Often find false statements made re: the ACC Channel and how long the ACC has been "studying" this product. Most often, the field goal is moved back ("2015, no wait, 2016, no wait 2017"). Interesting timeline info showing as early as 2007 discussions about whether it is viable.
My views are this, the ACC missed the boat. At one time, it would of been wise. Possibly provided decent revenue and exposure. Now the ACC is crapped on by their own TV network and are about to see a huge revenue gap appear. At this point, I think it might be best for the ACC to just wait for all contracts to expire (GOR and TV contract) and if the conference is still together (which I doubt), then bid out the contract and move away from a TV network that views you as the competition to the SEC and hope competition gets you revenue that is competitive.
"Partnering with ESPN ends talk for now about the ACC following the lead of the Big Ten by creating its own television network. Commissioner John Swofford said the league did its "due diligence" by researching the issue, but said the ACC opted to avoid the upfront startup costs and the financial risk in favor of utilizing ESPN's in-place broadcast and multimedia outlets.
"When you go with somebody for that kind of money with no financial risk and they have the extensive platforms they have to distribute your games -- plus they have the technology and the desire to be on the cutting edge with new media -- it really begs the question: Why would you need your own network?" Swofford said."
The problem was that Raycom couldn’t compete financially with bigger national TV networks, like ESPN and Fox, who also wanted the ACC’s rights. So Raycom decided to rely on the deep, personal relationships it developed over its three-decade relationship with the conference.
ESPN’s John Skipper recognized the power of those ties early in his talks with Commissioner John Swofford last spring.
Skipper, ESPN’s executive vice president for content and a North Carolina graduate, recalled sitting with Swofford on the brick patio outside the stately Washington Duke Inn, just hours before tip-off of the Duke-North Carolina basketball game.
Underneath the swaying pine trees, Skipper asked Swofford what ESPN could do to secure a deal.
“It would be our preference,” Swofford told Skipper, “if ESPN could construct something that would keep us in business with Raycom.”
"The ACC considered this in 2007, but decided against launching an all-ACC network at that time (the SEC, btw, made the same decision at that time). "
"Most experts feel that some form of all-ACC Network is inevitable. Some feel that it might not be a traditional cable TV channel, however (see "ACC TV channel’s launch not basic cable" by Andrew Carter, Charlotte Observer - LINK)
If the ACC Channel does happen, it won't be soon. The SEC network will have taken 4 years by the time it launches in the Fall of 2014. 2017 has been suggested as a plausible target date.
Even so, everyone needs to keep in mind that it likely won't be profitable right away. This is a business venture; these things take time to grow.
* Other major conferences are already pursuing cable channels.
The Big Ten Network pays about $7M/year per school.
The Pac-12 Network began last year.
The SEC will launch its own network next August.
Only the Big 12 has so far declined to pursue a network.
Also the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, etc. all have their own networks. "
TALLAHASSEE — More than two years of passionate, rampant speculation about Florida State University's future with the Atlantic Coast Conference came to a screeching halt Monday with the announcement that the league's presidents had unanimously agreed to a pact that effectively locks in all 15 schools through at least 2027.
The agreement, called a grant of media rights, requires any university leaving the ACC to forfeit all of its television revenue — hundreds of millions of dollars — through the length of the contract.
While some FSU fans claim to feel betrayed by President Eric Barron and the university's board of trustees — the ACC is an inferior league, they say, and there's far more money and prestige to be gained in the football-powerhouse Southeastern Conference — Barron and his board did not agree to stay put in a last-minute, dark-of-night deal.
Quite the opposite.
The wooing of Florida State and its rich football tradition was vital to the recently expanded ACC's ability to renegotiate a top-dollar, long-term deal with ESPN, the network that holds broadcast rights to most of college football.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford needed buy-in from FSU, so he and the league's TV consultant, Dean Jordan, made two previously unreported trips to Tallahassee during a six-week period before the conference sealed its deal with ESPN last week.
How it unfolded
Barron and the trustees were scheduled to discuss FSU's future with the ACC during a workshop March 7 at the university's marine lab in St. Teresa, Fla. The conference landscape had been shifting constantly for more than two years.
