About the Manatee Economic Development Corporation

The primary mission of the Manatee Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has varied only slightly over the 25 years since the MEDC’s inception, and those changes have been in response to business climate shifts. Essentially, the MEDC works to improve the economic health of the community by attracting and retaining companies, which bring increased capital investments and high-paying jobs to Manatee County, resulting in improved quality of life for the entire region. We focus our efforts on targeted business sectors, which generate revenues from sources primarily outside the region and that pay salaries at or above the average annual wage in Manatee County. The MEDC derives most of its funding from public partners and private investor firms. The MEDC maintains strong relationships with regional partners such as the Tampa Bay Partnership, The Tampa Bay Technology Forum and the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, to name just a few. This cooperation leverages marketing dollars to effectively and efficiently promote the entire region, while providing a platform to constructively address mutual challenges.

The MEDC recognizes the importance of not only attracting companies from other locations, but retaining existing businesses by assisting with facility expansions, workforce issues, connections to grants, incentives and information resources, international trade and much more. The MEDC’s ongoing relationship with its public partners – the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto, the Town of Longboat Key, Port Manatee, Suncoast Workforce and Manatee County Government – is essential to this endeavor. A prime example of this cooperative partnership is the Rapid Response Team, which works to expedite permitting and provide knowledgeable support for qualified expansion projects. This program has been a tremendous asset to the local business community for over two decades.