There is something about Sarasota County that seems to be attracting businesses and residents at a record pace. Even during a year when the nation reeled from a slow economy and the tragedy of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, this bountiful area has experienced record relocations, the addition of more than 470 jobs and millions of dollars in new capital investments. One particular portion of the county that appears to be red hot is the Interstate 75 Corridor that is attracting most of the new development. But even in the southern reaches, Venice has seen some industrial expansions and more employment than previous years. A good example of the kinds of companies that are moving or expanding here follows. But there's a lot more to the economic development story in Sarasota and you can read about it in the following pages:

President and CEO Carlos Valerias holds labora-tory produced diamonds that sell for roughly 60 percent less than natural ones. The diamonds are based on Russian technology.

SARASOTA COUNTY'S NEXT GREAT EXPORT could be diamonds. No, not the kind that come out of diamond mines of course, but the cultured or "laboratory produced" type that the Gemesis Corporation recently began producing in its new Lakewood Ranch digs.

By consolidating its Longboat Key corporate headquarters and Gainesville production facility into a single, 35,000-square-foot building in Sarasota County, Gemesis hopes to speed up production times and meet the rising demand for its unique gems.

According to Carter Clarke, Gemesis' cochairman, it's all in the name of transitioning Gemesis from research and development to producer and marketer of the products, which will be sold to jewelry manufacturers and retailers. The man-made diamonds sell for about 60 percent less than the natural diamond and are based on Russian technology that dates back to 1995.

"We worked with USF to commercialize this operation and get it to the point where we could consistently reproduce the same high-quality product in the desired size and color," says Clarke. "In doing so, we've made the transition from research operation to commercial operation."

Now, says Clarke, the goal is to expand as quickly as possible the company's plant, which is the only one of its kind in the world to use the technology for jewelry purposes.

"Our gems boast the same chemical properties, characteristics, weight, size and hardness of a natural diamond," says Clarke. "These are not imitations. We're making them exactly the same way the earth does, only in a machine."

With about 100 employees and a new president and CEO, Gemesis' October relocation allowed it to add 274 of those magical machines to its lineup ­ up from just 24 in its former locations. The company, which has the ability to expand its facilities to 65,000 square feet, plans to gear up slowly, and is pleased with its choice of Sarasota as the place to do it.

Clarke says the close proximity not only of the Bradenton/Sarasota airport, but also the Tampa and Orlando International Airports played a role in Gemisis' choice. "It's very convenient for our, customers and vendors to get to," says Clarke.

Workforce was another key consideration, according to Clarke, who says availability of labor is "better in Sarasota County than Gainesville," particularly because of Lakewood Ranch's residential component and the county's central location. "We attract employees not only from Sarasota and Manatee counties, but also from Hillsborough and Pinellas," says Clarke.

Lastly, because Gemesis is making diamonds that it expects to be a big hit with jewelry lovers worldwide, a prestigious location in the master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch was the perfect fit.

Clarke expects Gemesis to slowly gear up to meet the expected demand, but says the firm will focus on controlled, steady growth as the world learns of its new innovation in gems. "You don't see a lot of these cultured diamonds around yet," he adds, "but in the future you will."

A Record Pace
There's just something about Sarasota County that seems to attract business and residents at a record pace. Even during a year when the nation reeled from economic downturn and the impact of September 11, Sarasota County saw a record number of corporate relocations and expansions, adding over 470 jobs and $3 million in capital investment to the local economy in 2001.

This year could be just as good if not better. So far, new companies to the county in 2002 include MadahCom Ltd., Brooke Chase Associates, Fifth Third Bank, Kids Super Gym, Membership Advantage and Mini-Vacation. Collectively, the county's economic development council reports 329 new jobs to the county by relocating firms.

Joining those firms are a number of existing companies that expanded this year, including BESTechnologies, Clear Channel Communications, Ingredient Quality Consultants, Kimal Lumber, Marbelit, Publix Distribution Center and Pulmonary & Sleep Therapy. By expanding their Sarasota County locations this year, they created a total of 143 new jobs.

At the heart of this corporate growth are a county government, economic development team and chamber of commerce that know not only what it takes to lure business to the county, but also to keep them there. Through economic incentives, fast approval and permitting processes and a relentless drive to improve the area's workforce capabilities, the various factions work together to grow the county's business base in a steady, deliberate fashion.