The ACC had added Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Notre Dame (as a partial member). The Big East was imploding, and rumors were circulating nonstop that FSU was being courted by the Big 12, Big Ten or SEC.
Barron knew his trustees were hearing it from various stakeholders on a daily basis. He understood they had questions and concerns.
Rather than try to provide answers himself, Barron decided it might be better if Swofford could update the board personally and clarify the many misconceptions circulating on Internet blogs and message boards.
Swofford was happy to oblige. But instead of attending the public workshop in St. Teresa, he and Jordan opted to meet one-on-one with any trustees who might be interested the day before, March 6, at FSU's Turnbull Center. By meeting individually, those discussions were kept private, legally circumventing the state's sunshine laws.
It is believed every trustee except Joseph Camps, and the faculty and student board members, came for individual meetings with Swofford and Jordan.
Camps, a urologist, is a former FSU football player and a past chairman of Seminole Boosters Inc., the fundraising arm of FSU athletics. Because his busy medical practice would not permit him to stop by March 6, Barron brought Swofford to Camps' home in north Tallahassee for dinner the night before.
It was that important to Barron and Swofford that Camps receive an opportunity to question the commissioner and share his concerns about FSU's future with the ACC.
"The trustees were hearing a lot of stories that this school might bolt or that school might," said Allan Bense, chairman of the FSU board. "I thought the commissioner provided us with a lot of good, useful information."
Andy Haggard, a Miami attorney and former board chair who a year earlier fueled speculation that FSU might be eager to explore offers from other conferences, came away from the meeting with Swofford and Jordan feeling much better.
"It all came down to what was best for Florida State. I wanted to make sure he (Swofford) was investigating the possibility of getting the best deal he could with ESPN," Haggard said.
By the morning of March 7, the agenda for the trustees' workshop had been revised. Discussion of the ACC had been removed, without mention of the individual meetings during the previous 48 hours.
"This actually preceded the notion of any grant of rights, or anything else," Barron explained this week. "It was me merely trying to keep my board informed."
While the ACC's negotiations with ESPN — and its efforts to create a separate, lucrative ACC Network — were ongoing, Swofford's meetings with the FSU trustees came at a fortuitous time. Less than six weeks later, on April 13, Swofford and Jordan were back in Tallahassee for FSU's spring football game, which coincided with a meeting of the board of Seminole Boosters.
While more than 25,000 fans flooded into Doak Campbell Stadium to get a sneak preview of the 2013 Seminoles, few if any could have known that the conference's commissioner was in their midst, trying to convince one more faction that FSU belonged in the ACC for the long haul.
"We're all concerned about being able to compete with the other conferences from a revenue standpoint," saod Andy Miller, president and CEO of Seminole Boosters. "He (Swofford) assured the board that the moves they've been making have put us in a competitive range of other conferences."
ACC vs. SEC
While it hasn't been a popular opinion, Barron has never hid his belief that the ACC is Florida State's right home — at least in the current environment.
In September 2011, the Tallahassee Democrat published a series of emails Barron wrote to frustrated fans who were demanding a move to the SEC.
The hot-button topic then was the lack of excitement surrounding ACC football, while the SEC was in the midst of a record run of national championships.
Then last May, after trustee Haggard set off a firestorm by blasting the ACC's new television contract and saying FSU officials owed it to the school to see "what the Big 12 might have to offer," Barron sent a widely circulated email outlining the pros and cons of such a move.
"We can't afford to have conference affiliation be governed by emotion — it has to be based on a careful assessment of athletics, finances and academics," Barron wrote. "I assure you that every aspect of conference affiliation will be looked at by this institution, but it must be a reasoned decision."
Since that time, Barron and FSU officials apparently have done just that, including exploring the possibility of joining the likes of Florida, Alabama and LSU in the SEC.
While it's difficult to confirm how far those talks advanced, FSU officials came away with the understanding that the SEC saw little financial incentive to adding the Seminoles. Bringing FSU aboard would neither expand television markets nor open recruiting territories.
