New Cape Coral Businesses
124 new businesses registered for Cape Coral Tax Receipts
(Business Licenses)
in June, 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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Good News
For Job Growth
Recent trends in growth for the state and this region strongly suggest that we might not be that far away from reaching the March 2007 pre-recession numbers for local job growth.
Although this is clearly excellent news, the State of Florida and this region still lag behind in pre-recession salary levels. More work still needs to be done in both areas, but this is still a very good trend for SW Florida and the rest of the state.
For more information,
click here to view the regional indicator report created by the Regional Economic Research Institute of the Florida Gulf Coast University. |
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Passports!
The City of Cape Coral City Clerk's Office is now processing new passport applications on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. U.S. citizens planning international travel may apply for their passports at the City Clerk's Office in City Hall.
1015 Cultural Park Blvd.
Monday-Friday
7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For application forms, information on documentation required, fees, and other passport and international travel information, visit the only official website for passport information: www.travel.state.gov.
To contact the City Clerk's Office, please call 574-0411 or visit our website at www.capecoral.net |
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Florida Banks
Boost
Small Business
Lending
Florida banks participating in the Small Business Lending fund increased lending to smaller businesses by $41.5 million in the first quarter of 2013.
To see the full report,
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Wicked Dolphin
Distillery Now
Sells Direct
On July 1st, our local Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery opened its doors
to offer tours, tastings, and for the first time ever, sales of its award-winning Silver Rum.
131 SW 3rd Place
(just off Pine Island Road)
Click here to find Cape Spirits & Wicked Dolphin Rum on Facebook. |
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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
Your EDO office is preparing to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Orlando show in August. Staff attended this show last year as well as the national show in Las Vegas this past May and we've been very successful in recruiting businesses to Cape Coral.
The likes of Starbucks, Wawa's, Jimmy Johns, Firestone and Dairy Queen have developed or are in the throes of developing in Cape Coral. These developments bring awareness. Others like Barista's Coffee take note of this development activity and examine our market and realize we're too big to ignore. We also benefit from local development as evidenced by the Derby Tavern, soon to open on Santa Barbara near Veterans Parkway. We did not encourage this development directly, but they're obviously taking advantage of the existing market.
While these types of developments don't bring the nice high wage jobs we seek, they are a necessary piece of the puzzle. It's hard to recruit businesses to the Cape if their workers and families don't have ready access to basic amenities and with a current population of over 160,000, we need more goods and services to meet the demands of our existing residents. Impactful development is coming and the larger companies will follow. We'll be there to recruit and welcome them to Cape Coral.
Sincerely,
Dana Brunett
City of Cape Coral
Economic Development Director |
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Spotlight: East West Veterinary Clinic
Overcomes Adversity
 Brightly colored animal murals are just the beginning of all that makes the East West Veterinary Clinic stand out. Dr. Dixie Brown leased the clinic in 2007, shortly before the previous tenant was planning to close its doors. There was just one part-time employee and almost no clients. One month later, the economy crashed. Rather than be discouraged, Brown set about hiring the best technicians she could find and developed a rock solid mission: "Give the service that everyone desires; be consistent; communicate and treat each and every patient as if they are an individual and not a number. Be the best we can be with both the heart and the brain."
In October 2011, Brown took another risk, leasing the South West clinic on the same day she learned that the internal Revenue Service had shut the former owner down. "We heard that there were patients in need and we wanted to step in to help," said Brown. What Brown did not know was that the clinic's phone number had been sold to another clinic, making the transition much more of a challenge in building a new reputation in the community. Both clinics treat small animals of just about every type and also offer critical care.
With hard work and the same determination that helped this single mother to work three jobs as she attended vet school, the two clinics grew in reputation and size. Today, they employ 15 staff members, including a second doctor and still bring in 2-3 new clients each day.
Brown is excited to be planning her biggest move yet - shifting her East-West clinic just a few doors down Del Prado Blvd. to a 5000 sq. ft. space with a swimming pool she plans to use for canine physical therapy and a new program to help obese animals to get fit.
Brown explained that the East West Clinic was originally meant to represent both eastern and western medical cultures. So the clinic stays up to date with western medicine at the same time offering less traditional approaches like acupuncture. Dr. Brown and her team hope to open the new clinic in October and bring 5-7 new employees on board.
For more information, visit: www.ewvcc.com or call 945-2800. |
Pine Island Road Work To Widen Business Opportunities
 The long anticipated road widening project for the west end of Route 78 is finally here. Crews have been out relocating utilities in anticipation of state-selected contractors arriving to begin construction to widen Pine Island Road between Chiquita Boulevard and Burnt Store Road.
This project will open up several larger development parcels along this stretch of road and create opportunities for new growth. A new Super Wal-Mart is anticipated after the widening takes place and the better access could also impact Burnt Store Road as well. The project should be completed by late 2014 or early 2015.
As we recruit new businesses to Cape Coral, this area is one of our keys to future development. We take brochures and maps showing the properties and the potential for new development throughout the entire west end of Pine Island Road. Keep an eye on this area; it's got the opportunity to be a hot market. |
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New Developments Dot City Landscape
 If you've driven around Cape Coral lately, you can't help but notice all the new construction sites popping up all around the city. Regardless of whether it's one of several new medical sites, another great restaurant or perhaps even another retail store or residential community, they all have one thing very much in common;they are all changing raw dirt into exponential new value.
Without a doubt, there is nothing that communicates the end of the Great Recession as well as the sight of bull dozers, orange cones and new development signage. Cape Coral is alive with a strong dose of all of these visible reminders.
This is great news for the economy as each new development will bring stronger tax appraisals, higher property values and of course, many new jobs. The multitude of new sites also helps to bring more investment and development dollars to the City. How is that? The truth is that the presence of more and more job sites creates additional interest in other projects throughout Cape Coral. It becomes much easier for projects to move forward as banks, investors and private enterprise participants recognize signs of a vibrant economy.
Cape Coral is showing many signs of healthy growth and these very visible reminders help to fan the flames of even more enthusiastic development and growth. Likewise, as property values continue to escalate, it allows for better projections for each new project that is proposed and thus creates an even stronger environment for loan approvals and other local investments.
So what are you waiting for? Dust off those plans and start researching the market and join in with the rest of the development craze while there are still affordable plots to be had for your favorite project. As always, the EDO team is only a phone call away to help you with your next project.
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Name Change Alert!
New Business Chats now 4th Wednesday Chats
 We are changing the name of our increasingly popular monthly New Business Chats to "4th Wednesday Business Chats".
Hosted by the City of Cape Coral Economic Development Office (EDO) and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), these chats offer practical information regarding the many aspects of running your own business.
Invitation to the Chats is open to all business owners, existing or new, as there is always something to learn. In fact, we encourage existing business owners to attend in the hopes they will share their experiences and insights.
In addition, the networking aspect of these meetings is extremely beneficial. It never fails; at least two businesses per Chat discuss getting together afterward to learn how they can help each other. Imagine the networking that went on between the 25 business owners who came to last month's chat!
These Chats are held the 4th Wednesday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd, 2nd Floor, Conference Room 220A. Our next chat is July 24th.
For more information please feel free to call 239-574-0444. |
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Entrepreneur Training Class Coming
 Learn how to be your own boss by signing up for the next Cape Coral MicroEnterprise class series, which begin on August 19th.
One of the unique aspects of the MicroEnterprise Project is that successful graduates will be able to apply to Goodwill for a guarantee to present to one of the partner banks for a micro-loan. This could truly kick-start their new business!
Click here for details.
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EDO eNewsletter.
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