Cornerstone, the economic development arm of the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, recently announced that Lee Thomas, Chairman of Rayonier, will serve as the 2010 Cornerstone Chair.

He will help continue current development initiatives and work closely with other local agencies to bring more companies to Jacksonville. 

You may remember some of the lastest developments that brought more than 2,000 jobs to the First Coast in 2009.

• Saft, a battery maker, chose Jacksonville as the site of its new battery manufacturing plant.  The company is expected to invest nearly $200 million into this facility.
• The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will build a 500-person office in the Southside.  The new operation will service banks east of the Mississippi River.
• InEnTec, a chemical recycling and clean technology company, relocated its corporate headquarters to Clay County.

More developments are expected in 2010 to keep Jacksonville thriving.  2009  was a successful year for Cornerstone and we know they will keep the momentum going in 2010!