Despite national economic uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, Jacksonville, Florida, has proven resilient, more than halfway through 2020. This year to date, JAXUSA Partnership has announced 15 new projects, totaling nearly 2,500 jobs and over $856 million in capital investment. More than half of these projects and 1,600 of the jobs were announced since the beginning of the pandemic. Capital investment as of September 2020 is already 142 percent greater than in all of 2019 and new jobs in the region announced this year have also already exceeded the total number of jobs announced last year.
“I am proud to see continued confidence in the Jacksonville region from businesses and corporate leadership despite the challenges our region and the entire country have dealt with so far this year,” says Aundra Wallace, president of JAXUSA Partnership. “Every corporate commitment made in the region this year will create more jobs and a stronger economy for our residents and businesses.”
The projects announced in 2020 span industries from advanced manufacturing to health care technology to aerospace, encompassing expansions and relocations. New projects announced this year include:
- Made in Space, a California-founded advanced space manufacturing company, this year relocated its headquarters to a new 19,000 sq. ft. facility on Jacksonville’s Southside with an expansion that will bring $3 million in capital investment to the region.
- Jacksonville-based health care technology company Forcura will create 115 new jobs and investing $2.15 million in a new corporate headquarters building, maintaining Jacksonville as its HQ location, where the company was founded in 2012.
- Amazon will build its sixth distribution facility in the region with a capital investment of $150 million, creating 600 new jobs.
- National mortgage lender and servicer NewRez will expand in Jacksonville, making the city one of their enterprise core locations. The company will hire an additional 100 people in Jacksonville, more than doubling its existing operations.
- Global IT consulting firm Synergy Technologies will add 300 new jobs in downtown Jacksonville with a major expansion.
- West Virginia-based plastics manufacturer Flying W Plastics plans to have a new facility in Northwest Jacksonville. The company will invest $8 million in the facility and create 28 new jobs.
- H&M Metal Processing, an advanced manufacturing company based in Ohio, will invest $3 million in real estate, renovations, and custom-built processing equipment for a 35,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in downtown Jacksonville.
- Collins Aerospace, a manufacturer of technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry, will create more than 100 jobs and invest $10.6 million into a new 140,000 sq. ft. facility in Jacksonville.
- Commercial Metals Company will invest $30 million to enhance their Jacksonville facility, creating 10 additional jobs.
- Eagle LNG Partners tripled down on Jacksonville with the announcement of a new $500 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility to cover nearly 200 acres on the city’s Northside. This will be the company’s third facility in the region.
- International financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald will open an office in Jacksonville with plans to create 80 high-wage jobs and contribute $1.3 million in capital investment.
- ESG Aerosystems Inc., an aerospace manufacturing company established in Jacksonville by German-based parent company ESG GmbH, will create 25 new jobs and invest $200,000 in capital investment.
- FON, Inc., a business specializing in Fiber Optic Cables for the defense and aerospace industries, will create an additional 22 jobs due to the company’s growth.
- Wayfair will expand its presence, creating 600 additional jobs in the region.
- Lowes will expand its cross-dock operation, hiring an additional 75 employees.
Visit www.JAXUSA.org for more information.