“We’re excited that GE has selected Jacksonville as the site for a major advanced manufacturing facility,” said Mayor Brown.  “We competed against a number of other communities for this great economic opportunity, and we won.  It shows that Jacksonville is a great place to do business.  My vision is to create jobs for Jacksonville, and we’re turning that vision into reality.  I want to thank the City Council for its support, as well as our many partners who helped us secure these jobs for Jacksonville.”
 
Governor Scott said, “The new GE Oil & Gas facility in Jacksonville will bring at least 500 jobs, giving even more Florida families the opportunity to live the American Dream. Last year we eliminated the sales tax on manufacturing equipment in order to build up manufacturing in our state, and now businesses like GE Oil & Gas can save money and be more competitive. Florida businesses have already created more than 640,000 private-sector jobs since December 2010, so let’s keep working to provide even more opportunities for Florida families.”
 
GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technologies and services for all segments of oil and gas with 43,000 employees in more than 100 countries supporting customers across the industry—from extraction to transportation to end use.  The new facility in Jacksonville will be involved in the design, engineering and manufacturing of GE’s Mooney regulators and Becker control valves, among other oil and gas industry products.
 
GE Oil & Gas is a division of GE, which ranks 9^th on the FORTUNE 500 list of largest American companies.
 
“GE is committed to innovation in the technology solutions we develop, as well as delivering operational excellence for our customers with the upmost focus on quality and safety,” said Chuck Nugent, Vice President of Manufacturing, GE Oil & Gas.  “The new Jacksonville facility provides us the opportunity to use advanced manufacturing practices to meet our customers’ growing technology needs faster, while bringing new job opportunities to Jacksonville.”
 
The new advanced manufacturing facility will be located at AllianceFlorida Cecil Commerce Center, one of the largest industrial parks in Florida.  In 2010, the City of Jacksonville signed a contract with Hillwood Investment Properties to serve as the long-term master developer for 4,475 acres of City-owned property at the Center, located on the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field.  Hillwood has branded the site with its premier brand name, AllianceFlorida.
 
“We are proud to welcome GE to AllianceFlorida and see this as a great opportunity to expand the City’s economy, job creation and tax base,” said Dan Tatsch, Senior Vice President of Hillwood. “We hope GE’s decision to relocate to Jacksonville will encourage other leading companies to do the same.”
 
The successful effort to recruit GE Oil & Gas to Jacksonville included the City’s Office of Economic Development, JAX Chamber, JAXUSA Partnership, Enterprise Florida and Hillwood Investment Properties.
 
“Landing a project of this magnitude with an outstanding company like GE is a huge win, especially as we move toward becoming an advanced manufacturing and energy hub in Northeast Florida,” said Jerry Mallot, President of JAXUSA, the economic development arm of JAX Chamber. “This project would not happen without the city, state and JAXUSA working together on this important development, and this is another example how the strong partnerships in our city and state bring high-paying jobs to our community.”
 
“This will be a job producer for today and generations to come,” said City Council Member Doyle Carter.  “This also will attract more businesses and companies to Cecil Commerce Center in the short future.”
 
On Sept. 9, the City Council unanimously approved legislation that provides support of the job creation project. The legislation proposed by Mayor Brown provides specific support of advance manufacturing through a new Economic Development Manufacturing Employer Grant. The grant provides a new tool to enhance the competitiveness of the City and the State of Florida in order to add manufacturing jobs that benefit residents. The legislation also recommends state support for investment and job creation. 
 
The job creation proposal was initially identified only as “Project Speed” as required under state law to protect the identity and location of the project.
 
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
 
About GE Oil & Gas
GE Oil & Gas works on the things that matter in the oil and gas industry.  In collaboration with our customers, we push the boundaries of technology to bring energy to the world. From extraction to transportation to end use, we address today's toughest challenges in order to fuel the future.
 
About Hillwood
Hillwood, a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate investors and developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. Hillwood’s developments currently house facilities for more than 85 companies listed on the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private firms. Hillwood is best known for its Alliance brand that includes the 18,000-acre AllianceTexas, 4,474-acre AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center, and 2,000-acre AllianceCalifornia. For additional information, please visit www.hillwoodinvestmentproperties.com.