In some places it takes a superhero to get a building permit. In Pasco County it’s so easy a kid like Super-Jimmy can do it. Call Jimmy at (888) 60-PASCO or email info@pascoedc.com
Jimmy celebrated Mother’s Day by cutting red tape
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No-Cost Speed Consulting for Entrepreneurs in Pasco County
In honor of National Small Business Week, the Small Business Development Center hosts its annual Growth Conference in Pasco on Wednesday, May 23rd from 7:30 – 10:30am at Saint Leo University’s Donald R. Tapia School of Business. This is a great way for small businesses and entrepreneurs to gain the tools and learn the strategies to grow their business.
Each location offers a different mix of discussion panels and speed consulting with Wells Fargo, the Small Business Administration and business consultants. Experts include accountants, lawyers, insurance agents and bankers.
Pasco Economic Development Council’s own Krista Hakes will be on hand to tell entrepreneurs about the microloan program, available business incentives, training opportunities and more.
Get your questions answered:
- What funding options are available?
What to deduct? Home use deduction? - When to get workers compensation insurance?
- What financing options are available for my business?
- What to do with contracts, leases and HR?
- Should I get a lawyer?
To register for this event go to: http://clients.floridasbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=610320243
Dating services for entrepreneurs
“IT Nerd seeks Marketing Guru to co-found next Facebook.”
www.foundersync.com
So you know how to code HTML, PHP, ASP and everything else. Given any set of parameters you can make it happen, but your ideas lack creativity, and even if you were to think of a good idea, you wouldn’t know how to market it.
Or, maybe your the visionary type that has this grandiose idea and you know you are onto the next big thing, but the trouble is, you haven’t a clue how to get from point A to point Z. You need a computer genius. You need a matchmaker.
A new website called FounderSync is matching up entrepreneurs, coders, techies, and just people with lots of money and nothing to spend it on. Call it a dating service for entrepreneurs if you will, but it is an online incubator.
Here in Pasco County we set up another matchmaking site for entrepreneurs called the Pasco Enterprise Network (PEN). PEN is a collaborative effort among the nonprofits in Pasco County to help support entrepreneurship on a local level. The PEN website a wealth of information on the steps to starting your own business and where to go for what, like business licenses, sales tax IDs, registering a fictitious name, research and demographics, etc. But, it also matches up local entrepreneurs with the right nonprofit agency to help them start their business.
Entrepreneurs just fill out the “Contact” page and check off what their needs are. Upon clicking submit, their contact information and needs are sent to the Pasco Enterprise Network and matched to the appropriate local nonprofit that is able to help. Each person who fills out the contact form is followed up with by a non-profit agency who has a program or information to assist you on your entrepreneurial journey.
What kind of help is available?
- Grants and business loans
- Free Workshops and Classes
- Possible Business Incentives
- Help with your business plan
- Exporting Information
- …and much, much more
If you are in Tampa Bay, visit PascoEnterprise.net today to help get you started on your entrepreneurial journey. And who knows, maybe you’ll find your co-founder on FounderSync.com.
Pasco EDC is here to help you because when your business grows you’ll hire more people, create more jobs, and together we can help our economy grow.
Calling Pasco County Businesses to Get Involved Teaching Students about STEM
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15 of the 20 fastest growing jobs require STEM skill sets, and skilled workers are in high demand. Career Central hopes to steer the interest of youth in Pasco and Hernando County towards STEM-related careers in an effort to build a stronger workforce and support economic growth and development in Tampa Bay.
This summer, Career Central is funding a Summer Youth Program that is designed to expose students to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related careers, and they need help from local businesses.
“We need to partner with local employers who can play an active role in this summer’s STEM initiative,” says Garry Burlingame, Program Manager for Career Central. “We are currently looking for local employers to be guest speakers, host an industry tour, provide an internship, or mentor a deserving youth. Employer involvement will make or break the program.”
Career Central’s youth program will focus on targeted career fields like applied medicine, business and financial management, high-tech electronics, and marine/environmental activities. These targeted industries are critical to the growth and prosperity of the Tampa Bay region, including Pasco and Hernando counties.
“Teaching our kids science and technology skills is the key to our community’s economic future,” said John Hagen, President/CEO of Pasco Economic Development Council. “If students learn these skills now, we have a chance to avoid the all-but-certain crisis in ten years when the majority of jobs will require at least two years of post-secondary education.”
