Commercial real estate developer Steven McCraney wishes he had pulled the trigger sooner on construction at the Vista Business Park near West Palm Beach. Buoyed by the rebound in the commercial market, McCraney Property Co. will break ground in the next few weeks on 100,000 square feet of warehouses on seven acres. "Because of the challenges during the downturn, today developers are much more calculated and measurably more conservative," he said this week. "We probably should have had this product up six months ago, but the prevailing caution really kept me from doing it sooner." McCraney is bullish now, and he's so confident in the revitalized commercial market that he's building the project "on spec" -without tenants in place. It's the first new construction in five years at the 500-acre park off Okeechobee Boulevard and Jog Road. The two 50,000-square-foot buildings are expected to be complete by the end of the year. Read more about the topic here.

U.S. Manufacturing Grew This Month to the Highest Level in Four Years

U.S. manufacturing grew this month to the highest level in four years, according to a report released Wednesday by Markit, a London-based global financial information company. Markit's U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, based on a survey of more than 600 manufacturers nationally, rose in February to 56.7, up from 53.7 in January, exceeding economists' forecasts. An index reading of more than 50 points indicates growth, according to Alex Paidas, a spokesman for Markit. The stronger-than-expected growth by U.S. manufacturers was fueled by increased orders and increased production, according to the report. Complete story here.

The folks behind Florida's upcoming state-based health exchange say consumer interest is so overwhelming, they are yet again delaying opening it up for business. It's not yet possible to buy health plans on the Florida Health Choices site. But web traffic from people just checking it out has increased tenfold since its chief executive officer announced Feb. 3 that the full launch was "just days away.'' Phone calls have increased, too. "I frankly was very surprised at the volume of hits that we've had in the last week," CEO Rose Naff said Friday. "It definitely sent a signal to me that we should expect a lot more volume than we originally anticipated." Naff ordered more testing of the site and its backup systems to make sure it will be able to handle the volume. She said it will be a couple of more weeks before it debuts.

Much of the recent interest has been from adults ages 18 to 34, according to Naff's web traffic analysis. These are the so-called "young invincibles" whose interest in obtaining health coverage is considered essential to the long-term success of the federal healthcare law. The whole article here.

University of Miami researchers make important findings in quest for AIDS vaccine

Small advancements make big waves in the decades-long search for an HIV vaccine, and University of Miami researchers are optimistic that their latest findings are significant: They have developed a vaccine that triggers an immune system response strong enough to kill a model AIDS virus in mice. The vaccine is still in the early stages of development, said Geoffrey W. Stone, a UM assistant professor of microbiology and immunology who led the research study published in February's Journal of Virology. "This is very basic mouse research,'' Stone said, "but very exciting.'' The next step is trials on larger animals, and eventually clinical trials on people -a process that could take 10 years or longer. Read complete article here.

The Made in Designland project, which showcases Finnish know-how, will go on tour in the United States next summer. The project is aimed at increasing the prominence of the growth companies involved in the project in the US market by presenting their products and services. The tour participants will include companies operating in the fields of design, technology, software and architecture.  The companies and their products will be showcased through dozens of pop-up stores, sales festivals, interactive exhibitions, workshops and seminars in a number of cities. The objective is to involve 50 companies in the project through a selection process which will take place early this year. The tour is meant to respond to the budding interest in Finnish know-how in the United States. FACC is working with Designland to bring the tour to our backyard. Stay tuned. Review the whole article here.

Helsinki has soared to second place in a ranking of the European cities of the future by fDi Magazine, a Financial Times publication. The European Cities and Regions of the Future report assesses cities and regions in terms of their potential to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). In its latest report, Helsinki, which appears for the first time among the top 25 European cities, ranks second only to London.  - Finland's capital has been receiving increased attention for its efforts to attract FDI and scored particularly well for FDI Strategy, says the report. The city has highlighted its focus on three key areas to promote investment: Research, development and innovation; growth capital and hi-tech start-ups; and transnational functions, such as sea and air links. Read more here.

Finland Tops the Press Freedom Index Again

For the fourth year running, Finland has topped the World Press Freedom index. The index, compiled by Reporters Without Borderssaid press freedom in Finland was based on strong legal foundations supported by a genuine culture of individual liberty. The interest group also highlighted the work of the independent media watchdog, the Council for the Mass Media in Finland (JSN), which interprets sound media practice and defends freedom of speech and publication. This year's index covers 180 countries. Like last year, Finland was closely followed by the Netherlands and Norway. Read more on the topic here and review the index here.

Finnish Company Uros Oy´s Goodspeed Crosses the Atlantic

The Goodspeed web service from the Finnish company Uros Oy has made headway on a new continent. The flat rate data roaming service is now also available in Latin America. Goodspeed operates using a Wi-Fi hotspot that creates its own WLAN connection that can be shared with smart phones, tablets and laptops. The service is aimed at frequent travellers and business travellers and is now available in 15 Central and South American countries. Goodspeed, based in Oulu, Finland, already covers half of the Earth's land surface area. Whole story here.

Finn Wins Sci-Tech Oscar for Long-Term Development Work

Janne Kontkanen is one of this year's Scientific and Technical Academy Award recipients. The Oscar will be presented to Kontkanen and his colleagues for their work involving animated films at the DreamWorks Studios. Kontkanen has developed pioneering technology involving the processing of images that contain deep compositing features. The technology enables, for example, more precise composite images especially in complex action sequences in which the depth relationships between image elements are not easy to define. Altogether 19 Sci-Tech Oscars will be presented this year to 52 people. In contrast to other Academy Awards, the technical achievements need not be from 2013. The purpose is, rather, to reward long-term development work that has had a significant impact on film-making. Read the complete article here.

Finnish Unmonday´s Speakers Picked by Apple

Unmonday, the Finnish company which recently launched world's first multi-channel wireless ceramic speakers, has signed a distribution deal with Apple for its model 4.3. The company's speaker systems will be sold in selected Apple stores in Europe and also in Apple's online shop, and they are expected to be distributed in Singapore and Malaysia in near future. According to Finnish business daily Kauppalehti, the speaker system will be in shops in next couple of days. - The agreement with Apple is a significant one in many ways. Apple's distribution network enables us to reach customers who are interested in our product, says Unmonday's sales directorJukka Nieminen to Kauppalehti. Read more here.

The Finnish Concept Car Using Biomaterials Premiers in Genova Car Show