3 min read April 2024 –In an interview with Invest:, Rebekah Arthur, president and CEO of Seminole County Chamber, talked about the advantages that the Greater Orlando region offers to businesses to relocate and expand. She also underlined how the chamber works with county and local officers, its members, and the community to create connections and foster regional economic development.
What have been the most important contributions of the Seminole County Chamber to the region in the past year?
Over the past year, we have added a lot to our offering for businesses and the community. At the end of last year, we announced a partnership to offer EV chargers to our members at little to no cost. We are ramping up that program as the demand for that continues behind a growing demand for EVs. We also want to ensure that we are stepping outside the traditional chamber offering and adding services that businesses need or that come at a high cost. For instance, we announced a program to help companies to recruit and retain employees called Welcome to Seminole. It provides concierge-style service as potential new hires consider moving into the area and for their first year in the community.
What advantages does the Welcome to Seminole program offer to the members of the Seminole County Chamber?
In the past, chambers would welcome new businesses and employees with a bunch of information about the community. Welcome to Seminole brings all of that together digitally and provides employees with resources and a concierge service that helps them get acclimated to the community. Through Welcome to Seminole, we help companies onboard new hires by providing tours and a dedicated concierge service throughout their first year in the community. If they need help finding schools for their children, a daycare, a dentist, a dog groomer, or any other essentials, we can help them throughout that process. We also facilitate meetups in Seminole County for new residents in the program to meet other people who also just relocated to the area.
What does the chamber of the future look like?
That depends on the community. We say, “When you have met one chamber, you have met one chamber.” Since all communities are unique, we are all different. Chambers need to evolve as the needs of industries and their communities evolve. Chambers excel in fostering connections and facilitating relationship-building, a strength that cannot be replaced. We are still making connections and providing resources, albeit we may be providing different resources compared to 20 or 30 years ago. Additionally, the Seminole County Chamber is strong in innovation and incubation. We partner with incubators to identify and support emerging industries within our community.
What makes Seminole County an ideal location for business expansion or relocation?
For starters, Seminole County is beautiful. We exemplify Florida’s natural resources. Companies are not only looking at having enough building space or taking over office space but are prioritizing employee needs and wants. Seminole County offers several advantages, including ample land, high-quality schools, proximity to beaches and theme parks, and affordable housing. While housing affordability remains a challenge, particularly given the rapid growth of the Greater Orlando area, options are still available here.
Additionally, our local and county governments partner well with businesses. They actively collaborate with businesses to attract suitable enterprises for the community. The presence of state colleges and the University of Central Florida (UCF) provides a talented workforce that provides added value to businesses seeking relocation.
What are the core topics on Seminole County Chamber’s advocacy agenda?
We recently launched a new appropriations process for our members. It allows our members to submit the paperwork and information for the appropriations requests sent to the state this year. The chamber put together letters of support and then sent them to Tallahassee to help our members through that process. Appropriations can be hard to navigate, especially if it is the first time businesses apply, so helping with that was a big advocacy step.
How does the Seminole County Chamber foster relationships with partners, the broader public, and regional stakeholders?
Here’s one of the many ways we do this: working closely with Seminole County economic development and with seven municipalities that are our chamber members. Many of those municipalities have representatives on our Economic Development Committee. The Economic Development Committee visits the community every month and tours a business to learn about their model. That helps us better understand their needs and connect them to the right resources. We also work with municipalities to connect those businesses to regional resources. Those efforts are helping us grow regionally.
What industries or business sectors do you expect to grow within the Greater Orlando region over the next few years?
Technology is a huge focus. Seminole County has been known for emerging technologies related to fintech over the past couple of years. Plus, we are seeing a lot of innovation. For instance, a local company has developed a water-soluble plastic-like material that disappears over time. We are seeing a lot of environmental innovation in Seminole County.
Additionally, Central Florida is the worldwide hub for simulation, modeling, and training. Most people in that $60 billion industry live in Seminole County and support our local economy. No other community in the world has that. Moreover, many other innovations are coming out of the UCF incubator and the incubators that belong to the county and Seminole State College. They are creating entirely new industries.
What are the top priorities of the Seminole County Chamber for the near term?
As we continue to grow, we focus on the workforce and cost of living. We launched the Welcome to Seminole program to ensure that we not only support the workforce that is already here but also look out for the future needs of our businesses.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.seminolebusiness.org/
