by C.J. Gustafson
BusinessSchools.com Contributing Writer
October 20, 2004
In 1880, Irving R. Henry from North Carolina homesteaded 130 acres of land, which he purchased for a dollar an acre. The land was later bought by Henry Morrison Flagler, the founder of Standard Oil and the Florida East Coast Railroad. Flagler also owned a resort area on the opposite side of Lake Worth called Palm Beach. He kept Palm Beach an uncommercialized area and used his newly purchased land to accommodate housing and services for his railroad workers and other staff. This area, which became known as West Palm Beach, was incorporated on November 5, 1894.
Land speculation and development drove the city's economy in the 1920s, and
military production and support followed when the area was taken over by the
military and used as a staging area during World War II. Developer Louis Perini
led the city's next building boom in the 60s and 70s, which brought big businesses
like Pratt & Whitney, IBM, and RCA to town. Today West Palm Beach is home to
many other major companies including Wackenhut Corporation, Motorola, Seagrams
Shared Services, Rexall Sundown, and Paxson Communications Corporation - and
the city is still growing strong.
A City on the Move
CityPlace, the nation's largest urban redevelopment project, opened in October
2000. Covering 72 acres in West Palm Beach, CityPlace includes a performing
arts venue, the Palm Beach County Convention Center and adjacent 500-room hotel,
more than 500 residential units, and The Palladium -- a 600,000-square-foot
retail, restaurant, and entertainment facility. This new facility and other
business development projects have garnered attention for the city and helped
to lure talented and trained staff and entrepreneurs. The city also has a reputation
for some of the most lively and glamorous nightlife in the country, which draws
a fun-loving set of people who like the seemingly endless options for entertainment
and culture.
With nearly 80,000 residents, West Palm Beach is the largest of Palm Beach County's
38 cities, towns, and villages. It is within driving distance of several other
premier South Florida towns and cities including the neighboring resort town
of Palm Beach, which Henry Flagler created so many years ago. The Chamber of
Commerce of the Palm Beaches boasts that "…a growing, affluent population, sophisticated corporate culture, high quality of life, favorable tax structure, state-of-the-art
transportation network and a highly skilled workforce are among the county's
primary business attractions."
Recently, the Chamber identified several leading sectors on which to focus
its efforts to encourage additional growth in the area. Communications and information
technology; medical/ pharmaceutical/health care; aerospace and engineering;
business, financial, and headquarters services; agribusiness; and tourism/recreation/entertainment
will all be targeted industries in the coming years, providing many opportunities
for business students and graduates with expertise in these areas.
Economic and Business Facts and Figures
Sugar production has been a staple of the West Palm Beach economy almost since
its founding. Combined with citrus production and other farm products, the sugar
industry contributes substantially to Palm Beach County's status as the largest
agricultural county in Florida (12.4% of the state's agricultural employment
is in Palm Beach County).
The services sector is also a key component of West Palm Beach, representing
the largest employer of non-agricultural workers. Collected from information
on the Chambers web site, the following is a list of the top five industries
and the percent of nonagricultural employment they provide to the local economy:
- Services - 41.3%
- Trade - 24.9%
- Government - 11.1%
- Manufacturing - 6.3%
- Finance, Insurance, & Real Estate - 7.2%
Educational Opportunities
West Palm Beach and the surrounding communities offer business students a wealth
of educational options.  Choices include South University - West Palm Beach Campus, Lynn University, Florida Atlantic University,
Northwood University and Palm Beach Atlantic College Rinker School of Business. Palm Beach Community College and the New England Institute of Technology are local two-year colleges.
The schools listed offer certificates, diplomas, AA degrees and four-year
year degrees for students seeking management careers and administrative careers
in fields such as nursing, health care and criminal justice. They offer Accounting
degrees, E-commerce degrees, Economics degrees, Marketing and Public Relations degrees and training in a numerous other business areas. Several of the schools also offer MBA programs.
West Palm Beach is a city with a growing population, a beautiful climate, and a reputation for some of the best nightlife in the country. It is surrounded by several other popular south Florida cities, including the resort town of Palm Beach, which has a reputation of its own in the tourism industry. The area provides many social, educational and employment opportunities for business students.
Top of Page
|
|
