EDC Investors convene to reflect, plan for future at Leadership Retreat
August 17, 2015
On July 29, nearly 80 Investors joined the Tampa Hillsborough EDC staff for a half-day retreat at the University of Tampa for an update on the EDC’s progress toward its strategic goals and objectives and to share thoughts on the organization’s direction as it heads into its next planning cycle.
“We are entering the final year of a three year planning period, where we set several ambitious goals for ourselves as organization,” said Rick Homans, President and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough EDC. “The Leadership Retreat gave us a valuable opportunity to engage our Investors in assessing our progress to date and helping us to achieve the remaining goals we’ve targeted for completion by September 30, 2016. Thanks to the valuable input our Investors offered throughout the day, we are well-positioned for success and already thinking about how to build on that in our FY2017-2019 plan.”
The morning kicked off with an overview of Tampa and Hillsborough County’s economic performance over the past four years and a review of the EDC’s progress toward its four strategic goals:
— Position our community as one of the nation’s leading business destinations
— Attract and retain jobs and capital investment aligned with target industries and above average wages
— Build the most professional and successful economic development organization in Florida
— Create and support regional initiatives that enhance our opportunities for economic success.
Investors were then briefed on major regional initiatives, including GO Hillsborough, the Tampa Innovation Alliance, and the EDC’s corporate headquarters recruitment initiative, before focusing on the strategic direction of the organization for 2017-2019.
Before concluding for the day, Investors were able to share their thoughts on where they’d like to see the EDC and the local business community focus their efforts and support.
“As the backbone of our organization and the local business community, our Investors provide us with valuable perspectives on where they see the most significant opportunities for Tampa and Hillsborough County,” said Homans. “The opportunities they cited include expanding support for our homegrown companies and entrepreneurs, engaging and empowering millennial talent, and capitalizing on the momentum of our corporate headquarters recruiting initiative. We left the meeting with a renewed sense of purpose and even greater excitement for fulfilling our mission, and look forward to a strong finish as we enter the final year of our FY2014-2016 plan.”
Our thanks and deep appreciation to Dr. Ron Vaughn and the University of Tampa for generously hosting and sponsoring our 2015 Leadership Retreat.
