About Tampa

1st in Small Business Growth

According to the State of Small Business Report by Sales Genie a business and consumer marketing database, Tampa ranked 1st in small business growth among the nation's Top 25 markets with at least 100,000 small businesses. Tampa was the only market in Florida to do so. Only seven markets showed consistent, annual growth in the number of small businesses from January 2000 through December 2003. American City Business Journals, December 16, 2004.

1st in Employment and Optimism Index
The Tampa Bay area scored the highest of 11 metros ranked on the Hudson Employment and Optimism Index for the second consecutive month in August 2005. While Index values fell nationwide, Hillsborough County's gain of over 22,000 jobs in 2004 likely contributed to the Tampa area expressing a higher level of optimism compared to other areas in the U.S. The Index evaluates employees optimism about local hiring activity, personal finances, and job satisfaction. Hudson Employment Index, Hudson Inc., August 31, 2005.

1st Ranked Airport in U.S.
Tampa International Airport (TIA) ranked 1st in the U.S. for airport business efficiency in 2005 and 6th in the world among medium sized airports for customer satisfaction in 2004. TIA ranked first in financial operations efficiency and scored highly on several customer criteria including customs, baggage, passenger comfort level and design. TIA had over 17 million passengers in 2004. J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study; 2005 Air Transport Research Society, Airport Business Efficiency Report.

3rd Most Economical City to Conduct Business
Tampa Bay ranks 3rd behind San Juan, Puerto Rico and Atlanta in a survey of the least costly cities to do business, according to KPMG LLP, an audit, tax and advisory firm. KPMGs 2004 Competitive Alternatives study measured the combined impact of 27 location-sensitive business operating costs, such as labor, taxes and utility costs. 2004 Competitive Alternatives Study by KPMG, February 2004.

South's 4th Ranked Market of the Year
The Tampa Bay Area was ranked the fourth strongest large market in the South for 2005. The rank given by Southern Business & Development Magazine, is based upon an accounting of the top 100 business deals among the South's seventeen states, as well as job generation and amount of corporate investment. Southern Business & Development, July 2005.

7th Top Climate for Business in the Nation
The National Policy Research Council recently ranked Tampa's business climate 7th in the nation. Both objective measures such as the number of company headquarters and expansions were included, as well as subjective indicators like the opinions of prominent business leaders and consultants. Of the hundreds of rankings reviewed, only those current to 2002 and judged as sufficiently rigorous were included. Other ranking Florida cities were Jacksonville (8th), West Palm Beach (36th), and Miami (41st). The # 1 ranking went to Dallas, TX. America's Best Cities and States: The Annual Gold Guide to Leading Rankings, May 2004.

8th Best Office Tampa Real Estate Market - Casas en Tampa
The Tampa Bay area has been ranked as the 8th best performing real estate market for office space in this years National Office Report by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage. The company predicts higher occupancy and higher office rents for the Tampa Bay area in the next year. The Ft. Lauderdale market was number #1. Marcus & Millichap National Office Report, July 2005.

9th Hottest Metro for Jobs
The Tampa area ranked 9th out of 87 metro areas for job expansion by American City Business Journals (ACBJ) in the second quarter of 2005. The ACBJ ranks the overall health of an areas labor market by grading on overall number and percentage change in the number of jobs, overall unemployment and change in unemployment within the last 12 months. Florida had four metro areas ranked in the Top 10, the most of any state; Sarasota, Orlando and Miami. American City Business Journals Hottest Big Metros for Jobs Survey, October 2005.

9th Highest Growth of Women-Owned Businesses
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area ranked 9th in the nation for its share of women-owned businesses in 2003 (50.5%). Throughout 2003 the number of women-owned businesses grew by 15%, according to the Center for Women's Business Research. The Center ranked the 50 largest U.S. metro areas on their percent in women owned businesses during 2003-2004. Center for Women's Business Research, Women-Owned Businesses in the Top 50 Metropolitan Areas 2004.

