Hello! For those of you who may not know me yet, my name is William Corbin, and I’m the new Executive Director of the Business Development Board of Martin County.
My first day was September 16, and since that time, I’ve made it a priority to listen and learn – listening and learning as I speak with as many businesses and community stakeholders as possible, including BDB board members, organizational partners, and local economic development thought leaders.
Gaining their perspective and insights on the organization and the business community has been – and will be – invaluable, and I’m very appreciative of everyone’s time. I look forward to continuing this campaign over the next several months.
One of the highlights for me was having the opportunity to present at the Women Who Rock Awards Luncheon hosted by the Palm City Chamber of Commerce. I presented the Small Business Owner of the Year award to Tami Karol, founder and owner of Tami Karol Insurance. Jill Marasa of Ashley Capital nominated her.
I also had the pleasure of making remarks on behalf of the BDBMC at the groundbreaking ceremony for Hinckley Yachts’ new 44,000 SF storage and maintenance facility over in Manatee Pocket. The facility will offer additional secure storage options for the boat-builder’s clients. When finished, the structure will be one of the few in the region designed to withstand winds of over 200mph – equivalent to a category 5 hurricane.
Both events were excellent opportunities for me to introduce myself to the community, represent the BDBMC positively, and reinforce the importance of our work.
Here are some more examples of meetings I’ve had and places I’ve toured:
- South Florida Gateway: 1.5 million SF industrial park off Kanner Hwy, where Power Systems Manufacturing is expanding into 185,000 SF for their new power generation manufacturing and service business line.
- The area where the potential future Innovation Hub district is proposed.
- Sands Commerce Center: 1.4 million SF industrial park, and it has 466,000 SF of space under construction.
- Witham Field
- Indiantown: I had the pleasure of visiting and touring the various assets and resources related to development, including the hundreds of acres of industrial-zoned, permit-ready land.
- And then Hurricane Milton happened, so we’ve been catching up ever since…
As I conclude this column and reflect on the past six weeks, I’m amazed at how warm and welcoming everyone has been toward me. I’m also impressed and grateful for such a smooth transition between the former BDBMC Interim Executive Director, Dan Hudson, and myself.
Additionally, the BDBMC board of directors and staff deserve a special call-out and recognition for their time, effort, and leadership. Thank you to Board Director Susan Rabinowitz, Ms. Inez van Ravenzwaaij (Director, Programs & Partnerships), and Ms. Brittany Truong (Office Administrator).
Building strong collaborative relationships with local and regional organizations is one of my top priorities and has been a cornerstone of my early efforts. Taking the time to do so has been an invaluable opportunity, and I look forward to continuing this immersion, digging into the work, and identifying exciting opportunities that will help fuel economic development for Martin County.
