July 2006
FMMC’s 2006 Medical Device Entrepreneurship and Investors Conference.  The Florida Medical Manufacturers Consortium has invited the Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, and Michael Milken, of the Milken Institute, as keynote speakers for this August 3 and 4 event.  Professionals involved in venture investments, new business development, research and development, and corporate and general management who work in the medical device industry should plan to attend.  Click here for more information and to register.

Florida Has Good News For Expanding Manufacturers.  On May 4, the Florida legislature unanimously passed, and on May 30 Governor Bush approved, HB 69, the Florida Manufacturing Global Competitiveness Act.  Beginning July 1, 2006, the bill provides for a full sales and use tax exemption on machinery and equipment used in manufacturing.   Click here for more information on the bill.

COMS Is Coming to St. Petersburg.  The 11th Annual International Conference of Micro and Nano Systems (COMS) Conference will be held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, August 27 - 31.  COMS, the leading annual conference on micro-nanotechnology commercialization education, brings together leaders in the field from across the world, representing organizations and companies from almost every sector of the community. These include leading industrialists, researchers, equipment vendors, customers, venture capital and angel investors, educators, media, professional organizations, and government.  Click here for registration information.

Did You Know That You Can Receive Emergency Notifications from Pinellas County on Your Cell Phone?  The ReadyAlert program allows the County to provide one-way notices and alerts concerning evacuation and re-entry orders during hurricanes, as well as notifications during other types of emergencies.  Text messaging has proven reliability, allowing users to receive messages when regular phone services are not operational.  As long as a cell phone shows an operational clock it is able to receive text messages.  Pinellas County citizens can activate their service by calling 1-888-689-8905 on their cell phones and following the prompts.  At any time users can opt-put of the service by calling the same number.  Please note that your cell phone service provider may charge a fee for text messages; contact your provider for more information.

Congratulations to CyberShield Technologies, Recipient of EFI Grant.  STAR TEC tenant CyberShield Technologies (CTI) recently secured a $2,500 Phase 0 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from Enterprise Florida (EFI).  The Phase 0 grant program is intended to assist Florida-based companies in receiving their share of federal funding and furthering technology development. Al Gonzalez, President of CyberShield, explains “This grant will allow CTI the opportunity to compete for a Phase 1 SBIR from the National Science Foundation. We could have not been awarded this grant without the partnership of Tampa Bay’s STAR TEC and now EFI.” Visit CyberShield Technologies at www.cybershieldtech.com.  

Doing Business with Pinellas County, July 25.  Pinellas County’s Small Business Enterprise Program (SBEP) ensures local small businesses have opportunities to participate in the competitive process for County contracts. Learn about the Pinellas County purchasing system and receive personal assistance from Pinellas County Purchasing staff to get registered.  This free class will be held at the Pinellas County Business Development Center, 13805 58th St. N., Clearwater 33760, from 12:00pm – 2:00pm.  Email businesshelp@pced.org to register, or call (727) 453-7200.

July 2006 Pinellas County Success Story

STAR TEC – Innovation, Acceleration, Success.  The STAR Technology Enterprise Center (STAR TEC) is an integral part of Pinellas County’s small business success.  Housed within the Young-Rainey Science, Technology, and Research Center, a former Department of Energy facility, STAR TEC supports the growth of early stage manufacturing and technology-based companies, enabling them to migrate their product/service to market more rapidly and effectively.

ReadyAlert Services has experienced tremendous success as one of STAR TEC’s tenants.  Happy Rideout, CEO of ReadyAlert, has this to say about the program: “I wouldn’t call STAR TEC a business accelerator. I would call it a ROCKET PROGRAM. We’ve accomplished more in six months than we would have in a year if we were still working out of our home office. Our access to STAR TEC’s network of professional service providers has provided our business with the infrastructure critical to its success."

Two new tenants have recently joined ReadyAlert, for a total of eight companies calling STAR TEC home.  Alaka’i Consulting & Engineering, Inc., founded in Hawaii, provides next-generation sensor and technology services for the defense and security markets.  Homeland Intelligence Technologies, Inc. designs, develops and manufactures antiterrorism equipment. 

Click here to learn more about how STAR TEC accelerates small business success in Pinellas.