INVESTOR NEWSLETTER - MARCH 2011
Saft Moves U.S. Headquarters to Jacksonville
In 2009, French-based Saft selected Jacksonville as the site for its lithium-ion battery manufacturing "factory of the future." The company added almost 300 jobs and $200 million in capital investment to the region. The company has completed construction on its manufacturing plant and has decided to move its U.S. headquarters to Jacksonville. Saft currently has six sites in the U.S. This is a great addition to our headquarters list and will only help Northeast Florida attract more headquarters to the region.
Cornerstone Luncheon a Success
Cornerstone hosted a large and successful luncheon this month with featured speaker Governor Rick Scott. The more than 1,200 attendees were the largest crowd, outside of our Jaguars events, in Cornerstone's 20 year history. The governor praised Jacksonville and Northeast Florida for its economic development efforts and is ready to help us move forward to create more jobs in our region.
Congratulations to VISTAKON, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care for receiving the Cornerstone Chair Award. Accepting the award on behalf of the company was Dr. Colleen Riley, vice president of professional development and medical affairs. VISTAKON has seen tremendous growth in our region over the past five years and has invested more than $500 million in capital in its Jacksonville corporate headquarters.
Cornerstone Awarded EDA Grant to Define Future Industry Sub-Clusters
Aggressively pursuing the continued success of Northeast Florida’s economic future, the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership and Northeast Florida Regional Council were awarded a $200,000 grant by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to initiate a target industry sub-cluster analysis. The study will help Cornerstone pinpoint and deepen understanding of the region’s best sub-cluster opportunities in response to changes in the global marketplace. Read More...
Funding for Campaign V is Almost Complete
The campaign to fund Cornerstone V is nearing completion and has been very successful. I want to thank all of our investors who have made the commitment to continue investing in Cornerstone. Without your help we would not be able to influence economic development in Northeast Florida.
Cornerstone has passed the 90 percent mark in fundraising, securing $10 million to fund economic development activities for the next five years. If you have not finalized your commitment I encourage you to do that today to help us reach the last 10 percent of our goal. Also, if you know of other companies that should be investing in Cornerstone let us know so we can get them involved. Learn more about the benefits of investment.
Thank you for your continued investment in Cornerstone.
Sincerely,
Scott Keith
Cornerstone Chair
Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns Counties
3 Independent Drive • Jacksonville Fl 32202 • 904.366.6639
bizrelo@jacksonvillechamber.org • www.expandinjax.com
Where the Future Leads®