Pinellas County Business News
March, 2018
Widescope Consulting & Contracting Growing in Pinellas
 
The Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners honored Hayes Fountain, CEO of Widescope Consulting, with the Thank You for Doing Business in Pinellas Award. Mr. Hayes started his management and consulting company after 16 years of active duty on nuclear submarines. He saw a niche for providing technology services to both the public and private sector. With the help of the Florida SBDC at PCED he launched and registered his Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and was awarded a contract to support the Naval Seas Systems Command. Learn how the FSBDC can help you grow your business at PCED.org/SBDC.
 
Take the 2018 Pinellas Citizen Survey - closes March 2
 
Pinellas County Government looks at its citizens as valued partners and believes that what they have to say about their quality of life here matters. As Pinellas County continues to focus on its vision to be the standard for public service in America, it's your time to speak up. Feedback from the survey and other outreach efforts are used to develop and prioritize plans and resources for our citizens. Click here to take the survey.
 
Employment is up, commercial vacancy down - Q4 Economic Indicators
Examine trends in labor force, employment, real estate, and more in the 2017 Fourth Quarter Pinellas County Economic Indicators.  
 
In case you missed it... 2018 Development Updates are out now!
 
Explore the latest in Pinellas County development - search by city or project type, by map or photo tour: www.pced.org/devupdates
 
March 2: Business of Biotech
 
The Business of Biotech Conference brings together biomedical companies, startups, entrepreneurs, and investors for networking, partnership discussions and service providers. 2018's conference will feature Keynote Speaker Francis Cuss, former Chief Scientific Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Interviewer Cokie Roberts, ABC News Political Commentator, Contributing Senior News Analyst - NPR, and Member of the Moffitt Cancer Center's National Board of Advisors. Learn more and register for Business of Biotech at http://moffittip.com/business-of-biotech/business-of-biotech-2018/.
 
SBDC International Trade Master Series:
April 2 - 23

As the only NASBITE-accredited training in the state of Florida, the goal of the International Trade Master Series is to provide small businesses with an in-depth look at the principal areas of international trade. Led by Tampa Bay's leading experts, the information covered will help business owners strengthen their international business operations and become more competitive abroad. Learn more and register at https://clients.floridasbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=610380037.
 
March 27: Business Email Compromise: What to Know and How to Protect Your Company
 
Learn how to protect yourself and your company from email compromise scams by attending this free briefing with speakers from the FBI Tampa office and the FBI Tampa Bay Citizens Academy Alumni Association (TBCAAA). This event is organized by the FBI TBCAAA and the U.S. Commercial Service Tampa Bay, and hosted at Port Tampa Bay. Details and registration: https://emenuapps.ita.doc.gov/ePublic/event/editWebReg.do?SmartCode=8QBU
 
Co.Starters: Get Your Business Started, March 28

CO.STARTERS is a 9-week facilitator-led program  that equips aspiring  entrepreneurs with the tools needed to turn ideas into a business. The course runs for nine weeks meeting Wednesdays from 6-9:00 p.m., beginning March 28. The cost is $275. Learn more and register at:  http://www.tecgarage.org/education-2/co-starters/
 
Pinellas Citizen University, March 15 - April 19

Experience an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the services provided by your county government in this year's Pinellas Citizen University, Thursday evenings, March 15-April 19. Sessions will include the County Commission, Public Works, Utilities, Solid Waste, Jail, Parks and more. Submit your application by March 7: http://bit.ly/2EXIPf6 . For more information, see www.pinellascounty.org/citizenu .
 
Pinellas News
 
Jabil will rebuild its existing St. Petersburg headquarters
(Tampa Bay Times)

A Pretty Penny: Business Profile of Kyle Taylor and Penny Hoarder
(Florida Trend)

Seminole Is Still Booming
(Tampa Bay Reporter)
 
In This Issue
Quick Links
Business Workshops
The Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County Economic Development hosts a number of business workshops each month. Find a full schedule of upcoming workshops at pced.org/workshops.

Pinellas County Economic Development | 727-464-7332 | econdev@pinellascounty.org | http://www.pced.org
13805 58th Street N.
Suite 1-200
Clearwater, FL 33760