also plans to hire 40 financial representative interns for the Jacksonville office in 2012.

“More people are looking for financial guidance and they’re turning to companies like Northwestern Mutual that have been consistently financially strong,” said Bill Koch, managing partner of The Koch Group. “We’re hoping to add professionals to help keep pace with the strong demand among consumers for financial advice and financial security.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/03/02/jacksonville-company-to-add-30-jobs-in.html?ed=2012-03-02&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Global Technologies expands to Jacksonville, buying office space and hiring nearly 70
Jacksonville Business Journal, Date: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 9:50am EST
Michael Clinton

Global Technologies LLC said today it is expanding to Florida, bringing nearly 250 construction jobs to the Sunshine State and buying a 36,000-square-foot office in Jacksonville while hiring nearly 70 employees.

The Chicago-based construction firm, serving telecom, utilities and government, plans to hire 60 to 70 employees in Jacksonville for construction, back office, warehouse, accounting and IT among others. Those interested in Jacksonville jobs can send resumes to jacksonvillejobs@glotech.us.

The jobs will pay between $17 an hour and $35 an hour, depending on experience and the position. However, Global’s president and CEO, Joseph Mwachullah, said many of the jobs, including construction, don’t require any experience.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/02/14/global-technologies-expands-to.html?ed=2012-02-14&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

[thelakelander]

Depends.  How does this stack up with job and economic growth experienced by our peers?

[cityimrov]

I'm still waiting for real news.

The 55-story, 2.1 million-square-foot Bank of America Tower, designed by Cook + Fox Architects, utilizes a wide range of high performance environmental strategies and technologies to enhance

http://mediaroom.bankofamerica.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=234503&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1431495

[I-10east]

Bottomline, the only things that most of MJ appreciates are implementing streetcar in Jax, yuppie white collar jobs added to DT, retail added to DT, and high rise construction in DT, that's it. Anything else is 'not progressive enough'. Adding jobs to the burbs 'doesn't matter'. So while I think that Jax is obviously taking steps in the right direction, I'm expecting the typical 'gloom and doom' look at what Charlotte, Atlanta etc bullshit to rear it's ugly head from most of jaded MJ; IMO it's really stupid to act that way (only caring about high paying downtown jobs, towers etc) but whatever.

[ronchamblin]

I wonder how some of these new companies moving into the area can be enticed to move into the city core?  If I were a god, I would take it upon myself to survey all of the existing vacant buildings in the core, listing the characteristics of each; size, floors, parking, state of repair, readiness to occupy, proximity to key transportation nodes, including the new streetcar routes.

I would contact the building owners and, being a god, kick them in the ass by some method so that they might see the point of readying the buildings for occupancy instead of allowing them to descend to the point that nobody would think of occupying them simply because of the work required to do so.

To ready a building for potential occupation takes money of course.  Where does it come from?  A building owner struggling to make payments and pay taxes might not have it.  And the tax payers, via the infinite wisdom of the city council members, don’t want to gamble on fixing up a core building in hopes that one of these companies might choose it instead of an outlying location.

The companies themselves might have the funds and be willing to spend on the renovation of a core building.  If this is true, and if the building owner has any funds, they could share the expense.  And what if the city, by a wise city council decision, might be willing to contribute some funds too?  This would provide three sources of funds for making an existing building ready for occupation.  It sounds sort of realistic, but something is lacking.

The missing ingredient is perhaps the lack of focus, encouragement, and implementation of a plan for action by the right agency.  Which is the right agency?  Is it DVI?  Is it the Chamber?  Is it the mayor’s office?  Is it the new Civic Council? One or some of these agencies should be focusing on a plan to do something like the above.   

Another idea.  Each company who establishes its new location in the outlying areas should be contacted by the agency and asked exactly why they did not choose the city core.  After a while, by some magic, there will emerge before all to see a statistical view of the real reasons why companies are continuing to avoid the city core.  Beautiful information, very valuable.

Most of us sense that knowledge is power.  The information gathered should allow the local powers to ponder the survey for the three most frequent reasons that companies avoid the city core.  This might allow for focus on these reasons or obstacles so that action could be taken to remove them.

If the surveying of recent business arrivals about reasons for decisions to avoid the city core is not done soon, if the funding matchmaking between the owners of core buildings and the potential occupiers, and the city, is not done soon so that suitable buildings can be readied for occupancy; ….. if all of these things are not performed soon by an agency, I might, during my lunch breaks, to do it myself.
   
 
 

[simms3]

How about Everbank?  I'm watching this company more than any other in Jacksonville.  This from yesterday:

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/07/02/everbank-acquires-ge-capital-re.html

Everbank also participates in the community moreso than probably any other firm.  My hunch as to why is that it is because it is a homegrown firm where management resides in Jacksonville (rather than a support operation that is essentially duplicated 6x over for large global firms based elsewhere).

I'll be happier when there are more Everbanks, more startups, etc.  Jacksonville won't regain its stature as a financial hub until it has its own homegrown banks/firms and traditional (rather than support) offices for major global financial firms.  That is if Jacksonville wants to pursue that as its niche economic base (it doesn't seem like officials pursue any one sort of industry based on city's strengths over other industries)

[simms3]

Bottomline, the only only things that most of MJ appreciates are implementing streetcar in Jax, yuppie white collar jobs added to DT, retail added to DT, and high rise construction in DT, that's it. Anything else is 'not progressive enough'.

Promise not trying to be conrontational, just curious: what do you appreciate?  Or are you a take what news I can get?  If the latter, don't you think that's sort of lowering your standards, which may have been worn down over years of stagnancy?  And further, do you think stagnancy is due to too many people just "taking whatever they can get?"

