Writer: Esteban Pages
3 min read February 2024 — The Palm Beach business community, key stakeholders, and community leaders gathered on Wednesday for the official release of the fifth anniversary edition of Invest: Palm Beach, published by Capital Analytics Associates.
Held at the Ben Hotel in the city of West Palm Beach, the conference highlighted insights and perspectives on the region’s business climate with more than 200 industry leaders in attendance. The event featured three panel discussions centered on the state of the economy, education and the future workforce, and transit-oriented development and transportation initiatives.
In her opening remarks, Capital Analytics’ President & CEO Abby Lindenberg provided an informed viewpoint of Palm Beach’s progress over the past 12 months and areas of opportunity that the public and private sectors are addressing collectively. “As we celebrate the fifth edition of our Invest: Palm Beach report, an interconnection of trends is driving what was once primarily a tourist haven into an economically diverse and attractive business destination,” said Lindenberg. “To keep the region’s momentum going forward, however, improving mobility and maintaining affordability for all residents will be key,” she added.
The opening panel, “State of the Economy: How will current trends transform the makeup of Palm Beach’s economy and businesses,” moderated by Sandra Ruiz, regional director of the SBDC at FAU, featured Andrew Duffell, president of Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, Kirstin Turner, senior managing director of RBC Wealth Management – Palm Beach, Gary Lesser, managing partner at Lesser, Lesser, Landy, & Smith and Carlos Diaz, principal, business consulting services at Kaufman Rossin as panelists. The discussion centered on Palm Beach’s fast-paced transformation. “We’ve had a tremendous wave of excitement in Palm Beach County across multiple sectors all at once, building a sense of pride and a desire to continue investing in this community,” said Duffell.
The second panel, “Prioritizing Education: How Palm Beach County’s leaders are preparing students for the workforce of the future,” featured Capital Analytics’ President and CEO Abby Lindenberg as moderator, leading the discussion with Ralph Maurer, head of school at Oxbridge Academy, Linda Trethewey, head of school at Rosarian Academy and Valery Forbes, dean of FAU College of Science. Consolidating a future-proof skilled talent pool was at the center of the discussion. “We have to make sure we continue to enhance the skills of our talent pool, all while ensuring the affordability of the market. Costs need to be aligned with our professionals’ income across the board. Thankfully, our local leaders have been aware of this issue for some time. We are not preparing our students for 2030, we are preparing them for 2060. We don’t even know what jobs are going to look like then. Instilling critical thinking, digital and technological competency, entrepreneurial spirit to persevere and lead is paramount as is a global awareness. They are not competing with the person next to them but with someone across the world,” said Trethewey.
The final panel, “Moving Forward: An in-depth look at transit-oriented development and infrastructure in Palm Beach County,” was conducted by Ryan Gandolfo, senior editor at Capital Analytics and gathered the voices of Valerie Neilson, executive director at Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency, Jonathan Hopkins, principal and founder of Smart Mobility Associates and Todd Bonlarron, assistant county administrator of Palm Beach County. Setting the scene for the future of the region’s mobility, Hopkins said, “We are a really smart county with several great businesses. Solutions to the problems we’ve discussed need funding. We need to be able to maximize housing capacity enabling people to be the closest to different transit options.”
Click here to register for the Invest: Palm Beach 2023-2024.
For more information, visit: https://www.capitalanalyticsassociates.com/
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About Capital Analytics & Invest: Palm Beach 2023-2024
Capital Analytics is an integrated media platform that produces in-depth business intelligence through its annual print and digital economic reviews, high-impact conferences and events and top-level interviews via its video platform, Invest:Insights.
Invest: Palm Beach 2023-2024 is an in-depth economic review of the key issues facing the region’s economy, featuring the exclusive insights of prominent regional leaders. Invest: Palm Beach 2023-2024 is produced with two goals in mind: 1) to provide comprehensive investment knowledge on Palm Beach County for local, national and international investors, and 2) to promote Palm Beach County as a place to invest and do business.
The report conducts a deep dive into the top economic sectors in the region, including real estate, construction, infrastructure, banking and finance, legal, healthcare, education and tourism. The publication is compiled from insights collected from more than 200 economic leaders, sector insiders, political leaders and heads of important institutions. It analyzes the leading challenges facing the market and uncovers emerging opportunities for investors, entrepreneurs and innovators.
For more information, contact:
Ryan Gandolfo
Senior Editor
305-523-9708
