Development duo launches council to boost South County

About 40 people gathered Feb. 11 at the South Shore Business Park to see what Fred Jacobsen and Jim Hosler were up to. For weeks they'd been sending out e-mail messages announcing the formation of a new group aimed at bringing new business to South Shore.

Thumbing through a pile of county plans developed over the years, Hosler, managing director of the new South Hillsborough Economic Development Council, said the time for study is over.

"There's a glut of preapproved industrial sites in South Shore," Hosler said. "And they are all shovel-ready.

"It won't be the I-4 or I-95 corridors that will see the most growth when the economy turns around. It will be I-75."

Case in point: Ryan Companies US Inc. built the first of some 20 to 25 buildings approved for 4 million square feet of industrial development at 30th Street, north of College Avenue. The Feb. 11 meeting took place in that building, as a way to boost community awareness of the park.

"This (park) will generate $5 million to $6 million in annual taxes, but more importantly create approximately 10,000 new jobs," said Ryan Vice President Gary Bauler.

While some view the council's mission as a duplication of efforts, others see it as yet another tool in South Shore's marketing arsenal.

"My first thought was 'Why do we need another economic council?'" said Dee Williams, president of the Sun City Center Republican Club. "I always thought the chamber's role was to attract new business.

"I also wanted to know how (their mission) would affect the community plans already formulated and approved. From what Jim Hosler said, it would not.

"Honestly, I don't know what I think," she said. "But if they can bring some jobs here, I would welcome it."

The chambers offered mixed reactions.

Apollo Beach Chamber President Greg Conley said he initially was a little concerned that the council's new role might compete with the chamber's responsibility. But he came away from the meeting feeling the council could be a useful resource, he said.

"As long as they work with the chambers and local real estate offices, then it could be a win-win-win for everyone," he said.

Conley's counterpart at the Ruskin-SouthShore chamber, Melanie Morrison, said bringing new business to the area is actually part of the chamber's mission statement.

"In fact, during the past year, we've been very proactive in letting the county know we want to be part of all economic development in southern Hillsborough," she said. "We're on their radar now. We're all for development."

Hosler said reactions like these are not unexpected.

"It's a common misconception that chambers do economic development," he said. "They primarily provide networking opportunities and educational efforts for their members; they don't actively market and recruit new business. They're not set up for the long-term effort that's needed.

"What we're doing is similar to what the former Tampa Committee of 100 did when they separated from the Tampa chamber and became the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.

"SHED is bringing economic development in the South County into the 21st century," he said. "There is no turf issue, no need for consternation."

Hosler and Jacobsen, the council's marketing director, have developed a Web site, www.shedcouncil.com, to encourage others to get involved. According to the site, SHED is "a virtual place where real people can come together online and through occasional meetings to share resources and work together for the economic wellbeing of the South County. We aim to send out to the surrounding world the message of the economic advantages to locating and relocating their businesses in this area."

To learn about SHED, visit the Web site or call (813) 298-6028 or (813) 600-0300. A workshop regarding the group is scheduled for March 11 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the SouthShore Regional Library, 15816 Beth Shields Way, in Ruskin.