1. Talent Pipeline
Gainesville has been racking up the accolades lately, and they’re much-deserved. In 2013, Gainesville was ranked as the #1 City on the Rise in the nation largely due to our thriving pipeline of talent from our nationally-leading universities and colleges. It was also ranked the 14th Brainiest City and 8th Most ‘Well Read’ City in 2012. With leading colleges and universities easily accessible, Gainesville residents hold 80% more Master’s degrees, 15% more Bachelor’s degrees, and 6% more High School degrees than the national average. For our students, Gainesville was ranked the 6th Best Place for New College Grads in 2012.
2. High Quality of Life
While its high quality of life is often overshadowed by the headlines of innovative startup companies, Gainesville has a historic and diverse culture, with a thriving arts scene and cultural hotspots. The beautiful year-round climate attracts many retirees, earning Gainesville a place in Forbe’s Top 25 Best Places to Retire in 2013.
3. Entrepreneurship
Gainesville is built on the strength of its small business community, and the area’s leaders are dedicated to allowing those small businesses to thrive by creating an innovative and cooperative business climate. Most recently, the Chamber of Commerce created the Envision Alachua movement to continue to allow Gainesville to grow.
4. University of Florida
Gainesville houses the University of Florida, one of the top public universities in the world, ranking #14 in the nation in 2013. UF is a leader in bringing technology and startups to market, ranking 4th behind MIT, the University of Texas, and the University of California. The Innovation Square at UF is currently under development and is a model of business and innovation growth that will accelerate the number of businesses going from mind to market and providing a platform for developed talent to flourish.
5. Startup Resources
Gainesville boasts the most business incubators per capita than anywhere else in the US, with the UF Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator named the Best Business Incubator in the World in 2013 by UBIndex.com and National Business Incubation Association. The Florida Innovation Hub at UF churns out new businesses each year, creating a prosperous community for creative thinkers and aspiring entrepreneurs. UF also ranked in the Top 10 for the number of startups created.
6. Santa Fe College
Formerly known as Santa Fe Community College, SFC was ranked in the Top 10 for community colleges nationwide. Santa Fe frequently works directly with businesses to develop talent with the exact skills workers need post-graduation. The Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED) also offers business resources, workshops, and mentorships for new and growing business.
7. Global Hub for Innovation
Since establishing iG, the Gainesville region has accelerated our job growth and have attracted companies world-wide to the develop innovative products while taking advantage of our talent pipeline, high quality of life, and low cost of living. With the continued development of Innovation Square at UF, Progress Corporate Park in Alachua, FL, and many others, while having more business incubators per capita than anywhere else in the nation, we have built a thriving business community that is set for growth for many years to come.
8. Business Climate
Florida is the 21st largest economy in the world, with a top 5 ranked talent pipeline and a pool of more than 9 million workers to choose from. In 2012, Forbes listed Gainesville as the Best Place for Business and Careers in Florida.
9. Business Community Collaboration & Leadership
Through Innovation Gainesville, community leaders and stakeholders collaborate to build an economy that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. The Chamber of Commerce works directly with our regional workforce to develop world-class talent and with the City of Gainesville to create a successful business environment.
10. Diverse Industry Sectors
Some of our key industries include advanced manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, information technology, logistics, green technology, and agriculture — all of which have grown or have the potential to grow.
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