11th Largest Domestic Trade Cargo Port in the Nation
The Port of Tampa, Florida's largest seaport is also the 11th largest cargo port in the nation for domestic trade volume, handling almost 31 million tons in domestic cargo for 2003. The Port of Tampa is a major cruise port and is ranked 16th in the U.S. for total trade, with 48 million tons in 2003. American Association of Port Authorities, http://www.aapa-ports.org/ May 2005.

12th Best Performing City
Tampa ranked 12th overall in the Top 200 Best Performing Cities survey in the annual Milken Institute ranking. The institute looks at job growth, wages and salaries, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, high-tech GDP growth, and population. Florida had seven metros in the Top 20. Milken Institute, Best Performing Cities Survey, June 2004.

12th Largest Media Market The Tampa Bay area metro has moved up to the 12th largest television market in the U.S., with 1.7 million households. The rankings will be used for the 2005-06 television season and help influence advertising rates for broadcasting. Nielsen Media Research annually reports television household estimates by September based on a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau. Tampa Bays upward move is indicative of a national migration of population to southern and western states. American City Business Journals, August 26, 2005.

14th in Construction Intensity The Phillips Institute Index of Private Construction Intensity ranked the Tampa Bay Area 14th of the Top 20 major U.S. metro areas in construction intensity for the first quarter of 2004. Dr. Phillips Institute for the Study of American Business Activity, Index of Private Construction Activity, June 2004.

15th Best City for Entrepreneurship The Tampa area ranked 15th out of Top 50 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in Visa's Entrepreneurial Index. The Index assigns a score between 1 and 100 to the nation's major MSAs based on two main criteria: the average number of new business licenses and Doing Business As (DBA) registrations, and the number of utility patents issued. Austin, TX came in at #1 and West Palm Beach ranked highest in Florida at #3. Entrepreneur Magazine, January 2005.

17th Best City to Start a Business In The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area ranked 17th on Inc. magazine's list of the Top 25 best large cities to start a business in 2005. Inc. magazine reviewed 274 cities on a range of factors including history of job growth, local support, and overall affordability. While Riverside, CA came in 1st, Florida was cited as the number #1 state claiming 5 of the Top 25 cities in the large metro category. Tampa Bay is also strong in economic growth, ranking 41st of the 274 cities surveyed, in having the fastest and most sustained growth. Inc. Magazine, 2005 Top Cities for Doing Business in America, May 2005.

20th Best City for Entrepreneurship and Small Business
The National Policy Research Council recently ranked Tampa 20th in the nation in cultivating new and small business development. Cities were ranked on overall entrepreneurial activity, company growth rates, and the favorability of local government regulatory policies. Other Florida cities in the Top 50 included Orlando (7th), Miami (10th), West Palm Beach (17th), Ft. Lauderdale (19th), and Jacksonville (25th). America's Best Cities and States: The Annual Gold Guide to Leading Rankings, May 2004.

25th For Business Climate Among U.S. Cities
A guide to cities and states ranked Tampa 25th in the U.S. and 2nd in Florida for business climate. Jacksonville, which ranked 23rd overall, was the top-ranked city in Florida in "America's Best Cities & States: The Annual Gold Guide to Leading Rankings. Researchers at the National Policy Research Council looked through thousands of rankings of cities and states and based the Gold Guide on a compilation of those that were sufficiently rigorous to be considered. The #1 city was Denver, followed by San Diego. America's Best Cities and States: The Annual Gold Guide to Leading Rankings, May 2004.

25th Highest Growth in New Jobs
Out of 200 metro areas, Tampa ranked 25th in the nation on the Forbes/Milken Institute list of "Best Places for Business and Career" for job growth. Forbes/Milken Institute Best Places, May 2005.

