Our Economy is finally on the mend -

Looking out over the Bay and all the natural beauty our community has to offer on the way back from the Piggly Wiggly today it dawned on me that a lot is about to happen in our community. Most people are not aware that many companies are looking hard and heavy at moving here and beyond that what it has taken to influence them to even consider us. So I thought I would write this letter to the editor in hopes it would be published for all to see.

Over the years we have argued and disagreed on many issues from garbage to taxes. A metamorphous has occurred recently that I have seen and I would like to bring it to your attention.

Here is the one thing I think we can all agree on and where politics does not play a role, we need jobs for our community so our economy can work.

There are a multitude of good sound reasons why we need jobs and the need to exert the effort to get them however it is not that simple as I have learned.

Getting the jobs is where not only politics is extremely involved but also an enormous amount of hard work and it is not for the faint of heart as I discovered.

So how do we do this? How do we get jobs for our community? Do we continue about our daily lives and hope one day that some company will knock on our door and say they want to relocate here and spend millions of dollars to help us?  Not a chance.

Think about it like this; you can not exist very long like an isolationist ignoring the rest of the world. Remember our history when China tried that which resulted in failure? Check them out now. Maybe a little too over zealous in some aspects but they have come a long way in improving their economy. We do not want to be like China but you can see that living in the dark does not last very long and that is what this letter is about.

For a long time this has been a Mill town totally dependent on the mill and the jobs it created. Not only jobs directly in the mill but support jobs outside the mill it created by necessity. Arizona Chemical is only one example of this but there are many and some of you reading this probably worked for either the mill or a support company for the mill. Not to mention, food service, hotels, grocery and other essential businesses needed to sustain the people who had the jobs. 

So you see, when an existing business expands or a new business comes to Gulf County it has a "ripple" effect to our economy and that is how it works. Now that you are an expert let me take you down the road for a glimpse of what is required to get a business to expand or relocate here.

First, lets talk about existing businesses after all, they are here and deserve our attention first as they have already made a commitment to our community. Shouldn't we help them all we can? Absolutely and without question.

First, we need to determine what their needs are and if they really want to expand their business and are willing to make the effort. The most obvious closest resource is Tyndall AFB and we are just beginning to make them aware that Gulf County exists. Introducing our local businesses to Tyndall and competing with Bay County’s long established "hold" and almost exclusivity with the base is the challenge. Did you know that when you leave Tyndall AFB that you can reach Gulf County quicker than if you lived in Lynn Haven? In addition, I am sure you know the obvious difference between the lifestyle of living in this family community versus Bay County. We have plenty of room in our school system for additional children and our infrastructure for water, sewer and other utilities is in place to handle the impact of the growth we need. In other words, we are ready and capable so let's get with the program.

This is just one way we can assist existing businesses but there are many more like these but my main point is we have competition. Please note that even with existing businesses we have to deal with competitors such as Bay County. Bay County has been at this longer than we have and they were first at the trough but we are edging our way beside them and I think they are willing to share.  We do not really want to view them as a competitor or Franklin County for that matter because all the local counties need to work together as a "Region" to share resources and build our economies.

Regardless, they are somewhat a competitor and are looking out for themselves as we would. However, we can accomplish so much more by working together in lieu of "Standing Alone."

Let me explain a little about this.

Look at some of our other resources, the newly revised and improved Port, the Canal, the railroad, the timber and undeveloped land and other natural resources. Unfortunately, we do not have a major airport but guess who does? Franklin County would probably like to use our Port and Bay might like some of our other resources. So we work together to accomplish our joint initial goal to increase our economy here in Gulf County. Now take a moment and think about the politics that must be involved with that. Wow!  Not an overnight sensation.

Obtaining a new business from out of state is much more challenging than anything imaginable.  We are up against incentives that other states and communities create to insure they are the selected location and not us. It is a fight for our lives and we must be prepared. We are fortunate to have a great EDC led by the most experienced and qualified Dr. Ed Nelson who has jump started us to a position were we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Without professional guidance we would not be looking at the opportunities we have now.  Most importantly, I know that everyone associated with the EDC has their heart in the right place and is giving their valuable time and effort to improve our economy. It is time you knew about all this and understood a little about the challenges that we face on a daily basis trying to improve our economy.

Now I know some of you might blush when you here this from me as I seem to have developed somewhat of a reputation as a political activist of sorts but I am telling you all three of our county’s government elected officials understand this need and are working with your EDC in positive ways to improve the economy. The City of Wewahitchka, the City of Port St Joe and Gulf County Commissioners are facing new economic challenges requiring them to think outside the box to offer incentives to these prospective companies and hopefully we will start seeing the results of their efforts in addition to your Economic Development Council.

Again, this is just a glimpse into the effort made by everyone involved and I hope it has helped in some small way for you to know that there are a lot of good people working diligently to help our economy.

Respectfully,

Jim Garth

Vice Chair

Gulf County EDC