JACKSONVILLE – A delegation of Northeast Florida business-development leaders recently met with 20 or so companies considering the area for business operations at the International Paris Air Show. All regions of Florida participate in the annual aeronautics ritual – the Paris and Farnborough airshows are alternating biennial global marketing events.

Alliance Florida at Cecil Commerce Ctr.

A selling point for Jacksonville and Northeast Florida is its inter-modal logistics capabilities. For the city of Jacksonville specifically, the 17,000-acre multi-use Cecil Commerce Center property is its primary long-term economic development asset. Within it, the Jacksonville Airport Authority owns 6,000 acres with the third longest runway in Florida.  Hillwood Investment Properties is the master developer for 4,475 (industrial and commercial-zoned) acres named Alliance Florida at Cecil Commerce Center.  

As noted in the 2010 overview, A Farnborough International Airshow landing, Boeing (already a Cecil tenant) had considered Cecil as an assembly location for its 787 Dreamliner, but the company’s final choice was North Charleston, S.C.

[This is a bit of editorializing on my own part, but I approve of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into the National Labor Relation Board's decision-making process in its lawsuit against Boeing for choosing a right-to-work state to set up shop.  I'm not going any further with this other than to wonder what would have happened if Boeing chose Cecil instead.]

Foreign Trade Zone

In Florida Trend magazine’s July issue was a great piece, Streamlining the Foreign Trade Zone Program, on JaxPort’s Free Trade Zone updated status as of May.  Alliance Florida now has the added feature of FTZ designation in its marketing portfolio.

JaxPort, which previously administered an FTZ that covered 1,400 acres at its terminals, worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce to create the new FTZ for its entire customs district, which includes Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Union, Columbia and a slice of Putnam County.

AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center has been named magnet site for Duval. Developer Hillwood Investment Properties already offered the incentive at its AllianceTexas and AllianceCalifornia projects; the former has become the top FTZ in the United States in the value of foreign goods.

Saft America 

Beyond the Foreign Trade Zone at Alliance Florida, are the 20 or so companies considering Jacksonville and Northeast Florida for business operations. At the 2009 International Paris Air Show, the city of Jacksonville met with the Saft Group, who ultimately chose Cecil Commerce Center for its lithium-ion batteries manufacturing plant this past March.  Saft is the world’s leading designer, developer and manufacturer of advanced technology batteries for industrial and defence applications. Saft America’s corporate headquarters is in Valdosta, Ga. Its parent company is based  just outside the city limits of Paris, France.

This is a  (kind of cool) off-the-cuff video of Saft Group CEO John Searle at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon explaining why the company chose Jacksonville for its plant:  John Searle Saft Group.

Production began in July September 16th is the grand opening for the $200 million facility.  According to the Dept. of Energy, “Saft was awarded $95.5 million in Recovery Act funds and $20.2 million in financial incentives from Jacksonville and the state.”

Workers check the production of lithium ion automotive batteries in the Johnson Controls - Saft Advanced Power Solutions' factory in Nersac, southwestern France.

I’m not sure which companies were approached at the 2011 show, but I am sure I won’t be told for competitive reasons. I have to follow-up on Farnborough, and there’s still much more at Cecil Commerce in need of exploration.

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Tags | AllianceFlorida, Cecil Commerce Center, Jacksonville Port Authority, Saft America