Florida Economic Development Links
- Associated Industries of Florida
- Florida Chamber of Commerce
- Florida Council of 100
- Tampa Bay Partnership
- Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
- St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce
- Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation
- Pinellas County Economic Development
- Pasco Economic Development Council
- Central Florida Development Council of Polk County
- The Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County
- Manatee Economic Development Corporation
- Citrus County Economic Development Council
- Hernando County Office of Business Development
Economic Development Series Lineup
The 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee for the Republican National Convention is pleased to announce the lineup for its economic development series being held during the week of the Republican National Convention. Headliners for the series include former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Javier Palomarez, Florida Governor Rick Scott, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, St. Augustine Partners President George P. Bush, Infante Zumpano Partner Daniel Diaz Leyva and Margaret Spellings & Company President Margaret Spellings. Other presenters, panelists and moderators consist of senior executives within the business world, including leaders from companies such as AT&T, Citi and The Coca-Cola Company. In addition, several more national and global CEOs and senior management are expected to participate as panelists and audience members.
“We are excited to use the platform of the Republican National Convention to showcase Florida and the entire Tampa Bay region as a premier location for business,” said Host Committee President and CEO Ken Jones. “It is a great honor to work with Bloomberg to bring such a phenomenal group of business leaders to the Tampa Bay area for this groundbreaking economic development series.”
The CEO-based series, which will be held August 27 – 30, 2012, will be hosted in partnership with Bloomberg and is a collaborative effort with several leading business groups, including the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Florida. The series will tackle timely economic issues, with topics of discussion ranging from international trade to the emerging workforce.
“The Host Committee’s economic development series with Bloomberg is an opportunity to spotlight the key advantages of Florida’s business environment,” said Host Committee Executive Board Member and CEO of URETEK Holdings Kathleen Shanahan. “With its tax advantages and increasing trade activity, Florida is a prime location for existing and relocating businesses to experience prodigious growth.”
“This series will put the business implications of government on full display and bring together CEOs and public sector officials to discuss what works—and what doesn’t work—when it comes to economic development here in Florida,” said Co-Chairman of Bloomberg Government and Chief Content Officer of Bloomberg L.P., Norman Pearlstine. “This series is part of Bloomberg’s larger effort to bring together the best in news gathering, data collection and analysis to report and interpret the trends and dynamics that will define the election season and determine who controls Washington.”
The economic development series will kick off with an evening reception on the first night of the Convention at the University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation with several forums taking place throughout the week. The series will wrap up on Thursday afternoon with a final forum on education.