"If you go look at all the realignments that have occurred, with maybe one exception, (they have) been to add a new state — a new territory," Barron said. "You look at what the SEC did; they go for Missouri and Texas. You look at the Big Ten; they hit Nebraska first, then Maryland and Rutgers in the New Jersey/New York market. So basically, they added contiguous real estate."
Even if the SEC or another conference had turned up the heat, Barron never was convinced that the dollars would have piled up the way the public believes.
"Typically, when we hear about the SEC's numbers, it's every apple and orange (factored) into that pool," Barron said.
"And typically, when you hear about ACC numbers, you're hearing about what people are speculating about the TV contract, the details of which are not public information."
Asked about Swofford's trips to Tallahassee, an ACC official described them as an effort to provide facts and answer questions — to make sure FSU's leaders had correct and current information when forming their opinions — not necessarily to sell a plan or grease a squeaky wheel.
Either way, that apparently was the result.
In separate interviews, Barron, trustees and boosters said Swofford's visits helped smooth over lingering concerns about the conference's future.
The trips were unique but not unprecedented. Within the past year, the ACC confirmed, Swofford made similar visits to Clemson and Virginia — two of many schools rumored to be flirting with other conferences.
With Jordan leading the ACC's efforts to establish its own lucrative cable channel, similar to what the Big Ten enjoys, Barron is convinced the revenue coming from the conference could grow by leaps and bounds. But he added that ESPN would not even pursue that as long as the ACC was viewed as unstable.
"The huge differentiator is a network," Barron said. "The Big Ten Network is the biggest differentiator in finances going into a conference budget. I believe the SEC is busily working at it, and so is the ACC."
No more speculation
FSU trustees Joe Gruters and Mark Hillis came away from their meetings with Swofford in agreement with Barron's decision last week to join the other ACC presidents in the new pact.
"What is on the minds of a lot of people is, is the ACC the conference that gives us the best opportunity to compete over the long term?" Gruters, FSU's youngest trustee, said. "At the end of the day, I think the ACC negotiated a good deal with ESPN and levels the playing field with the rest of the conferences."
Before last week's deal, FSU and other ACC schools each received about $17 million annually in TV revenue. That number is expected to increase by at least $3 million with the new deal; the pending ACC Network would mean untold additional millions.
Hillis, a retired bank executive who has long been active with the FSU Foundation and Boosters, is glad to see the ACC stabilized at last. He also is delighted to see the revenue heading in a better direction for his alma mater.
"I was in concert with President Barron that this was the best thing that could happen," Hillis said. "It ensures that we don't lose any members. Nobody can afford to leave now."
Barron said he knows the new deal will not appease all FSU football fans, but he acknowledged that it's a relief to have resolution to an issue that has occupied much of his time during his three-plus years as president.
"We've had a lot of speculation for a couple years now about what Florida State was going to do," Barron said. "I believe we're done talking about this."
Doug Blackburn and Ira Schoffel also write for the Tallahassee Democrat.
"Four years ago, the ACC decided to stick with a mix of ESPN and its traditional Raycom syndication rather than pursue its own network, but the landscape continues to change. "
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article16911437.html#storylink=cpy
10.There is going to be an ACC Network, and sooner rather than later.
Commissioner John Swofford headed off questions about a potential network dedicated exclusively to ACC programming by addressing it in the opening comments of his semi-annual forum Sunday.
But it’s clear from those comments that he’s confident his dream of an ACC Network will eventually become a reality.
Swofford said that the league will “continue to strategically evaluate whether (an ACC Network) makes sense for our conference and whether it makes sense for our television partner, ESPN.” What that means is they’re going to wait and see how things go with ESPN’s newly launched SEC Network. Once that’s up and running, work will begin on the ACC’s own cash cow.
Considering the number of potential viewers in the ACC’s ever-expanding geographic footprint and the reach of the league’s current syndicated package – administered by its other television partner, Raycom – a dedicated ACC Network could significantly increase the annual payouts each conference school receives.