31st Top Real Estate Market - Casas en Tampa
The Tampa metro area was selected as one of the "Top 40 Real Estate Markets" in the U.S., for expanding or relocating businesses for the fourth consecutive year. Criteria: rental costs; purchase prices; and vacancy rates of office and warehouse space. Expansion Management Magazine, October 2005.

41st Most Dynamic Economy in the Nation
Tampa ranked 41st in the nation for its overall Economic Dynamism by the National Policy Research Council. Economic Dynamism includes an area's economic competitiveness and performance. More than 140 indicators were used to rank communities, from traditional economic measures such as employment and real per capita income growth, to the "creativity" of an area's economy. The Florida cities of West Palm Beach (31st), Miami (43rd), Melbourne (46th), and Orlando (49th) also made the Top 50 list. America's Best Cities and States: The Annual Gold Guide to Leading Rankings, May 2004.

Tampa a Top 50 Hottest City for Business Relocation and Expansion
The Tampa metro area was ranked as one of "America's 50 Hottest Cities for Business Relocation and Expansion" for the third consecutive year. Tampa ranked 39th overall in 2005 of over 360 metro areas. Scoring criteria include: business environment; work force quality; operating costs; incentive programs; worker training programs; and ease of working with local officials. Expansion Management Magazine, January 2005.

Tampa Area Excels in Business Opportunities
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area has been designated a 5-Star Business Opportunity Metro area by Expansion Management magazine. The elite designation, which identifies the area among Americas Top Business Opportunity Metros, recognizes the top 20% of over 360 metro areas nationwide which ranked solidly across a broad spectrum of categories including public schools, health care, costs, and logistics infrastructure. Expansion Management Magazine July 2005.

Tampas Tops for Commuters
Tampas downtown has been designated as a Best Workplaces for Commuters District, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Tampas downtown commuter benefits program promotes commuting options and support services such as carpool and vanpooling programs with heavily subsidized vehicles, a Guaranteed Ride Home program, bike racks and shower facilities, reduced fare on the downtown circulators and a point person for transportation-related inquiries. During the workday, Tampas population swells by 48%, -downtown Tampa is a prime location for savvy commuters. EPA Best Places for Commuters Report, August 2005; St. Petersburg Times, October 25, 2005.

Tampa Area Top in Logistics for Business
Expansion Management and Chief Logistics Officer magazines placed the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the Top 50 Most Logistics Friendly Metros in the U.S. 331 MSAs were compared on 10 major categories, which focused on easy access to transportation infrastructure and the ability to inexpensively transport cargo and manufactured goods. MSAs that ranked in the Top 50 were designated Five Star Logistics Metros. Expansion Management Magazine September 2004.

Tampa has Nation's Top African American Firms
Tampa-based S. Woods Enterprises Inc. was the 4th largest African American-owned auto dealership, with 2004 sales of $343 million. Sun State International Trucks LLC, ranked 48th on the Industrial Services list, up from 60 last year. Sun State had $75 million in revenue with a staff of 175. Comprised of eight lists totaling 285 companies for 2004, the Black Business Report ranks the largest African American-owned companies, private equity firms, investment banks, and asset management firms. Black Enterprise Magazine, 2005 Annual Report on Black Business.

Tampa Bay Has Top Hispanic Owned Businesses
Six Hispanic-owned businesses in the Tampa Bay area appeared on the Hispanic 500 list of the largest companies in the U.S. Hispanic Business Magazine, June 2004.

Tampa's Cruise Ship Market Going Strong
The Port of Tampa handled 10% of all North American cruise ship passenger traffic, and 17% of Floridas traffic in 2004. Tampa ranked 4th in Florida for total cruise ship passengers. Five Florida ports (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Canaveral, Port Everglades, Tampa and Jacksonville) hosted over 58% of all North American cruises. Statewide, the economic impact of the cruise ship business was estimated at $9.8 billion in 2004 and provided over 128,00 jobs. American City Business Journals, September 14, 2005.