North Central Florida’s Business Climate

Government and business leaders are committed to economic growth aimed at maintaining Alachua County’s exceptional quality of life and its desirability as a business location.

The Gainesville area has a diversified labor force made up of more than 120,725 employees. Most of the county’s employment opportunities can be found in government, retail and service jobs. The University of Florida significantly impacts the local economy as Alachua County's largest employer with the health care industry a strong second for both employment and economic impact. Within the area’s diversified labor force, average education levels are significantly higher than state averages.

A number of large corporations have located their corporate headquarters in the Gainesville area including Bear Archery, a worldwide leader in the manufacture of archery products, Shands HealthCare that operates a growing regional health care network and Regeneration Technologies Inc., a biotechnology company. Gainesville also is the home to the state headquarters of the Florida Farm Bureau, corporate offices of AvMed Health Plan and a regional office of Nationwide Insurance.

The innovative atmosphere in Gainesville is evident in the continued success of several companies that originated in Gainesville and have grown to be assets in our community. They include Suntec Paint, CH2M Hill, Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q, Barr Systems, Driltech Mission, Exactech, Fabco Air, Environmental Consulting & Technology.

The University of Florida along with the city and county all work closely together as the area's principle employers. The University is also involved in the most profitable business of the area- agriculture. Among the products produced which provide the greatest revenue in the area are cattle and dairy products, poultry, vegetables, tobacco, corn and timber. Several state and federal agriculture agencies have headquarters in Gainesville and the whole state is served by the University's Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences through its extension offices and research and education centers.

Pursuing the latest in technology, our local companies bring together science and industry in a stimulating and profitable environment. University of Florida research has transferred technology from the laboratory to the market with more than $300 million each year in sponsored research funding. UF has proven to be a vital resource for existing business, helping to attract technology-driven companies to the area.

Additionally, contributions to the economic growth in Alachua County are made by film production. In the past several years, the community has become an increasingly popular site for filming movies, commercials and other projects. Gainesville has been the setting for such movies as Doc Hollywood, Cross Creek, Parenthood, Just Cause and Devil's Advocate.

Commercials for a national Saturn ad, AvMed Health Plan and ESPN have been shot here as well. The result is a lucrative influx of spending and investment in the area. Productions filmed here not only generate dollars in the area, but also provide employment opportunities for film industry professionals who reside in the area. Gainesville's year-round pleasant weather, varied "look," support services and community involvement make it the perfect place for production companies.

The Gainesville Council For Economic Outreach (CEO)
The mission of the Council for Economic Outreach (CEO) is to promote the development and diversification of Alachua County as a regional center for quality employment opportunities.

Since 2001, the Gainesville Council for Economic Outreach has assisted companies in the creation of some 3,530 new jobs, $175 million in capital investments and more than 4.3 million in taxes. With assistance from CEO, these companies have captured $398,000 in state grants and incentives, primarily to train new and existing employees.

Over the past year, CEO has assisted 19 companies who were considering business expansion in the Gainesville and Alachua County area. When completed in the fall, the new SYSCO facility will be approximately 500,000 square feet in size and will include freezer, refrigeration, dry storage and office space. The redistribution center is the second of as many as nine planned facilities that eventually will encompass similar SYSCO warehouses throughout the United States as part of SYSCO’s Supply Chain Initiative project. SYSCO will hire approximately 300 employees to support this project.

The Technology Enterprise Center of Gainesville/Alachua County
The Technology Enterprise Center of Gainesville/Alachua County (GTEC) is a technology incubator offering services to assist in the growth and survival of technology-based start-up and spin-off companies. The 30,000 square-foot economic development facilities is designed to allow new companies to achieve technology commercialization, create high-wage jobs, diversify the industrial sectors of the Gainesville/Alachua County community and increase the area’s private industry tax base.

The Center was funded in partnership with the City of Gainesville, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

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