May 2022View as Webpage Pinellas County unemployment down to a new low of 2.4% Pinellas County’s March 2022 unemployment rate came in at 2.4%, down .4 of a percent from February’s already low 2.8%, and down 2.2% from a year ago.In March 2022, 23 out of all 24 metro areas in Florida had over-the-year job gains. The areas with the largest gains were Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (+106,300 jobs), Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall (+80,500 jobs), and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (+69,400 jobs). Source: https://lmsresources.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdfPledge to PrepareBusiness Hurricane Preparedness Webinar, May 19, 2:00 – 3:00 pm  This webinar will ask the Pinellas County business community to “Pledge to Plan”, and will provide the information and resources needed for business owners to create or update their disaster plans for the 2022 storm season. Pinellas County Emergency Management, Pinellas County Economic Development, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council will discuss hurricane season preparation for business owners and employees, including evacuation procedures, public shelter options, insurance considerations, critical data back-up and continuity planning considerations. Click here to register.Opportunity to Do Business with the U.S. Navy Discover how your business can become part of the Navy’s National Technology ecosystem. Meet Robert L. “Bob” Smith the Director of the Navy’s SBIR/STTR and Special ProgramsExplore highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses innovation.Learn how to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization.Learn how your business innovation can address naval needs in more than 30 science and technology areas. Date: May 17, 5:00 – 7:00 pm Location: The Maritime and Defense Technology Hub (Hub), 450 8th Ave. SE, St. Petersburg, 33701Seating is limited, register online. Florida Medical Device Symposium, May 17 – 18The 15th annual Florida Medical Device Symposium will take place May 17-18, 2022, at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater. The annual symposium is Florida’s premier event for medical device manufacturing firms, featuring nationally recognized speakers, expert panels on regulatory issues and industry trends, exhibiting companies, legislative updates and quality networking opportunities. Visit https://www.floridamedtech.com/page/Symposium2022for full details and registration.  Pinellas County’s Small Business Enterprise Program  The Small Business Enterprise Program provides a sheltered market for qualified vendors that allows small businesses to place bids for Pinellas County purchases from $5,000 up to $100,000. The program is non-specific to race or gender and benefits all eligible small businesses principally located in Pinellas, Hillsborough,Pasco, or Manatee counties.Visit PCED.org/SBE to learn how your small business may benefit from the program.National Small Business Week  National Small Business Week is May 2 – 5, and the SBA invites you to a Virtual Summit to celebrate. Attend this free event to access critical federal resources, learn new business strategies, meet other business owners and chat with industry experts. The 4-day, action-packed event will include honoring small businesses around the country, educational sessions, online business resources, and exciting speakers. Click here to learn more.Upper Tampa Bay Job FairIs your company hiring? Register to attend the Upper Tampa Job Fair in Oldsmar. May 21, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Click here for the registration form.Basics 101: Marketing to the KSC Prime Contractors – May 3, 10:30 am  Are you interested in working with Kennedy Space Center’s prime contractors? Learn how to effectively market your small business directly to government prime contractors. Join a discussion with a select group of Kennedy Space Center’s Prime Contractors as they share marketing tips and tricks for small business.Click here to register for this free, virtual event. Export Week  Join the U.S. Commercial Service for virtual tradecraft & industry-focused seminars during Export Week, May 2-6. Sign up for one, or all, of the 20+ unique sessions. Specially designed for exporters of all experience levels. Learn more and register at https://www.trade.gov/us-commercial-service-export-week.St. Pete Beach Business Site Improvement Program Strong local businesses help create a strong local community. With its new Business Site Improvement Program (BSIP), the City of St. Pete Beach will encourage private investment in local businesses and improve commercial areas. This program will help local businesses meetand exceed local codes. Visit https://www.tampabaybeaches.com/BSIP/ for full details, including guidelines and eligibility requirements. News LinksPinellas County’s unemployment rate going downFlorida Has the Two Best Large Cities to Start a Business in the NationTampa Bay companies have second-highest funding quarter ever, snagging more than $160 million in Q1Tesla and Amazon plan major developments in Lealman area of Pinellas CountyTexas, Florida best states for businessFlorida, Texas lead nation in tech job growthEmployment site applications get preliminary approvalOne year after KnowBe4 went public at a $1B valuation, is it still considered a unicorn?Lockheed Martin Forecasts Job Growth in Pennsylvania and Florida in 2022Florida sees largest single growth month for manufacturing jobs since May 2020Innovation Center fosters tech growth with new cohortUSFSP receives $14 million gift for fintech ‘hub of excellence’ www.PCED.org Pinellas County Economic Development | (727) 464-7332 | econdev@pinellascounty.org13805 58 St. N., Suite 1-200 | Clearwater, FL 33760 |
| Pinellas County Economic Development13805 58th Street N. Suite 1-200 Clearwater, FL 33760 |