Sep. 29, 2009 (Business Wire) -- The St. Joe Company (NYSE:JOE) today announced that Kevin Johnson has joined JOE as Vice President – Economic Development.
In this new position, Johnson will be focused on driving economic growth to the West Bay Sector adjacent to the new international airport scheduled to open in May 2010 and creating national and international exposure for JOE’s projects at West Bay.
“Kevin brings a wealth of experience and an established record in managing public and private economic development partnerships at both the local and regional level,” said Rod Wilson, JOE’s president for the West Bay Sector. “With the scheduled opening of the airport now a short time away, we are stepping up marketing of our world-class assets to global users who need ready access to the new airport. Kevin’s initial focus will be prospects seeking expansion and relocation opportunities within the aerospace, aviation, logistics and defense technology clusters.”
Johnson comes to JOE from Cary, North Carolina where he served as the vice president of business development since 2005 for the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, the owner and developer of the Research Triangle Park, the largest high-technology park development in North America.
Earlier he was vice president of business development with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in Arizona where he was instrumental in developing relationships leading to economic development projects and expanding and relocating businesses to the Greater Phoenix area.
“JOE’s projects at West Bay is one of the most exciting large-scale projects in the nation,” said Johnson. “There are very few greenfield opportunities with a strategic location and high-quality access to an airport, a deepwater port, road and rail connections. I am indeed proud to be part of a team that can deliver a valuable product to such a wide range of users.”
The initial parcels are being planned and positioned for office, retail and industrial users, totaling approximately 1,000 acres (400 hectares). This land is a portion of approximately 71,000 acres (28,400 hectares) that JOE owns within the West Bay Sector, a large mixed-use master-planned project located in Bay County in Northwest Florida. The sector is anchored by the new 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) international airport now under construction.
As part of the master-planning process, the West Bay team is creating a development node capable of joining the Gulf Coast's aerospace corridor. A concentration of U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army aerospace and aviation facilities along the Florida, Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast have created a cluster of aerospace and aviation businesses and workforce talent in the region.
This Gulf Coast corridor also includes the site selected by Northrop Grumman and EADS for the final assembly of a new aerial tanker, the KC-45, for the U.S.
