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Industry Profiles
With a vibrant, diversified economy and high quality of life, Northern Palm Beach County offers an exceptional setting for business success. From world-class companies like Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) and Florida Power & Light (FPL), to entrepreneurial R&D start-ups and dynamic retail, tourism, health care and service firms, businesses of all sizes have found a welcome home in Northern Palm Beach County.
"In the past few years, this has become the place to be for many leading organizations, including Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Florida Institute," said Dennis LaBarbera, chair of the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, and financial advisor for Edward Jones in Jupiter. "And with our area's ideal climate, beautiful beaches, educational opportunities and terrific shopping and dining experiences, it's easy to see why residents say, 'We are living in paradise.'"
As the united voice of businesses in Northern Palm Beach County, the Chamber offers a number of member benefits and programs, including two nationally recognized art shows. "We at Edward Jones are proud of our association with our Chamber and look forward to a wonderful future," said LaBarbera.
Northern Palm Beach County offers business opportunities across a range of industries, starting with the life sciences. Well-established area companies include Biomet 3i, Inc. a dental implant manufacturer, and Anspach Companies, which makes surgical instruments. In Jupiter, Florida Atlantic University's John D. MacArthur campus is the home for Scripps Florida and Max Planck Florida Institute. (See related article.)
"In response to the emergence of the region's bioscience industry, the university is developing academic and research programs that take advantage of the presence of Scripps Florida on this campus," said Dr. Kristen Murtaugh, president of the 2,500-student MacArthur Campus. "As the campus grows, we will be able to provide higher education and continuing education opportunities for our community and workforce in this emerging field."
In addition to superior educational facilities, an advanced communications network is another key business asset. "At AT&T, our vision is to connect people with their world everywhere they live and work, and to do it better than anyone else," said Catherine McKenzie, area director-external affairs, AT&T Florida. "Delivering innovative services across the three screens that matter most - the mobile device, PC and TV - is a vision we are fulfilling. From the revolutionary iPhone 3G to our next-generation AT&T U-verse TV, we continue to break ground and deliver new solutions for consumers and businesses."
In the financial sector, Northern Palm Beach is served by leading banks and professional firms like RSM McGladrey, which provides accounting, tax and business consulting. Together with McGladrey & Pullen LLP, a partner-owned CPA firm, the companies rank as the fifth largest U.S. provider of accounting, tax and business consulting services.
Seacoast National Bank recently celebrated its fifth year in Palm Beach County with four regional offices. "Our growth has been phenomenal, especially in the Palm Beach Gardens corridor," said Greg Leach, president for the bank's Palm Beach Region. "We believe that personal service is still the heart of banking for both commercial and retail customers."
Attorney Mike Mitrione, shareholder, Gunster Yoakley and Stewart, P.A., explained that full-service legal support is readily available to help area companies deal with issues that arise in the course of business. "Our Chamber also plays an important role in looking out for the interests of Northern Palm Beach County businesses," he added.
Turning to the health care sector, leading providers include Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) with 163 acute-care beds, and the Pavilion, a 120-bed facility specializing in rehabilitation, skilled nursing and long-term care. JMC is a major employer with more than 1,500 employees, 490 physicians and 1,100 volunteers.
Fully accredited by the Joint Commission and affiliated with the University of Miami, JMC provides a broad range of services, including cancer care, orthopedics and minimally invasive vascular procedures. "Jupiter Medical Center continues to set the standard for clinical quality and personalized health care, combining cutting-edge technology with compassionate care and the human touch," CEO Paul Dell Uomo said.
To meet the needs of the growing community, JMC has invested $10 million to expand its emergency department and $4.2 million to add a new 8-bed Progressive Care Unit. Future developments include the installation of the cancer-fighting Varian Trilogy linear accelerator.
In the hospitality sector, the oceanfront Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa recently received the prestigious AAA Four-Diamond Award and a "Green Lodging" property designation by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The 168-room beachfront resort features two restaurants, spa and salon, lounge, billiard room, fitness center, oceanfront pool area and lighted tennis court. With 12,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space, the property specializes in corporate groups, business meetings, destination weddings and gala social events.
Area sports fans can enjoy World Series champions - Florida Marlins (2003) and the St. Louis Cardinals (2006) - during their spring training games at Roger Dean Stadium in Abacoa. In the summer, residents can watch the Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals at the 7,000-seat stadium, which also hosts youth leagues, concerts and corporate events.
"Spring training alone has a $45 million economic impact on our community," explained Joe Pinto, general manager, Roger Dean Stadium. "And we have a full calendar of baseball tournaments and activities throughout the year."
