Corporate headquarters could transform Tampa

There are many benefits of running your business in Tampa. Public development initiatives will revamp the Tampa International Airport in the coming years, Bright House Networks has taken public parks online with free WiFi and a new bike share program will see professionals zipping around the city on light blue cruisers. Add sunshine, bay views and its location in a state that recently posted some of the highest job growth in America, and you have a recipe for the perfect executive hub for innovation. 

As Tampa rapidly expands its offerings for young professionals, business travelers and executives, a next step in fortifying commerce in the city will be courting large companies to headquarter corporate offices in our backyard. Economic developers in Tampa have begun to strategize how best to attract visible companies, starting small and ramping up to big-name brands. 

"The early aim is to target recognizable B-level brands, especially companies based in the more expensive (and colder) metro areas of the Northeast and Midwest," writes Robert Trigaux in a Tampa Bay Times column. 

Tampa was once regarded as the solid (but unsexy) Call Center Capital of America, but architects of the new Tampa are thinking bolder than telephone operators. Trigaux cites the relocation of Hertz, the car rental giant, from New Jersey to Naples, Florida in 2013 as a "wake-up call" to Tampa's potential as a hotbed of big-time commercial activity. Currently, Tampa is home to companies like the Home Shopping Network and Raymond James Financial, among more than 10 companies valued at more than $1 billion. Wooing commercial giants has become a priority to take Tampa to the next level. 

Looking ahead, community development and a rising national profile may find more players seeking corporate office space in Tampa.