June 22, 2009

MEDICAL TRADE SHOW SUCCESS – Two Volusia County-based companies, American Industrial Plastics (AIP) and Florida Production Engineering (FPE), recently returned from exhibiting at the Medical Device & Manufacturing (MD&M) trade show in New York, N.Y. Sponsored by the Volusia County Department of Economic Development, representatives from AIP and FPE were successful in obtaining sales leads and product development information. County staff utilized the opportunity to showcase Volusia County, and to meet with companies interested in relocation and/or expansion. If your company is interested in being part of a Volusia County pavilion in 2010, please contact Paul Mitchell at (386) 248-8048.

DELAND WATER INCENTIVES – The City of Deland offers up to a $250 credit to new or existing commercial and residential utility customers who install high-efficiency plumbing fixtures or equipment. Types of plumbing fixtures or equipment eligible for the credit must meet the U.S. EPA Water Sense requirements and include water closets, lavatories, urinals, dishwashers, washing machines or rain barrels with a capacity above 50 gallons. The City of DeLand also offers a 15-percent water impact fee credit and building permit rebates of $100 for commercial properties and $50 for residential properties meeting the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Florida Water Star Program criteria. Visit the SJRWMD website at www.floridawaterstar.com or call (386) 626-7007 for additional details about each program.

VOLUSIA COUNTY SPONSORING VISIT TO HORTI-FAIR – The Volusia County Department of Economic Development is sponsoring a trade mission to Horti-Fair, the international horticulture trade show in Amsterdam from Oct. 13 - 16. Approximately 900 participants from 50 countries are represented at this annual global horticulture platform, which attracts almost 50,000 professionals. The Department of Economic Development received a grant from Enterprise Florida to promote the floriculture growers in Volusia County in international expansion. The mission is being coordinated with the Volusia County Agriculture Extension Service, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Commercial Service. For more information, call Paul Mitchell at (386) 248-8048 or e-mail pmitchell@co.volusia.fl.us.

GOING SOLAR – The sun is brighter in Florida than a lot of other areas around the country, so the Sunshine State is an ideal place for businesses to use solar energy technology. Solar energy is commonly used as thermal energy to heat water, but a lesser used form of solar energy is solar photovoltaic energy, which is gaining the attention of people in the area. The state of Florida gives buyers of this kind of solar technology a $500 tax break. In addition, a 30-percent tax credit is given by the federal government to encourage the use of energy-efficient products such as this in more homes nationwide.

MIGRATION REPORT ONLINE – The latest edition of the Volusia County Migration Report can be found at www.floridabusiness.org, Volusia County Department of Economic Development’s website. Volusia County’s population is greatly influenced by the annual migration of individuals that move to our community from all over the country and by many of our neighbors who relocate. The Volusia County Department of Economic Development studies migration trends to better understand the current and future impacts that a growing population can have on a community. The data presented is based on the latest available from the Internal Revenue Service, and is presented as a historical profile of trends since 2002.

VIRTUAL ENTREPRENEUR CENTER – The Florida High-Tech Corridor Council’s new and improved Virtual Entrepreneur Center (VEC), www.flvec.com has been launched. This web portal was developed by Daytona State College and offers a free catalog of local, regional, state and global business resources. It is designed to be an up-to-date, one-stop-shop library for entrepreneurs looking to start or grow a business. Entrepreneurs across the 23-county corridor can find local resources specific to their area. Providers of resources can also register and list their assistance for the areas they serve.

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.