Florida Energy and Aerospace Technology Park

1. Florida Energy and Aerospace Technology Park October 24, 2011

2. Florida Energy and Aerospace Technology Park Leesburg, Florida A Proposed Development Master Plan for Highest and Best Use and Jobs Creation Jay Evans, City Manager J. Douglas Drymon, Deputy City Manager Jerry Bond, Project Manager

3. The big Economic Development question: Why Leesburg? What makes Leesburg different from any other city in Florida or the United States? Are land and climate enough?

4. Why did the City of Leesburg develop the Leesburg Energy and Aerospace Program (LEAP)? • For the past 3 years the City of Leesburg has experienced stagnant or declining revenues as a result of the collapse of the housing market and the “Great Recession.” • The City believes that it needs to diversify its economy and develop new sources of revenue to fund public services and maintain the community’s quality of life. • The creation of new jobs will benefit those who are currently unemployed as well as provide opportunities for the youth of the community who will be entering the workforce in the future. Ad Valorem Revenues

5. Why did the City of Leesburg develop the Leesburg Energy and Aerospace Program (LEAP)? • (Continued from previous slide) • The City believes the CR 470 property can be put to more productive use as a Technology Park than in its current form. • Development of a Technology Park is a logical extension of the City’s investment in Smart Grid Technology. • Although the Leesburg International Airport is a valuable community asset, it has a very limited amount of vacant land on which to expand. • Energy and Aerospace are considered product exporter industries that have the potential to bring new money into the local economy.

6. In 2010 a Vision and Strategic Planning Session was conducted by ERAU with community leaders and local stakeholders. Eight Critical Factors were identified as being the “keys” to successfully expanding and diversifying Leesburg’s economy:

7. Who do we partner with to developed a skilled workforce? • Lake County School Board / Leesburg High School • Lake-Sumter Community College • Lake Tech • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University • University of Central Florida • Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research (CATER) • Local businesses (providing internships and job shadowing opportunities) • Others not identified (USF, UF?)

8. Leesburg High School Construction and Energy Technology - Energy Technician Program

9. Leesburg’s Power Academywill help train tomorrow’s SMART Grid workforce (Excerpt) GRANVILLE, Ohio — Speaking to a classroom of seventh and eighth graders at the middle school here, Lisa Magnuson shared a popular dictum from the power industry: if Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, could see how his technology had evolved over the last century, how would he react? “He’d be amazed,” offered one student, mentioning that his cellphone can play music, display movies and send text messages. And if Thomas Edison, the pioneer of power distribution, were to return? “He’d probably go, ‘Wow, everything is still the same,’ ” said Ms. Magnuson, the director of marketing for Silver Spring Networks, which produces hardware and software to make the electric grid as smart as the phone network. To pull off the modernization, Ms. Magnuson and others are trying to persuade this generation of fidgety teenagers to put their creativity to work in the power industry once they graduate. “We want to help make utilities cool again,” she said. The power companies desperately need a jolt of youthful energy. The industry and the creaky distribution system it manages are on the cusp of a major technological overhaul just as about half of electric utility employees are expected to retire in the next 5 to 10 years.

10. Other educational & workforce training partners in this project include…

11. Leesburg is also working to formalize partnerships with UCF and CATER

12. Now comes our prime asset…3,300 acres of land

13. Challenge #1 – Current Use of Land S p r a y f i e l d s R e s i d u a l s C o n s e r v a t i o n U n e n c u m b e r e d S p r a y f i e l d s

15. The Strategy: Bring together our three biggest assets Energy, Aerospace, and Land! • Leesburg Int'l Airport • Leesburg Smart Grid Initiative • 3,300 acre City-owned parcel at Florida's Turnpike Creating the…

