| January 2022 View as Webpage |
 We are excited to begin a new year and look forward to continuing to serve the Pinellas County business community throughout 2022!Our dedicated team has the expertise and tools to help your business grow, whether you are just beginning a new venture or outgrowing your current location. Visit us at www.PCED.org to explore all we have to offer. Best wishes to all for a happy and prosperous 2022! |
| PCED Welcomes Corey McCaster, EDFP |
 We are delighted to announce the addition of Corey McCaster, EDFP to our team, effective December 27th. Corey joins us in the role of Division Director of the Office of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, in which he will be responsible for managing the department’s entrepreneurial and small business assistance and development initiative. Corey brings with him more than 20 years of experience in small business assistance. In his previous role as Economic Development Manager with Hillsborough County, he was charged with helping small to medium-sized existing businesses find new market opportunities, hidden profits and innovative ways to create sustainable growth. He provided expert-level business consulting, specializing in small business accounting and finance, quality improvement, and strategic business planning. His experience with managing his own small businesses, and serving in Tallahassee at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, allows him to deliver a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to clients. Corey is a University of South Florida business school graduate and holds certifications in both project management and workforce development. We are thrilled to welcome Corey to the PCED team and look forward to working with him in our efforts to make Pinellas County the number one choice for business. |
| David Habib, Yo Mama’s Foods Honored |
| Congratulations go out to David Habib, founder of Yo Mama’s Foods, on being featured in Forbes 30 Under 30! The Clearwater native began his business in his mother’s garage, and has grown the company to become the #1-selling sauce on Amazon.com. Yo Mama’s Foods products are now carried by more than 8,000 sellers nationwide. Yo Mama’s Foods will be recognized in in February as an 11th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Honoree. We are very proud of the hard work David has put into growing his business in Pinellas, and we are thrilled to see him receive recognition for his efforts. |  |
| Allen Shuffleboard When Stephanie Swain and Josh Dulabaum purchased their friends’ shuffleboard business in Seminole, FL, they knew they needed help with financing and planning for the future. They found that – and more – at the Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County Economic Development. Click here to read the full story about Allen Shuffleboard’s successful journey from initial purchase to thriving business. |
| Synapse Summit, Feb. 17th in Tampa Synapse Summit 2022 is a full day packed with amazing content for you, by you. The event includes innovative leaders, hands-on workshops, dynamic panel discussions, skills building activities, and more. The Summit will take place at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Feb. 17th. Prepare to make boundless connections in-person or virtually through the Synapse hybrid community feature for Florida’s 5th annual premiere innovation event. More details can be found at https://synapsefl.com/summit2022. |
| Duke Energy Selects Pinellas County for 2021 Site Readiness Program |
| Duke Energy has selected Pinellas County for inclusion in its 2021 Site Readiness Program to evaluate and prepare industrial site opportunities for economic development investments. Under this program, the company identifies high-potential sites and partners with economic development professionals and landowners to develop a strategy for getting sites fully ready to market to industrial prospects. The Pinellas project, managed by Leotta Location and Design (LL+D) is expected to have initial results by the end of 2021. “We are excited to partner with Duke Energy and LL+D to help provide us a road map to focus our efforts in redeveloping older industrial sites for highest and best use locations to help us attract jobs and capital investment to benefit the future growth of Pinellas County,” shared Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of Pinellas County Economic Development. Learn more. |
| 2022 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit, Jan. 7 |
| The Florida Chamber Foundation’s virtual 2022 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit will feature the Florida Chamber Foundation team, leading economists, and industry experts providing a glimpse into the opportunities and challenges facing Florida’s economy as we blaze the path to 2030. Attendees will receive an exclusive 2022 Florida economic forecast, a national economic outlook, and invaluable insight into Florida’s evolving workforce needs, population growth, small business economic impact, and more. Learn more and register https://www.flchamber.com/eojsummit. |
| Professional Artist Grant 22 Are you a professional artist living & working in Pinellas County? Has your work shown locally, nationally, and/ or internationally? Apply for the Creative Pinellas 2022 Professional Artist Grants, open until February 14, 2022. Each year, Creative Pinellas recognizes up to 10 Pinellas County artists who have excelled in their artistic practice. Each selected artist receives a $5,000 grant and they are encouraged to decide how to best use this award for their benefit and growth as an artist. Learn more and apply at https://creativepinellas.org/opportunity/professional-artist-grant-22/. |
| Nominations for 2022 National Small Business Week Awards The National Small Business Week Awards recognize the achievements of SBA-assisted small businesses and the contributions they have made to their communities and our nation’s economy.All nominations should be submitted electronically by 3 p.m. EST on January 11, 2022. The awards will be presented during the NSBW Awards ceremony in the first week of May 2022.To nominate a small business owner in your area or download related forms, criteria, and guidelines, visit sba.gov/nsbw. |