“I think the combination of the quality of institutions and their athletic programs, our
marketplace opportunities and the population numbers, both current and projected, give the ACC enormous potential in both the near and distant future,” Swofford said.
"The launch of an ACC network run in partnership with ESPN, which has been expected for 2017, will likely take longer than expected."
"It is a significant reason why the ACC and member schools are interested in their own network, similar to cable channels for the Big Ten and SEC. Both conferences have seen television revenues increase dramatically after the start of their networks. This past May, for instance, the SEC projected revenues of $31.2 million per school for the 2014-15 fiscal year, a 49 percent jump from the previous year due in no small part to the launch of the SEC Network in 2014."
Television partners
“I know you are interested in our television going forward and the potential of the ACC Channel. We continue to have quality discussions with ESPN, and ESPN is as good a partner as you can possibly have and they will be our partner through at least 2026-27. They along with our other partners bring outstanding exposure for our players, for our teams, for our schools and for our league. At some point, as we go through our analysis and discussions and we're being very thorough and deliberate about that, because it's an important long-term decision, but together we'll make a joint decision about the best route to go for the future of our television as we move forward.“It's a very important decision as you know, and I think we have positioned ourselves extremely well as a league for future options, whatever those options may be. So those continue. Now, these days are filled with ACC football and I think there's a lot of reason to look ahead to this season with anticipation. Scheduling and I've talked about this in past years in terms of the importance of our school scheduling -- they have scheduled those games and we have won our share of those, playing quality teams and winning games is important, obviously, and the last several years gives us I think a platform and success. There is no shortage of specialty games Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, Monday night that give our programs outstanding exposure and we are tremendously pleased with the partners that we work with and the great job that they do in showcasing our coaches, our players and our teams; ESPN, the ACC network and the regional Fox Sports network, is as good as you can get and our ratings have been very strong with our partners. So we are very pleased with that part of what's happening with Atlantic Coast Conference football.”Seemed like for a decade we talked about the ACC Network -- why hasn't it happened yet?“You mean a channel? We have a network. A 24/7 channel? I think that we had -- you have to evaluate your own league and where you are in the marketplace, and timing always comes into play, what's happening in the marketplace when your contracts are up. So far, at each turn, our best decision has been to do what basically we've been doing. It's changed over the years -- look at with our partners, and now have the league -- to enhance opportunities, more certainly than we would have otherwise. That's what I meant in my comment that we have positioned ourselves very well. These are long-term visions and I like where they are and I think we will continue aggressively in terms of these discussions to reach a point where our partners and us together, we've got the right format to take us into future decades, literally.”You mentioned the financials. Your most recent tax returns showed a large discrepancy -- for lack of a better word. Do you foresee a problem in the future? Is this going to become another arm's race for the amounts of money that are out there, and is there a plan or a need to keep up?‘I think there is. We want to keep up and there are different models. When you go in the channel direction, obviously translates directly to -- if that falls short, those revenue projections change and we've looked at a number of channels and some have started really, really slow and then evolved into something very good. Some have started right out of the chute very quickly and successfully. Some have a lot of fanfare and some -- you have channels that don't have partners and you have some channels that do have partners. We'll just have to see again. I don't think you can be any more analytical or any more thorough in our evaluation with our partners on that issue going forward.”“It's gotten in other ways, when you talk about television, you have some conferences that have really high expenses that offset those dollars coming in and then you have other conferences that are receiving those dollars straight up. You know, it's understanding the nuances of television -- and that industry from the outside looking in is not easy.”
@DavidTeelatDP interviewed Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock and asked him about an ACC Network.
“I think like everything in our industry, that’s changing and you need to be aware of it,” Babcock said of the cable television dynamic. “The ACC channel, Commissioner Swofford would be better to make comments on that. But in general, you read about the cost-cutting of ESPN and all those things. Just like athletic departments, there’s cost-cutting, but if I see a revenue opportunity, I’m going to do that. So if a channel were to happen, and again that’s Commissioner Swofford and a small group working on that, if it were to happen, I’m confident it would be a revenue-generator. I’m not at all concerned about ESPN’s cost-cutting measures impacting that, if it happens."
