Citrus County, Florida

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 look at the nationwide trends for the amount of airports that are being built, the expansions in the aerospace and aviation sector, we certainly see where we can position ourselves to compete in that arena.” In preparation for all the new business the county hopes to attract, there are plans in place to help set up the local workforce to enable future success. The county is working with K through 12 schools, as well as the local Withlacoochee Technical College and the College of Central Florida, to make sure their classes keep up with the workforce demand. Pieklik notes, “We’re looking at things that haven’t been thought of. In another three to four years there is going to be new technology, new advances, that are going to create jobs that we don’t even know exist right now. The ultimate goal is to have that endless stream of talent pipeline where we could feed into the existing industry and then bring in support companies that feed into or feed off of those.” As Citrus County prepares to welcome new growth, the word “balance” is top of mind. “You have to support your small businesses and love your small businesses,” says Pieklik. “They’re the backbone, they are why we are here and able to do what we do. And once you get that set, you’ve got a solid foundation to go after those industries that complement, that create that added synergy.” C I TRUS COUNTY , FLOR IDA