The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the official public-private partnership for economic development in Broward County, hosted its Mid-Year Luncheon, presented by Florida Power & Light and Phillip Morris International, on Friday, May 16 to an audience of more than 600 members and guests at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.  

Alliance President & CEO Bob Swindell, together with Alliance Chair Doug Bartel, Florida Blue Senior Director of Enterprise Communications, and Alliance Vice Chair Jennifer Bales Drake, Shareholder at Becker, reported updates on the Alliance’s ongoing economic development work since the start of the organization’s 2025 fiscal year, which began October 1, 2024.

During the Mid Year Lunch, the Alliance also shared results from its newly launched “Work Hard, Live Better” campaign featuring Florida Panthers star forward, Matthew Tkachuk.  An Alliance CEO Council initiative produced in partnership with the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers, the campaign highlights the top advantages of living and working in Greater Fort Lauderdale, and aims to attract prospective talent and companies to the area. Since its April 22 launch, the campaign has thus far garnered more than half a million views on YouTube alone, and is currently being shown at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Sheltair, FXE, and National Jets terminals, in addition to the exterior of cruise terminals at Port Everglades and onsite at the newly-updated Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

Companies thus far assisted by the Alliance in Fiscal Year 2025 include:

• CTS Engines, a global leader of mature aviation engine maintenance, is expanding in Coral Springs, creating 41 new high-skill jobs and making a capital investment of $2.5 million.
• ESG (Event Services Group), which provides décor and services for special events, is expanding its production warehouse and office space, having moved to a new 66,000 sq. ft. facility in Fort Lauderdale, creating 50 new jobs and making a capital investment of $1 million.
• Pherros Biosciences, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Deerfield Beach, is in the midst of a multi-phase expansion that will allow for the production of up to 100,000 units of new and generic injectable medicines per day, as well as the production of biologics and biosimilars.  Once complete, the company will have a total drug manufacturing footprint of more than 60,000 square feet, supporting an estimated 85 high-value jobs by the end of 2026. 
• Screen Graphics, an industry leader in the design, production, and installation of high-quality graphics, is expanding to a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Fort Lauderdale. The company is investing $2 million in a new 43,000 sq. ft. space, creating six new jobs.
• Transpire Bio, an integrated clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialized in developing inhaled therapeutics for pulmonary and systemic diseases, is expanding its R&D and manufacturing capabilities with a new 139,000 square foot pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Pembroke Pines, making a capital investment of $100 million. The cutting-edge facility will enhance and build upon the company’s existing R&D and commercial manufacturing operations in Weston, adding an estimated 200 high-skill jobs when fully operational.
• VSE Corporation, a leading provider of aftermarket distribution and repair services, relocated its corporate headquarters from Northern Virginia to Miramar, where it is co-located with the company’s Aviation segment headquarters and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) center of excellence. The $3.4 million capital investment will create and support a combined total of 350 high-value jobs over the next five years. VSE continues to grow in Broward County, having recently acquired Kellstrom Aerospace and Vortex Aviation.

“The thriving and collaborative business climate the Alliance continues to cultivate remains a key driver of economic growth and resilience in Broward,” said Bob Swindell, President and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. “Thus far this year, we’re thrilled to have assisted with high-impact investments, expansions, and relocations that underscore the robust growth of high-value sectors such as aviation MRO and pharmaceutical manufacturing in Broward County - along with our strong and talented workforce, business leadership, and infrastructure that continue to support new growth opportunities.”

The Alliance presented its annual World Class Faculty Award to George Sklivanitis, Ph.D. Sklivanitis is the Charles E. Schmidt Research Associate Professor and I-SENSE Fellow at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He is a leading expert in advanced wireless communication systems, with a focus on modeling, optimization, and experimental validation in complex and congested environments. He is a founding faculty member and Associate Director of the Center for Connected Autonomy and AI, and a faculty fellow with the Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering (I-SENSE). VIDEO LINK

Key findings from the Alliance/Kaufman Rossin’s 2025 Broward County Leadership Survey were also shared, and include: 67% of Broward leaders who responded to the survey predict economic conditions in 2026 will be better or much better than 2025; “Talent Recruitment” saw a significant jump from 24% in 2024 to 38% in 2025, making it the top issue for Broward County leaders this year; “Inflation” and “Cost / Availability of Employee Housing” ranked second and third, respectively.  Additionally, respondents believe 57% of their workforce will be fully on-site, 25% will be hybrid, and 18% will be fully remote. The full report can be downloaded at GFLAlliance.org/2025LeadershipSurvey.

Scott Bores, CFO of Florida Power & Light, sat down with Swindell for a keynote fireside chat about FPL’s role in economic development in Florida.

Sponsors of the meeting included: presenting sponsors: Florida Power and Light Company and Phillip Morris International; platinum sponsors: Amazon, Seminole Tribe of Florida, and South Florida Business Journal; gold sponsors: City of Hollywood, Fision by Hotwire Communications, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), JM Family Enterprises, Inc., and Broward MPO; silver sponsors: Amerant, Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development, Capital Analytics Associates, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Port Everglades, South Florida Business & Wealth, and Starmark.

The Alliance’s Annual Meeting and dinner will take place October 9, 2025 at War Memorial Auditorium. 

 

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