“Anything said surrounding our ongoing television discussions is premature and speculative,” he said. “If, or when, we reach a point where our television agreements have been altered, we will make an announcement at the appropriate time.”
As vague as ever from Swofford.
So what did @DavidTeelatDP have to say in response to the Network Delay news?
# …sound like the parties have decided to pursue a channel. That in of itself is good news for the ACC, whose schools need a revenue infusion
Actually that does seem to be true. Though now it is easier of to be skeptical ESPN’s true intentions as I said yesterday. I’ll trust Teel on this one.
Here’s more…
# Also unknown is how much ESPN might increase the rights fees it pays the ACC in the interim before a channel. Swofford alluded to such a possibility during an interview in July at the ACC’s football kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C.
Ok the ACC won’t go empty handed on this one, but that increase better be at least $2 or $3 Million.
Here is Teel’s final comment and it is one I hope the ACC and John Swofford are paying attention too.
# Peterson’s comments to his board may startle some school administrators – the inner circle on the channel project is limited — and the sooner Swofford can ease those concerns with definitive information, the better.
"Glad to see so many folks getting involved in the area. A couple notes:
1. Madison Social (us), GrassLands, BrassTap, and Proof have formulated the "Tallahassee Brew District" and have been programming the area to bounce people around the area. Some of you that come to Tallahassee outside of football season feel free to schedule a visit when we do something. So far we did the Tallahassee Beer Mile run in August with 900 participants and a holiday pub crawl for charity that has nearly 500. Pretty awesome.
2. The project across the street from Madison Social is ours. We are working on a final name and concept, but beer garden-esque is safe to say. One thing you have to remember is that we have to be built for game days so having extremely rare brews in house and on tap isn't really feasible but we can maintain a balance.
At some schools, such as Rollins, these experienced business owners teach students who want to start a business. At others, they serve in non-teaching roles but are accessible to mentor students.
Gordon Hogan, who leads the University of Central Florida's business incubation program, says Florida has seen an increase in the number of entrepreneurs who serve as mentors at universities and in other incubation programs. Some of the insight includes an inside look at obstacles they might face."
"FSU began promoting itself as an entrepreneurial university almost four years ago, establishing a careers-related agenda that then FSU President Eric Barron believed would resonate with Florida Gov. Rick Scott and could help FSU establish another niche as part of its national reputation.
It started in the College of Business, but has since spread to other parts of the campus. The College of Music was among the first units outside the business school to establish an entrepreneur-in-residence, but it’s a program that is designed for every one of FSU’s 16 colleges."
"When I came to Florida State I decided I had a knack for entrepreneurship. It was easily the best decision I ever made. So many cool things are happening here.”
· * Clemson earned its third straight No. 1 ranking by the Associated Press, becoming only the third ACC team to have been ranked No. 1 for three consecutive weeks by the AP in the same year. The Tigers join Florida State (1993, 1995, 1999, 2013, 2014) and Virginia (1990) as the only ACC teams to have accomplished that.
* With a 30-27 overtime win over Virginia Tech, North Carolina earned its first berth in the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game and a share of the Coastal Division title. A win over NC State this week would give the Tar Heels undisputed possession of the Coastal Championship. The title is UNC’s and the Tar Heels will be playing for their first ACC Football title since 1980.
* For the first time in its history, the ACC has two teams with double-digit winning streaks at the same time. Clemson has won 14 games in a row, the longest current winning streak in the FBS, while North Carolina has now won 10 straight games, which is the third-longest current winning streak.
* The ACC has eight teams that have achieved bowl eligibility in Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State and Pitt. Virginia Tech can become the ninth bowl-bound league team with a win this Saturday against Virginia.
*Since 2006 (last 10 years) there were 89 nationally televised primetime games on ABC Saturday night. All but 6 games involved a "brand name school". The 6 non-brand name games included: 2013, Ok St vs Baylor 2012 Ok St vs K State 2010 Oregon St v Boise 2008 Cal v Mich St 2007 Cal v Tennessee 2007 Missouri v Kansas
*The most common match up (5) was Ohio St v Penn St.
