New Cape Coral Businesses
116 new businesses registered for Cape Coral Tax Receipts
(Business Licenses) in January 2013.
Visit the EDO website's
Download Center
for listings of all new
Cape Coral business license registrations in the last six months.
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New Branding
for Florida
Hoping to do for Florida's business climate what Anita Bryant did for orange juice in the 1969, state economic development officials rolled out a new branding campaign to further link the Sunshine state to business opportunity.
"Florida: The Perfect Climate for Business" is the new Enterprise Florida tagline to draw business leaders to Florida's low taxes, educated workforce and business-friendly attitude.
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Entrepreneurs Wanted
Want to be your own boss?
Explore the feasibility of starting your own business. Guided by experienced entrepreneurs, the Goodwill MicroEnterprise Institute offers a five week program for only $65. If you qualify, you may be eligible to apply for a microloan after graduating from the class.
Classes are running for 5 weeks and are scheduled twice a week from April 1 to May 2 from 6 to 9 pm on Monday and Thursday evenings. For more information, call 239-995-2106 Ext. 2219.
Classes will be held at:
1105 Cultural Parkway Blvd.
Cape Coral, 33990
(across from police station)
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2013 Tax Help 
The IRS's Tax season Special Edition Tax Tip reports of a new IRS Tumblr site that will help with your business tax preparation. Visit Website
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Ford's Garage Expanding into South Cape
The Ford & Firestone Restaurant Group has announced the signing of a long term lease agreement to establish a new Ford's Garage restaurant on Cape Coral Parkway in the previous Leapin' Lizard's location. The Group also owns Ford's Garage, The Firestone, and Los Cabos Cantina in downtown in Fort Myers. Mike McGuigan said on behalf of all owners, "The team of Fords Garage is extremely excited and is looking forward to expanding our concept to Cape Coral. We have been very well received by not only the City officials, but also the residents of Cape Coral. We look forward to adding to the local economy and job market and ask that anyone looking for employment contact us in person at the Cape Coral location sometime in mid-April. " Look for more details in in the City's next On The Move publication.
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New Business Chats
EDO and SBDC staff
are inviting to their next Business Chat session on
February 27th
from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, Room 220 A.
Take advantage of the free informational meetings for answers and useful advice for successfully doing business
in Cape Coral.
Reservations are not needed, but appreciated.
Call (239) 574-0444
or email us.
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Like Cape Coral
Economic Development on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest Economic Development News.
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Contact Us | |
Cape Coral Economic Development Office
Dana Brunett
Audie Lewis
Karen Ramos
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Visit our Website
City of Cape Coral
Economic
Development
Office
 | | Click on the image to visit our website. |
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Economic Development News
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Message From Your EDO Director
On the Road for Cape Coral
One of the tasks for EDO staff is to attend trade shows in an effort to recruit businesses to Cape Coral. We have to identify the most opportune shows, where they are taking place and if it makes financial sense to attend. We then assess whether the companies involved are a good fit for Cape Coral. Most importantly, do these companies fill a need in our city's demand for services and do we have the population that can qualify for these jobs? We are striving to make sure that what few marketing dollars we have are spent wisely and targeted to the areas of need.
Next, we strategize with our marketing firm to develop an approach and determine the specific print materials we need to best present the benefits of locating a business here. Our marketing firm, HD PR Group of Cape Coral, under the direction of MerriBeth Farnham, works closely with us to ensure that we're armed with all the crucial materials necessary for the job and for developing any new pieces targeted for the audience at any particular show. HD PR also identifies and places any required pre-show ads that may be deemed important to our efforts.
The final piece has the EDO staff hitting the phones and emails to set up as many meetings as possible with potential clients who will attend. This maximizes the use of our time at each show by lining up meetings with specific target prospects with presentations designed to entice them to locate here. If successful, which we have been, new businesses will start to pop up around our beautiful city. So far this fiscal year, we targeted the ICSC retailer's regional and national shows, along with the Medical Instruments show. We are always watching for more. Keep on the look-out for new businesses coming soon!
Sincerely,
Dana Brunett
City of Cape Coral
Economic Development Director
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Get Ready for an Exciting VIZ Forum
This year's Veterans Investment Zone Forum on February 28th promises to bring a whole new level of excitement to future investment and development within Cape Coral.
The Economic Development Office (EDO) staff has rounded up an impressive team of speakers including:
- Daniel Fink - Chief Administrative Officer for the Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida and Lee Memorial Health System. He will showcase the success of the Health Park Campus as a blueprint for ideas that can work within the VIZ.
- Leslie Schlotfeld - Clinic Administrator for the new regional VA Clinic. As the newest key member of the community, she will share an impressive update of the skyrocketing growth of the veterans' patient community in Cape Coral and what has happened since opening the VA Clinic's doors in December 2012.
- Michelle Maltese - Greener Earth Financial Solutions. She will present several innovative project financing solutions that can be used to stimulate development in Cape Coral and the Veterans Investment Zone.
- Melinda & Ian Mack- South Florida Canoe & Kayak Club. Melinda and Ian will provide a brief overview of the value of sport-related economic development opportunities including related needs such as housing for students and rooms for short-term visitors that come from hosting races. They will also touch on their pari canoe program, geared to help disabled veterans and others to take part in this competitive sport, which will be showcased for the first time in the 2016 Olympics.
