Posted: April 24, 2025
Northwest Florida – Florida’s Great Northwest (FGNW) received unanimous approval by the seven-member board of Triumph Gulf Coast on April 23 for FGNW: United FORWARD, a comprehensive two-pronged approach to accelerate Northwest Florida’s economic diversification. Triumph Gulf Coast is a nonprofit corporation organized to oversee the expenditure of 75 percent of all funds recovered by the Florida attorney general for economic damages to the state that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This award comes just three days after the 15th anniversary of the disaster.
United FORWARD is a meticulously crafted initiative led by FGNW, the ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥app economic development organization for Northwest Florida. This comprehensive plan encompasses economic development strategy, marketing research, promotional campaign development, and the implementation of the region’s most strategically focused multi-channel Market Activation Plan specifically for economic development.
Triumph's grant award of $4.77 million over the next five years will support all eight of the disproportionately affected counties. The total impact of the project, which includes FGNW’s contributions, will exceed $6.6 million, making this the largest investment in strategy and marketing in Northwest Florida’s history.
“This grant was approved just three days after the 15th anniversary of the oil spill,” said Jennifer Conoley, President & CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest, “and the timeliness is very meaningful because we are putting a framework to accelerate our strong momentum in diversifying our economy and spreading the Northwest Florida story of resilience in the competitive global marketplace.” She added, “United FORWARD will be game-changing for Northwest Florida’s business brand as we continue to shift perceptions, encouraging people to go beyond our stunning sugar-white sand beaches and learn about the dynamic business destination that is undergoing a significant transformation.”
FGNW will be updating the region’s economic development strategy in "The Next Generation of Northwest Florida FORWARD,” providing a framework for ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥app diversification that leverages our existing assets and identifies new business attraction, expansion, and retention strategies. It will also develop a robust Market Activation Plan grounded in thorough research that will amplify FGNW’s marketing efforts to unprecedented levels.
This will build upon a strong track record of FGNW attracting companies in the region’s target industry sectors to Northwest Florida. Over the past four years, FGNW has directly cultivated relationships that have brought significant wins to multiple communities in our region. These include Central Moloney, the innovative distribution transformer manufacturer; IAG Aero Group, a leading jet engine MRO company; and Point Blank Body Armor, a global manufacturer and distributor of vital body armor for law enforcement and the U.S. military. This translates to over 1,300 announced high-wage jobs in the target sectors of manufacturing and aerospace. The ripple effect equates to millions in new capital being invested, hundreds of indirect and induced jobs, elevated household income, and a stronger tax base supporting essential infrastructure and services.
To learn more about these efforts, visit .
Florida’s Great Northwest is the ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥app economic development organization for the 13-county region of the Florida Panhandle. The organization promotes Northwest Florida for economic growth and diversification, advocates for economic development issues that affect the region, and collaborates to improve ÒÁÈËÖ±²¥app competitiveness. Beyond our beaches, Northwest Florida offers business competitive, bottom-line advantages in workforce training, upgraded infrastructure, access to a host of defense assets and a diverse base of industries that already call the region home. For more information, visit and find us on social.