Daniel Davis is the CEO of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce near me in Downtown Jacksonville. He nailed his predictions of Downtown on one of the first episodes of the Not Your Average Investor Show, and he returned to provide more insight into the future of the Jacksonville real estate market and the local business community.
We asked him for updates on the following questions on behalf of our JWB real estate investors:
- What are the current numbers for downtown Jacksonville? What is the pace of growth? How does it stack up to past development?
- Why is it so crucial for downtown Jacksonville to get to 10K residents, and when will we accomplish that goal?
- Why are the smaller development projects like JWB’s developments in The North Core just as significant as the big development projects like the Shipyards and The Landing Site when it comes to the growth of downtown Jax?
Daniel Davis is one of the guys holding the keys to the overperformance of your real estate investment, and we sincerely appreciate our relationship with him and the Chamber of Commerce near me and our community!
February 2020 Was When Daniel First Joined The NYAI Show. What’s Happened Since Then?
The JAX Chamber of Commerce has been trying to help businesses keep the economy moving and safe at the same time. He feels that 2021 will be the best year the Chamber of Commerce has had yet because of all the people moving into the area and businesses joining the local market.
There’s been a range of emotions to serve and expand the business community, and then COVID hits. Daniel Davis walked us through the key decisions made by the JAX Chamber of Commerce to get through the challenges.
The Chamber heavily promoted going to restaurants and getting carry-out to keep them going. Help support the local hotels and service businesses. Some businesses were booming, like construction and car sales. But for those struggling to stay afloat, we helped companies get the PPP Loans and support from the small business associations.
Daniel wanted to bring employees back to work in July because he thought the pandemic would be over, but that was a bit premature. But now, we know that JAX is booming and safe, and we are putting the pedal to the metal on helping new businesses coming into the Jacksonville market.
What Are Some Of The Key Things We Can See Now As A Special Time For Business Development In Downtown Jacksonville?
You can’t have a great city without a great downtown. We’re both a county and a city government, which is a blessing and a curse because we are so spread out land-wise.
There are acres of developable space on the St. John’s River. We recently landed the FIS Corporate headquarters in Downtown Jacksonville. When you get new rooftops in the downtown skyline, you will attract more businesses.
Daniel Davis is excited about Downtown Jacksonville, and he predicts that the area will be bustling, booming, and unrecognizable from today within five years. The owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars is investing heavily in Downtown Jacksonville, and the Chamber of Commerce near me is working closely with him and other business owners to grow the region.
When downtowns in cities rise, all the surrounding neighborhoods rise along with it. The entire urban core grows, and the revitalization benefits everyone. For those who have their dollars invested in Jacksonville, that’s great news!
Before COVID, Jacksonville was growing super fast. Now that the pandemic has been around for almost two years, JAX is growing even faster. We are on our way to 10,000 residents in Downtown Jacksonville, and it should be much greater when the downtown area revitalizes.
Adventurous people like to be pioneers in a vibrant downtown, and they are the first adopters who create considerable momentum. There are more units of new construction coming online, and the Jacksonville market is hot! Daniel predicts we will meet and exceed the 10K number of Downtown JAX residents within five years.
What Is Going To Happen On The St. John’s Riverfront?
In the past decades, the St. John’s River waterfront in Downtown has grown several cultural centers such as:
- The TIAA Bank Field
- The Jacksonville Landing,
- The Museum of Science and History
- The Jacksonville Jaguars Sports complex
- Friendship Fountain
- Live music, like the Jacksonville Jazz Festival
- The Ritz theatre
- The Museum of Contemporary Art of Jacksonville
- Water taxis that take pedestrians across the river to restaurants and shopping
According to the Chamber of Commerce plans, there will be more recreational, walkable areas along the riverfront because that draws people to the river. We will see more festivals and events in our parks along the river. The hotels, restaurants, marinas, and supporting businesses will benefit from all people attracted to the waterfront.
What is the Shipyards Project in Jacksonville?
You have the stadium by the river, and between that and Downtown’s commercial area, you have 40 acres of waterfront. This Shipyards Project will bring in more hotels, retail space, an entertainment district, and parks to support a thriving urban core.
This large acreage will allow the Museum of Science and History to move to that area. The stadium, the park region, and the commercial activity of Downtown Jacksonville will be a magnet for activity.
What’s Going On With The Local Business Front In Downtown Jacksonville?
You’ll be able to start a business, be an entrepreneur, and live in Jacksonville easily. That is our goal and why people should connect with a Chamber of Commerce near me. Education and jobs create hope. When you have hope, that solves all sorts of social ills in society, and Daniel feels the Chamber of Commerce can help there.
