Tampa Bay Area Lands More Non-U.S. Companies, Jobs

A 22 percent increase in foreign-owned companies in the Tampa Bay area is boosting the region's focus on international business.

A study by the Tampa Bay Partnership identified 480 foreign-owned companies from 41 nations operating in the eight-county region.

That's up from 2009, when a similar Foreign Direct Investment Study counted 394 companies representing 34 countries.

Some 41,500 workers are currently employed by the foreign firms, the report said. That's a 12 percent increase from the 37,000 jobs identified in the 2009 study.

Though the study provided no sales or revenue figures, TBP officials said the data point to future economic activity on an international scale.

Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano estimated that the addition of one new daily international flight carries an economic impact of up to $153 million and 1,200 new jobs.

Lopano said Germany, the No. 3-ranked country on the foreign-firm list, is a prime prospect for nonstop flights to and from Tampa.

TIA already has daily nonstop service to the top two nations: the U.K. and Canada.

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