At the Sarasota County Committee for Economic Development, vice president Kathy Baylis points to the county's infrastructure, highly competitive costs on facilities, utilities and other necessities, year-round outdoor climate and lifestyle diversity as its key attractors.

"In Sarasota County, we are constantly reminded that lifestyle preferences often define a business location decision," says Baylis. "All other factors being equal, the winning location is one that responds to the lifestyle preferences of the company's leadership and employees. While the Tampa Bay region is relatively compact, geographically speaking, it has tremendous lifestyle, cultural and community diversity."

Adding to the county's allure is the way it manages to balance a growing business and residential component with environmental preservation, a beautiful waterfront and beaches, and a myriad of arts and cultural options. "We're very conscious about preserving environmentally-sensitive areas," says Baylis. "Even though developers and environmentalists are typically far apart, they're closer here and work together more so than in many parts of the country ­ working to preserve our greenways and green spaces."

Challenges To Deal
With For all of its desirable attributes and qualities, Baylis says Sarasota County still shares a common challenge with neighboring counties: a need for a larger, more qualified workforce to feed its new and expanding businesses. The economic slowdown and situations like Andersen's corporation-wide woes aside, she says workforce issues remain a hurdle.

And the issue isn't so much quantity as it is quality, says Baylis, with some sectors lacking more than others. "It's an issue that won't go away," she explains. "We as a community as well as a state and nation need to be concerned about it and the fact that the skill sets required today are different than they were before, which makes it hard to find people who possess specific, needed skills."

To overcome the problem, Baylis says the county works hard to ensure that its educational system, community colleges and universities are providing students with the skills they need to get into the workforce. The economic development team, for example, is doing a study with the Suncoast Workforce Board to bring that board and the economic development component into alignment.

But if there are workforce challenges at the top of the county's problem list, most of its new additions haven't even noticed. Officials from companies like Gemesis, Jackson Hewitt and the year-old Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, all say they've found plenty of workers to get things rolling.

Sarasota 's Arts Base Thrives Business isn't the only entity thriving in Sarasota County, a region known for its rich cultural base that includes everything from world-renowned galleries to performing arts venues that pack the house night after night. A beautiful portion of the ceiling at the recently restored Cà d'Zan at John and Mable Ringling's Venetian Gothic mansion on Sarasota Bay. One of the area's most recent projects is the completed restoration of the Cà d'Zan, John and Mable Ringling's Venetian Gothic mansion on Sarasota Bay. One of America's important historic houses, the Cà d'Zan ­ which means "House of John" in Venetian dialect ­ took two years to build at a cost of approximately $1.5 million. Over the years, limited funding for maintenance combined with exposure to the unique environmental conditions of Florida, gradually took its toll on the 1925 house. That's when a major, 6-year restoration plan was put in place. Cà d'Zan reopened in April 2002, with a series of evening celebrations reminiscent of the original splendor that John and Mable enjoyed in the 1920s. Also a part of the legacy of John Ringling, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (which is affiliated with Florida State University) has maintained its status as the largest museum and university complex in the nation. Recognized as the state art museum, the Museum of Art, includes 21 galleries of internationally recognized European and American art with paintings by Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin and other baroque masters. Another of Sarasota's beloved cultural institutions is the Van Wezel, a performing arts venue that has come a long way since its first performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1970. This year, the Van Wezel's mainstage schedule presents a wide variety of more than 120 performances, including the biggest lineup ever of Broadway musicals, several Van Wezel debuts and return engagements by some of Sarasota's favorite stars. Since its inception, many local, regional, national and international artists and attractions have graced the Van Wezel's stage, including Luciano Pavarotti, Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan, Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Rudolf Nureyev, The Boston Pops and The Chicago Symphony. Helping to support the Van Wezel is a business community that understands the value of the arts and culture. According to marketing manager Margaret Fuesy, the Van Wezel is the envy of most performing arts halls in the country ­ or certainly any venue that's owned and operated by a public entity ­ because 95 percent of its income comes from earned sources (ticket sales, rentals, concessions). The national average is 40 to 60 percent. "Much of this is due to the City of Sarasota, our valued patrons, and to the Van Wezel Foundation," says Fuesy, adding that for fiscal year ending September 2002, the Van Wezel made "a big upswing" with the budgets and turned a deficit around by more than 50 percent. "Ticket sales are up over 17 percent over the previous season, and a Corporate Partner Program is developing very well," says Fuesy. "With the financial support from businesses in the community we have leveraged our buying power and supported the costs of our education and outreach programs as well as funds to underwrite performance costs."

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