Focus Industries
The Greater Gainesville Chamber provides economic development services to all companies regardless of the industry that they belong to. However, in order to ensure that our efforts raise levels of prosperity and improve quality of life for all current and future residents, the Greater Gainesville Chamber has identified five key focus industries that not only represent pre-existing regional assets but also contain within them opportunities for upward economic mobility for residents in the region. These five focus industries are:
- Human Life Sciences
- Agricultural Science & Technology
- Digital Technology
- Distribution & Trade
- Business Support Services
Each industry has associated definitions and example NAICS codes, but in reality, they exist and overlap in amorphous ways. To cope with this, the implementation of the associated strategy—COLLABORATE 2025—allows for discretion regarding these industries.
The data provided here is a brief overview. For more detailed information please contact Mikayla Birnstiel.
Human Life Sciences
The Human Life Sciences (HLS) target covers business establishments engaged in the research, development, and production of products and treatments with applications in health care for humans. Examples include novel therapeutics, medical and biological devices such as orthopedic implants, diagnostic processes, chemical platforms for life sciences research, and computer systems capable of collecting and processing large quantities of medical data. It also includes emerging fields such as genetics research and treatment.
Regional Assets
- Sid Martin Biotech Incubator
- Santa Fe Perry Center
- Large “patient capital”
- UF Health
- McKnight Brain Institute
- Santa Fe Highschool, Institute of Biotechnology
- startupGNV
- GTEC
- Tech Toybox
- The Selling Factory
- Hackerspace
Example Companies
- Exactech
- RTI Surgical
- Novabone
- AlphaChem Innovations, Inc
- Avekshan LLC
- BioRegency
- CancerPOP
- Invivo Diagnostic
- ThermoFisher
- Antibiotic Adjuvant
- NCF DNA
- Ology
Agricultural Science & Technology
The Agricultural Sciences and Technology (AS&T) target captures firms that are involved in the research, development, and production of products or technologies that can be applied across the entirety of the food system. This includes business establishments engaged in research and development activities, food manufacturers, and related wholesale operations. It also includes farms and other agricultural production activities that could either serve to provide raw inputs and/or as real-world laboratories for AS&T companies.
Regional Assets
- IFAS
- Biodiversity Institute
- UF Genetics Institute
- UF Water Institute
- Center for Nutritional Sciences
- Center for Remote Sensing
- Institute for Sustainable Food Systems
- Plant Innovation Center
- Agritech Park
- San Felasco Tech City
Example Companies
- Merieux Nutriscience
- Actionable Quality Assurance
- AuxThera LLC
- Diabetic Kitchen
- Essential Validation Services
- Precision Silver
Digital Technology
The Digital Technology target captures a wide variety of activities including software development and publishing; computer systems design; telecommunications; and data processing, hosting, and storage. It should be noted that firms across nearly all sectors of the economy are leveraging technologies such as cloud computing, data analytics, and mobile applications to improve their own products and services. The diffusion of digital technology is so pervasive that few aspects of daily life are untouched by their presence. From doctors using speech-to-text devices to record patient visits to paying for a cup of coffee using a mobile phone, digitization is ingrained in the very fabric of everyday life. These vast quantities of data, combined with artificial intelligence, facilitate decision making and process optimization in real- or near real-time allowing companies and researchers to more readily adapt to external and internal changes. For instance, in May 2013, the University of Florida unveiled its supercomputer dubbed “HiPerGator” which improved immunologists’ ability to identify safe therapeutics and improve the institutions ability to compete for national grants. 12 But for the purposes of this analysis, the Digital Technology target includes only those business establishments that are engaged in activities such as IT or software development as their primary line of business.
Regional Assets
- High production of talent
- startupGNV
- hackerspace
- SwampHack
- San Felasco Tech City
- The Hub
- Buchholz High School: Digital design school
- Gainesville High School: Multimedia design school
- Newberry High School: Digital design school
- Loften High School: Acadamy of gaming and mobile apps, Academy of Robotics & Engineering
- Santa Fe College: Computer programming academy, network security certification
Example Companies
- Info Tech
- SharpSpring
- Mobiquity
- Optym
- Feathr
- Atmosphere Apps
- BACCH Labs
- ectexRX
- Onward Web Development
- Preview Technology
- Satlantis
- Txtsignal
- ITProTV
- Gainesville Dev Academy
- Chromatic Games
Distribution & Trade
All products start out as a series of raw inputs that must be transported to a manufacturer. When the production process is complete, the resulting goods must be conveyed to a user a consumer, business, or other manufacturer. The various activities involved in this process are included in the Distribution & Trade target. The target captures business establishments such as distribution centers, warehouses, and firms involved with the movement of goods such as freight trucking firms. It also captures establishments engaged in wholesale trade. Unlike individual households, businesses; governments; and institutions typically purchase goods from wholesalers – intermediary establishments that acquire and distribute all manner of materials and goods. Wholesalers may be vertically integrated divisions of manufacturers, retailers or standalone entities. In addition to their role in storing and distributing goods, wholesalers often provide other services to manufacturing establishments, including marketing, business development, sales support, and supply chain coordination. Together with the Business Support Services target, distribution & trade can immediately provide quality job opportunities to the region’s low-skilled service workers with minimal workforce retraining.
Regional Assets
- Development of autonomous vehicles in region
- Access to I-75
- GNV Airport
- Rail Linkages
- Alachua Commerce Center
Example Companies
- Walmart
- Sysco
- Nordstrom
- Florida Food Service
- Dollar General
Business Support Services
The business support services sector is responsible for providing key administrative and “back office” functions for companies engaged in other primary lines of business. For example, an insurance agency that provides consumer insurance products may consolidate its customer-care services across all business lines into a single call center. Along with customer-care, business support services establishments also deliver “shared services” including accounting, payroll services, data centers, and so forth. Establishments in business support services may be in-house divisions of a larger conglomerate or a third-party provider that serves one or more clients.
Regional Assets
- Large student workforce
- The Gainesville region has relatively few “standalone” businesses support services operations, but the region’s occupational composition and asset base suggest that it could have opportunities to grow employment in this target in the near future.
- Other sectors are growing
Example Companies
- American Research Group
- Nationwide Insurance
- Tower Hill Insurance
- Temp Force
- Avmed
