October 7, 2024
Big Bend Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week is an annual event that celebrates the achievements and contributions of minority-owned businesses in the Tallahassee-Leon County region.
Director’s Message: Celebrating Economic Development Week
May 6, 2021
Next week, May 9 through May 15, marks International Economic Development Week, which was created and initiated by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). At OEV, we are excited to celebrate this week by bringing awareness to the local advancement opportunities that aim to strengthen our local economy. On Monday, May 10, I am happy […]
Leon County Schools Looking to Increase Opportunities for Small Businesses
May 5, 2021
Shanea Wilks, Senior Coordinator Last week, the Leon County School Board (LCS) approved changes to their small business criteria to align more closely with OEV’s and the Office of Supplier Diversity’s Small Business Enterprise (SBE) criteria. As a direct result, small businesses working with the State, City, County, Blueprint, and LCS will now follow the […]
Despite Pandemic, Multi-Family Residential Development Remains Relatively Strong in Tallahassee
T.J. Lewis, Business Development Manager For the first quarter of 2021, nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, new data shows that apartment developers have drawn back on multi-family activity nationwide. Currently in the United States, 565,000 apartments are under construction compared to more than 700,000 at this point in 2020. Large declines have been […]
Tallahassee Businesses Take Home Paycheck Protection Program
Richard Fetchick, Business Intelligence Manager The Covid-19 pandemic created a fast-acting recession with immediate impacts to employment and business bottom lines. Unlike the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis, Leon County’s employment dipped by 20,000 in April 2020 – just the second month of the crisis – whereas employment hit its low point following the sub-prime crisis […]
Director’s Message: Entrepreneurship Drives Economic Vitality
April 8, 2021
From driving innovation to promoting social change, entrepreneurship plays a major role in the economy of our city, state, and nation. Entrepreneurship enhances economic growth, creates job opportunities, and enables new markets to be developed through the unique offerings of new goods and services. Great innovators have the ability to change the world for the […]
DataTALKS Explained: Tallahassee-Leon County Graduate Retention
Dan Lucas, Division Coordinator Tallahassee’s universities have a constant flow of incoming students and outgoing graduates. Florida State University and Florida A&M University together account for around 80% of the 65,000 students enrolled in higher education in Leon County. According to data from the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida, about […]
The Intellectual Capital
Drew Dietrich, Deputy Director Tallahassee is known for many things – endless outdoor adventures, Southern Hospitality, unrivaled festivals, and you guessed it, college football. But hiding just beneath the surface is a little known truth – there’s an awful lot of knowledgeable and skilled people walking around. In 2020, Tallahassee ranked as the 17th most […]
Re-Entry: A Key Point for Business Innovation
Richard Fetchick, Business Intelligence Manager In an effort to improve the re-entry pipeline for the formerly incarnated, Leon County Government and the Office of Economic Vitality partnered with MIT Sloan School of Management-USA Lab. This study included housing, transportation, counseling, and career opportunities. From the USA Lab Partnership, the importance of connecting re-entering citizens to […]
Big Bend Manufacturers Association Update
Kevin Gehrke, Business Development Manager, Applied Science Happy March everyone! I am pleased to announce that this first quarter has been very successful for the recently Big Bend Manufacturers Association (BBMA). We have filled our board with the addition of the heads of two successful local manufacturing organizations and a local accounting firm. These members have […]