Volusia County Economic Development Hosts Panel Discussion on Driving Development

An expert industrial development panel addressed driving development during Volusia County Economic Development’s (VCED) quarterly “Q” breakfast meeting at Daytona Beach International Airport on May 19.  

Aviation and Economic Resources Director Cyrus Callum kicked off the meeting by providing an update on key metrics on the county’s labor market, building permit activity and education completions as part of the quarterly “Q” report VCED publishes.

Panelists included Don Schoenheider, executive vice president at Hillwood, a Perot Company; James Ford, CEO of TRES III, LLC; and Scott Claiborne, director of development for Onicx Group.

Panelists spoke about the development of three projects, including the new Amazon robotics fulfillment center facility in Daytona Beach on Williamson Boulevard, Karis Industrial’s spec warehouse and cold storage facility directly across from Amazon, and Onicx Group’s Space Coast Industrial Park in Edgewater.

Cyrus led an engaging discussion in which the panel spoke of a burgeoning population growth, a robust workforce, a growing space industry in southeast Volusia, proximity to I-4 and I-95, speed to market, municipal support and availability of electric power as reasons for choosing Volusia County for their industrial site projects.

VCED’s “Q” breakfast meeting features a subject matter expert or panel of experts who present relevant information on programs and services that may benefit stakeholders and the local business community. The events are held in person. They are also livestreamed and can be viewed on VCED’s website. Those interested in attending future breakfast meetings can subscribe to VCED’s Economic Scene newsletter to receive updates on upcoming meetings. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.