Dana Jones, President, Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
In an interview with Invest:, president of Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Dana Jones talked about the chamber’s contributions to the regional economic landscape. These initiatives have bolstered regional economic growth significantly, she said. The chamber remains focused on workforce development and attracting new industries to sustain economic vitality in the coming years.
What have been the chamber’s key contributions and impact on the region in the last year?
We recently announced a $2 million expansion at CertainTeed, our gypsum plant, which will add over 100 new employees. Georgia Pacific had an expansion project adding a new papermaking complex completed a few years ago to the tune of $600 million and 80 new jobs. The economic impact overflow reaches regionally. Another key win impacting the region was the combined cycle facility at Seminole Electric. The project was completed in 2023 with a $700 million dollar investment. In the tourism arena we garner national attention for the region hosting the top 100 anglers in the world for the televised Bassmaster Elite event.
What are some of the key advantages for businesses in the region?
We have available land and sites while other surrounding counties are becoming more limited in their available sites for industrial use. This gives us an advantage. In addition to land, we also have an abundance of water, which is another advantage.
What challenges have you had to overcome at the chamber in recent years?
We are all facing similar issues, especially when they are so large they manifest through the business community, namely the labor shortage. It’s no secret that some businesses have closed because there are not enough employees. The unemployment rate is low, and jobs are plentiful, but the jobs available don’t match the skills available in the labor market.
One of our major areas of focus within our strategic plan is on that issue. We are looking into how we can expand our own workforce by implementing programs like advanced manufacturing that we have in our high school and our college, so they feed right into the workforce. Our school district has expanded workforce development programs, and our goal is to further that so we can make people aware that if they are not college bound there is a certification program available for them. Building Construction Academies will soon be at all high schools, for example.
How does the chamber help in attracting tourism?
On behalf of Putnam County, we provide tourism services and administer the Tourist Development Council. We actively solicit large events that bring profitable tourism to get the overnight stays that contribute to the hospitality industry. We have really put a big focus on outdoor tourism. This push started during the pandemic and post-pandemic. Statistics and research show that people are coming to Florida to get outside and to do the things they haven’t done before. That includes things like skydiving, horseback riding and kayaking, and we have all those things, making us a perfect environment for that kind of tourism that is popular.
What upcoming projects are you excited about?
I am excited at the launch of our capital campaign. If successful, we will be able to do the programs we have dreamed of to help our businesses prosper and will be able to tackle some of the historic challenges that the county has been facing.
What are your near-term priorities for the chamber and the county?
We want to attract new jobs, ideally between 500-700 good-paying jobs with benefits. Our goals are really structured around workforce development initiatives that will keep our students here at home, allowing them to go into better paying jobs rather than facing low-skill jobs that offer few benefits. We have many students who don’t go on to college and who have no idea where to go. Being part of the educational tool to change that will go a long way.
What is the impact of twice being named Chamber of the Year?
This was indeed quite an honor and a big win for our chamber and community. We have a great professional team with great volunteers who really want to participate to get things done. The award is a qualifying phase, followed by a lengthy application, a synopsis and personal interview. We are also a five-star accredited chamber, which is significant as there are only five other chambers in the state with that level of accreditation. The processes to obtain these recognitions strengthens our organization and gives us validity on our service to the community.
Winning the award in 2014 was huge, having come off rough years from the recession so it was an amazing win for the whole community. The announcements of the last few years have been great as well. I am just overall proud of what the chamber has been able to accomplish during my time here.