Nearby is Abacoa Town Center, a 91,400-square-foot Mediterranean-style, open-air shopping center that features such retailers and restaurants as Cook's Inc., Style So Chic, Angry Moon Cigars, Rooney's Public House, Masa's Sagami, JJ Muggs, Jumby Bay Island Grill and Christine Lee's. "With new stores opening monthly and weekly planned events, Abacoa has exceeded our company's promise of making places better in its revival of Jupiter," said Duane Stiller, president, Woolbright Development in Boca Raton.
Summing up the overall appeal of Northern Palm Beach County, Barb Ross-Kozlow, district sales manager, The Keyes Company Realtors, said, "Beautiful beaches, excellent golf courses, sports fishing, fine restaurants and shopping are just the beginning. This is a safe, friendly environment with a strong and active community. All in all, a great place for anyone to live, work and play."
SCRIPPS FLORIDA AND MAX PLANCK FLORIDA INSTITUTE: A 'DREAM TEAM' FOR BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH
Scripps Florida's new 350,000-square-foot, three-building complex on Florida Atlantic University's MacArthur Campus, is scheduled for completion in early 2009. Meanwhile, more than 240 Scripps Florida researchers and support staff, in temporary facilities, are already making important biomedical discoveries. Recently, Scripps Florida scientists discovered a promising new target for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease, which affects an estimated 4.5 million people in the United States.
"Scripps Florida is using cutting-edge technologies to speed the drug discovery and development process for new medications to treat a variety of conditions, including cancer, diabetes, and other autoimmune and infectious diseases," vice president of scientific operations Harry Orf said.
Much of the work at Scripps Florida is dedicated to basic biomedical research, which focuses on understanding the fundamental processes of life. To further that goal, Scripps Florida has invested in new technology, such as a High Throughput Screening (HTS) system to accelerate the process of discovering new drugs. Scripps Florida is also collaborating with researchers within Florida and throughout the United States on a wide range of biomedical projects.
Now, the Max Planck Florida Institute is preparing to join Scripps Florida on the FAU campus. The Max Planck Society, Germany's largest research institution, is planning a 100,000-square-foot facility that eventually would employ 135 people. The Munich-based society - named for Max Planck, the father of quantum physics - now has 78 institutes, laboratories and research units in Germany and three elsewhere in Europe.
Peter Gruss, president of the Max Plank Society, said the prospect of close cooperation on a shared campus with Scripps is the primary reason for the Max Planck Society's interest in Palm Beach County. Gruss continued, "Scripps and Max Planck are a dream team for innovative basic research in biomedicine."
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS RESOURCES
Business Development Board
310 Evernia St.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 835-1008
www.bdb.org
Florida Department of Revenue
West Palm Beach Service Center
2468 Metrocentre Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 640-2800
www.myflorida.com/dor
Economic Council of Palm Beach County
1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 950
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 684-1551
www.economiccouncilpbc.org
Enterprise Florida
Tallahassee, FL - (850) 298-6620
Orlando, FL - (407) 956-5600
Miami, FL - (305) 808-3660
Florida Business Development Corporation
6801 Lake Worth Road, Suite 209
Lake Worth, FL 33467
(561) 433-0233
www.fbdc.net
Florida Chamber of Commerce
136 S. Bronough St.
Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 521-1200
www.flchamber.com
Florida Department of State - Division of Corporations
Clifton Building
2661 Executive Center Circle
Tallahassee, FL 32301
www.sunbiz.org
Florida Department of Revenue
Division of Unemployment Tax
Employer Information Center
5050 W. Tennessee St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(800) 482-8293
Florida New Hire Reporting Center
P.O. Box 6500
Tallahassee, FL 32314
(888) 854-4791
www.fl-newhire.com
Florida Small Business Development Center
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Road, Building T-11
Boca Raton, FL 33431
(561) 297-1140
(800) 801-6250
www.fausbdc.com
Internal Revenue Service - Forms
1700 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 616-2002
(800) 829-3676
www.irs.gov
SCORE - Service Corps of Retired Executives (A Unit of the SBA)
500 Australian Ave. S., Suite 115
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 833-1672
www.wpbscore.org
U.S. Small Business Administration
District Office
100 S. Biscayne Blvd., 7th Floor
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 536-5521
www.sba.gov
Workforce Alliance
1951-D N. Military Trail
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
(561) 340-1060
(800) 556-JOBS
www.pbcalliance.org
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