BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – It is the stated mission of the Bay Economic Development Alliance to create jobs that will generate wealth in our community — both now and into the future.

On Wednesday, the Bay EDA held its first investor meeting of 2025 at Gulf Coast State College.

“We have so much project activity going on, and we just want to keep the momentum. 2025 is going to be a banner year. We are continuing to grow our membership here at the Bay EDA,” said Becca Hardin, President/CEO of Bay EDA.

During the meeting, Hardin welcomed a new member to the county — IAG Aero Group, a world-class leader in the commercial aerospace industry.

IAG has purchased a facility in Lynn Haven and will be building two more facilities at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport.

Officials say that IAG will bring 500 new jobs and a nearly $1 Billion economic impact to the area.

“It’s truly exciting. They’ll be doing engine maintenance repair and overhaul work at our airport,” Hardin said.

The EDA is currently working on roughly 25 projects in the area, and officials say they’re looking forward to what’s to come in 2025 and beyond.

“We are continuing to work with county officials and city officials, port and airport officials, to identify other pockets of property where we can develop industrial sites,” said Hardin. “We really are on the international map, and we are seeing prospects coming in from around the world that are visiting Bay County like never before.”

Bay EDA says that everything they do comes back to the core of their mission — to help companies in Bay County create lucrative jobs in Bay County.

“We are continuing to find creative ways to organically grow our workforce,” Hardin said. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying, so we want to keep our pipeline full. We think that Panama City, Bay County is a hotspot of growth and activity in the state of Florida and the Southeast United States, and we want to be a part of maintaining that momentum going into 2025.”

The next Bay EDA meeting will be held on February 3.

Copyright 2025 WJHG. All rights reserved.