Nancy Engel Executive Director, Manatee Economic Development Council

Nancy Engel has served as the Executive Director of the Economic Development Council for the past 22 years and is credited with establishing the economic development division of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce.  Prior to her arrival, the Chamber had an Economic Development Committee that met quarterly and had a budget of $10,000 for marketing materials, but no staff to carry out focused programs.

Today, the EDC is a separately funded division of the Chamber with a staff of seven and a budget of approximately $740,000. 

The EDC is responsible for marketing the area to locating and expanding companies and facilitating access to available resources. Companies like GE Security, Tropicana, Flowers Baking Company, Chris Craft, SYSCO, and Beall’s Corporate Headquarters & Distribution Center are examples of this division’s successes.

Nancy is a graduate of Indiana University, the Economic Development Institute, and Leadership Manatee.  She serves on numerous boards and taskforces, including the Suncoast Workforce Board, Enterprise Florida’s Partners Council, Imagine Manatee Steering Committee, the Marketing Committee for the Tampa Bay Partnership, and is past chair of the Sarasota Bradenton Airport Advisory Council.