Gray swoope biography
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Gray Swoope out, Bill Johnson as head of Enterprise Florida
By Ryan Mills
Posted: Jan. 23,
Bill Johnson, the former PortMiami director, has been named the state's secretary of commerce and president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc., the state's economic development arm.
Johnson, who was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, currently serves as Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department director. He has served in a number of leadership roles in business, maritime and economic development organizations at the national and international level, according to Enterprise Florida.
During his tenure in Miami, Johnson held a number of executive positions, including overseeing the county's airports.
He was appointed port director in when PortMiami was nearly bankrupt. Johnson has developed a reputation as a "trouble shooter" for county projects, according to an biography on the Miami-Dade County website.
Johnson has lived in Florida for more than 30 years, starting as an intern in Miami-Dad
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By Mike McDaniel - bio | email | Twitter
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) - The breakfast conversation Friday morning was all about economic development and starting locally, at the Area Development Partnership's monthly meeting.
Guest speaker was Mississippi Development Authority Director Gray Swoope, who told area business leaders and community advocates to begin looking locally for economic prosperity.
Swoope says Southern Miss fryst vatten an economic engine and a centerpiece for development. Swoope also emphasized the importance of organizations like the ADP.
"The state can do everything from the perspective of making sure that we have a strong business climate, for a tax climate, work force training and those things, but at the end of the day it's the community fryst vatten where the rubber meets the road," said Swoope.
Swoope is a former director of the ADP and says the platsnamn area has numerous opportunities to build on and should be taken advantage of.
Copyright WDAM. All rights reserved.
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Guild Member Profile
Gray Swoope
President/CEO
VisionFirst Advisors
A recognized leader in economic development, Gray Swoope is President and Chief Executive Officer of VisionFirst Advisors. After a successful year career in economic development, Gray launched VisionFirst in , with offices in Tallahassee, Orlando and Jackson, Mississippi. The firm has established a highly successful customer base founded on trust, results and continued engagement.
VisionFirst’s portfolio of client work, spanning more than 40 states, involves economic development strategy, marketing/communications, workforce strategy, site selection and incentives negotiations and compliance. The firm’s clients include six Fortune companies and represent a variety of industries including information technology, bio pharmaceutical, aerospace, advanced manufacturing and logistics/distribution. Gray has a track record for promoting collaborative solutions and building highly effective teams that deliver successfu