June 8, 2009

JETWAY COMPANY CHOOSES ORMOND BEACH – Indianapolis-based Ameribridge Services has leased 18,500 square feet of space in the Ormond Beach Airport Business Park. The company will provide rehabilitation, repair, and modification of passenger boarding bridges for the Daytona Beach International Airport and the Miami International Airport. The Volusia County Department of Economic Development has been working with Ameribridge to demonstrate the efficiencies of establishing a reconditioning facility in Volusia County, versus transporting the equipment to Indiana. The longterm plan would allow Ameribridge to service major airports in the southeast from the Ormond Beach location. Employment is estimated to grow to at least 20 employees.

COMMUNITY RENEWAL ACT – The “Community Renewal Act” (SB360), a growth management bill, has been signed into law by Gov. Charlie Crist. The bill promotes economic development and steers future development to more urbanized areas. It significantly affects transportation concurrency requirements, allows extensions of development permits and impacts Developments of Regional Impact. The Florida Department of Community Affairs will host an online Webinar on the bill from 10 a.m. – noon Friday, June 12. The Web event is free to the public and advance registration is encouraged, but not required. Those who wish to listen in by phone rather than taking part online may do so; speaker phones and cellular phones are permitted. To register, visit http://www.dcatechnicalassistance.com/Event_and_Replays.html.

GREEN VOLUSIA – The Volusia County Economic Development staff regularly interacts with numerous public and private entities in seeking out sustainable – or "green" – development opportunities. The Department of Economic Development is competing for two such projects. A manufacturer of energy-efficient lighting products for new construction and retrofit applications is seeking a 150,000-square-foot facility in Volusia County, with space for a 100,000-square-foot expansion. The company initially would provide 140 jobs and have the potential for an additional 60 jobs with the planned expansion. Economic Development also is working with an out-of-state company is seeking a 30-acre site for construction of a facility to convert cellulose to synthetic diesel. This prospect also includes a potential capital investment approaching $50,000,000, in addition to longterm, above-average salaries for an estimated 180 skilled/semi-skilled workers and 20 college-level supervisory/administrative positions.

PROGRESS ENERGY SAVINGS – Progress Energy Florida's customers have saved $1 billion since 1981 by participating in energy-efficiency programs, and the company is proposing a plan to save customers even more. To achieve the energy-saving goals, Progress Energy Florida proposes enhancing its existing energy-efficiency programs with new offerings designed to increase customer participation and to maximize the energy savings that will lower energy bills. The aggressive approach requires an equally ambitious strategy to encourage the adoption of solar power and other promising renewable energy technologies.

WORKERS COMP RATE ROLLBACK – Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty ordered the rate cut after Gov. Charlie Crist signed HB903 that restores a cap on attorney fees and clarifies related statutory language the Florida Supreme Court ruled against in an October 2008 opinion. The rate rollback is estimated to save employers in Florida about $172 million in insurance costs, according to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. The lower rates apply to new and renewal business starting July 1.

TOP FLORIDA COMPANIES – Three Volusia-County based companies have made Florida Trend’s 2009 list of top companies (ranked by revenue). For public companies, Brown & Brown was ranked No. 48, while International Speedway Corporation came in at No. 53. NASCAR was ranked at having the seventh largest revenue of private companies.

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.