Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation

What Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation does

Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, operating as the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council (Tampa Bay EDC), is a private non-profit economic development organization designated as the lead EDO for Hillsborough County, Florida. Founded in 2009 and headquartered at 101 East Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, the organization provides site selection, business expansion and relocation services, market intelligence, talent recruitment support, and international trade mission facilitation to enterprise corporations evaluating Hillsborough County. It is funded through a public-private model combining over 100 corporate investor memberships across five tiers (Visionary, Circle of Champions, Chairman's Council, President's Council, Gazelle), government appropriations from Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace, and capital campaigns run through its affiliated 501(c)(3) Tampa Bay Economic Prosperity Foundation (TBEPF). The organization maintains a ~12-person staff led by President and CEO Craig J. Richard (CEcD, FM), with senior leadership including COO Michelle Bauer, SVP Economic Development Mitchel Allen, and VP Research & Strategy Jennifer Burrington.

The organization's product surface is organized around economic development services rather than technology products: business relocation/expansion services, market intelligence (including a Cost of Living calculator and Lightcast-powered Catalyst Initiative research), talent recruitment support, and international services targeting FDI. It runs a portfolio of community development programs including the Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative (IEGI) targeting Qualified Opportunity Zones and Community Redevelopment Areas, the CertUp Career Awareness Campaign (launched September 2022) connecting underserved residents to workforce training in partnership with Hillsborough College and CareerSource Tampa Bay, and the Prosper Tampa Bay capital campaign (established February 2021, raising more than $1.8 million). Go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales for corporate prospects, structured investor relations across the five-tier program, international and domestic trade missions, and a community-led engagement model for workforce and equitable growth initiatives. The organization pursues seven target industry clusters: Information Technology, Defense & Security, Corporate Headquarters, Distribution & Logistics, Financial & Professional Services, Life Sciences & Healthcare, and Manufacturing.

Name

Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation

Legal name

Tampa Bay Economic Development Council

Website

https://tampabayedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tampa Bay EDC is the designated non-profit economic development organization for Hillsborough County, Florida, providing site selection, expansion, relocation, market intelligence, and international services to enterprise corporations evaluating Tampa Bay, funded through 100+ corporate investors and government appropriations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Economic Programs (9261)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIACAN

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Local/Municipal Government Administration

SECONDARYBPAIABAO

State/Provincial Licensing, Permitting & Regulatory Administration (Cross-sector)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/State/Provincial & Regional Government Administration

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Business relocation services
• Site selection consulting
• Workforce development programs
• Foreign direct investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Dues: Over 100 corporations pay annual membership dues at various investment tiers (Gazelle $1,200, Supporting $1,200, Custom, Lanyard Name Tag $5,000, Photo Booth $5,000, Registration $5,000, Business Guide $3,000, Entertainment $4,000, Floral Decor $4,000, etc.) to access economic development services, networking, and visibility within the Tampa Bay business community. These tiers are named Visionary, Circle of Champions, Chairman's Council, President's Council, and Gazelle.
2. Government Appropriations: Funding support from the Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace, who are cited as foundational supporters enabling the organization to operate as the designated lead economic development organization for the county.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: The Tampa Bay Economic Prosperity Foundation (affiliated 501c3) conducts capital campaigns such as Prosper Tampa Bay, which raised over $1.8 million to support the Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative, supplemented by Tampa Bay EDC in-kind services donations exceeding $600,000 through 2024.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Tampa Bay Economic Development Council operates as the designated lead economic development organization for Hillsborough County, Florida, providing business attraction, expansion, and relocation services to corporate prospects. It delivers market intelligence, site selection, incentives facilitation, talent pipeline connections, and international trade mission support. The organization is funded through a five-tier corporate investor membership program and government appropriations from Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace.

Product overview

Tampa Bay Economic Development Council operates as a unified economic development service rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio consists of economic development services organized around business attraction, expansion, and workforce development. Core service offerings include business expansion and relocation services, market intelligence, talent recruitment support, and international services. The organization also administers specific initiatives including the CertUp Career Awareness Campaign (workforce training program), Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative (community development), Prosper Tampa Bay Campaign (capital campaign), and Business Intelligence and Economic Research Catalyst Initiative (research). The organization serves target industries including Information Technology, Defense & Security, Corporate Headquarters, Distribution & Logistics, Financial & Professional Services, Life Sciences & Healthcare, and Manufacturing. An investor relations program with multiple membership tiers supports organizational funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tampa Bay Economic Prosperity Foundation: 501c(3) nonprofit foundation focused on research and community education about job creation and economic opportunity, managing the Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative and CertUp Career Awareness campaign
• Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative (IEGI)
• CertUp Career Awareness Campaign
• Prosper Tampa Bay Campaign