16. Energy Strategy: Promote the $20 million Leesburg Smart Grid, Bio-energy Development and the Leesburg Energy and Aerospace Program. Provide a full array of public utilities including electric, natural gas, high speed fiber-optic communications, water, waste water and reuse for irrigation. Provide partnering opportunities with Lake County Schools (Leesburg High School Power Academy), Lake-Sumter Community College and UCF, USF and/or UF. Aviation/Aerospace Strategy: Promote a strategic partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University which will assist Leesburg in recruiting aviation/aerospace manufacturers and service providers. Provide a platform of space, machinery, tools and equipment for use by entrepreneurs, small businesses and established corporations that wish to explore new technologies in flight and aerospace. Provide land and floor space for short term rental within the Incubator and long-term space for ongoing manufacturing operations within the Technology Park. Aerospace Energy

17. NOT simply an industrial park, but a technology park designed to create and support a synergy between companies in the fields of alternative energy and aviation/aerospace.

20. Light Sport Aircraft

22. Energy & Aerospace Manufacturing Incubator The Bond Organization | 13811 Victor Avenue | Hudson, Florida

23. The Bond Organization | 13811 Victor Avenue | Hudson, Florida

24. The Bond Organization | 13811 Victor Avenue | Hudson, Florida

25. Light Sport Aircraft Manufacturing Facility The Bond Organization | 13811 Victor Avenue | Hudson, Florida

26. Light Sport Aircraft Manufacturing Facility The Bond Organization | 13811 Victor Avenue | Hudson, Florida

27. How do we prepare for the development of the Park? • By producing and implementing “The Development Master Plan”. • Business Plan. • Marketing Plan. • Operations Plan. • Finance Plan. • Citizens Participation Process. • Letters of Intent and Move-in Agreements.

28. The Marketing Plan. • Identify the growth businesses within the Energy and Aerospace industries. • Prepare and execute a marketing strategy for media advertising. • Develop and maintain a dedicated, interactive website. • Establish a social media presence on Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin and other social media. • Be visible in strategic meetings, conferences and conventions. • Involve the community in making the “Invite” to prospective tenants.

29. A new web page highlighting the assets and benefits of the Florida Energy and Aerospace Technology Park has been designed and is just a few days from roll-out. This web page will showcase not only the FEAT Park, but the City of Leesburg and Leesburg International Airport as well.

30. The Marketing Plan. • Identify the growth businesses within the Energy and Aerospace industries. • Prepare and execute a marketing strategy for media advertising. • Develop and maintain a dedicated, interactive website. • Establish a social media presence on Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin and other social media. • Be visible in strategic meetings, conferences and conventions. • Involve the community in making the “Invite” to prospective tenants.

31. The Operations Plan. • Involve local public officials and employees in the on-going operations planning and implementation process. • Communicate with local, state and federal agencies and officials for the review and approval of operations plans. • Inform local businesses, educators and civic organizations, and solicit their participation. • Put in motion operational policies and procedures relating to the development and ongoing operation of the Park.

32. The Finance Plan. • Identify public sources of Public Funding at the local, state and federal levels. • Identify private sources of Public Funding such as the “Access to Capital Program”. • Identify sources of private funding through local banks and lending institutions. • Identify sources of private funding through institutional investors, venture capital and angel investor funding sources. • Match tenant funding requirements with funding sources.

33. The Citizen Participation Process. • Inform local decision-makers and community leaders to the opportunities and issues relating to the planning and development of the Park. • Establish lines of communications among the City Manager, decision-makers, businesses and residents. • Provide opportunities for businesses and citizens to become involved in the planning and development process. • Encourage the community to promote the project via personal contacts, business relationships and social media.

34. Where do we go from here? • Determine level of support for Energy and Aerospace (Light Sport Aviation) as industries to pursue. • Determine the next steps that staff will be authorized to perform in pursuit of the project. • Funding opportunities/preliminary engineering/marketing within industries/timber harvest/parcel identification (on-site marketing)/phasing (grass strip first?)/academic partnerships/etc.

35. The big Economic Development question: Why Leesburg?