*Clemson played 5 nationally televised prime time games on ABC but always as the opponent to a brand name: FSU 2, ND 1, Alabama 1 and Georgia 1. This is on par or below Oklahoma State (10) Texas Tech (5). and Baylor (5). *Miami, during that same 10 years period, only appeared 3 times, always vs FSU. * the SEC is heavily under represented. An educated guess: the SEC dominates ESPN's Saturday night broadcasts at 745 est. * No data for FOX's Saturday night (which always involves the PAC or Big12) so those conferences can be undervalued on the chart above. * No data for the rare CBS Saturday night game which always involves the SEC and, of late, Bama v LSU. * I'm surprised that Michigan, Texas and UCLA were not on prime time more often. One explanation: I think Michigan prohibited night games for a long time. That ban may have been lifted recently.
* this Saturday night features: Oklahoma v Baylor on ABC, Oregon v Stanford on Fox, LSU v Arkansas on ESPN
So, the question remains, who would the Committee give preferential treatment? USC, OU, tOSU, ND. I think it safe to assume Texas and Michigan plus Alabama. I'm not sure the list goes too far beyond that.
Michael Davidson, a Florida State University researcher whose ground-breaking work helped advance medical research and earned FSU millions of dollars, died Christmas Eve.
Davidson, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in March 2014, died at his home in the San Luis Ridge neighborhood. He was 65.
Davidson was one of the first researchers assigned to FSU’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, when it opened in 1994. He was an expert in microscopy, a discipline that uses high-powered microscopes to view atoms and molecules.
Davidson became nationally famous in the late 1990s for emblazoning neckties and other products with colorful images of molecules of vitamins, alcoholic beverages, ice cream and moon rocks. The sales earned FSU $2 million in royalties.
Davidson went on to establish a multi-million dollar business of creating educational websites and testing state-of-the-art microscopes for manufacturers. His work in those fields earned FSU more than $8 million.
He also mentored hundreds of young scientists, hiring them as assistants in his lab and launching them into careers of their own.
“The caliber of Mike’s microscopy research was known internationally,” said Mag Lab director Greg Boebinger. “But perhaps even more than that, Mike took pride in the many students he brought back into higher education, thereby launching their scientific and technical careers and building a legacy that will live on for generations.”
One of Davidson’s chief contributions to microscopy was his work with fluorescent proteins, a process in which proteins are colored and tracked within cells to learn their behavior. By learning more about cell biology, scientists learn more about how to improve medical treatment and cure diseases such as cancer.
Though the process was originally developed by California scientist Roger Tsien, Davidson became one of the leading practitioners and a frequent collaborator with Tsien.
Davidson’s work was praised at the 2014 Nobel Prize awards by Eric Betzig, a Virginia physicist who was one of three men who shared that year’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In 2005, Betzig and a colleague spent several days in Tallahassee discussing fluorescent proteins with Davidson. Betzig said those meetings informed his future work and led to his Nobel Prize for super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.
“Mike really is one of my idols,” Betzig said in a 2014 interview. “Thanks to him, (my colleague) and I got out of the scientific wilderness and it led to the (Nobel) prize.”
Davidson published 110 papers in scholarly journals. Though he had removed himself from active research over the past year as his illness worsened, he was still “refereeing” papers written by others for scientific journals.
A native of Atlanta, Davidson earned degrees in chemistry and biology from Georgia State University. He came to FSU in 1981 to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology. But wearying of a grad student’s poverty, he quit to start a business chrome-plating antique cars. He was eventually wooed back to FSU and discovered microscopy. But he never got his Ph.D.
Which explained his mentoring of others. Davidson liked to hire students who had “screwed up,” he said, looking for students who had partied too hard or struggled to make good grades or gone into other fields rather than complete their graduate degrees. He hired them at good salaries to work in his lab, pushing them with his gruff, demanding personality to do research and write papers that allowed them to return to graduate school or earn jobs with top research corporations.
Eric Clark spent 10 years as a nurse before Davidson hired him to pursue his passion for computers and graphics art. Clark spent 16 years as Davidson’s chief assistant and close friend, and continues to oversee the educational websites Davidson established.
