May 2008

2008 Disaster Preparedness Seminar, May 22. The Pinellas County Disaster Preparedness Workshop features expert speakers from a variety of specialties including: disaster preparedness and planning, records management, economic development, and disaster relief. Pinellas County Businesses of all sizes are invited to attend the event in order to reduce the impact of a hurricane or other disaster on their business and employees. The seminar will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 12600 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg. Click here to register.

EPA Announces $600,000 in Brownfield Cleanup Grants for Pinellas County. On April 8, The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Pinellas County will receive three brownfield cleanup grants totaling $600,000. The grant funds will be used to remove garbage from historic landfill sites located in the Dansville Neighborhood and fill the excavations with clean soil. Designating an area as a Brownfield can spur redevelopment efforts, revitalize a community, improve the environment, fuel job growth, increase property values and standard of living, promote secondary business creation and provide reduced construction costs and financial incentives for local businesses. To learn more about the Pinellas County Brownfields program, visit www.PCED.org/brownfield.

WorkNet Wednesday Professional Job Fair, May 14. Jointhe many local employers whoare taking advantage ofthe opportunity to meet hundreds of professional-level job seekers at WorkNet Wednesday.An average of 500 qualified job seekers meet with leading Tampa Bay employersat these regional job fair eventsheld on the second Wednesday of each month. The May event targets professionals and will be held at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Learn more at www.worknetpinellas.org/worknet_wednesday or call Sarah Whitney-Mead at (727) 507-4300 extension 3007.

Be In the Know This Hurricane Season. Sign up for the award-winning E-Lert electronic newsletter. The E-Lert: Hurricane and Safety News provides the most current Pinellas-specific information about hurricanes, severe weather and other disasters. The monthly electronic newsletter also gives instant updates from the county's Emergency Operations Center in the event a hurricane threatens the Tampa Bay area. Click here to learn more and subscribe.

GulfportRealtor Familiarization Tour, May 7, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Realtors and developers are invited to explore Gulfport's Waterfront Redevelopment District and the 49^th Street Corridor Redevelopment District during the city of Gulfport's self-guided tour. Opportunities exist for small businesses in retail and tourism, as well as industrial, office and residential projects. The tour begins with a stop at the historic Gulfport Casino, located at 5500 Shore Blvd. For more information, contact Lori Rosso at (727) 343-4445.

Collaborative IT Forum, May 29. This IT industry-specific forum will focus on current and emerging workforce needs and will provide information on training funding opportunities. The forum also presents an opportunity to have your voice heard by educators regarding curriculum development and class offerings. The event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the EpiCenter, 13805 58^th Street N., Clearwater. To reserve your chance to help shape the future of Pinellas County's IT workforce,contact Kristin Dailey, at (727) 507-4300 x3004 or kdailey@worknetpinellas.org.

May 2008 Pinellas County Success Story

Performance Software Comes to Pinellas – How the county bested the competition. When Performance Software, headquartered in Phoenix, made the decision to expand operations to the east coast, Pinellas County quickly became the best choice for the new branch of operations. The expansion will add 30 new jobs over three years, each paying 200% of the average annual wage in unincorporated Pinellas County. Competing with Oregon and Iowa for the expansion, Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) worked with Performance Software to explore the varied options and positive attributes that make Pinellas an ideal business location. Jennifer Olsen, PCED Business Development Manager, expands, “The company is a great fit for Pinellas and we wanted to ensure they had all the information necessary before choosing an expansion location.”

Click here to read the full story.

Learn more about the QTI program and other tools to help your business grow by contacting a Business Development Manager at (727) 464-7332.