Monday - Nov. 3, 2008

WOMEN’S BUSINESS SYMPOSIUM – A day-long symposium for women in business will be Friday, Nov. 7, at the Mori Hosseini Center at Daytona State College. The event will feature a series of presentations, beginning with kick-off speaker Genevieve Bos, owner and co-founder of PINK magazine. The luncheon keynote speaker will be Amanda Kennedy, founder, designer and CEO of the $10 million Sassybax line of innovative women's shapewear. The luncheon will be followed by five breakout sessions with a wine and cheese tasting event to cap the day. Tickets are $75. To register, contact Lynn Rued at Daytona State College Women's Center at (386) 506-4450.

Q4 COMMUNITY ECONOMIC BRIEFING – The Volusia County Department of Economic Development will conduct an economic briefing for business, banking, education and local government leaders at 7:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in the Volusia Room at the Daytona Beach International Airport. The briefing will highlight the area’s most recent employment trends, commercial and residential building activities, and foreclosure data for the months of July, August and September. A buffet breakfast will be available. Seating is limited to the first 120 registrants. To register, contact the Department of Economic Development at (386) 248-8048 no later than Tuesday, Nov. 11.

SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT MADE EASY – Interested in obtaining contracts with the Department of Defense or other federal agencies, state/local government and government prime contractors? The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) has helped businesses win more than $6.5 billion in contracts, $322 million during 2006-2007 alone. The PTAC program offers free counseling by trained and experienced procurement specialists to any Florida business interested in completing for government procurement contracts. Contact Tony Espinosa at (407) 420-4850 at the Florida Small Business Development Center to find out more about the PTAC program.

ACREAGE NEEDED FOR LARGE DISTRIBUTION CENTER – A national site consultant is seeking a 150-acre tract of land for a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center. Sites in west Volusia County have been prioritized by the consultant, who is seeking a location with easy interstate access. Site options must not be constrained by existing highway access with lower levels of service. If you would like to submit information on potential locations, please contact John Kizer, Volusia County Department of Economic Development at jkizer@co.volusia.fl.us or call (386) 248-8048.

WANT TO SAVE ON INSURANCE? – It’s worth it to ramp up the company’s safety programs; perform weekly and monthly inspections; and look for everything from faulty ladders and power cords to unsafe practices by workers. Whatever money you invest in safety tends to pay rewards in reduced premiums increases productivity. Further, increased competition in recent years and a 30-percent decline in workers’ compensation rates have led to a softening of the commercial insurance market.

JOB TAX CREDITS – Eligible businesses located within an Enterprise Zone are eligible for job tax credits. Currently, there are two Enterprise Zones located Volusia County – in Daytona Beach and Oak Hill. You may be eligible for a sales tax credit of 20 percent; a 20-percent corporate income tax credit; or a 30-percent credit for wages paid to new employees who reside within the zone. To learn more about the benefits an Enterprise Zone may have for your business, contact Emory Counts, City of Daytona Beach economic development director, (386) 671-8245 or e-mail countse@codb.us. 

VOLUSIA RELIES ON AGRICULTURE – Volusia County’s Agriculture and Natural Resource industry produces more than $781 million in products, ranging from cattle and citrus to farm-raised fish and ferns. Volusia County agricultural products also generate more than $300 million in exports, compared to $274 million in manufactured goods. What makes the numbers all that more impressive is that the agriculture and natural resource industry utilizes about one-third of all of the land in the Volusia County and generates this output with less than 1-percent of the county’s total population.

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.