Monday - Dec. 8, 2008

COUNTY REAL ESTATE COMMISSION PROGRAM – The Volusia County Council has approved a commission program to encourage commercial broker support for new construction projects at designated county-owned sites. The DeLand Crossings Industrial Park is the first eligible project. Details of the commission and other information on the county’s business attraction program will be presented at a luncheon hosted by the Volusia County Department of Economic Development Thursday, Dec. 11. There is no cost for the luncheon. If you’d like to attend, please reserve your seat by calling Economic Development at (386) 248-8048.

DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY – The Volusia County Department of Economic Development is preparing a direct mail piece to send to national site selection companies in January. If you have or represent a client with an available industrial, distribution or office facility with 75,000 square feet or more, and would like the property included in the county’s distribution to these national real estate groups, please contact Rob Ehrhardt, business manager, at (386) 248-8048.

MEDICAL PRODUCTION FACILITY NEEDED – A medical device company is seeking a location for a new corporate headquarters and production facility in the United States. A 100,000-square-foot, fully air-conditioned facility is needed with four loading docks and an 18-foot clear ceiling height. A build-to-suit facility would be acceptable if it can be completed and the operational no later than first quarter 2010. If you have a site that can be presented to the company, please contact Rob Ehrhardt at (386) 248-8048 or e-mail him details at rehrhardt@co.volusia.fl.us. 

THE 5 C'S FOR SEEKING FINANCING – In an economic downturn, receiving financing and growing sales can be more critical than usual. Business owners should approach banks with the “five C’s” in mind: How much cash they plan to put in, what their collateral would be, their credit performance, the condition of the industry the business is in, and the business’ capacity to repay. For businesses that depend on receivables, the owner can seek factoring and in return, the business gets back cash. (A ‘factor company’ buys receivables from the business at a discount or for a fee. However, owners should understand that factoring can be expensive, and is more helpful when the business owner needs cash immediately.)

HAZMAT EDUCATION IS THE BEST RESPONSE – Hazardous materials fall into two categories and three broad applications. The two categories are materials inherently hazardous and materials that are hazardous for disposal. The three broad categories include materials used to produce finished goods, materials used to maintain facilities, and production machinery employed to produce finished products. The Emergency Response Guide is a quick, easy and effective tool for identification and response. Go to http://hazmat.dot.gov/pubs/erg/gydebook.htm to see details.

SPRINGTIME IN MOSCOW – Volusia County companies can take advantage of the growing marine industry in Russia and its surrounding region by participating in the Moscow International Boat Show. Enterprise Florida will host the inaugural Florida Pavilion at the boat show and invites businesses to reserve display space to promote their products and services. The event will be April 9 - 12 in Moscow. Interested persons should contact Julie Balzano, director for Mexico and marine industry sector, Enterprise Florida, at (305) 808-3666 or jbalzano@eflorida.com. The Volusia County Department of Economic Development has initiatives to assist Volusia County companies with export sales. To learn whether these apply to your business, please call Paul Mitchell at (386) 248-8048 or e-mail pmitchell@co.volusia.fl.us. 

SUPPORT VOLUSIA COUNTY CITRUS GROWERS – The Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services has a list of “U-PICK-UM” locations in Volusia County at http://www.florida-agriculture.com/consumers/upick.htm. Fruits listed are oranges (navel, red, amber sweet, Hamlin, Satsuma), grapefruit, persimmons, pears, tangerines, lemons, and tangelos.

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.