CRESTVIEW — Talent Tribune, a human resources blog, has named the Crestview, Fort Walton Beach and Destin metro one of the top 10 cities in America for job growth in construction.
The area's total construction job growth — including commercial, residential construction and related specialties — rose 23.7 percent from August 2013 to August 2014, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
'JUMPING OFF POINT'
Such a spike signals overall economic growth, according to Nathan Sparks, executive director of the county's Economic Development Council.
"By bringing more property, more development online, the opportunity for the tax digest to grow exists, and that allows our county and our cities to offer more services and to improve the services that they do offer," Sparks said. "Then if there's something coming online that is going to employ individuals … then you're bringing new wages into the equation.
"Those new wages, of course, become hopefully used in large part in the local area … construction really is the jumping off point."
But demand precedes construction, and North Okaloosa has it, Sparks said.
The 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne)'s presence is one significant factor. Military service members move to the area, need to purchase or rent housing, frequent retail stores and restaurants, and need goods and services.
"Those things have a major impact," Sparks said.
In addition, North Okaloosa has the most property that can be developed, it's lower in cost, and businesses recognize the benefit of being close to Interstate 10 and having direct access to Bob Sikes Airport, he said.
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
"Okaloosa has this beautiful confluence of opportunity," County Commissioner Nathan Boyles said. "You have the beautiful beaches on the south end of our county, the weather is good, the scenery is good, we've got good schools … on the north end, we've got land and we've got people, and those two things create opportunity."
Boyles, who owns a title company, knows firsthand that people are building things.
"Business has been substantially better this year for me than it was last year," he said. "There was a slow time, (earlier) this year, but they've picked up substantially.
"I've heard it from the guys that sell building materials … and the guys who rent the machinery… and I've seen in personally on the title side as far as new transactions coming through the door."
'A KEY GROWTH AREA'
Jeri Toolan, vice president of Toolan Development in Crestview, also said the blog's ranking seems right.
Her and her husband's company — which builds single-family homes, and recently took on two 10,000-square-foot assisted living facilities in Lynn Haven and Gulf Breeze — has no shortage of work, she said.
In fact, they had to hire a part-time office staffer to keep up with all the jobs.
But at Toolan, the tell-tell sign that business is booming is when most of the work is new construction, as opposed to remodels or additions, like installing irrigation systems.
This year, most of the business comes from new construction, and it's coming from all different directions, Toolan said.
"Right now, we're building for young people, old people, people moving in, military … it's all of it."
Toolan's subcontractors, or trades, have plenty to do, too.
"All of my trades are busy as well. I don't have any of 'em that are just sitting around… they're obviously working for other people but they're all busy."
It's all validation of "what we already know to be true," Sparks said. "The northern end of the county is truly a key growth area for this area."
So, what other cities are in the Top 10?
Well, there's Albany, N.Y., No. 10; Cleveland, Ohio, No. 9; Baton Rouge, No. 8; Ann Arbor, Mich., No. 7; Cleveland, Tenn., No. 6; Fargo, N.D., No. 5; Owensboro, Ky., No. 3; and Monroe, Mich., No. 2.
And the No. 1 American city for job growth in construction?
Why, that's Lake Charles, La.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview area ranked No. 4 in America for construction job growth