April 2006

Bay Area Is Ranked As Bargain (by Carol Gentry, Published March 22, 2006, Tampa Tribune) Efforts to attract new companies to the Tampa Bay area got outside help on Tuesday when an international consultant named the metropolitan area as one of the nation's least costly places to do business. Among 23 major U.S. cities, the Bay area was ranked second-most economical - a hair behind Atlanta - in KPMG's 2006 Competitive Alternatives Study. Even better than the Bay area's overall score, local boosters say, is that the region scored particularly well as a bargain for research and development, especially clinical trials and biotechnology.  Full story.

U.S. Export Compliance Conference May 3-5 in Tampa.  Regulations that control U.S. exports have changed since September 11, 2001, and many exporters are unaware of these changes and how they can affect business.  The U.S. Department of Commerce offers this conference to help your business comply with the most current export regulations.  Training will be conducted by officials from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that writes and enforces the regulations.  Spaces are limited and fill quickly. Register early by visiting www.FloridaExporter.com.

Learn How Space Technology Can Assist Your Business.  On Thursday April 20, the Florida Medical Manufacturers’ Consortium will host a breakfast seminar featuring information on the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP).  SATOP is a free service that provides technical assistance to solve challenges facing businesses.  Speaker Chris Gilfriche will explain how the technical expertise derived from the U.S. space program is utilized to solve technical issues in the private business sector.  Networking will begin at 7:30am, followed by the SATOP presentation at 8:00am.  The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Select at 3535 Ulmerton Rd. in Clearwater.  Visit www.flamedmfg.org for more information.  Click here to learn more about SATOP.

Labor Market Statistics Business Tools, presented by WorkNet Pinellas.  WorkNet presents this seminar featuring Rebecca Rust, Director of Labor Market Statistics for the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.  Ms. Rust’s presentation will include occupational wage data, job descriptions, labor availability, targeted industry analysis, jobs in demand, GIS mapping and more.  The seminar takes place from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on April 12, at the EpiCenter in Largo.  To secure your reservation at this informative session, contact Kristin Dailey at kdailey@worknetpinellas.org.

Have You Heard “The Buzz?”  Creative TampaBay’s weekly email newsletter, “The Buzz,” keeps the business community updated about the hottest events in the area, as well as the region’s evolution as one of the “Cool Communities for a Hot Economy.”  Founded in 2003 as an organization dedicated to synergizing the community’s assets to cultivate an environment that encourages innovation and expands the economy, Creative TampaBay promotes and embraces the diversity that makes the Tampa Bay region a great place to live, work and play.  Click here to sign up for the newsletter, learn more and get involved.

Interested in Doing Business With Australia?  Join other U.S. businesses in the U.S. Pavilion at CeBIT Australia, the region’s largest and most important exhibition for Information and Communications Technology (ICT).  With more than 30,000 visitors and over 700 exhibitors, the May event offers excellent access to the Australian professionals making or influencing their companies’ IT spending decisions.  For more information on participation levels and costs, click here or email Duncan Archibald, Commercial Specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service, Sydney, at Duncan.archibald@mail.doc.gov.

Blast Off to Business Success: What Florida’s Space Industry Means to Your Bottom Line.  The Joint Hi-Tech Councils of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce present this exciting event to identify business and partnership opportunities with Florida’s Space Coast.  Lynda Weatherman, President and CEO of the Economic Development Commission for Florida’s Space Coast, will provide an overview of Florida’s aerospace industry, including new technology needs, business partnership opportunities and future industry trends.  The event takes place on April 18, from 8:00am to 10:00am, at Catalina Marketing in St. Petersburg.  Pre-registration is required and seating is limited.  Register by calling (727) 461-0011, or email amiller@stpete.com.

April 2006 Pinellas County Success Story

Halkey-Roberts – Saving Lives and Creating Jobs in Pinellas County.  Halkey-Roberts Corporation, a subsidiary of Atrion Corporation, manufactures components and valves for the medical, inflation and container industries that save lives around the world.  Poised for tremendous growth, the company was in need of a larger facility.  Pinellas County Economic Development worked closely with the company’s leaders to understand their needs, and then formulated a plan specifically tailored to ensure a strong future in Pinellas County.  Working in partnership with the City of St. Petersburg, local officials were able to assist the company with the construction of a new 160,000 square foot location, including a large clean room for its medical products, scheduled to be complete in May 2006.  Noted Emile Battat, CEO of Atrion, “We had a number of attractive options in other counties and states, but the plan put together by the City and County officials was by far the most thorough and sensible.” 

Read more of this success story.