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Upping Your Borrowing Power:
Part 7 of the Business Growth Training Series

 

 
Bring your balance sheet and income statement and learn how to measure and improve your business growth, bankability, and success using the same ratios your banker uses. Presented by Lunelle Siegel, Funding Manager at Corporate Funding. 
 
Sept. 9
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
$25
 

SBDC logo 7-2013 

 

 

#DidYouKnow...

  

You can learn if a Pinellas property is located within an Enterprise Zone...

  

Or discover what other businesses are located near a property...

 

Or find out how local consumers are spending their money?

 

All at www.tampabaysites.org!

 


 


Industry Information

  Advanced Manufacturing

Aviation & Aerospace

Business & Financial Services

Defense & Homeland Security

Information Technology

Life Sciences & Medical Technologies

 

What's Happening in Pinellas? 
Events Extra (published monthly)
Events & Opportunities (updated weekly)
 
News from our Partners 
 
Tarpon Springs Business News: Reverse Osmosis Plant Under Construction
 
 
 

Contact the Editor

 
 Vanessa Panzarella Watkins
(727) 464-7332  

 

 

September, 2014

Development is back.
Explore the 2014 Pinellas County Development Update.

 

Development in Pinellas is back in 2014. Tech Data has added 45,000 square feet in Largo to its existing 240,000-square-foot facility. BayCare Health System's new $99 million headquarters campus in Clearwater will eventually total 300,000 square feet, and Oscor (pictured above) in Palm Harbor is celebrating a new 20,000-square-foot addition to its Technology and Innovation Center. GE Energy Management selected Pinellas for a new 190,000-square-foot manufacturing Center of Excellence, where 250 new jobs are projected.
 

"These are exciting times in Pinellas," said Mike Meidel, Director of Pinellas County Economic Development.  "Planned projects are now being completed, and most importantly it's great to see the jobs coming back."
 

In retail, there are too many projects to list in their entirety. From Pinellas' first Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's, to the re-imagined Sundial and Seminole Mall, local consumers will have more convenient and upscale shopping choices and temptations.

 

The housing market is equally robust, particularly in multi-family condominiums and apartments.  More than 8,400 residential units are included in this latest development update.  Hotel projects are growing with more than 1,900 new or planned accommodations.  And there is more fun planned for Pinellas with a new BMX facility in Oldsmar, a water park in Indian Rocks Beach, the expanded Dunedin Fine Arts Museum and the reborn Capitol Theater in Clearwater.
 

Explore redevelopment in our community:


Keep up to date with all the Pinellas County redevelopment news at
www.PCED.org/redevelopment.


 

 

2014 Pinellas County Finance Fair - recap     

Our 9th annual Finance Fair took place July 31 and was a resounding success! With nearly 100 attendees participating, the event offered a unique opportunity for small business owners to browse local lending options in a trade show format. Nearly 20 different lenders were on hand to provide information on their products and services, and experts were available to discuss options such as SBA loans, bank loans and alternative financing. Dr. Cynthia Johnson, Director of the Florida Small Business Development Center (FSBDC) at Pinellas County Economic Development, attests, "Not only did we have a record number of participants, we also had a high level of quality interactions in which small business owners made contact with the right lenders for their particular needs. With roughly a dozen potential matches made in a few short hours, I think the numbers speak to the success of this event."
 

 
    
 

View more photos from the 2014 Finance Fair on our Facebook page.

Finance Fair Success: Julia and Ken Rosenthal, owners of Pair O' Dice Brewing Co., were having a hard time securing financing to open their craft brewery business... until they attended the Pinellas County Finance Fair and spoke with Kurt Forster, Certified Business Consultant with the FSBDC at PCED. "Kurt saw me working the room and getting shot down and he said, 'This is the only banker I know that's giving SBA loans to start-ups.' He introduced me to our lender," explains Julia. The Rosenthals secured a $500,000 loan from Achieva in January 2013 and Pair O' Dice opened its doors on October 31, 2013.
Pair O Dice Brewing Company of Pinellas County
Pair O Dice Brewing Company of Pinellas County

Learn more about lending and financing options for your Pinellas business at http://pced.org/entrepreneurs/subpage.asp?Financing.

WSV Group grows revenues with Florida SBDC assistance

Sean Carter, owner of WSV Group, Inc., came to the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) in 2006, searching for a way to break into the government contracting market. What he found was much more.

 

WSV, a construction management company licensed in building, roofing and HVAC traditionally worked only in the private sector. With the need to diversify their client base and grow their business they decided to seek out government opportunities. "I was trying to find somebody who would assist me in navigating and understanding government procurement" Sean Carter, President of WSV Group, Inc., said. "The staff at Florida's SBDC in Pinellas County brought the various government certification options to our attention and then assisted us with the application."  Read more...

 

Tampa Bay Trade Mission to Chile, Dec. 1 -5
Chile is one of the most open, stable and prosperous markets in Latin America, and ranked as Florida's fourth largest export destination in 2013. The Chilean economy's constant growth, secure political environment and open business climate make it one of the top destination for Tampa Bay Exporters. Join us as Commissioner Karen Seel, Commissioner Lesley Miller, Mayor Rick Kriseman and Mayor Bob Buckhorn help us to pave the way to open new markets and find new customers for Tampa Bay's products and services in Chile.

