Highlights of Economic and Business Growth in the Tampa Bay Region

TAMPA BAY, Fla., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- News briefs concerning economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay Region from the Tampa Bay Partnership:

Innovation x2: Draper Laboratory Dedicates Two Tampa Bay Facilities

On October 26th, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory officially opened two new high tech facilities in the Tampa Bay region. A new Multi Chip Module (MCM) manufacturing facility located in St. Petersburg will help Draper to meet an increasing demand by a select group of government customers for custom designed, developed and produced specialty MCMs designed for innovative applications. The Bioengineering Center will have Draper Labs working in partnership with the University of South Florida and its medical school for the application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technologies to medical and biological problems. The two facilities will add 165 new high-wage jobs. Draper Laboratory qualified to receive $15 million for the multi-location, multi-county project from the Innovation Incentive Fund, established in 2006 to attract world class research institutes to Florida. (Contact: Amy Schwenker, 617-258-2601, aschwenker@draper.com)

Tampa Bay Is An International Business Destination

International firms are finding that Tampa Bay is an ideal location for their U.S. headquarters or manufacturing facilities. The 2009 Tampa Bay Foreign Direct Investment Study, conducted by the Tampa Bay Partnership, identified 394 foreign owned companies from 34 nations, operating across 18 industries in the seven-county region. The 394 companies identified have 824 locations in our region, of which, 135 are U.S. headquarters operations. The 394 foreign owned companies identified in the study employ over 37,000 people in Tampa Bay and have sales of $13.6 billion. Foreign owned firms with a presence in Tampa Bay include world class companies and industry leaders such as Cott Beverages, TRAK Microwave, Gerdau USA, BIC Graphics and CAE USA Inc. (Contact: Jennifer Taylor, 813-872-2809, jtaylor@tampabay.org)

B|O|T|H USA Moves HQ to Tampa Bay With 100 New Jobs

BOTH USA Inc. announced St. Petersburg as the location for its new corporate headquarters and expects to create 100 new high-wage jobs. BOTH, an international company with resources in both St. Petersburg and Amsterdam, offers resources and support services for independent professionals, including a hosted IT infrastructure and contractual integration of online banking billing, bookkeeping and collections services; core health benefits; a unique solo 401(k) retirement plan; technical support; and a personal advisor serving as a single point-of-contact for all back office and advisory functions. The City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and the State of Florida partnered to compete for the BOTH headquarters against strong bids from both Georgia and South Carolina. BOTH cited Florida's business-friendly climate, Pinellas strong industry clusters, St. Petersburg's vibrant downtown, and the regional workforce as factors in their decision. (Contact: Mick Constantinou, 727.825.3955 mick.constantinou@both-usa.com)

USF Ranked Nation's Fastest Growing for Research

In a newly published ranking, the University of South Florida was the nation's fastest growing university for federal research funds, 2000-2007. The top ranking was reported in the annual Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac. Specifically, between 2000 and 2007, the Chronicle reports that USF grew 213 percent in "federal funds for academic research and development." This was by far the highest percentage increase in the country. The increase represents a drastic jump in a short amount of time - in fiscal year 2000, USF's expenditures of federal funds were $50.5 million, by FY 2007 those expenditures had risen to more than $158.4 million. Federally-sponsored research for all universities is counted by the National Science Foundation, from which this report was derived. (Contact: Anne DeLotto Baier, 813-974-3300, abaier@health.usf.edu)

Progress Energy receives approval for $200 million Smart Grid grant application

Progress Energy's Smart Grid grant application was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for award negotiations as part of the federal stimulus package. The $200 million grant application proposes to use grant funds, combined with $320 million in matching dollars from Progress Energy, for several system and equipment upgrades in the Carolinas and Florida. Smart Grid technology has the potential to transform the electric grid to give customers greater control of their energy use and enable utilities more flexibility in meeting energy demands with new technologies and energy sources. Full press release: http://progress-energy.com/aboutus/news/article.asp?id=22742, (Contact: Progress Energy, 866-520-6397)

SmartScience Laboratories, Inc. Awarded New Production Contracts

SmartScience Labs, located in Odessa, Pasco County, recently was awarded 3 new contracts for production and packaging of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The company plans to hire 2-3 additional employees and add $100,000 machinery and equipment as a result of the increased production. The company produces JointFlex® products, among others. (Contact: Gene Weitz, 727-375-5911 x204, genew@smartsciencelabs.com)

MacDill AFB Partnering with USF on "Lean Management"

MacDill Air Force Base is partnering with experts from the University of South Florida's College of Business to streamline operations and potentially trigger one of the largest "lean management" transformations ever. USF professors with work with the Sixth Air Mobility Wing (6 AMW) to research MacDill's management, culture, and business practices, including the transformation initiative known as Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21). The team will then infuse the "Lean" management program into daily operations. The project could potentially impact operations throughout the entire United States Air Force. (Contact: Lorie Briggs, 813-974-7280, lbriggs@coba.usf.edu)

Tampa Bay Companies Expand Global Markets with State Grant

Four Sarasota-Bradenton businesses successfully used state grants to expand their international contacts and sales. Asian Medical, Galati Yacht Sales, Steelgate Inc. and Super-Sensitive Musical String Co. capitalized on a grant administered by the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County and the Manatee County Economic Development Council. The International Business Expansion Grant from Enterprise Florida helps local companies with exportable products or services enter or expand into international markets. In addition, the economic development groups are holding export workshops and providing individualized business counseling and support with the grant. (Contact: Eric Basinger, 941-748-4842, ericb@manateeedc.com or Emily Sperling, 941-309-1200, esperling@edcsarasotacounty.com)

New Tampa Bay e-Magazine, 83 Degrees, Launches

A new economy is emerging across West Central Florida - from Tampa to Sarasota to Clearwater to Spring Hill to Lakeland - and 83 Degrees plans to tell that story. On November 17, 2009, 83 Degrees (www.83degreesmedia.com) went live with its first weekly e-magazine, complete with features, innovation and job news, development news, Q&As, photos and videos that capture the innovative people and companies driving the Tampa Bay region's economy. 83 Degrees hopes to challenge how Floridians and others across the world see our state and its future. (Contact: Diane Egner, 813-839-1772, diane.egner@gmail.com)

SOURCE Tampa Bay Partnership

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