When Pennsylvania-based Fishman & Tobin Inc. set out to locate a distribution center in the Southeast, it had a list of criteria necessary in the new location. The company answered all of them in Jacksonville, Fla.

In October, the manufacturer and distributor of boy's clothing revealed plans to renovate a 283,000 square foot structure in Orange Park for its newest - and largest - distribution center. The facility, located near the Jacksonville metro, is now home to 10 employees, and the company will continue to add 10 employees a month until it reaches about 200.

"Jacksonville has a good infrastructure; it has good transportation," Marvin Walker, manufacturing vice president for the company, told The Florida Times-Union. He added that "there wasn't anything that we required that we couldn't find there."

Available labor and port proximity were also among the Clay County location advantages cited by the company.

Coastal life is key lure for headquarters

It's no surprise that companies consider quality of life when it comes time to expand or relocate a headquarters operation. Companies find their attraction and retention efforts benefit from a location considered desirable.

This was exactly why The Certified Collectibles Group is moving its corporate headquarters to a 22,000 square foot facility in Sarasota County, in west-central Florida.

"We chose Sarasota because the quality of life makes it easier to attract and retain key employees," said Steve Eichenbaum, president of Certified Collectibles Group, who also happened to vacation in Sarasota for more than 15 years. "We also expect lower operating and facilities costs."

The company cited proximity to international airports, as well, which it can access in Sarasota-Bradenton and Tampa.

Life's a beach for Nextel

When Nextel Partners Inc. needed to supplement its customer support facility in Las Vegas, it knew it was time to expand. The company found the location it needed - complete with a strong economic environment, skilled work force, and local support - in Panama City Beach, in Bay County.

"We've received strong support from Panama City Beach businesses and civic leaders since launching Nextel service here, and we are pleased to further our commitment and support of the economic viability of the community," said Nextel Partners General Manager Jim Ryder.

The digital wireless service provider will bring as many as 600 jobs to the region when it opens a new 65,000 square foot customer service facility in 2002. Nextel will be the "anchor tenant" in the new Beckrich Office Park currently under development by the St. Joe Company.

The project is being heralded for the estimated $10 million it will pump into the local seaside economy.

AmSouth Bank expands in Pensacola

The Northwest Florida area will be home to AmSouth Bank's new TeleBanking Center, in Pensacola. The $7 million facility is slated to open in February. AmSouth will employ 250 people at the 35,000 square foot call center, which sits on a 9-acre site five miles west of the Pensacola Regional Airport.

"This is a very visible reflection of our more than 100-year relationship with Pensacola and the confidence we have in the community," said Mike McNamee, area executive for AmSouth. "The friendliness and hard work of the people in AmSouth's Pensacola TeleBanking Center has played an important role in the growing success of our telephone banking services.

"Based on the quality of the labor force here, affordable real estate and the pro-business attitude of Pensacola's community leaders, it just made good sense to expand here."

Business parks statewide hook variety of firms

If your company is set on expanding operations in a business park, then Florida can probably fit the bill. No matter what city you look at, chances are good there will be an office or industrial park to meet your needs.

FCCI Insurance Group began a search for the perfect space three years ago. The company was rapidly outgrowing its Sarasota headquarters and wanted a facility that could be run 24 hours a day independent from exterior forces, withstand any natural disaster scenario, and provide a productive workplace for employees.

The company's search eventually led to Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park, a 1,273-acre business park bordering Sarasota in Manatee County. In May of 2001, FCCI opened its new 42-acre office campus and now employs about 500 people there. There is room for expansion into another 350,00 square feet on the main building.

Lakewood Ranch offers lot sizes ranging from one to 100 acres, and has all approvals in place, Verizon SmartPark technology and proximity to I-75. Three new tenants recently arrived at the sprawling Florida Central Park commercial complex, near Davenport in Polk County.