“The one thing I want people to remember about Mike is he helped so many people,” said Clark, the Mag Lab’s research coordinator and applications developer. “He was the king of giving people a second chance.”
Clark said at the recent American Cell Biology conference in San Diego, most of his time was spent answering questions about the ailing Davidson.
“Mike helped an enormous amount of people in the industry; everyone had the same kind of story,” Clark said. “Mike was a rock star in the scientific community. (His death) is a big loss.”
Davidson is survived by his wife of 14 years, Pam Davidson; a daughter from a previous marriage, Misty Burch; and a granddaughter, Destiny Ashley.
This year — a year of big project announcements — and 2016 are fertile for construction and major developments not only in downtown Tallahassee but also in other areas booming with growth.
It's hard to turn a corner without seeing new construction in this county with a population of 285,982 residents and growing. It will only increase in the new year, according to commercial real estate experts. Before we look to the future, here's a sample of major projects that changed the development landscape in 2015. Bradfordville Crossing: Construction of this mixed-use development continued to take shape and stay on budget, according to project developer Claude Walker of Summit Group Commercial. It will include space for commercial uses, including 40,000 square feet of office space and 116,000 square feet of new retail. Plans are underway to build 153 residential home sites at $400,000 each. Centre of Tallahassee mall: The nearly shuttered mall that most residents still call the Tallahassee Mall is undergoing historic renovations that are the most extensive of their kind to any existing structure in the city's history. The 92-acre mall eventually will be an indoor and outdoor venue of commerce, dining and recreational activities. In 2015, the mall's 6,500-seat amphitheater was completed and a rink made for real ice was unveiled so residents can enjoy ice skating during the winter.
Gaines Street District:
There's been no shortage of construction on and near Gaines Street, from posh apartments to impressive plans for an Arena District that mixes entertainment and dining in a more pedestrian friendly setting. Here's a look at what's to come with the Arena District:
Conference Center: Plan calls for a new conference center facility of up to 100,000 square feet, with additional capacity coming from reusing and integrating existing spaces: Turnbull Conference Center and exhibit hall and meeting room in the Civic Center. Combined with the new conference space within the proposed conference hotel, a total of 250,000 square feet of conference space is planned for the district.
Hotel: Plan calls for a hotel with a conference wing at the intersection of Macomb and West Pensacola streets on the northeast corner of the site.
College of Business: Fundraising has begun to relocate the school to the eastern edge of the O’Connell Block, a prominent area facing the Chain of Parks.
Basketball Training Center Expansion: FSU Athletics, particularly the school’s basketball team, will have a major presence. Plans call for expanding the existing Basketball Training Center.
Entrepreneurial Space: At the eastern edge of Gateway Park, some of FSU’s School of Hospitality programs, such as the Center for Beverage Management and related activities, could be housed in a two-story linear building.
Macomb Walk: A proposed path through the Arena District. It would be mostly used by pedestrians, although plans call for vehicle access from West Pensacola Street into the hotel courtyard. There will also be ground-level retail, cafes or restaurants.
Seminole Plaza: This would reconfigure the Civic Center plaza into a multi-purpose space. Diverse activities are envisioned in this space.
Gateway Future Development and Park: This is proposed on the southwest corner of the Civic Center at South Macomb and West Madison streets.
Magnolia Grove: The Ferber Company, a Jacksonville-based company, rolled out a retail and hospitality center near the corner of Park Avenue and Magnolia Drive that was once home to a 9-acre tract of pine trees. While some still lament trees coming down, the area has become a main attraction for residents and workers looking for lunchtime eats. Magnolia Grove now has a Blaze Pizza, Smashburger, Which Wich, Starbucks and Mattress One. Coming soon: Oishii Bento Pan Asian & Sushi, Stanton Optical and Home 2 Home Suites by Hilton.
Here's a map that shows a snapshot of more major construction projects underway or being proposed throughout Tallahassee.
