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We Bring It Here. Why Don’t We Make More of It Here?
Summary
Manatee County has an opportunity to create more good-paying jobs by building on the businesses, infrastructure, commodities, and transportation advantages we already have. Rather than simply moving materials through the county, we should look for opportunities to manufacture more products here, help successful local companies expand, attract complementary businesses, and create the skilled workforce those industries need. By turning more of what comes through Manatee County into products, careers, and opportunities, we can build a stronger local economy while giving residents more opportunities to work closer to home.
If we want Manatee County to create more career opportunities, we need to think beyond simply recruiting companies to move here. We should also look at what is already moving through our community, the businesses that are already succeeding here, and the advantages that make Manatee County an attractive place to do business. Our location, port, highways, growing population, and access to major markets give us an opportunity to do something much more ambitious: build an economy in which more of the products and materials that enter our region are transformed into finished products here, creating jobs and opportunities for local residents.
That idea builds on something I discussed in my recent article about the future of SeaPort Manatee. A successful port is not simply a place where ships unload cargo and trucks take it somewhere else. The real economic opportunity comes from the businesses that locate around the port because they need access to those materials, transportation networks, suppliers, customers, and international markets. When those businesses begin attracting other businesses, we create an economic ecosystem that can generate jobs far beyond the port itself.
We Already Have Many of the Pieces
Consider aluminum. Manatee County receives significant quantities of aluminum, and much of it is ultimately distributed elsewhere. That raises an interesting question: instead of simply moving aluminum through our community, what products could we manufacture here using that material?
The possibilities are broader than they might initially appear. Aluminum can be used in roofing, gutters, lanai and pool-screen systems, automotive components, marine products, transportation equipment, HVAC applications, and countless other manufactured goods. We already have businesses and skilled workers in many of these industries, which means the opportunity may not be to invent an entirely new economy, but to build upon capabilities that are already here.
The same thinking can apply to other commodities entering the region. If ships are bringing in other raw materials, we should be asking what products could be manufactured locally and then shipped to customers elsewhere. If ships leaving our port are headed to markets in the Caribbean, South America, or other international destinations, we should also be asking what those markets are buying that could potentially be produced right here.
That is a very different approach to economic development than simply asking, “What company can we convince to move here?”
Build Around Companies That Are Already Successful
We don’t have to start from scratch. Manatee County already has companies that demonstrate the potential for advanced manufacturing and skilled employment.
Pierce Manufacturing is a great example. Its Bradenton operation is expanding production capacity, adding a 185,000-square-foot facility and investing in improvements to production, training, material handling, and technology. Pierce has also added hundreds of U.S. jobs as part of its broader expansion and continues to hire.
That tells us something important about Manatee County. Manufacturing isn’t some theoretical possibility for our community. It is already happening, and successful manufacturers are investing here.
We should be asking what we can do to help companies like Pierce expand, and what other companies might want to locate nearby because those capabilities already exist. A manufacturer needs welders, machinists, mechanics, engineers, parts suppliers, logistics companies, maintenance contractors, technology providers, and many other businesses. As the manufacturing base grows, the opportunities for those supporting businesses grow with it.
That is how an economic ecosystem develops.
The Opportunity Goes Beyond Traditional Manufacturing
I also see opportunities in industries that combine manufacturing with technology.
Jabil, which has a major presence in the Tampa Bay region, provides a useful example of what this kind of economy can look like. The company operates in areas including communications, networking, defense, aerospace, power systems, and vehicle electronics, with capabilities ranging from engineering and prototyping to precision machining and full-scale manufacturing. Its St. Petersburg operation alone provides advanced electro-mechanical manufacturing and other specialized capabilities.
Manatee County has the connectivity and regional access to participate in this type of economy. We should be thinking about companies involved in networking equipment, medical devices, automotive components, marine technology, HVAC equipment, and other specialized manufacturing where proximity to transportation and growing markets matters.
We should also think about the workforce needed to support those industries. Manufacturing jobs today are not limited to the traditional factory positions many people picture. They include welding, robotics, electrical work, machining, engineering, maintenance, computer-controlled manufacturing, logistics, quality control, and other skilled occupations that can provide strong careers without requiring every worker to leave the county to find opportunity.
Give Local Businesses a Reason to Grow Here
Economic development should not always mean convincing an outside company to relocate.
Sometimes the best opportunity is helping a company that is already here become bigger.