Economic Development Director Dana Brunett and Business Recruitment Specialist Audie Lewis will highlight model projects from within Florida that illustrate how a medical campus would ideally fit within the VIZ and provide other important updates regarding local business incentives and significant leads the EDO is pursuing.
This event will be held from 5:30-8:00pm at the Cape Coral Yacht club. Be sure to come see the displays from our local Invest in America's Foundation and its impressive military museum, as well as a host of exciting vendors. Click here to view the VIZ Forum flyer and feel free to share the information with your stakeholders.
Please contact the EDO at (239) 574-0444 for further information.
Click here to learn more about the Cape Coral VA Healthcare Center.
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CRA: Alive and Well 
The EDO has received questions regarding the changes in the South Cape Community Redevelopment Agency.Most of the questions have centered on the misconception that some or part of the CRA has ceased to function.
The EDO would like to clear up that misunderstanding and make sure that everyone knows that the CRA is definitely "Alive and Well". The CRA office has moved and can now be found at 4816 Chester Street in the new Resource Center and you can reach the CRA at the same phone number: (239) 549-5615.
No doubt, some of the confusion exists because of recent operational changes that were made to help ensure the financial viability of the CRA. Nevertheless, all the chartered functions of the original CRA remain in place and are staffed through a collaborative effort of a wide variety of key staff within the City's departments and Helen Ramey from the CRA, under the direction of the City Manager and the Cape Coral City Council, which is now the CRA Board.
The goal of the CRA is to encourage and fund future capital improvement projects and leverage private developments to create a vibrant, walkable downtown area for Cape Coral. The recent announcement by Ford's Garage that they'll be establishing a new restaurant at the Leapin' Lizard's location is a prime example of the type of private investment the CRA is seeking.
Without a doubt, changes bring questions and concerns. These are a normal part of the climate of change. The CRA will continue to operate and flourish as these changes take hold and develop into the future that our citizens envision and expect for Cape Coral's downtown. We'll keep you posted!
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Local Business Spotlight:
E & E Income Tax Services
When Esther Visuna left Cape Coral in 2009, she knew that her heart would remain in sunny Southwest Florida. Last year, she was elated to be able reopen 'E & E Income Tax Services'. The business had been in existence since 2002. Now, after a two year leave of absence, Visuna credits her return to the locally rebounding economy.
"This year, I feel that there is a good opportunity to grow the business a lot", said Visuna. "I want to stay in Cape Coral forever!"
Visuna, originally from Cuba, offers tax, immigration, translation and passport assistance services to a primarily Hispanic client base. Visuna truly enjoys helping her Spanish-speaking clientele to navigate their taxes or fill out the many forms needed to accommodate immigration and passport services. "Some of the forms can be very confusing," said Visuna. "It can be especially challenging for Cuban people to obtain a passport. I know the ropes, and can help them through the process."
Visuna's office is located at 1634 SE 47th Street, Unit 15 in the Cape, just east of Del Prado Boulevard.
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SBDC Goes Mobile
 FGCU's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is launching a mobile website version for clients on the go. Visitors accessing the SBDC website from their mobile phones will now get redirected to the mobile optimized version of the site.
The mobile website, built by ActiveData Mobile, will allow visitors to get actionable information at the click of a button. Features include click-to-call, driving directions, one touch email, videos, social sharing and a live listing of upcoming seminars and events. These features will allow visitors to stay connected to the SBDC and have the latest information in the palm of their hand.
Google reports that 95 percent of smartphone users have searched for local information with 61 percent calling the business after searching. These statistics along with an improved user experience supported the SBDC's decision to go mobile. "The mobile visitor is looking for different information than the desktop visitor," said Jim Montague, president and CEO of ActiveData. "Mobile visitors are ready to take action right now and the SBDC site was built with that need in mind."
The Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University is a dynamic community-based resource, which educates small business owners through a diverse collection of programs and services to learn about new opportunities to grow their business.
The SBDC is located in FGCU's Center for Leadership & Innovation, the external administrative unit of the Lutgert College of Business, providing a unique collaboration between the College of Business faculty, students and small business owners. The Center serves a five-county area and provides business assistance to Cape Coral businesses through its location on Cultural Park Boulevard.
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DEP Hosts First Brownfield Symposium
 The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's South District (DEP) office is hosting the First Annual South Florida Brownfield Symposium on March 1, 2013 to bring awareness to the Brownfield Program and the opportunities that it provides to the community.
Brownfield development sites are a viable option for investors, developers, and governments because of the benefits and incentives available as well as the job creation opportunities for the region.
The Symposium's speakers will provide information regarding the Program and a panel features speakers who have all had experience in cleaning up and developing Brownfield sites. These individuals will share their own experiences and answer questions. Local governments will have the opportunity to present their available Brownfield sites to investors for future projects.
Please click on this link for the DEP's 2013 Brownfield Symposium Agenda and visit us at the 2013 VIZ Forum where the DEP will have both permitting team and state vendor teams present to provide you with information about brownfield development.
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Tell Us
We welcome your input and ideas about articles and information you would like to see in the monthly
EDO eNewsletter.
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