By Susan Latham Carr
Staff writer
Published: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 4:54 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 4, 2010 at 5:04 p.m.
Got jobs? That is what the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corp. is looking for, and to help its recruitment efforts it has hired Moran, Stahl & Boyer to conduct a business park marketing analysis.
“This is very important, since the last business park study was 1996, and also the WilsonMiller study the county commission conducted on the need for properties and also our need for the jobs in the future,” EDC president and CEO Pete Tesch said. “This is what I view as the last and final study that looks at the current properties in the process of becoming business parks and what is necessary for economic recovery and job creation as it relates to the business parks as we go through the post-recession era.”
Tesch said it is frequently mentioned that Wal-Mart and Sysco were considering building distribution centers in Ocala/Marion County but an appropriate location to accommodate their needs could not be found, so the companies went elsewhere.
“Do big boxes make sense for Marion County as we go forward?” Tesch asked as a question in search of an answer. “What is on the horizon given our strengths and weaknesses? What type of industry sectors are compatible with Marion County and what’s going to make sense in the future?”
Tesch said he is pleased that the private sector is interested in using property along the Interstate 75 corridor for industrial parks, which could help promote economic growth and job creation.
John Rhodes of MS&B will be presenting the study’s findings at the EDC’s quarterly luncheon on June 2 at the Ocala Hilton. The marketing portion will follow in July. More here.
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