That means understanding what successful local businesses need in order to expand. Do they need additional industrial space? Better transportation connections? Skilled workers? Training programs? Reliable utilities? Faster permitting? Suppliers located nearby? Access to capital? County government should be asking those questions directly.
A company that already has employees, customers, suppliers, and a successful operation in Manatee County has already made the decision that our community works for its business. If we can help that company expand, the economic benefit can be much greater than simply adding another employer.
The same principle applies to attracting companies that complement businesses we already have. If we have manufacturers producing fire apparatus, marine products, automotive components, or other specialized equipment, we should be looking for suppliers and related companies that can locate nearby. That creates more jobs while making the companies already here more competitive.
More Local Jobs Can Also Mean Less Traffic
There is another reason this strategy matters to everyday residents.
Economic development and transportation policy are not separate issues. They are connected.
If you live in Manatee County but have to drive to Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, or another community every day to find a good-paying job, you’re contributing to the traffic that all of us experience. If we can create more high-quality employment opportunities closer to where people live, we can reduce some of those long-distance commutes while giving residents more choices about where they work.
That is one of the ideas behind my previous article, Live, Work and Play: How Economic Development Can Reduce Traffic and Help Preserve Rural Areas. Growth is coming, but we have choices about what that growth looks like. We can build a community where people increasingly have to leave it to find opportunity, or we can build an economy that gives more residents the opportunity to work here.
We Have an Opportunity to Think Differently
Manatee County has many of the ingredients needed for a stronger manufacturing and technology economy. We have a deepwater port, major highways, access to growing markets, an established business community, available industrial capabilities, and a workforce that can develop the skills these industries require.
The question is whether we will connect those pieces strategically.
I believe we should look at every commodity entering our community and ask whether there is an opportunity to create additional value before it leaves. We should look at every successful manufacturer and ask how we can help it expand. We should identify the suppliers and related businesses that could locate nearby, and we should work with our schools, colleges, and training organizations to prepare residents for the careers those companies will need.
We don’t have to become something we’re not. We can build on what we already have.
We bring the materials here. We have the transportation infrastructure to move them. We have successful businesses that have already demonstrated that manufacturing can thrive here. We have access to international markets and a growing population that creates demand for products and services.
So why shouldn’t we make more of those products here?
If we can turn more of what passes through Manatee County into products, businesses, careers, and opportunities for our residents, we won’t simply be moving goods through our community. We’ll be building an economy that works for the people who live here.
Key Takeaways
- Manatee County already has many of the assets needed for manufacturing growth.
- Local companies can become the foundation for larger business ecosystems.
- Imported materials such as aluminum could support more local manufacturing.
- Manufacturing growth can create skilled, well-paying career opportunities.
- More local jobs can reduce long-distance commuting and traffic.
- Economic development should focus on expanding successful businesses already here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should Manatee County focus on manufacturing?
Manufacturing can create skilled, well-paying jobs while building on the county’s port, transportation infrastructure, existing businesses, and access to growing markets.
What does Manatee County already have that could support manufacturing?
The county has SeaPort Manatee, major highways, established manufacturers, a growing workforce, and access to domestic and international markets.
Why is aluminum an opportunity?
Large quantities of aluminum already move through the region, creating opportunities to manufacture products such as roofing, gutters, lanai and pool-screen components, automotive parts, and marine products locally.
Should Manatee County focus only on attracting new companies?
No. Helping successful companies that already operate here expand can create jobs while strengthening the suppliers, contractors, and other businesses that support them.
What is an economic ecosystem?
It is a network of businesses that support one another, such as manufacturers, suppliers, logistics companies, engineers, welders, mechanics, technology providers, and training programs.
How can job creation help with traffic?
Creating more good-paying jobs closer to where residents live can give people more opportunities to work locally and reduce the need for long daily commutes.
Related Articles
The Future of SeaPort Manatee: Building an Economy That Works for Everyone
SeaPort Manatee can become more than a place where cargo passes through by attracting manufacturers and other businesses that build upon the port’s economic advantages.
Live, Work, and Play: How Economic Development Can Reduce Traffic and Help Preserve Rural Areas
Creating more local employment opportunities can reduce long-distance commuting while helping Manatee County manage growth and preserve the places that make the community special.
Is Manatee County a Net Exporter of Labor?
This article examines whether too many Manatee County residents leave the community for work and why creating more high-paying local jobs matters.
Are Manatee County Residents Really Getting Ahead?
This article looks at whether economic growth is translating into better opportunities and a stronger quality of life for the people who live here.
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Together, we can create more opportunities closer to home while preparing the next generation for success.