Sharon Hillstrom

President CEO @Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation

Bradenton, FL, US

Sharon Hillstrom is president and CEO of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corporation, the lead economic development organization serving the nine communities that make up the Bradenton Area in Manatee County.Ms. Hillstrom is responsible for developing and implementing economic development programs to recruit new high-impact businesses and to assist in the retention and growth of targeted existing businesses in the Bradenton Area. She leads a team of seven and coordinates the EDC’s relationships with a complex network of business leaders and partner organizations in the public and private sectors.Since assuming the chief executive role in 2011, Ms. Hillstrom has overseen more than 140 businesses with expansions and relocations. These companies are projected to deliver more than 6,700 jobs and over 2 billion dollars in wages from direct and indirect jobs. Equally important, they plan to invest more than $900 million dollars in capital, in facilities and equipment at their Bradenton Area locations. Ms. Hillstrom serves on the executive committee of Career Source Suncoast, the board of directors of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, the Boys & Girls Club of Manatee County and the Advisory Commission for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. She also participates in the Leadership Advisory Council for the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee and was a mentor for Take Stock in Children.Under Ms. Hillstrom’s leadership, the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp.(EDC) in 2015 was named one of Florida’s best local economic development agencies by Southern Business & Development magazine, a respected journal covering economic development in the American South. In addition, Goodwill Manasota named Ms. Hillstrom Goodwill Ambassador of the Year in 2015 for her leadership role in enhancing the region’s quality of life through economic development.

Arizona State University

BA