Tampa Bay Chosen To Join Global Cities Initiative "Exchange" Network To Increase Global Trade And Economic Competitiveness

Eight-county region to be part of new group comprised of 20 pioneering metropolitan areas

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Dec. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tampa Bay has been chosen to join a network of 19 other metropolitan areas that are committed to increasing global trade and economic competitiveness. The "Exchange," which recently launched, is part of the Brookings Institution and JPMorgan Chase's Global Cities Initiative. The Exchange includes 12 U.S. metro areas already involved in Brookings' Metropolitan Export Initiative, which is a part of the Global Cities Initiative. It equips metropolitan leaders with the information, policy ideas and global connections they need to bolster their regions' positions in the global economy. In addition to the 12 U.S. metro areas participating in the Metropolitan Export Initiative, eight new metros were added to the Exchange network for a total of 20. These metro areas include:

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• Atlanta, Ga.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Chicago, Ill.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, S.C.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Louisville-Lexington, Ky.
• Milwaukee, Wis.
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minn.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Portland, Ore.
• Sacramento, Calif.
• San Antonio, Texas
• San Diego, Calif.
• Syracuse, N.Y.
• Tampa Bay, Fla.
• Wichita, Kan.

The Tampa Bay Partnership along with various economic development organizations and businesses throughout the Tampa Bay region have joined together to lead the charge towards a global economy with the help of the Exchange network. Since 2012, Tampa Bay been involved with the Brookings Metropolitan Export Initiative and will continue its efforts through the initiative "Global Tampa Bay," which aims to more fully engage and integrate the region into the world economy, generating prosperity and jobs for its businesses and residents.

By the year 2019, Tampa Bay, through the Global Tampa Bay initiative, aims to double the exports of those manufacturers and professional services providers surveyed to $4.6 billion, complementing and supporting the region's existing foreign direct investment (FDI), international tourism and international educational efforts. It also intends to cultivate a regional export culture and improve international perception of the Global Tampa Bay region along with improving Tampa Bay's direct connectivity to economically strategic global destinations.

"This region is a prime location for the movement of goods and services with its robust network of highways and interstates, deep water ports and international airports," said Stuart Rogel, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership. "By joining forces and coordinating together, Tampa Bay has the opportunity to 'package' its existing export activities under one umbrella and create a more effective global exports strategy that will diversify and amplify the region's economy."

"Tampa Bay has been a pioneer in this joint project and through this collaborative process, we will have a model that can help our area harness its global reach and realize its competitive potential," added Dan Borasch, JPMorgan Chase's president of Middle Market West Florida and chair of Tampa Bay's Metropolitan Export Initiative.

The Tampa Bay region, which consists of eight counties with a population of 4.3 million, includes four deep water ports and three international airports. In 2012, the region produced more than $13.3 billion or 23 percent of Florida's $57.9 billion in exports, furthermore resulting in nearly 99,000 jobs in the top 10 export industries in the region alone. Those export industries include:

1. Travel and Tourism
2. Computers and Electronics
3. Medical Equipment/Sporting Goods
4. Royalties
5. Financial Services
6. Chemicals
7. Management and Legal Services
8. Machinery
9. Agriculture
10. Transportation Equipment

In addition, Tampa Bay's top 10 export destinations are:

1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Japan
4. United Kingdom
5. China
6. Germany
7. Korea
8. Brazil
9. Netherlands
10. France

About the Tampa Bay Partnership
The Tampa Bay Partnership is the eight-county regional organization that works with its partners to market the region nationally and internationally, to conduct regional research and to coordinate efforts to influence business and governmental issues that impact economic growth and development.

Follow the Tampa Bay Partnership on social media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About the Global Cities Initiative
Launched in 2012, the Global Cities Initiative is a five-year joint project of Brookings and JPMorgan Chase aimed at helping city and metropolitan leaders become more globally fluent by providing an in-depth and data-driven look at their regional standing on crucial global economic measures, highlighting best policy and practice innovations from around the world, and creating an international network of leaders who ultimately trade and grow together.

For more information please visit http://www.brookings.edu/projects/global-cities.aspx or www.jpmorganchase.com/globalcities.

Tampa Bay Partnership Contact: Jessica R. Aspiras
Marketing Manager
(813) 872-2807 or [email protected]

SOURCE Tampa Bay Partnership