Inside Pensacola's Economic Development Strategy: How One CEO Is Building Florida's Next Aerospace and Maritime Hub

Written by:

Heather Hook

Date:

13 Mar 2026

KeyCrew Studio

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In a recent Beyond the Build podcast conversation, Florida West EDA’s Chris Platé reveals the site selection process, infrastructure priorities, and strategic focus areas positioning Escambia County for transformational growth.

Chris Platé didn’t come to Pensacola as a tourist. After nearly 30 years leading economic development initiatives responsible for over 7,000 manufacturing jobs and $5 billion in capital investment across North and South Carolina, he arrived in Northwest Florida with a specific mandate: strengthen the industrial base, compete for high-wage jobs, and position Escambia County for long-term growth.

Fourteen months into his tenure as CEO of Florida West Economic Development Alliance, Platé is executing a focused strategy that commercial real estate professionals and developers should understand. In a conversation with Kelvin Enfinger Jr., Vice President of Greenhut Construction and host of Beyond the Build, Platé outlined the “four legs of the stool” driving Pensacola’s economic development focus: aerospace and aviation, medical and life sciences, marine and maritime, and cyber and defense.

The Site Selection Reality

Platé dispelled romanticized notions about how economic development deals actually close. “It’s not fluff like it used to be 20, 30 years ago,” he explains. Companies throw wide nets across multiple states and counties, demanding accurate data and site readiness immediately. Political engagement happens at the end of the process, not the beginning.

“If you don’t have what they need, then don’t even apply because it just makes them upset, particularly a consultant,” Platé notes. Economic developers must be “three feet deep and a mile wide,” knowing enough about everything to pull in specialized experts at the right moments, whether that’s Florida Power & Light for energy concerns, construction partners for timeline assessments, or workforce development leaders for labor availability.

Shovel-Ready Inventory

Platé detailed Escambia County’s current site inventory, revealing opportunities and constraints commercial developers should understand. The 9-acre Pensacola Technology Campus downtown offers turnkey development with 12-15 megawatts of power capacity, suitable for multi-story buildings and smaller data centers. Midtown Industrial Park, a former brownfield with clean sections, sits nearly shovel-ready pending infrastructure optimization.

Central Commerce Park represents the crown jewel: 240 acres (230 developable) located just 15 minutes north of I-10, currently undergoing road layout and site planning to maximize density while limiting water and sewer infrastructure costs. “That is a very unique gift to have that land sitting there between two interstates,” Platé emphasizes, referencing proximity to both I-10 and I-65.

Outlying Field 8, a former Navy training field, offers another 165 acres of Class A park space once pricing negotiations with the county conclude. The Bluffs provides barge access for maritime-focused operations, with a new roundabout improving truck and employee access.

The Field International Model

Recent wins demonstrate Platé’s selective recruitment approach. Field International, an MRO aerospace supplier serving Airbus, Boeing, and ST Engineering, relocated its global headquarters from the United Kingdom to Pensacola specifically because the community fit the company’s family-focused culture. “Their children are coming. It’s amazing,” Platé notes. “You can see they’re a plus one to the community, not something that would hurt the culture.”

This selectivity stems from Pensacola’s competitive position. Unlike struggling markets that must accept any project, Escambia County can prioritize companies that enhance rather than disrupt community character while delivering high-wage jobs.

Infrastructure Priority

When asked to identify one infrastructure priority, Platé didn’t hesitate: heavy infrastructure for Central Commerce Park. The location between I-10 and I-65 with available acreage represents Pensacola’s strongest competitive advantage for traditional manufacturing within the targeted industry clusters.

Energy capacity remains critical across all sites. While Pensacola isn’t pursuing mega data centers, even smaller $200 million data center projects require energy infrastructure planning with Florida Power & Light and the northern county cooperative.

The Maritime Catalyst

Project Maeve, the recently announced maritime manufacturing initiative at the Port of Pensacola potentially bringing 2,000 jobs, positions the region for significant supply chain development. “You bring in the mama pig and all the little piglets come with it,” Platé explains, referencing how anchor projects attract supplier networks.

Maritime’s reliance on skilled welding and metalworking rather than automated manufacturing creates workforce training opportunities where Northwest Florida already has capacity. Combined with American Magic’s presence and the port’s growing capabilities, Pensacola’s maritime cluster is gaining momentum alongside aerospace growth.

What Developers Should Watch

Platé indicated a “very strong life science project” under consideration for Tech Park, potentially serving as the anchor tenant connecting the former Florida Power building to the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. Additional aerospace projects remain in the pipeline, along with local energy company expansion and diversification.

For developers and investors evaluating Pensacola opportunities, Platé’s strategic focus on four industry clusters, emphasis on site readiness over speculative development, and selective recruitment approach signal a maturing market with clear competitive advantages in aerospace, maritime, and defense-related sectors.
Listen to the full conversation on Beyond the Build – here.