News
Industry Cluster Anaysis of Polk County
Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009
Rodney Carson of CFDC, speaks at EPC100 January luncheon
Polk County and Central Florida have witnessed significant economic and demographic shifts over the last two decades. Following a series of adverse developments – including a downturn in the phosphate industry, several citrus crop freezes, and the closure of the Piper Aircraft manufacturing facility in Lakeland – Polk County has undertaken a series of initiatives to diversify its economic base. In recent years, the county has experienced a shift in employment toward higher-skilled and higher wage industries, while migrating away from traditional sectors such as agriculture and natural resources. Simultaneously, the county has seen continued population growth, steady growth in business establishments, and a significant drop in unemployment over the long term.
In support of its efforts for continued industry diversification and sustained economic growth, the Central Florida Development Council (CFDC), a public-private partnership charged with improving the county’s economic performance and prospects, contracted SRI International to conduct this research assignment to provide a foundation of information and analysis upon which to build sustainable cluster development strategies. Accordingly, this report presents detailed data regarding Polk County’s industry clusters, with comparisons to the regional economy encompassing Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, and Orange counties.
The report also presents analysis aimed at identifying potential target clusters for competitiveness enhancement and investment promotion activities. This analysis of potential target clusters considers economic synergies and competition at the regional, national, and/or global levels, in line with the importance of adopting an international perspective to assess the viability of economic activities in today’s interconnected world.
Click on links below to review full report:
http://www.cfdc.org/home/demographics/Industry-Cluster-Analysis.pdf
http://www.cfdc.org/home/demographics/Executive-Summary.pdf
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