Connecting relevant education and talent development programs is just one way Pasco Hernando Workforce Board, Inc. achieves its goal as a community catalyst for promoting self-sufficiency through the development of a quality workforce. To partner with Career Central, contact Garry Burlingame at 727.484.3400 ext. 3551.
Promote Pasco During National Travel and Tourism Week
Pasco County’s TDC and Office of Tourism Development have several activities planned for celebrating the 2012 National Travel and Tourism Week:
Monday, May 7 the Local Special Event Grant application process kicks off through Friday, June 29.
Tuesday, May 8 in the afternoon, the Office of Tourism will join the PANDA organization and other tourism stakeholders to assist in the promotion of the Eurobird marketing campaign. The meeting takes place at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex from 1-4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 9 the Office of Tourism attends the Hernando Tourism Summit and makes a presentation to the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce on “The Power of Travel and Tourism.”
Thursday, May 10 its the second Promote Pasco Workshop scheduled at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Wesley Chapel. Tourism partners will talk about marketing and advertising your event to increase Pasco’s economic impact through tourism.
Friday, May 11 it’s a promotional trip to the Villages Travel Expo. Just outside Ocala this town has active retirees ready to take a day trip or an overnight adventure to Pasco County.
Source: Pasco County Website
650 CEOs say Florida is one of their favorite places to do business.
650 CEOs from across the United States ranked their favorite states to do business based on issues, including regulations, taxes, workforce quality, educational resources, quality of living and infrastructure.
Turns out, CEOs love Florida, ranking it No.2 just behind Texas. Why did they rank Flrodia so high? A big factor was low taxes, and they are right… and for CEOs looking to move to Tampa Bay, here’s a hint: Pasco County’s taxes are one of the lowest!
In fact, every time Pasco County gets a tax cut, Richie gets a raise in his allowance. No telling what you would get. Impact fees? Richie doesn’t pay them, chances are you won’t either. No wonder Raymond James and T. Rowe Price chose Pasco County for their future home. Will you join them?
Source: CEOs rank Florida as second-best state to do business in, Tampa Bay Times, 05/03/12
We’re looking for sponsors for our 26th Annual Appreciation Banquet, you’ll want to be there!
Pasco EDC's John Hagen and Governor Rick Scott with Pasco EDC board members Joe Marina and Trey Starkey
For more than 25 years one event has personified the word Leadership in Pasco County: The Pasco Economic Development Council’s Annual Appreciation Banquet. Over 550 area business and community leaders–like yourself–attend every year. What better opportunity is there to gain name recognition with this key audience than to sponsor this prestigious event?
The next Banquet will be held on September 5th, 2012 at Saddlebrook Resort and will include the Industry of the Year awards ceremony, business showcase, and a brief progress report on Pasco County’s economic development.
All over Tampa Bay, the development community is buzzing about New Pasco. This is an exciting time for Pasco EDC; we are positioned better than ever before to attract, retain and create high-value jobs. I don’t know of any leader who would not want to be associated with this message–don’t you agree?
Sponsorships range from $500 to $7,500 with four benefit levels. Contact Suzanne by phone (813) 926-0827 ext. 226, or fax the form to (813) 926-0829 by July 1st to receive all the valuable sponsor benefits.
Attention: Job Fairs in May!
Tampa Bay Virtual Job Fair
May 13 – May 19
vjf.worknetpinellas.org
WorkNet Pinellas, the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance, Career Central and Suncoast Workforce are recruiting employers who can offer job opportunities for youth ages 14-24, whether it’s for full-time, part-time, summer, temporary or permanent positions..
Click here for more information (PDF).
Congressman Gus Bilirakis’ Employment Fair
Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
at Sparton Manor (New Port Richey)
Are you looking for quality employees? Full-time or part-time workers? Don’t miss this great opportunity. Presented at no cost. Register for your booth today by contacting Steve Wilson at Career Central swilson@careercentral.jobs or (352) 293-1123.
Tampa Bay is home to many female entrepreneurs!
The Financial Times says women entrepreneurs are hard to find. FT Global MBA 2012 ranking, “only 12 percent of female MBA graduates set up their own companies within three years of graduating, compared to 19 per cent of male graduates.”
