Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County offers a variety of strengths and opportunities that should be the focus of marketing efforts to attract headquarters operations to the area, according to a report that has been presented to The Broward Alliance.  John Rhodes of Moran, Stahl & Boyer (MS&B) reviewed the report’s findings at the Alliance’s Spring Quarterly Meeting held April 21, 2009.�
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The MS&B report was part of an overall research and planning effort recently completed by The Broward Alliance CEO Council to determine how to most effectively recruit corporate headquarters facilities. �
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The MS&B study used demographic and other secondary research to evaluate the needs of headquarters operations and the assets that Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County offers to those businesses.  A follow-up study conducted by Boyette Levy provides specific recommendations around how to better prepare Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County for this recruitment effort.�
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The headquarters competitive analysis study completed by MS&B provides a comparison of Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County with 12 other communities. The study also views the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County community from an executive family perspective to see how they would respond to an opportunity to relocate to the county.
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“”Attracting headquarters operations is a comprehensive effort.  This review of our strengths and opportunities in attracting these projects will be invaluable as we enhance our headquarters recruitment efforts,”" said Ray Ferrero, Jr., chairman of The Broward Alliance and the Alliance’s CEO Council.
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The MS&B report identified the following strengths of Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County in successfully attracting headquarters operations:

Unique geographic positioning to the Caribbean and South America
Relationships with Europeans, Caribbeans, South Americans, New Yorkers and others who frequent the region for vacations and business activities �
Mild weather with opportunities for year-round outdoor activities �
The existence of nearly 150 headquarters operations in the county �
Good transportation resources, particularly for air, seaport and regional interstate highways �
World class boating, beaches and life style�
Diverse and vibrant culture �
Strong business community and support from developers in offering high quality real estate products

The Broward Alliance (www.browardalliance.org) is Broward County’s official public/private partnership for economic development.  Its mission is to lead Broward County in building a stronger and more diverse economy by stimulating the creation of new jobs and capital investment while facilitating the growth and retention of businesses in Broward County.  Services offered by The Broward Alliance include assistance with business relocation or expansion and site selection; incentive programs and information; market research; small, minority- and women-owned business assistance; film permitting, government liaison and community resource referrals for film and television; and serving as a liaison for workforce development between educational institutions and the business community.