Pinellas County Business News
September 2019
Pinellas Companies Recognized in the Inc. 5000
Inc. Image via Inc.com

Congratulations to Equity & Help, and all of the fast-growing Inc. 5000 companies based in Pinellas County. From Inc. Magazine, "These 5,000 companies combined generated $237.7 billion in revenue last year." Click here to view the full list of Pinellas companies recognized, and view the entire Inc. 5000 2019 list here.

Pinellas Export Finance Forum: Sept. 19
Learn about the products, programs and services available to aid U.S. exporters' financing needs. Topics of discussion will include:
  • Getting Paid - International Payment Methods
  • SBA Trade Financing
  • IC-DISC - Tax Incentives for Exporters Explained
  • Export Credit Insurance - Federal and Industry Options
  • Trade Grants & Export Marketing Plans
Learn more and register at www.PCED.org/ExportForum.

Pinellas by the Numbers

On July 16, Florida DEO released the latest jobs update. July is typically one of Pinellas' strongest months. The labor force is increasing and both the unemployed population and the unemployment rate continued to decrease. The labor force's expansion to over 504,000 is the largest recorded value in our records. Pinellas maintains the lowest unemployment rate in the MSA and a lower unemployment rate than the U.S. and Florida. Pinellas is tied with Orange County for the lowest unemployment rate among major urban counties in Florida. Statewide, manufacturing employment has seen the strongest gains in the aerospace sector with 2,200 (+9.3%) jobs gained year over year. Find more information about Pinellas County's economy in our Data Center.

Veteran-Owned Breakfast Meeting, Sept. 19

Learn how your Veteran-Owned Small Business can utilize the Pinellas County Small Business Enterprise Program to increase your bottom line. Network with Veteran-Owned Small Business owners to discover information about federal contracts and procurement opportunities. Click here for free event registration

Brazil Trade Mission Recap 
Pinellas County Economic Development, in partnership with Global Tampa Bay, traveled to Brazil for a trade mission with Florida businesses from August 12-15. Managers and executives representing eight companies participated in 73 Gold Key Meetings to further their export sales within the Brazilian market.  Very preliminary projections indicate that nearly $2 million in sales could be realized as a result of this mission; $412,000 in actual sales have been recorded to date. The next Global Tampa Bay trade mission will be to Peru in April 2020.  Please contact Brent Barkway at [email protected] or (727) 464-7411 for more information about Peru, and how to grow your business through exports.

Help Pinellas review & update the local hazard mitigation strategy plan

The purpose of the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) is to establish an ongoing process that makes hazard mitigation part of the daily functioning of the entire community. The LMS is a multi-jurisdictional 'all-hazards' mitigation plan that integrates mitigation initiatives established through various policies, programs, and regulations into a single, stand-alone working document.   Residents and community stakeholders are invited to participate in the process by attending LMS planning meetings and providing comments on current LMS projects, which are detailed in the 2018 report. Visit www.pinellaslms.org to review the plan and provide input by taking the LMS survey through Oct. 31.

Florida Aerospace Capital Forum: Nov. 6

The Florida Venture Forum, in partnership with Space Florida invites you to attend the Florida Aerospace Capital Forum on November 6, 2019 in Orlando. In addition to the opportunity to present before an audience of active equity investors, presenting companies meeting designated criteria will also compete for the Accelerating Innovation (AI) Award offering $50,000 to the Grand Prize Winner, $30,000 to 1st Runner-up and $20,000 to 2nd place. Eligible Florida companies can learn more and register at https://flventure.org/florida-aerospace-capital-forum.

Pinellas News

  Pinellas' July unemployment rate slips to 3.1%
(Tampa Bay Newspapers)

(Tampa Bay Times)

Tampa-St. Pete area scores high in economic diversity index
(St. Pete Catalyst)

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 | [email protected] | http://www.pced.org
13805 58th Street N.
Suite 1-200
Clearwater, FL 33760