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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWS
OKEECHOBEE COUNTY
Okeechobee • Fort Drum • Basinger
Megan Smith named president of
Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation
Okeechobee County Economic Development
Corporation leaders have named their first
president and chief executive officer. Megan
Smith is set to take the lead of the newly
formed public-private partnership in late March.
“The board of directors has been very focused
on finding the right professional to take the
helm as the inaugural leader of the OCEDC,” says
Megan Smith
Frank Irby, chair of the organization. “We believe
Megan has the right skill sets to set our strategic plan in motion
to prepare for job growth and improving the local economy.”
Smith most recently served as vice president for business
development at the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber in Gulf
Shores, Alabama. Her key responsibilities included the development
and implementation of a five-year strategic plan called
Advantage Coastal Alabama. Smith was charged with coordinating,
communicating and implementing ACA’s objectives through
business advocacy and support, education and workforce development,
infrastructure and transportation planning, conservation
and natural resources review, and new business development.
“The opportunity to be a part of building a new economic development
program is very exciting to me,” says Smith. “I look forward
to becoming a part of the team focused on putting together
the right components for a successful initiative in Okeechobee.
The momentum that has been established by the OCEDC is the
first step in terms of key ingredients.”
Smith is a graduate of the University of South Alabama with
a bachelor of science, computer science; Georgia College and
State University, masters of public administration; U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management; Auburn
University’s Economic Development Certification program; and
Georgia Institute of Technology’s Economic Development Certification.
She has also been a member of the Economic Development
Association of Alabama and the Georgia Economic Developers
Association.
About the Economic Development Corporation
In May 2018, the Economic Council of Okeechobee’s Board
of Directors recognized the need for growth and located a study
previously performed for Okeechobee
in 2005 by POLICOM Corporation, a firm
in Martin County specializing in the
analysis of local economies to determine
whether they are growing or declining.
The Economic Council took necessary
action to update the 2005 study and presented it to the Board
of County Commissioners, requesting support for the update.
The commission unanimously voted to seek professional counsel
from Bill Fruth with POLICOM Corp. Fruth’s first recommendation
was for the community to create and generously fund a professionally
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managed economic development organization, as was
also his recommendation in the 2005 study.
The Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation
was formed to serve as an independent, sovereign organization
governed by investors from the private sector and appointments
from participating public and private agencies. The current board
of directors includes various industry leaders, including Todd
Clemons, Okeechobee Livestock Market; Jon Geitner, Seacoast
Bank; Christa Luna, Gilbert Family of Companies; Wes Williamson,
Williamson Cattle Company; Keith Walpole, Walpole, Inc.; John
Williams, CenterState Bank; and Mack Worley, G.M. Worley, Inc.
Appointments for the board of directors also include: from the
Economic Council (Ashley Tripp, Tripp Electric Motors, Inc.; Fred
Fanizzi, Quail Creek Plantation; and Frank Irby, retired, Raulerson
Hospital), Okeechobee County Commission (Terry Burroughs,
County Commissioner District 4); City of Okeechobee (Marcos
Montes De Oca, City Administrator); School District (Ken Kenworthy,
Superintendent of Schools); Chamber of Commerce (Tabitha
Trent, Chamber Chair and CenterState Bank); and Indian River
State College (Dr. Ed Massey, Dr. Pam Welmon and Russ Brown).
The talent search for Smith was conducted by The Chason
Group, an executive search firm specializing in tourism, economic
development, chambers of commerce, foundations and other
non-profit organizations.
If you would like more information regarding this initiative,
contact Jennifer Tewksbury (863-467-0200, jennifer@economiccouncilofokeechobee.
org) or Frank Irby, Chairman of the
Board for the Development Corporation (863-610-0592).
May 2019 marked a great month for
Okeechobee County Airport. The Board
of County Commissioners approved a plan
to move forward with removing a conservation
easement that had been hampering
further development of the airport
since 2007. Removing the easement will
allow the Airport Master Plan and Airport
Layout Plan to be approved by the Federal
Aviation Administration, which will allow
the airport to grow by implementing
a new Capital Improvement Program,
partially funded by the FAA and Florida
Department of Transportation. These improvements
are intended to be revenueproducing
infrastructure developments to
support the sustainability of the airport.
In addition to the grant funding that will
be available, the removal of the conservation
easement will allow private development
of aeronautical businesses on the
airport in the Okeechobee County Industrial
Park, adjacent to Taxiway B. Aircraft
maintenance, repair, painting, avionics
shops and flight training are just some of
the possible uses. Most importantly, this
step will help open the airport and industrial
park up to an even greater positive
economic impact for the local community.
The airport features two runways with
GPS approaches and precision approach
path indicators. The primary runway is
lighted and 5,000 feet long by 100 feet
wide. It can handle most private jet aircraft.
For questions or inquiries regarding
the airport, please contact Adam Hied,
airport director, at 863-467-5505 or via
e-mail at ahied@co.okeechobee.fl.us.
Capital improvement projects take flight at Okeechobee County Airport
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