The Big 8 accounting firms have merged into the Big 5. The big banks of old have dwindled to a few major institutions, none based in Tampa - or Florida, for that matter. That kind of consolidation hits any region hard. People with key business connections and deep community ties often are forced into retirement. A company's new top officers may be based elsewhere.
Executives know they're working in cities for shorter stints.
And they're taking that into consideration when they move. That, of course, assumes that existing leadership structures suffice. Sometimes, they don't. The Tampa bay Internet Forum was born out of frustration. He also disagreed with what he saw as the committee's efforts to recruit big employers from out of town rather than help existing entrepreneurial companies grow.