A Once In A Generation Opportunity

I’ve made no secret of my belief that the relocation of the airport has set in motion a chain of events that have created a once in a generation opportunity for Bay County and Northwest Florida. This belief formed the foundation of my presentation to the RACC last week.

While I briefly mentioned the opportunities for environmental protection and better air service, I left those topics to the experts. Instead, I focused on the economic development opportunities.

Using data and analysis originally developed by Dr. Hank Fishkind, I made the point that the Bay County region is in much the same position that the Ft. Myers/Naples region was before the opening of the Southwest Florida Regional Airport.

In the 25 or so years since that airport opened, the Ft. Myers/Naples region has prospered economically, with strong job growth and a healthy regional economy.

An important aspect of the Ft. Myers model reinforced by Mike Bell was vision and implementation of truly regional airport plan. We need to step out of the box we’re in and begin thinking about the new airport as the Northwest Florida Regional Airport or some similar construct.

The afternoon break-out sessions explored four major topics: marketing and branding, economic development, destination draw, and Regional Airport Commerce Council organization and task force development. I’ll provide more information about the ideas that came from these sessions in a subsequent entry.