Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown and other city leaders announced Thursday that Jacksonville is joining a new exchange network created by the Global Cities Initiative that will help the city establish action plans to promote greater global trade and economic competitiveness.
After completing an extensive application process, Jacksonville was one of eight cities selected to join the initiative, which is a joint project of the Brookings Institutionand JPMorgan Chase. The initiative equips metropolitan leaders with the information, policy ideas and global connections needed to bolster their region's global economy.
Making "the Northeast Florida region the global gateway of the south is our mission," Brown said.
Jacksonville will join Atlanta; Greenville, S.C.; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Phoenix; Sacramento, Calif.; and Wichita, Kansas in the exchange's inaugural class, which will work together over the next four years to establish new relationships with other cities and to share best practices in global economic development.
Jacksonville's team of leaders include representatives from the Office of Economic Development, the JAXUSA Partnership, the Jacksonville Port Authority, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida.
They will develop a regional export plan, and later integrate a foreign direct investment strategy.
"This is all about growing private sector jobs," said Jaxport chief executive officerBrian Taylor. "The central message is that we will not stop until we reach the goal to become the principal hub in the south for transportation and logistics."
Donald Horner, Jacksonville University chief government and community affairs officer said they will get started soon, and will head to Brookings in Washington D.C. on Dec. 12 to participate in the first working group session, where they will learn how to develop an export plan as part of a global economic development strategy and identify partner cities.