The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is big and has 3000 members, which can be intimidating. However, they are doing their best to create a safe space for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs to enter the Chamber of Commerce near me and become integrated with the local network of business owners. We need to make it easy to join the Chamber, and that is our goal.
We want to prepare business owners to be successful. We are helping these entrepreneurs become successful through networking and offering support that will help them thrive. It’s a massive win for members of the Chamber of Commerce.
How Does Downtown Development Help Economic Development?
When you create orchestrated collisions between well-established businesses, public spaces, and new businesses with diverse populations, you are going to grow everything Downtown and economically. We want a better community for our citizens, which is why a Chamber of Commerce near me is influential.
A vertically integrated company like JWB gets involved with a platform that feeds all of these needs and opportunities to help Jacksonville grow. Because JWB believes in this city and wants to do what it can to develop the region, the Chamber of Commerce gets excited. We all agree that exciting things are happening in Jacksonville, which dramatically benefits JWB’s real estate investors.
The old Skyway monorail built decades ago will be massively upgraded to incorporate technological innovations like autonomous vehicles. We have this aging infrastructure that we can build upon.
We are talking about a shuttle on a closed-loop campus structure that will move people around from place to place in the downtown area connecting the North Bank, the South Bank, the Stadium, etc. These aren’t random ideas. These are innovative ideas that are getting funded and some great publicity.
Transit-oriented development is exciting, and JWB is developing properties where all of these developers are so people who work there can live nearby.
Who Is Moving Into Downtown Jacksonville?
There’s significant growth in the financial technology industry, like FIS corporate headquarters. Black Knight is here, too. We just landed Dunn & Bradstreet a couple of months ago, and they are moving from New Jersey to Jacksonville, FL. Fun fact: Abraham Lincoln worked for Dunn & Bradstreet!
The Mayo Clinic campus is growing, and they are attracting companies that want to innovate healthcare technology. Innovation Hub is a business-friendly environment that attracts innovators that grow into corporate leaders. It’s exciting!
Short-term wins and long-term wins are going on frequently in the Jacksonville real estate market. There is so much talent moving into the area, and JWB is happy to offer them places to live!
The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce is promoting the area as the most business-friendly Chamber in the country. Daniel wants to attract innovators who will help the JAX ecosystem grow through collaboration and diversification. We have numbers showing downtown living going up in JAX.
How Do The Amenities In Downtown JAX Trickle Down To The Single-family Homes Around Duval County?
It is evident that Jacksonville and Florida are among the hottest places to move to for many people looking to relocate from the Northeast. You can surf in JAX in January, commute in 20 minutes to the office, and live more affordably. Why wouldn’t you want to live in a place like JAX?
JAX has been thought of for a long time as a second-tier or third-tier city. But today, Jacksonville is the 12th largest city in the United States. All of those people who live and work in JAX are thriving, and they all want places to live. The appreciation rates of single-family homes are going up as a result of this activity.
When you have a sporting event at the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium, for example, if you have a thriving urban core in JAX, you will see more people sticking around the area after the game to eat, play, shop, and socialize. The neighborhoods around the area thrive as a result.
When we brought Amazon to town, Daniel and the JAX Chamber of Commerce encouraged Amazon to host hiring events in the repressed Jacksonville neighborhoods to help these communities. There were long lines with people seeking jobs at Amazon, and that gives those communities hope. Education and employment help give communities hope. That is one of our priorities at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, as it should be with any Chamber of Commerce near me.
Daniel Davis has been a great guest on today’s episode. Seeing the potential of JAX is enormous, and for those who are absolutely committed to growing Downtown Jacksonville, we’re excited. Many projects are being completed, and we have several assets with a blank canvas. Thanks, Daniel, for leading this great city through the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
How Do I Find Out More About Investing With JWB?
Contact the JWB team to begin the discussion. If you want to invest in Jacksonville real estate, now is a great time to jump in. Go to www.ChatWithJWB.com and find out how we can help you reach your financial goals.
If you want to become part of the JWB online community, join us in the JWB Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/CashFlowProperties.
You can also go to www.JWBInventory.com to see what properties are currently available. We encourage you to contact the JWB team for a consultation to determine how our turnkey rental properties can deliver positive passive cash flow.
We hope you enjoyed hearing Daniel Davis share his excitement about the growth of Downtown Jacksonville and how the Chamber of Commerce is assisting businesses to thrive. JWB’s involvement with the Chamber of Commerce near me is helping rental property investors over an entire real estate market cycle of growth and appreciation.
If you are a real estate investor who wants to purchase turnkey single-family homes from JWB, contact us today at www.ChatWithJWB.com. The Jacksonville real estate market is on track for continuous growth, and JWB is excited to help many investors grow their wealth through single-family home rentals.
To Your Success,
Gregg Cohen