As 2015 comes to a close, more small businesses are encouraged to see Tallahassee’s economy strengthening and that will likely lead to more new hires, expansions and relocations. Owners may also decide to invest back into the business with major purchases.
Key economic factors point up. Business are seeing increased sales. There’s more population. Property evaluations are inching up. The local job market is showing promise, too, since fewer people are unemployed and less under-employed. In addition, new development and construction appears to be sprouting at nearly every corner.
Ben Pingree, executive vice president of the Economic Development Council of Tallahassee/Leon County, said he believes 2016 is going to be “a very productive year for businesses and increased vitality city and countywide.”
“At the local level, a lot of the planning and infrastructure investments are starting to bear fruit. Look to Cascades Park and South City areas for future development, and Gaines Street and Midtown, out on West Tennessee Street and Magnolia Grove,” he said.
“These are all areas that were during the downtime targeted for revitalization and reinvestment when the money would open up. What we’re seeing is construction and the opening of businesses in these key areas.”
In the last three years, here’s how Tallahassee has changed:
Roughly 9,000 new jobs were added.
The unemployment rate dropped by 36 percent.
Parcel values have increased by 7 percent to over $23 billion in total value.
“We see a very a bright 2016 and frankly -- and not insignificantly -- this was planned for fairly well by our business community and by our local leadership and partners in the last five years,” Pingree said, adding updates to the Comprehensive Plan – the area’s blueprint on development standards – helped develop a plan for the future.
In recent years, local government, including the city, Leon County and the Community Redevelopment Agency, has put its focus on areas that could be centers of economic activity. Gaines Street, with its bustling boutiques, bars, eateries and eclectic and youth energy, no longer resembles its warehouse industrial roots. But before the boom, local governments made substantial investments in infrastructure and more pedestrian-centric designs.
The next big economic thing could be Welaunee in northeast Tallahassee, according to economic, commercial and government officials.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum said the city and county are helping to facilitate the development of various lots that will result in a “huge economic boost for our community.”
“We’ve heard from our real estate community and our development community that they need plots for development and construction. This will be the largest inventory of land for new development that the city has seen in a very long time – not since Southwood,” Gillum said. “It will be big … There’s nothing that puts people to work quite like development.”
In addition during the new year, Gillum said his office will increase partnerships with the EDC and local universities in going after potential companies looking to relocate to Tallahassee, especially those attracted to research and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Florida State University.
“We’ve worked together to ensure our community would survive the greatest economic downturn that our country has seen in a long time,” Gillum said. “Next year, we want to continue to keep our economy moving.”
As local government crafts its role to boost the economy, scores of small business owners are doing the same. Many, in fact, plan to hire more employees next year. During the annual breakfast hosted by the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce in October, more than 200 business CEOS and leaders attended and 85 percent indicated they believed their company’s sales would increase in the next six months.
Nearly half of them planned to increase investment in facilities or equipment in the next six months. And 42 percent said they were better off now compared to six months ago, and another 34 percent said they were much better off.
Businesses such as Moore Bass Consulting, which provides surveying and permitting services for developments, is intimately tied to the construction industry.
“Our business volumes are definitely on the increase,” said Rick Moore, principal at Moore Bass Consulting. He said his company is looking to increase its staff by 15 to 20 percent, or five to 10 new employees, specifically surveyors and engineers. “We are very optimistic, and we will be in recruitment and hiring mode in 2016.”
Marquis Software, a leading provider in offender management systems based in Tallahassee, also plans to hire four to five more employees. Ben Harrell, director of sales and marketing, said the company provides software solutions that represents the management of over 400,000 inmates, over 200,000 medical records, over 600,000 under community supervision and over 130,000 users at over 400 correctional facilities. It’s taken steps to move into the international market, with potential customers in Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.
“Marquis provides our products and services to the largest employer in Tallahassee, The State of Florida. A strong local economy makes it easier for us to hire and retain qualified staff,” Harrell said. “We are also fortunate that we have three universities to pick young smart IT professionals from. Many of these interns see the value of living in a family oriented town like Tallahassee. Over the years we have hired around ten of our interns and plan on bringing in at least two more in 2016.”
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