 

Learn more and explore sponsorship opportunities at www.pced.org/international.  Don't delay - the deadline for Trade/Gold Key Package applications is Sept. 15, and Delegate applications are due by Oct.15.
 

Tampa Bay Transportation Forum, September 24, 2014
Join the Tampa Bay Partnership at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park to explore the economic benefits of regional transportation in Tampa Bay. Attendees will gain a better understanding of why investing in infrastructure and making transit options available is important to keep our region competitive in the global marketplace.  Pinellas County Commission Chair Karen Seel will participate as a panelist in the Transit Across Generations discussion, and Pinellas County Commission Vice-Chair Susan Latvala, will join the discussion of Building Better Communities for a Better Tampa Bay. 

 

Learn more and register to attend at http://www.tampabay.org/transportationforum2014. 

  
GrowFL CEO Forum, Sept. 24, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Barry Shevlin,

CEO Vology

Join Barry Shevlin, CEO of Vology, at this exclusive event for CEOs, presidents and business owners. The CEO Forum provides new perspectives on management techniques through the eyes of established business owners who have grown their companies into a more advanced stage of business development. CEOs and other company executives will discuss the issues and challenges that confront growing companies.
 

Attendance is free.  Location: Microsoft, 5426 Bay Center Dr., Suite 700, Tampa, FL 33609

Register at http://www.growfl.com/events/ceo-forum-tampa-bay.
 
Tampa Bay IT Apprenticeship Program

CareerSource Pinellas has partnered with Pinellas Technical Education Center  to provide tuition-free education, hands-on training, and IT industry-recognized certifications in four key occupations: Applications Developer (Software); Applications Developer (Web); Help Desk Technician; and Network Support Technician. Pinellas employers and workers can find more information on the program at https://www.careersourcepinellas.com/pages/ITApprenticeship.

  
Interested in exporting medical devices to some of the largest markets in the world? Unfamiliar with how to do it? Enterprise Florida and the U.S. Commercial Service have invited Emergo Group, a global medical device consulting firm, to present a half-day seminar on how to effectively register medical devices in China, Japan, and Brazil. 

Sept. 9, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
1101 Channelside Dr. Tampa, FL 33602 
(SBDC Office on the 2nd floor of the Port Tampa Bay building)
$35

Visit http://www.export.gov/florida/meddevices/ for more information and to register.


Financing & Tax Solutions to Grow Your Exporting Business: Sept. 16

Speakers and topics include:

* New export markets

* Short term financing solutions for exporters

* International tax export incentives
 

Who should attend?

Owners, CFOs & Controllers of Companies that:

* Sell goods that are mainly manufactured in the U.S. (at least 50%)

* Sell goods that are held for sale, lease, rental, consumption or distribution

outside the U.S. or performing engineering or architectural services overseas

* Are an S Corporation, Partnership, LLC or privately held C Corporation

* Export sales that typically exceed $1M per year

* Require working capital on foreign account receivables

 

 Find more details and registration at http://growyourexportingbusiness.eventbrite.com/.

 

What makes Tampa Bay's quality of life so great?
Watch this short video from the Tampa Bay Partnership, then visit us at http://pced.org/redevelopment/subpage.asp?redevelopment#Quality to learn more about our Ideal Business Climate.
 
 
Park Boulevard Bridge to close for repairs in late September

Pinellas County Department of Environment and Infrastructure will begin a bridge rehabilitation project on the Park Boulevard Bridge in Indian Shores. Tentatively scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, this phase of construction will require that the roadway portion of the bridge be closed to all vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic for a minimum of 30 days. In the event of a hurricane evacuation, the bridge spans will be closed and locked in place and the roadway will be reopened for evacuation routing. 

 

For project updates, contact the Pinellas County roadway construction information line at (727) 453-3320 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/roadwork.htm.

 

Pinellas News

Tech Data boosts its Clearwater HQ
(St. Petersburg Tribune)
 

78 Tampa Bay companies make Inc. 500/5000 list
(Tampa Bay Business Journal)
 

Voters approve tax breaks for Pinellas businesses
(Tampa Bay Times)

Pinellas approves tax breaks for some companies

(St. Petersburg Tribune)
 

Tampa Bay's First Senior Care ER Opens In St. Petersburg

(83 Degrees)
 

Clearwater's Whole Foods Market is hiring 200 for fall opening

(Tampa Bay Times)
 

Raytheon tops TBBJ's annual List of Defense Contractors

(Tampa Bay Business Journal)
 

Inc. 500: Medical software firm, dog washing company rank among Tampa Bay's fastest-growing private companies
(Tampa Bay Times)

Clearwater hopes project sparks more development

(St. Petersburg Tribune)
 

Florida group meeting on growth strategies for defense industry

(St. Petersburg Tribune)
 

Tampa Bay companies climb the charts in attracting VC funding

(Tampa Bay Business Journal)
 

Madeira plans sizeable marina project

(Tampa Bay Newspapers)
 

Art, Healthy Eats Meet Up At Sunspot Fresh Bar In St. Pete

(83 Degrees)
 

Ex-Bonefish guys close to opening Noble Crust on 4th Street in St. Pete
(Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Clearwater Marine Aquarium unveils radically new plan (slideshow)

(Tampa Bay Business Journal)