Sara Blakely
Tampa Bay must be the anomaly! Here, female entrepreneurs are growing every day. You may have heard of Tampa Bay’s most popular female entrepreneur Sara Blakely, the inventor of Spanx, the footless pantyhose that have propelled her onto Forbes list of The World’s Top Billionaires! Blakely got her start here in Tampa Bay, Florida, and is the world’s youngest female self-made billionaire.
Within Tampa Bay, female entrepreneurs are on the rise in Pasco County. Of the three microloans distributed from Pasco Economic Development Council, two of them are to female entrepreneurs.
Rosie Paulsen, an Ecuadorian who came to the United States in 1988 started Good Faith Insurance Services which educates retirees on their Medicare choices and benefits.
Rosie is an energetic, all-smiles entrepreneur with a can-do attitude. She is a big promoter of Pasco County which is why in December 2009, she founded the Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is also a founding member and community liaison of “La Liga Latina” a group of Hispanic professionals that educates the community.
Also in Pasco is Vicki Forster, a mom who invented a really cool water bottle holder called The Go Caddy™. The idea came to her by accident, literally, when she got out of her car to go workout at the Trinity YMCA and dropped all of her stuff on the ground. Now her product will be gracing the TV screens on QVC. (By the way it can hold not only water, but keys, passports, cell phone, and this weekend I used it to hold a wine bottle!)
There is an amazing entrepreneurial spirit here in Pasco County, which is what makes the microloan fund so important! The microloan program is an opportunity for emerging small businesses who can’t get traditional financing, to grow and hire more people and contribute to growth and rebuilding of our economy.
Do you know someone with a great idea or an emerging small business who is ready to grow but just needs a little help? Call us: 813-926-0827.
Source: Financial Times Article
Pasco County Entrepreneur and Inventor of the Go Caddy™ Awarded Microloan
Victoria Forster, inventor, entrepreneur, and proud mom receives Pasco Economic Development Council’s next microloan to help grow her business.
Forster’s idea for her company, BVT Products, LLC, began in 2003 when she headed to work out at the Trinity YMCA. While getting out of her car with her water bottle, towel, purse, keys, and cell phone, she dropped everything on the pavement. “I got a workout just bending and picking up everything!” She said. after looking in vain for a carrier that wouldn’t be clunky, she decided to make one herself. Forster took her new invention to her next aerobics class where it was a big hit with her classmates. And so the Go Caddy™ was born. The Go Caddy™ is a compact tote that holds a water bottle, identification, money and more when you are on the go.
On February 29, a story about Pasco EDC’s microloan fund in the local newspaper caught Forster’s attention. “Knowing how difficult it is for a small business to secure a loan these days, I immediately called the number in the article, and Krista Hakes helped me get started.”
“Victoria is what the microloan fund is all about,” said Hakes, Pasco EDC Economic Development Manager. “Being a working mom myself, I have a lot of respect for her drive to get to where she is today. I’m personally excited that we are helping her business grow. Who knows, she could be Tampa Bay’s next Sara Blakely!”
(A local success story, Blakely is the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire; in 2000, she founded Spanx, a multi-million dollar undergarment company.)
BVT Products, LLC, plans to use the loan to help grow the business. It will allow BVT Products, LLC, to order more inventory, update the company website, produce a direct mail campaign to add to the 145 stores that currently sell the Go Caddy™ and hire a college intern.
This past year BVT Products, LLC, licensed the Go Caddy™ to Infusion Brands, a consumer products company based in Clearwater, FL, that leverages direct response promotion on live television. Infusion Brands has secured a deal with QVC America to have the Go Caddy™ featured on the show this coming May. To find out more about the Go Caddy™ visit www.thegocaddy.com
The microloan fund was established to help local entrepreneurs who cannot obtain traditional financing like Victoria Forster and her company BVT Products to grow, expand, and create jobs in the future. Pasco EDC is urging companies who need help obtaining non-traditional financing and are headquartered in Pasco County, or planning to locate in Pasco County, to consider applying for a microloan.
Borrowers must show they have the experience and resources to be successful business operators. Proceeds may be used for working capital, inventory, supplies, furniture, fixtures, machinery and equipment, but not to purchase real estate or to refinance existing debt. Please visit www.pascoedc.com for more information on how to apply, or call Pasco EDC at 813-926-0827 to consider donating to the fund.