Highlights of Economic and Business Growth in the Tampa Bay Region
TAMPA BAY, Fla., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- News briefs concerning economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay region from the Tampa Bay Partnership:
Time Warner to Add 500 Tampa Bay Jobs
Time Warner unit TW Business Services announced it will be locating a shared services center in Tampa Bay and employing up to 500 with an average salary of $57,200. The company, which now has 50 employees in Tampa, will begin hiring 100 human resources and information technology employees in 2012. Anticipated to open late 2012, the company plans to spend $5 million on new facilities; a search of existing space for the center has been narrowed to buildings in Tampa, Temple Terrace and unincorporated Hillsborough County. Time Warner considered 59 locations for this project. Finalist locations included Florida, Georgia and New York.
Florida Hospital Opens New Division, Looks to Expand Healthcare in Tampa Bay
University Community Health (UCH) has joined Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to form the new Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division. More than a name change, the Tampa Bay Division is focused on elevating healthcare by making system wide enhancements through capital investments, technological advancements, research innovation, strategic health care alliances, community outreach, and recruiting and retaining the very best talent. Over the next five years, the organization will invest approximately $500 million in Tampa Bay to complete clinical and facility enhancements across the system, including a new emergency room and comprehensive stroke center at Florida Hospital Tampa; a new 25-bed orthopedic unit at Florida Hospital Carrollwood; and opening Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in 2012, which will create 400 new jobs. (Contact: Lauren Key, 813-615-7420, [email protected])
Port of Tampa Project to Create New Ethanol Hub for Tampa Bay & Central Florida
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P., the Tampa Port Authority (TPA) and CSX Corporation have announced an innovative, public-private partnership project that will bring ethanol into the Tampa market more efficiently and safely via the nation's first ethanol unit train-to-pipeline distribution system. The joint intermodal project involves the TPA building new rail track and support infrastructure to handle 100-car unit train deliveries and a multi-product unit train offloading yard. The new facility will create an on-dock unit train capability for containers, ultimately extending the Port's container potential, and providing competitive access throughout CSX Intermodal's extensive network. (Contact: Andrew Fobes, 813-905-5132, [email protected])
Canadian Manufacturer, 5D Composite Creates 120 Jobs in Sarasota
5D Composite Inc., based in Ontario, Canada, relocated part of its manufacturing operation to Sarasota County this year with plans to create 120 jobs over five years. The jobs created will be higher wage, technology-oriented jobs in manufacturing and engineering, as well as sales and support positions. 5D Composite will manufacture uniquely shaped blades for small wind-turbine units to be sold to several manufacturers outside the U.S. The company will also manufacture structure piping used to strengthen foundations without corroding, and the machinery that applies the eco-friendly coating and application systems developed by 5D for use on composite products. (Contact: Andrew Rekret, [email protected])
Nautical Structures Expands in Pinellas, Adding 30 New Jobs
Through an expansion of its Pinellas Park, Florida facility, Nautical Structures Industries, Inc. (NSI) plans to create an estimated 30 high-wage jobs over three years. Wages from these jobs will have a local economic impact of $1.9 million annually. NSI is a marine manufacturer specializing in accessories for yachts such as stairs, deck cranes and boarding equipment, as well as the production of specialized davits and cranes for commercial marine and military uses. NSI will also move their subsidiary contract manufacturing company Precision Metal into the facility to share critical computer numerical control machinery. NSI made a capital investment of nearly $6 million, including the purchase of five acres of land and a vacant 94,000-square-foot building in Pinellas Park. (Contact: Stacy Swank, 727-464-7425, [email protected])
Defense Manufacturer Moves to Manatee, Plans 100 Jobs
C Products Defense Inc. (CPD) has moved its manufacturing operation and distribution arm from Connecticut to Manatee County, where the company plans to add 100 employees in the next five years. CPD uses robotic welding units to manufacture ammunition magazines for law enforcement, military and U.S. rifle manufacturers. CPD's sister company, LCJ Wholesale, also has located in Manatee County and will distribute CPD's magazines along with other manufacturers' products. In addition, the company's growth and commitment to sourcing its production needs within Florida will stimulate opportunities for local suppliers, which should lead to even more job creation. (Contact: Larry Panka, 941-727-0023, [email protected])
USF Entrepreneurship Program Named Among the Best in the Nation
The University of South Florida's graduate entrepreneurship program ranked number 19 in the nation for 2011 by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, moving up from number 25 last year. The program is number three among public universities in the Southeast, the only Florida university and the only Big East university to be included in the ranking for 2011 which reviewed over 2,000 colleges and universities. Graduates of the program have many opportunities; some go to work for venture capital firms, some start new ventures, while others create and grow new businesses. These new ventures are important to the regional economy, as they bolster existing business clusters and create new business areas of concentration, creating jobs locally and reducing the outflow of highly trained graduates to other parts of the nation. (Contact: Jessica Aspiras, 813-974-2479)
Pasco-Hernando Community College Receives $250,000 Grant for Adult Education
Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) has been awarded an Adult Education Career Pathways Grant for $243,410. The primary goal of the grant is to provide a clear set of educational steps that will give adult education students a direct educational path to jobs in the community. The grant will provide support for a collaborative effort among the adult education programs in Pasco County, Hernando County, and at PHCC and will run until June 30, 2012. (Contact: Courtney Boettcher, 727-816-3738, [email protected])
Eckerd College Named Great College to Work For by Chronicle of Higher Education
Eckerd College has been named to The Chronicle of Higher Education's 2011 Great Colleges to Work For program in the 'Compensation and Benefits' category. The Chronicle recently identified 12 features of an excellent academic workplace and asked faculty and staff at colleges of all sizes and types from across the country to assess their employers in those terms. One of Eckerd's notable features relating to compensation and benefits is the fact that should an employee participate in a retirement fund option, the College will contribute 10% of the employee's salary to the fund whether or not the employee contributes anything to the account. (Contact: Alizza Punzalan, 727-864-7978)
SOURCE Tampa Bay Partnership
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