RDM Innovation, EaseAlert, & Glassed Out Engineering
PCED Business Visit Helps Three Local Companies Access Tools to Fuel Growth
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED)’s Yolanda Goodloe and Scott Talcott recently paid a business visit to RDM Innovation, EaseAlert, and Glassed Out Engineering at their shared location in the City of Largo. “This was an excellent opportunity for the companies to share with us their recent successes, as well as their individual and mutual needs to attain further growth,” says Goodloe.
RDM Innovation specializes in engineering design and product development, while EaseAlert produces personal alerting devices for emergency responders, and Glassed Out Engineering specializes in ice press and laser engraving. The three companies partner to provide each other with needed products, resulting in added growth for all. They chose to do so in Pinellas County, specifically, to enjoy the location’s incomparable beaches and water access, as well as the host of incentives and services offered through PCED.
Speaking with the companies, Goodloe and Talcott found that both RDM and EaseAlert have an interest in and make good candidates for international trade. Talcott explained that PCED provides no-cost assistance with customized export marketing and trade mission planning. “There are so many resources available for companies to tap new opportunities through global markets,” explains Talcott, “and it can be completely overwhelming for a company to find the right tools on its own. Brent Barkway is the international trade expert in our department and can help companies like RDM and EaseAlert focus on the best options for their needs.”
Another commonality between RDM and EaseAlert is a need for staffing. “It’s a frequent theme,” says Goodloe. “Companies like these require very specialized skill sets and aren’t necessarily equipped to find the right people on their own. PCED partners with CareerSource Pinellas to provide employers with free job posting services and training grant programs to ensure they have adequate staffing to fuel future growth.”
Speaking with Glassed Out Engineering, Goodloe and Talcott found that the company would like to expand into the business-to-business market by selling its products to restaurants and is finding that it needs some electrical work done in its facility to improve operations. PCED partners with Duke Energy to assist with State Sales Tax Exemptions for manufacturing as well as adding additional electric service.
Talcott first met RDM at the Synapse Summit in Tampa last year. Goodloe quickly connected EaseAlert with the other services offered by PCED’s Office of Small Business & Supplier Diversity. Goodloe and Talcott lauded the business visit for providing an opportunity to meet with all three companies at the same time to share information and opportunities than can help all of them grow together, here in our Ideal Business Climate.
Ready to grow your business in Pinellas? Contact us at PCED.org to learn how we can help.
Pinellas County – The Ideal Business Climate
Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) works with existing businesses to encourage expansion and seeks to attract new companies with high-wage careers to Central Florida’s Gulf Coast. Through investment tools, professional courses and business counseling sessions, trade missions to open new markets, as well as local, regional and statewide partnerships, PCED fosters a pro-business climate in Pinellas County, Florida.
Pinellas County Economic Development
The EpiCenter, 13805 58th Street North, Suite 1-200
Clearwater, Florida 33760
(727) 464-7332 direct
(888) 759-5627 outside of Florida
(727) 464-7053 fax
EconDev@PinellasCounty.org
