At our Annual Meeting last month, our new Chair, Archie Collins of TECO, unveiled our new Future Ready: Tampa Bay Strategic Plan, which included four new catalyst initiatives around which much of our Standing Committee work will be focused: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Infrastructure, Blue Technology and Business Intelligence & Economic Research. At our Executive Committee meeting last week, our team unveiled the 2026 work plans for our four Standing Committees. Committee participation is an excellent way for EDC Investor companies to get more of their team members engaged in our work and familiarizing them with how we foster economic growth in the region. I encourage all EDC Investors to reach out to Francesca Noval (fnoval@tampabayedc.com), our Director of Investor Relations, to get your teams plugged into these groups before the kickoffs begin next month:
Business Development – This committee is focused on identifying new relocation and expansion prospects domestically and internationally. In 2026, the Committee will support the planning activities for three key business development missions: The Global Tampa Bay Foreign Direct Investment mission to London in February; the domestic Signature Sales Mission to Atlanta in March, and the International Signature Sales Mission to Bogota, Colombia in May. Jennifer Bolivar of Suncoast Credit Union is leading the charge as our Chair. The Business Development Committee’s first meeting is scheduled for January 8, 2026.
Marketing – This committee supports the marketing and communications activities of the EDC by helping to shape messaging around our Tampa Bay region value proposition, target industries, and talent opportunities. Led by Karl Strauch of Port Tampa Bay, this committee will be focused on developing new messaging for our Catalyst Initiatives and securing employer testimonials from businesses like yours to help us promote your company to prospective new talent. The Marketing Committee will also be charged with helping shape new print and digital campaigns that will roll out early next year for the EDC as well as the Make it Tampa Bay and CertUp talent attraction and development campaigns. The Marketing Committee’s first meeting is scheduled for December 4, 2026.
Competitiveness – This committee, led by Merritt Martin of Moffitt Cancer Center, will focus on the issues that will shape our region’s competitiveness in the coming years. This includes a careful examination of the impacts of AI on companies and the workforce, deep dives into our target industries and our strengths and weaknesses relative to competing markets, as well as research and business intelligence that will inform our messaging. This team will work closely with Marketing Committee members. This committee has an exciting kickoff meeting scheduled at Moffitt Cancer Center on December 2 at 9:00 am. The program includes a discussion of AI’s impact on the workforce, led by CareerSource Tampa Bay CEO Keidrian Kunkel, a welcome from Dr. Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center, and a tour of Moffitt’s Bio Engineering Lab led by Dr. Greg Sawyer, Chair of the Bioengineering at Moffitt. I encourage you to learn more about Dr. Sawyer’s incredible story here. Please reach out to Francesca or Michelle Bauer at mbauer@tampabayedc.com right away if you have team members who’d like to attend.
Investor Relations – The Investor Relations Committee identifies regional organizations that should have a seat at the EDC table but currently don’t. Led by Joanne LeBlanc of Colliers, this committee will survey the regional landscape of target industry firms, professional services organizations and other leaders and get them acquainted with the EDC and our mission. They will also be implementing our new capital campaign, Investing in Impact, to strengthen the EDC’s financial and organizational stability and ensure the acceleration of our momentum in accomplishing the goals of our strategic plan. Their first meeting commences on January 15, 2026.
There are so many ways to gain increased ROI from your investment in the EDC – and committee participation is just the start. I look forward to another tremendous year of progress with the visionary leadership of our Investors. Thank you so much for your continued support.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Craig
