Something very unique is happening. Since 2020, our community has experienced a wave of change, an influx of experienced entrepreneurs, founders, and creatives who are choosing to make our community their home. At first, I thought it might be temporary, a pandemic-era migration that would fade once things return to normal. But it hasn’t slowed down. In fact, it’s accelerating.

This steady inflow of talent and experience is reshaping the composition of our local economy. It’s not just new residents moving in but also young professionals here to raise their families, its innovators, investors, and builders. It is people who start tech-based companies, mentor others, and fuel investment. Their arrival is an incredible gift to Sarasota County’s future.

Recently, I met a founder who relocated from Silicon Valley after selling his company to a Fortune 500 company. After briefly testing Miami, he realized it wasn’t the right place for his young family. Then he discovered Sarasota. He’s now exploring his next venture, and my hope is that he builds it right here. He has the expertise, the network, and the drive that every community hopes to attract.

When I asked him why Sarasota, his answer mirrored what I hear time and again from both seasoned founders and first-time entrepreneurs: our quality of life, our great schools, and our sense of community. The truth is that big cities aren’t the only places where innovation happens anymore. The future of tech and entrepreneurship is increasingly distributed outside traditional hubs like Silicon Valley. Sarasota County has the lifestyle, talent, and momentum to really win in that new reality.

At the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County, we see this as a defining opportunity. Our strategy is to grow our tech and innovation ecosystem and position the county as a hub for innovation within the Greater Tampa Bay region. We have an opportunity to grow an economy where bold ideas can take root, attract investment and scale to create great companies.

The exciting part? Our tech start-up scene is a start-up itself. We’re not inheriting an ecosystem, we’re building one. That gives us a unique advantage. Right now, we have the opportunity to shape its culture, define its values, and set the tone for what innovation looks like here. We are, quite literally, the start-up of start-up economies; agile, collaborative, and full of potential.

Our plan focuses on five key goals:

1. Increase connectivity within the technology and innovation ecosystem

2. Increase investments in startup and second-stage growth technology ventures and local technology and innovation companies

3. Increase the number of technology and innovation-focused companies headquartered in Sarasota County

4. Encourage growth and relocation of high wage, career pathway jobs focused on technology and innovation industry sectors

5. Grow Sarasota County’s brand as a hub of innovation within the Greater Tampa Bay Region

Each of these goals is measurable and achievable, but none of them can be accomplished alone. Success depends on collaboration among public, private, and nonprofit partners who share a vision for a stronger, more resilient local economy.

The foundation is already here. Our community’s lifestyle, environment, and growing sense of possibility are drawing the kind of people who make innovation happen. Now, it’s our turn to ensure they have the connections, capital, and support they need to grow their next big idea right here.

Something very special is taking shape in our community. If we nurture it intentionally, Sarasota County’s next great success story won’t come from somewhere else, it will be launched right here.

Erin Silk is the President & CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County. 

Yesterday, at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton, our members were treated to an electrifying keynote by Jim Knight, former Hard Rock executive and author of Culture That Rocks. His message hit home: great culture doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built note by note, action by action, leader by leader.

In today’s fast-changing business climate, talent is mobile, technology moves fast, and consumer expectations evolve overnight. What keeps an organization grounded and growing is culture — the shared behaviors, beliefs, and energy that define how work gets done and why it matters. It’s not the ping-pong tables or free snacks; it’s the consistency of values lived out from the front desk to the boardroom.

Jim reminded us that culture can’t be delegated. Leaders set the tone — every day, in every interaction. Whether you run a small local firm or a multi-location enterprise, people take their cues from you. The way you treat your team becomes the way they treat your customers. That’s not soft stuff; it’s strategy. In fact, research shows that companies with strong cultures experience higher retention, faster innovation, and stronger profitability.

At the Chamber, we see this truth across our 1,500-plus member businesses. Those who invest in their people, communicate a clear purpose, and celebrate success together are the ones thriving — even through disruption. Culture is the glue that holds a company steady when the market shakes, and it’s the fuel that propels it forward when opportunity knocks.

Building a strong culture doesn’t require a massive budget — but it does require intentionality. Start by defining your core values in plain language. Hire and promote by them. Celebrate behaviors that reinforce them. Listen to your employees as actively as you listen to your customers. And most of all, protect your culture like the asset it is, because it truly drives every other metric that matters.

As Jim Knight put it, “If you don’t intentionally shape your culture, it will shape itself.”

At the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, we’re proud to stand beside businesses that are doing the work to build cultures that rock — because when companies thrive from the inside out, our entire community wins.

Heather Kasten is the President/CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.  

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