Lisa Krouse is no stranger to the Sarasota business community. She has chaired the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and served on nonprofit board for All Faiths Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and others. Now, she’s the President and CEO of the Economic Development corporation of Sarasota County, where she expects years of partnerships will pay off in dividends for the region.

“The relationships I have in my sphere have been there for a very long time and are very important to me,” she said. “That really is my inspiration in agreeing to move into this role.”

Krouse served since June as interim CEO before a nationwide search was called off and the EDC announced her permanent hire. Now, she’s planning to lead the economic development effort at a time when expanding existing business and attracting new ones has become especially competitive, and as Sarasota and Florida as a whole enjoy significant momentum in the world of business.

The EDC’s focus in the recruitment realm right now broadly includes companies that do a majority of their revenue building and sales outside the community, but want their headquarters to be in paradise, according to Erin Silk, the EDC’s new vice president of Business Development Services.

Krouse certainly knows a bit about that. She worked for years as executive vice president and chief administrative officer at FCCI Insurance Group, a giant in the world of insurance and one of Sarasota’s largest employers. The company does business around the nation, but Krouse said there was always a corporate culture that valued support in Sarasota.

“FCCI is deeply rooted within the community, and no doubt there was an expectation and a commitment we all made when we became senior leaders at the organization that we are going to give back to the community,” Krouse said.

In her executive role at the company, she also learned about the local needs of growing an major company. Whether that was hunting down properly zoned and assembled real estate or seeking out local talent with the right skills for high-paying jobs there, she sought out answers to the questions many a potential relocating business must pose before choosing a location.