Feb. 9, 2009

OCEAN CENTER GRAND OPENING FEB. 22 – Mark your calendars for Sunday, Feb. 22, for the official Ocean Center ribbon cutting, grand opening and open house. From 1 - 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy free admission, refreshments, tours, music and entertainment, bounce houses, exhibits and presentations. Bring a canned good and participate in the food drive to benefit United Way member agencies (donations are not required for admission). The Ocean Center (www.oceancenter.com) has completed a $76 million expansion that has doubled the size of the convention complex.

MANUFACTURING SPACE NEEDED – A manufacturer/distributor is looking for 50,000 square feet of space with easy access to Interstate 4 and/or Interstate 95. The company is seeking existing or build-to-suit options. If you know of a location that meets these general guidelines, please submit your proposal to John Kizer, Volusia County Department of Economic Development, by e-mailing jkizer@co.volusia.fl.us. For more information, please call (386) 248-8048.

FREE ONLINE TRAINING – The Small Business Development Center at Daytona State College now offers free online business training. Subjects cover more than 20 different topics and fall into three general categories: starting a business, managing finances, and the foundations of marketing. Courses are available in English or Spanish, and can be accessed using the “special programs” link on www.sbdcdaytona.com. For more information, please call (386) 506-4723.

FOREIGN INVESTORS LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES – As a credit crunch dries up United States capital for deals, international investors may be major players throughout 2009. They have the stomach – and the cash – to buy, even as vacancies rise and values drop. Foreign buyers often work with longer time frames and have more cash than domestic groups. And, history shows they have confidence in Florida's long-term economic strength. For some foreign buyers, the U.S. still is the safest place to move flight capital; they believe contracts in the U.S. will be respected and the rule of law will be upheld. While confidence in long-term economic strength may not be hard to come by, financing is, and many foreign groups are sitting on significant amounts of cash from recent liquidity events or conservative investing.

SAVE BY TELECOMMUTING – The number of jobs filled by telecommuters could grow to 19 million over the next 12 years. Spurred by advances in information technology, especially the spread of broadband, telecommuting already is the fastest-growing mode of getting from home to work. Because of its potential to cut costs, increase productivity, and expand the universe of potential employees, telecommuting also is emerging as a standard business strategy for a larger number of organizations. For more information, go to http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=215.

‘MY SAFE FLORIDA HOME’ APPLICATION PERIOD ENDS EARLY – Due to an overwhelming public response, Volusia County Emergency Management has reached its goal for wind inspections and grant applications for the My Safe Florida Home program. The program was created by the 2006 Florida Legislature to help Floridians protect and mitigate their home against wind damage through free wind inspections and grant assistance. Homeowners with approved grants have until March 31 to submit documentation of their project’s completion to Emergency Management for reimbursement. The previous deadline of May 1 was moved up due to funding and time constraints.

ARE YOU A KNOWN SHIPPER? – Do you ever have to ship a package in a hurry, and want to send it on specific flight on a passenger airline? The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) severely restricts cargo shipments aboard passenger airlines. U.S. companies can qualify to ship freight via passenger airlines directly or through a freight forwarder once the company is qualified as a “known shipper.” You can even put a package on a specific flight for pick-up by your customer. For more information about the known shipper program, contact Paul Mitchell at (386) 248-8048 or by e-mail: pmitchell@co.volusia.fl.us.

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.