April 23, 2018
AIRPORT PLANS COMMUNITY APPRECIATION DAY – Daytona Beach International Airport will host a Community Appreciation Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28. All guests will have the opportunity to win door prizes, including a hotel stay. Attendees will learn about the many flights out of Daytona Beach on American Airlines, Delta and JetBlue, as well as the amenities and services the airport provides to make travel convenient and stress-free. For more information, contact Pat O’Brien at 386-248-8030, ext. 18318, or pobrien@volusia.org.
ACADEMY OF DIGITAL MEDIA & DESIGN – The academy at Seabreeze High School provides students with the opportunity to combine concepts of digital media and photography while creating various printed materials to display their work. The program of study integrates academic courses with a hands-on curriculum. Students take Creative Photography and Digital Media courses that use industry standard software and professional camera equipment. The course work prepares students for careers such as graphic artist, photographer and digital publisher. For additional information, contact Academy Director Gwen Coy at glhousto@volusia.k12.
COSTA RICA EXPORT MISSION UPDATE – The Feb. 26, 2018, Enterprise Florida-led export sales mission to San Jose, Costa Rica, is reported to have produced more than $23 million in total export sales for the 21 small and mid-sized businesses attending. More than 180 meetings were held between Florida businesses and their Costa Rican counterparts to jointly assess the local and Central America sales potential of their products and services. Florida companies also had the opportunity to meet with U.S. commercial officers stationed in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Trade between the U.S. and Costa Rica totaled $10.2 billion in 2016, and Costa Rica ranks as Florida’s 12th largest merchandise trading partner.
SMALL BUSINESS TAXATION SURVEY RESULTS – The National Small Business Association has released its 2018 Small Business Taxation Survey report. According to the survey, one in three small businesses spend more than 40 hours each year on federal taxes, and the majority spend more than $1,000 each year on the administration of federal taxes alone. Payroll taxes and income taxes were ranked the top two most burdensome taxes for small businesses, and over half of small firms with five or more employees pay an outside firm to prepare their payroll. For more information, visit http://nsba.biz/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tax-Survey-2018.pdf.
SHOW ME THE MONEY – SCORE is offering a free workshop on ways to get funding for your business idea, along with a small business lending panel discussion. Having a great idea for a new company, start-up or product is the start – but now what? You will need a variety of resources, talent and capital to develop a website, develop a tech team, and support the costs of an office space. The workshop will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Daytona State College, UCF Building 150, Room 101, Daytona Beach. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/yann5fvo.
ICS-400 COMPLEX INCIDENTS CLASS COMING IN MAY – The Volusia County Division of Emergency Management is offering “Class ICS-400 Advanced ICS Command and General Staff – Complex Incidents” on May 10 and 11. The class and course books are being provided at no cost to participants. Prerequisites are ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, ICS-700, and ICS-800. The class will be held at the Volusia County Emergency Operations Center, 3825 Tiger Bay Road, Daytona Beach. Volusia County Fire Rescue personnel wishing to attend must submit a request for training form for approval through their chain of command. Outside agencies wishing to register should contact Margie at 386-239-6427, or email FireTrainingCenter@volusia.org. Emails should include agency name and point of contact phone number. Please bring copies of the required prerequisite course certificates to the class or email them to FireTrainingCenter@volusia.org. The instruction will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m.
TOP U.S. CITIES FOR START-UPS – Business.org has ranked 40 North American cities according to their start-up friendliness. The criteria included factors such as number of young adults, higher education, local employment, income vs. rent, and start-up surges. San Francisco, California, ranked No. 1, and four Florida cities ranked in the top 50. Business.org analyzed data for the 40 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and included data from the Kauffman Index’s 2017 Growth Entrepreneurship Report. To view the complete list or learn more about the analysis, visit https://tinyurl.com/y9p336mv.
INDUSTRIAL HEMP – As reported, UF/IFAS researchers will begin to develop hemp management and cropping systems as an important step to test the viability of what could become a valuable alternative crop for the state’s agriculture producers. Industrial hemp, a variety of the cannabis sativa plant, has been cultivated for 10,000 years as a fiber and grain crop. In addition, industrial hemp has applications for building materials, plastics, forages, skin products and even pain relief as a topical oil. The research program will be seeking to identify productive varieties that can withstand environmental, ecological and economic threats.
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