Enterprise Florida president tours county

The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce reported to Historic City News that they recently welcomed Enterprise Florida President Gray Swoope to town for an economic development mission tour.

“As president of Enterprise Florida, Mr. Swoope is one of our state’s most influential leaders in the work of attracting new businesses to Florida,” said St. Johns County Chamber President Kirk Wendland. “His field tour of several available relocation sites and visit to the Rulon Company’s state-of-the-art facility demonstrates St. Johns County is ready for business.”

The tour, in cooperation with the St. Johns County Commission, the St. Johns County Industrial Development Authority and Northeast Florida Regional Airport Authority, enabled Swoope to meet with area economic development leaders at the Chamber’s headquarters in St. Augustine before touring relocation sites and the Rulon Co. at World Commerce Park.

Rulon Co. is an Enterprise Florida success story. They develop products for world-class interiors; including corporate buildings and cultural centers in the United States and around the world.

The company selected St. Augustine as its headquarters in 2006, bringing 80 employees and $11 million in capital to the area. Today, the company employs more than 130 people.

“Economic development is a team sport. To attract new businesses to St. Johns County and to help local companies expand, we believe it is important that key state leaders like Mr. Swoope have first-hand awareness of our County’s selling points and site resources,” said Norm Gregory, vice president of economic development for the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. “Working with the Department of Economic Opportunity under Mr. Swoope’s leadership as well as our partnerships, we are confident in our ability to create jobs and continue to drive economic development in St. Johns County.”