Though some people have difficulty with this, I appreciate MJ for being an outlet for honest discussion, even if it is difficult.

[Tacachale]

It's good to hear some good news. FWIW the one article on mid-level job growth specifically mentioned Jax along with North Carolina and Salt Lake City. SLC, Charlotte, and Raleigh are peer cities I'm comfortable being discussed next to.

[I-10east]

Promise not trying to be conrontational, just curious: what do you appreciate?

Jobs to the city of Jacksonville, simple as that. This website is the ONLY source of media that I ever saw that poo poos adding jobs; If you have the mentality of  'The only jobs that matter are high paying DT jobs', that is a very pessimistic and unrealistic point of view.

Though some people have difficulty with this, I appreciate MJ for being an outlet for honest discussion, even if it is difficult.

At times, discussions about new jobs, commerce etc in the city can become alarmingly pessimistic, and unfairly negative. It's as if this was Gary, Ind or something. I'm not saying throw and party and celebrate, but I will never see the reason to downplay jobs added to the city; I will say something like a simple not too celebratory 'good for jax' even when typical suburban jobs are added, and not the sarcastic 'Yay! more 10 dollar an hour jobs in suburbia, at this rate we will catch up to the third world, hahahaha". That's very tiresome, not funny or informative.   

[dougskiles]

Jobs to the city of Jacksonville, simple as that. This website is the ONLY source of media that I ever saw that poo poos adding jobs; If you have the mentality of  'The only jobs that matter are high paying DT jobs', that is a very pessimistic and unrealistic point of view.

The ONLY issue I take with some of the lower paying jobs are when subsidies are handed out that have a greater value than the sum of the jobs created.  Politicians like to brag about jobs created, but not all jobs are created equally.

To the original question of the post, yes, I believe happy days are returning.  I see a general sense of optimism in the business I am in.  Those who have survived this mess are poised to make a good run.

[strider]

As I read the list on the original post, I realized that some of those jobs came at the expense of jobs elsewhere. It would also be great to have the same list about jobs Jacksonville is losing.  Like Swisher and Bacardi.  Without that second list, it's hard to know if Jacksonville is gaining or just managing to keep a status quo.  Of course, it could be argued that keeping the status quo in today's world is doing OK.  It could still be going the other way.

[thelakelander]

Promise not trying to be conrontational, just curious: what do you appreciate?

Jobs to the city of Jacksonville, simple as that. This website is the ONLY source of media that I ever saw that poo poos adding jobs; If you have the mentality of  'The only jobs that matter are high paying DT jobs', that is a very pessimistic and unrealistic point of view.

Though some people have difficulty with this, I appreciate MJ for being an outlet for honest discussion, even if it is difficult.

At times, discussions about new jobs, commerce etc in the city can become alarmingly pessimistic, and unfairly negative. It's as if this was Gary, Ind or something. I'm not saying throw and party and celebrate, but I will never see the reason to downplay jobs added to the city; I will say something like a simple not too celebratory 'good for jax' even when typical suburban jobs are added, and not the sarcastic 'Yay! more 10 dollar an hour jobs in suburbia, at this rate we will catch up to the third world, hahahaha". That's very tiresome, not funny or informative.   

Jobs are fine but the original post isolated Jax by itself and suggest "happy days" are returning based on a few places expanding in town.  The new jobs are great but to accurately answer the question, more information is needed.  For example, if we're adding 5 jobs and everyone else our size is averaging 20 new jobs during the same period, then we've got some work to do.  In addition, if we're adding the 5 posted but didn't list the 5 lost during the same period, we have no idea what the actual number is.  So at this point, yes, I guess the economy is improving, it's just not Jax specific.

[Garden guy]

I wonder if these companies comprehend how conservative republican this city is...if they sit in on a few council meetings theyll run screaming from this city...compared to other metropolitan cities we are ages behind.

[Tacachale]

Promise not trying to be conrontational, just curious: what do you appreciate?

Jobs to the city of Jacksonville, simple as that. This website is the ONLY source of media that I ever saw that poo poos adding jobs; If you have the mentality of  'The only jobs that matter are high paying DT jobs', that is a very pessimistic and unrealistic point of view.

Though some people have difficulty with this, I appreciate MJ for being an outlet for honest discussion, even if it is difficult.

At times, discussions about new jobs, commerce etc in the city can become alarmingly pessimistic, and unfairly negative. It's as if this was Gary, Ind or something. I'm not saying throw and party and celebrate, but I will never see the reason to downplay jobs added to the city; I will say something like a simple not too celebratory 'good for jax' even when typical suburban jobs are added, and not the sarcastic 'Yay! more 10 dollar an hour jobs in suburbia, at this rate we will catch up to the third world, hahahaha". That's very tiresome, not funny or informative.   

Jobs are fine but the original post isolated Jax by itself and suggest "happy days" are returning based on a few places expanding in town.  The new jobs are great but to accurately answer the question, more information is needed.  For example, if we're adding 5 jobs and everyone else our size is averaging 20 new jobs during the same period, then we've got some work to do.  In addition, if we're adding the 5 posted but didn't list the 5 lost during the same period, we have no idea what the actual number is.  So at this point, yes, I guess the economy is improving, it's just not Jax specific.

I would expect that if we're behind our peers in this area it's due to other local and state factors rather than the quantity of new jobs. Namely, our historical over-reliance on the housing market. Jobs in that area are not coming back on the level they were five years ago.

At any rate news of new jobs coming to town is good news.

[strider]

Besides needing to have that list of lost jobs, we also need to know the types of jobs.  If Company A brings in 50 white collar IT jobs and Company B takes away 50 Blue Collar decent paying jobs, is Jacksonville better or worse off?