Products and services

• Business Expansion Services
• Business Relocation Services
• Market Intelligence Services
• Talent Recruitment Support
• International Services
• Investor Relations Program
• Available Properties Database GIS-based interactive property search tool listing commercial and industrial properties available in Hillsborough County for site selection purposes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hillsborough County leads Florida in GRP per worker — a fingerprint of knowledge-intensive sectors (health tech, cybersecurity, financial services, advanced manufacturing), confirming Tampa competes on expertise and innovation.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• USF World (University of South Florida)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025USF World co-hosted the U.K.-Florida Innovation Corridor panel with the British American Business Council of Central Florida at the Patel Center, spotlighting Tampa Bay's growing life sciences cluster. The partnership supports international company recruitment, talent pipeline development, and trade mission facilitation for companies like Acadiant Digital Health.
• British American Business Council of Central FloridakeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025The British American Business Council of Central Florida partnered with USF World and Tampa Bay EDC to host a panel spotlighting the U.K.-Florida Innovation Corridor in life sciences, helping attract international companies like London-based Acadiant Digital Health to Tampa.
• Hillsborough County Board of County CommissionerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Board of County Commissioners of Hillsborough County is a foundational government partner supporting the Tampa Bay EDC as the designated lead economic development organization for the county. The Board provides government funding and co-governance, working with Tampa Bay EDC on business attraction, workforce development, and coordinated regional economic strategy.
• City of TampacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City of Tampa, led by Mayor Jane Castor, is a core government partner co-funding Tampa Bay EDC and collaborating on the Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative (IEGI) to drive investment and living-wage jobs in Qualified Opportunity Zones and Community Redevelopment Areas including East Tampa and Central Park/Ybor City.
• City of Plant CitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City of Plant City is a foundational government partner supporting Tampa Bay EDC alongside Hillsborough County and the other cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace, contributing to the region's unified economic development mission.
• City of Temple TerracecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe City of Temple Terrace is a foundational government partner supporting Tampa Bay EDC alongside Hillsborough County and the other cities, contributing to the region's economic development ecosystem.
• CareerSource Tampa BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareerSource Tampa Bay is a core workforce development partner in the Inclusive Economic Growth Initiative (IEGI), collaborating to connect residents in Qualified Opportunity Zones and Community Redevelopment Areas to living-wage employment opportunities. The organization is also a Circle of Champions investor.
• Hillsborough CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHillsborough College is a core educational partner in the IEGI workforce development strategy, providing certificate and degree programs in in-demand fields (welding, healthcare, cybersecurity, electrical line work, construction trades, automotive collision technology, FinTech) for residents in underserved communities. The college is a Circle of Champions investor and reports double-digit enrollment increases from targeted zip codes since the CertUp campaign launched.
• Tampa Bay PartnershipkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerTampa Bay Partnership, led by CEO Bemetra Simmons, advances major regional initiatives in housing, workforce, education, and economic competitiveness across nine counties, galvanizing communities to tackle regional challenges and complementing Tampa Bay EDC's county-focused work.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerTampa Bay EDC President and CEO Craig J. Richard served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for IEDC and was designated a Fellow Member (FM) and honorary lifetime member (HLM) by IEDC, connecting Tampa Bay EDC to the global economic development profession's best practices and network.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce: Sun Belt growth-market chamber/EDO with a comparable target-industry approach (healthcare, IT, corporate HQ) and a tiered investor program.
• Cincinnati Children's / Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber (economic development arm): Midwestern regional chamber/EDO with a comparable business attraction, talent, and inclusive growth mandate, often benchmarked alongside Tampa and other Sun Belt growth metros.
• Greater Phoenix Economic Council: Sun Belt metropolitan EDO with a comparable public-private funding model and target-industry approach. Mitchel Allen served as SVP of Business Development there before joining Tampa Bay EDC, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Greater Cleveland Partnership: Regional EDO/chamber hybrid of similar scale running a multi-tiered investor program, target-industry business attraction, and workforce development initiatives.
• Orlando Economic Partnership: Regional Florida EDO that competes for the same relocation and expansion prospects and runs a similar investor membership program in an adjacent metro.
• Greater Richmond Partnership: Regional EDO of similar scale and structure, focused on business attraction, workforce, and international investment. Mitchel Allen served as EVP of Business Development here, making it a directly comparable peer.
• San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation: Mid-sized regional EDO with a comparable public-private partnership model, talent-pipeline focus, and international FDI programming targeting life sciences and tech clusters.
• Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance: County-level Florida EDO with comparable target industries, international FDI focus, and a similar public-private investor model. Rohan Mohan worked here as Project Manager in Business Development.

Broad incumbents

• Metro Atlanta Chamber: Large regional chamber with an integrated economic development arm. Another of Craig Richard's prior markets, with a comparable target-industry strategy and substantially larger scale.
• Greater Houston Partnership: Larger, broader-scope regional chamber/EDO in one of Craig Richard's prior markets (Houston), with overlapping target industries and a wider regional mandate, providing a useful incumbent benchmark.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tampaedc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTHm1PGIc8oAx5gEiUdceeg
• Facebookfacebook.com/TampaBayEDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampabayedc
• Instagraminstagram.com/tampabayedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation