| New in Our Data Center…Pinellas GDP 3rd Fastest Growth in Florida According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Pinellas County ranks highly with one of the fastest growing Gross Domestic Products (GDP) among large counties in the Southeast. Pinellas GDP grew by $3 billion from 2017 to 2018 – a growth rate of 5.9%! – and GDP per capita grew by 4.9% for the biggest increase among large Florida counties. You can explore these numbers and details on GDP by industry sectors at www.PCED.org/Interactive. Also new in our Data Center are an updated Pinellas County Transportation page and a new Pinellas County Education Profile. |
| Federal Medical Device Excise Tax Repealed On December 19, 2019, the Federal government repealed the medical device excise tax – a 2.3% tax on a range of medical devices and products. For more information about medical device manufacturing in Florida, please visit the Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium at www.FloridaMedTech.com. |
| TriOrb Solutions Joseph Hall began TriOrb Solutions with no employees and has since built the company to a staff of 15, thanks to help from the Florida Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at Pinellas County Economic Development. TriOrb Solutions provides information technology, cyber security and geo-spatial services to business in the public and private sectors. Yolanda Cowart of the PTAC at PCED has helped Hall create a business plan, connect to legal and financial assistance, and become certified to best compete for government contracts. He says, “Since I started working with Yolanda, I’ve grown from local contracts to government contracts. Yolanda will continue to be a valuable asset to the growth of my company. Right now, we’re working on getting TriOrb onto the GSA schedule, which I intend to leverage with all the certifications we have.” Read the full story produced by the Florida Small Business Development Center at USF here. |
| The World is Your Market, Jan. 15 U.S. Commercial Service, Enterprise Florida and Pinellas County Economic Development staff will share the programs and incentives to help expand your business sales abroad. The World is Your Market luncheon will take place at 127 State Street, Oldsmar, FL 34677. Click here to register and for more information. |
| Tech Talent Forum, Mar. 16 -17 Learn best practices for on-campus recruiting and marketing your company’s internship and job opportunities. Connect with gatekeepers from more than 50 institutions nationally recognized as top producers of STEM talent. Click here for full details and registration. |
| 2020 Florida Economic Development Conference: May 11 – 13 in St. Petersburg Join economic, workforce and community development professionals from across the state at this annual event. Presented by Enterprise Florida. Sponsorship opportunities are available at many levels. Learn more at https://fedconline.org/fedc-conference/. |
| Job-A-Palooza: Feb. 8 at the St. Petersburg College EpiCenter Join with other local businesses for a one day event to showcase the abilities of youth with intellectual and developmental differences. Each company will set up a workstation, highlighting a job task that a potential employee would need to complete. Students, ages 14-21, will practice the task and then compete against others. Presented by The Arc Tampa Bay. View a flyer for the event here, and visit https://thearctbfoundation.org/event/job-a-palooza-2/ to register. |
| 2020 Business of Biotech: Feb. 7 Join Moffitt Cancer Center at this annual event that attracts 450+ biotech executives, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors and researchers from across the U.S. 2020 event highlights include Keynote Speaker Dr. Alice Jacobs, Physician, Entrepreneur, Inventor and Investor, morning and afternoon breakout sessions, and a networking lunch. Click here to register to attend Business of Biotech and here to learn about sponsorship opportunities. |
| PCED Gives Back for the Holidays Pinellas County Economic Development staff contributed toys and funds to the YMCA’s Neighbor to Neighbor Holiday Program to provide families in need with dinner, books, toys and more. This year the YMCA at the Lealman Exchange will be one of two locations where families may go to select their toys and gift cards. Visit www.StPeteYMCA.org/neighbor for more information. Thanks to our own Cindy Margiotta for organizing this opportunity for our team to help our community. |