NSB City Commission Gets Team Volusia Briefing

Listed as a “presentation,” Team Volusia Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Keith Norden’s appearance before the New Smyrna Beach City Commission was more like an economic intelligence briefing.
“We are a sales organization where we try to push the Stage 1 early leads to Stage 5,” Norden said, referring to the ranking used by Team Volusia to track business development. Stage 1 is a business just starting up and Stage 5 is when the project is established.
Norden said there is a spirit of cooperation in Volusia County on the issue of economic development, reflected in Team Volusia’s many partnerships, including more than 80 private sector partners, 15 municipalities and Volusia County government.
“It’s a very great collaborative experiment,” he said.
Norden offered a review of Team Volusia’s recent activities, initiatives and active projects. He cited one business prospect, code-named Project Opal, “looking very seriously at Volusia County” with a planned capital investment of “almost a billion dollars.”
Norden also talked about things closer to home for commissioners.
“As far as New Smyrna Beach, we’re proud of the wins,” he said, pointing to the arrival of Bajio Sunglasses, which came to the city in 2020. “We have 32 proposals of sites and buildings out with site location consultants and companies.”
Norden also highlighted Team Volusia’s outreach missions and marketing efforts.
“We had over 424 scheduled outreach meetings, not random meetings where we meet a company on the road,” he said.
Norden said Team Volusia also attends international trade shows, including the Paris Air Show and the Farnborough International Airshow in England. “We go with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Space Florida and Enterprise Florida as key partners,” he said.
Mayor Fred Cleveland extended the city’s appreciation for Norden’s presentation and Team Volusia’s work.
“Thank you so much fpr you impact,” he said. “We’re delighted you’re working on our behalf.”
The City Commission reaffirmed that support later in the meeting, unanimously approving a new agreement with Team Volusia in the amount of $25,000.
