FloridaWest can bring the advantages of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) directly to your company to lower importing costs, enhance inventory control and improve supply chain pace and flexibility. What is a Foreign Trade Zone? Foreign-Trade Zones are secure areas under supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that are considered outside the customs territory of … Read more

From The Aerospace Alliance Northwest Florida is a vibrant region with diverse industry sectors and a population of more than 1.1 million residents. The region has six aviation-focused military bases that employ more than 56,000 individuals. These bases specialize in aviation activities such as unmanned aerial systems, weapons testing, pilot training, and aerospace systems research and development. … Read more

FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance announced that Paradigm Parachute & Defense, a disabled-veteran-owned small business, has received their second Industry Resilience and Diversification Fund (IRDF) grant. The grant, administered through the University of West Florida, will assist with the expansion of manufacturing operations in Pensacola.  This grant, made possible by a collaboration between FloridaWest and UWF, … Read more

Brian Hilson, CEO of FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance, is resigning his position at FloridaWest and moving to the Birmingham area because of a pressing need to be with aging family members and to provide support to his wife, Windy, who is their caretaker.  David Bear, President of the FloridaWest Board of Directors, said the board … Read more

On Monday, July 1, Governor DeSantis visited Pensacola State College to award more than $12 million to Northwest Florida through the Job Growth Grant Fund (JGGF). The Governor awarded funds for workforce development and infrastructure improvements through the JGGF and the Defense Infrastructure Grant (DIG). Awards were made to Pensacola State College, the city of … Read more

Patti Marine, a staple in the marine industry for 45 years, has begun construction on an 800-ton dry dock thanks to a matching $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation ‘s Maritime Administration or MARAD. A dry dock is a boat repair platform that can be flooded to allow a ship to float … Read more

FloridaWest EDA and Pensacola Escambia Promotion and Development Commission (PEDC) are excited to announce that LIFT, a national advanced materials manufacturing innovation institute, has selected Pensacola to establish its latest technology accelerator and talent development showcase facility.  Founded in 2014 as one of the original DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes through the Defense Manufacturing Technology Program, LIFT is … Read more

A composite of recent studies shows Pensacola’s average rank out of 382 metros is 68. The composite gleans information from CHMURA Economics and Analytics’ “2023’s Leading Metros Locations: Hotspots for Economic Growth,” Heartland Forward’s “Most Dynamic Metros 2023,” and Milken Institute’s “Best Performing Cities 2024.” “This composite of rankings shows Pensacola is well poised for … Read more

Please help us welcome William Masih and Wellin5 to CO:LAB!  CO:LAB is a business incubator set up by FloridaWest to encourage entrepreneurship in the greater Pensacola area.  Launched first in Canada in 2019 and expanded to the U.S. in 2020, Wellin5 is a virtual therapy app that provides post-therapy support and significantly improves therapist-client relationships. … Read more

Read PNJ.com article below The University of West Florida has announced they will build a new football stadium thanks to a large donation. Read more from the Pensacola News Journal below.