This month’s special guest is Ruth Buchanan, Economic Development Manager for Manatee County, Florida.
Ruth is responsible for developing, managing and executing strategies and programs to retain, expand and attract businesses to Manatee County. Some of the projects she is involved in are expansions of IMG Academy, Safran Power, and other contract manufacturers in the aerospace and specialized manufacturing sectors. Other sectors that she helped expand are logistics and light industrial, health science, sports development, and tourism and retail.
Ruth brings many years of management experience, most recently assisting with the aerospace and industrial development projects in Lee County, Florida, as well as more than eight years as the Economic Development Manager for the City of North Port, Florida. She and her team won the Florida Economic Development Council’s Regional Deal of the Year Award in 2018 for their collaborative work to bring in a $130 million spring training facility which will have a $1.7 billion economic impact to the region. As a member of the Manatee County Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity Department, her responsibilities encompass the wider disciplines of economic and business development, and specialized redevelopment efforts.
Ruth is a graduate of the University of the Philippines and received her MBA from the International University of Japan, including a semester at Manchester Business School (UK). She is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) under the auspices of the International Economic Development Council. In response to the economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ruth is responsible for providing direct and immediate assistance to the small businesses of Manatee County, thus ensuring the stability of the local economy.
