Tampa Hillsborough EDC caps off milestone year at Annual Meeting
October 10, 2018
CEO Craig Richard introduced new executive committee, honored Mayor Buckhorn with economic development award
Last night, more than 500 business and community leaders gathered at the Straz Center to celebrate the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation’s 2018 fiscal year.
President and CEO Craig Richard, along with 2018 chairman Dr. Alan List, recapped a year of numerous wins, including projects such as IRONMAN, MetLife, and Tampa Bay Brewing, international media coverage, the launch of Global Tampa Bay, and several successful business mission trips, including the record-breaking trip to Mexico City that yielded more than $35 million in economic activity for Tampa Bay area companies.
Perhaps the most notable milestone this year was the recruitment of Tampa’s first Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. In May, The Mosaic Company announced it will move its corporate headquarters to Hillsborough County to amplify its already large presence in Central Florida and move closer to its operations in Brazil.
Richard, who serves as chairman of the International Economic Development Council, then presented Mayor Bob Buckhorn with the IEDC Chairman’s Award for Leadership in Economic Development, which is given to individuals who have shown exemplary commitment to economic development throughout their careers.
“Mayor Buckhorn has kept a vigilant focus on economic development during his two terms as Tampa’s mayor,” said Richard. “He has gone above and beyond to help bring jobs and investment to this community and we can always count on him to help close important deals. There is no one more deserving of this award.”
As outgoing chairman, Dr. List called for the Board of Directors to join him in approving the EDC’s 2019 Executive Officers:
- Chair: Dr. Judy Genshaft, USF System
- Vice Chair: Marie Chinnici-Everitt, DTCC
- Secretary and Treasurer: Jim Weiss, Fifth Third Bank
- General Counsel: David Weinstein, Greenberg Traurig
“Our 2019 executive officers have demonstrated a longstanding commitment to not only the EDC, but the Tampa business community as a whole,” said Richard. “We have a lot of momentum going for us right now and I’m confident that with the guidance, insight and expertise of this group of executives, we will achieve big wins for the Tampa community this coming year.”
The night started with a boom when, as a nod to Dr. Genshaft, the USF Herd of Thunder Drumline surprised attendees with a special performance and led them into Ferguson Hall for the start of the program. After the program, attendees continued the celebration in a lounge area outside where they enjoyed live music from Lounge Cat and breezes off the river, which also enjoyed its own milestone year with the opening of a new park and public market.
The Annual Meeting was made possible through the support of generous sponsors:
- Premier Sponsor: TECO, an Emera Company
- Presenting Sponsor: Hillsborough Community College
- Welcome Sponsor: Amgen
- Promotional Sponsors: Cognizant, Fifth Third Bank, Moffitt Cancer Center, Strategic Property Partners, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa General Hospital and Ultimate Medical Academy
- Media Sponsor: Tampa Bay Business Journal
- Host Sponsor: The Straz Center
About Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation
Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is the lead designated economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high-wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors, including Corporate Headquarters, Financial and Shared Services, Life Sciences, Defense and Security, and Manufacturing. To learn more, visit tampabayedc.com.
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