February 27, 2020 – PALM BEACH COUNTY – Today, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) is providing an economic development tour of Palm Beach County’s business environment to site consultants from across the nation. Site selection companies negotiate and secure some of the largest economic development projects around the globe. Therefore, business leaders are ensuring that Palm Beach County is at the top of the list for site selection.
The BDB Familiarization (FAM) Tour is an annual event that brings consultants in for a three day tour. The consultants will meet with city officials to learn about growth strategies, top educational leaders to learn about the local workforce and CEOs of major employers. It’s a collaborative effort that provides significant expansion and relocation leads for Palm Beach County, funded by sponsors such as City of West Palm Beach, Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Discover the Palm Beaches, Hedrick Brothers, CenterState Bank, Avenir, ADT, Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, Skanska, Palm Beach International Airport, Gunster, Florida Power & Light, Crocker Partners, and Hardrives, Inc.
The tour kicked off February 26 welcoming the guests at Palm Beach International Airport, followed by dinner at Pistache with a panel about new developments in Palm Beach County. The panelists included Jessica Del Vecchio of City of Boca Raton, Joann Skaria of City of Palm Beach Gardens, Rick Greene of City of West Palm Beach, and moderator Brian Seymour of Gunster Law Firm.
Today, they’re boarding a bus for a VIP tour of the County with the first stop at the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) for a Workforce and Education panel, sponsored by Crocker Partners. The panelists include Dr. Fennoy, Superintendent of School District of Palm Beach County, Dr. Kelly, President of Florida Atlantic University, Ava Parker, President of Palm Beach State College, and Moderator Fabiola Brumley of Bank of America.
The attendees will then head to West Palm Beach with a driving tour conducted by the City’s Economic Development Director, Chris Roog. They’ll stop for lunch at Lynora’s on Clematis Street, then head North to United Technologies Corporation for a tour, as well as see the top two research institutes in the world, Scripps Research Institute and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
The consultants are also touring Avenir to learn about Palm Beach County’s newest Master-Planned destination, spanning over 4,500 acres, including a dedicated economic development parcel. After that, they’ll head to the Honda Classic for Chalet Experience on the 18th Hole, hosted by Don Kiselewski of Florida Power & Light. After the Honda Classic, guests will receive “Dinner with a View” at U-Tiki in Jupiter.
The final day of the tour will conclude with breakfast convening business leaders from across the county at the West Palm Beach Marriott, where site consultants will participate on a panel to share their thoughts on Palm Beach County. This annual tour is a culmination of public and private leaders with a shared vision of the future to recruit new business to the area.
– BDB –
About Business Development Board The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County is the official public/private economic development organization for Palm Beach County and Enterprise Florida. Founded in 1982 as a not-for-profit corporation, our primary purpose is to attract and retain new industry, business investment, high quality jobs and workforce development through corporate relocations, expansions and international trade. During the past five years, the BDB has assisted companies that have created more than 12,822 direct jobs with average salaries greater than $69,062, resulting in more than $777 million in capital investment to Palm Beach County and an economic impact that exceeds $6.87 billion. Additional information can be found at the BDB’s web site, BDB.org.
