Two of the region's most important development and marketing organizations are merging, with a new CEO at the helm.

  • Tim Giuliani to head newly formed Orlando Economic Partnership
  • Central Florida Partnership, Orlando Economic Development merging
  • Organization to look for new ways to attraction talent to area

Tim Giuliani will head the newly formed Orlando Economic Partnership. In January, the Central Florida Partnership and Orlando Economic Development Commission voted to approve the merger and join forces.

"You're bringing the power of the sales team for the region, with the product development and community development for the region, and putting them under one roof, with one mission," Giuliani said. "It's really the left hand and the right hand are working together."

The Partnership rolled out a fresh logo, comprised of vibrant orange circles, and is reorganizing its 50-some employees in coming weeks.


One month into his job, Giuliani said he'll move forward with the successful campaign, "Orlando, You Don't Know the Half of It," while looking for new strategies which attract talent to the region.

"We had a fantastic year last year, so I'm well aware of those successes. But, I think it's just getting the ball rolling as far as our opportunities," he said. "The more we can do to make this a hot bed for talent, the more companies will be attracted to this market."

Giuliani is no stranger to Florida: He grew up in St. Augustine, went to Florida State then the University of Florida, before heading up the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce. Giuliani's work took him, his wife and three children to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he made his mark running their Chamber.

But, the thirty-something CEO said the opportunity to do "important work" in his home state was an offer too good to pass up.

"Moving here and being embraced, welcomed in Orlando, has been fantastic," he said. "My wife and I, Sarah, we knew Orlando kinda how everybody else knows Orlando. It's getting out and meeting all the stakeholders, all the decision makers, elected officials, leaders in the business community."

As Giuliani gets up to speed, assessing which strategies work and which ones do not, he said that he's keeping a close eye on what’s happening above him: Gov. Rick Scott is working to save Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, and the House is looking to gut them.

"The big tennis complex that recently came, KPMG’s over $400 million investment. Those things don't happen if we don't have incentives at the state level," Giuliani said.

While he noted that taking away state tourism dollars wouldn't impact the mainly privately-funded, local organization, Guiliani does think a decision to do away with incentives would make the Orlando Economic Partnership's job more difficult.

"It would not impact the structure of our organization. It would impact our region," he said. "It will really harm the economy and we’re paying close attention to that debate."