Monday – April 21, 2008

MANUFACTURING SPACE NEEDED – A manufacturer of equipment handling products needs 50,000 square feet of building space with 24-foot ceilings. Flooring must be capable of supporting a 10-ton crane. Manufacturing processes include laser and water jet cutting of metal and plastic. If you have or know of a location, please contact John Kizer, Volusia County Department of Economic Development Business Specialist, at 386/248-8048. Your information will be forwarded to the company.

EDUCATION BOOSTS ECONOMY -- College graduates and post-graduates are important to an area’s economic vitality. The reason is as simple as their paychecks. A recent federal report shows that a worker holding a doctorate will earn 70 percent more, on average, than a colleague with a bachelor's degree and 215 percent more than someone who never progressed beyond high school. And the gap widens every year, increasing the importance of higher education and brain power. Workers who don't keep pace in furthering their education or skills are destined to receive less income.

FLORIDA VENTURE CAPITAL NEARLY DOUBLES -- Florida traditionally has trouble luring venture capital. But last year such funding soared to $583.6 million, or 86 percent more than the $314.2 million invested in the state the prior year.
The change likely was driven by the burgeoning biotechnology industry and investment in later-stage companies. The increase pushed the Sunshine State into 10th place nationally, five spots higher than the year before.

EXPLORING FOREIGN MARKETS GETS CHEAPER -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Commercial Service has reduced the fees for helping exporters. In addition, the Service will give a 50-percent discount for qualified new-to-export companies to try the agency’s services for the first time. This program, coupled with the Volusia County Department of Economic Development’s Gold Key program, makes the exploring of selling products internationally easier. Contact Paul Mitchell, the County’s Business Specialist, at 386/248-8048 to learn more.

HEALTH CARE PURCHASING POOLS -- New federal legislation encourages the establishment of health care purchasing pools for small businesses and the self-employed. The Small Business Health Options Program also calls for establishing a nationwide purchasing pool by 2011. The bill would provide a tax credit to self-employed individuals and small businesses that cover their employees. Beginning in 2011, insurance companies no longer could base premiums on a company's claims history or employee health status. This would keep insurance companies from increasing premiums on a small business just because one employee has serious health problems.

FLORIDA A TOP TELCOM HUB -- Florida has been recognized as one of the top five telecom/Internet fiber-optic hubs in the world. The Network Access Point (NAP) in Miami serves as a major switching station for Internet traffic from Latin America to the U.S. and more than 148 countries in the world.

STATE AWARDS $2 MILLION FOR ISB IMPROVEMENTS -- The county Department of Economic Development has received approval of a $2 million transportation grant to support road and signalization improvements along International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach.

AMERICANS CEDE VACATION TIME -- An estimated 47.5 million Americans, or 31 percent of employed adults, will not use all of their vacation leave. Employed workers will leave an average of three vacation days on the table, giving back more than 460 million vacation days in 2008. Work responsibilities are one of the biggest deterrents to taking vacation, with 18 percent of U.S. adults admitting to canceling or postponing vacation plans because of work. About 25 percent of workers say they check their work e-mail or voicemail while vacationing. This is up from 16 percent in 2005.

NEWS ITEMS WANTED! – Please send your business news items to Dave Byron, Volusia County Community Information Director, 123 W. Indiana Ave., DeLand, 32720-4612, by fax at (386) 822-5072 or by e-mail at dbyron@co.volusia.fl.us