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Ep. 26 - Building the Future of Palm Beach County
08/14/2026
Ep. 26 - Building the Future of Palm Beach County
On this episode of The Palm Beach Current, Chris sits down with Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board of the Palm Beaches, to explore how Palm Beach County has transformed from an economy centered around tourism, real estate, agriculture, and construction into one of the country’s emerging hubs for finance, technology, innovation, life sciences, and aviation. Kelly shares her own journey growing up in Palm Beach County and spending nearly four decades with the Business Development Board, where she has played a key role in attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses throughout the region. She explains the foundation that had to be built before Palm Beach County could successfully recruit major companies — from infrastructure and workforce development to education, transportation, and quality of life. The conversation takes a closer look at Wall Street South and how Palm Beach County became an increasingly attractive destination for hedge funds, private equity firms, wealth managers, and other financial services companies. Kelly explains how the strategy began by identifying executives who already owned homes in the area and eventually accelerated as remote work and major financial institutions made it easier to operate outside traditional financial centers. Chris and Kelly also discuss the next chapter for the region, including the push to establish Palm Beach County as a hub for technology, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and quantum computing. Kelly details the ecosystem being built around universities, incubators, venture capital, and companies like D-Wave, and explains why developing a skilled local workforce will be critical to sustaining that growth. Looking ahead, Kelly identifies workforce development and housing as two of the biggest challenges facing Palm Beach County and shares her vision for an economy that continues to grow without sacrificing the character, charm, and quality of life that make the area special. She also highlights the often-overlooked small businesses and workers whose everyday contributions help make Palm Beach County a best-in-class place to live. From Wall Street South and quantum computing to workforce development, entrepreneurship, and the future of Palm Beach County, this episode offers an inside look at who is shaping the region's economy, where it's headed next, and how that growth could impact the people who call the Palm Beaches home.
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