February 15, 2010

50,000-SQUARE-FOOT INDUSTRIAL SPACE NEEDED -- A producer of steel and aluminum accessories is considering relocation of an existing light manufacturing facility. The company would lease an existing class A or class B industrial space that offers natural gas, in addition to standard electric service, and is on or near the water. Incentives will be critical. Reasonable access to port and interstate highways is required. Please forward information on sites meeting these parameters to Rob Ehrhardt at Rehrhardt@co.volusia.fl.us by Tuesday, Feb 16, or call him at 386/248-8048.

TRAFFIC INCREASES 23 PERCENT IN JANUARY AT DAYTONA BEACH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- Passenger traffic at Daytona Beach International Airport (DBIA) increased 23 percent in January compared with January 2009. The traffic increase in January follows a year-end upswing in 2009 when traffic increased 12 percent in November over November 2008 and 5 percent in December over December 2008. The airport’s two major carriers -- Delta Air Lines and U.S Airways – also have scheduled more seats in the market over the next several months which should help local travelers.

SCORE TO HOST WORKSHOP FOR SMALL BUSINESS – SCORE is sponsoring a free workshop titled “Surviving In Difficult Financial Times”. The session will be February 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Airline Room at Daytona Beach International Airport. The central message of the workshop is to be pro-active in recognizing and addressing problems. The session will cover revenues, costs, funding for new hires and training, financing and cash flow. For registration contact SCORE at 386/255-6889 or SCORE87@earthlink.net. For details, contact Kim Stevens at or 386/689-4563 or
KimFlorida321@aol.com

VMA LOOKS AT SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT – The Volusia Manufacturers Association (VMA) is hosting a breakfast meeting February 16 to discuss several aspects of supply chain management. Topics include electronic tracking of shipments, filing freight claims effectively and inventory management through the carriers. The seminar will cover ways to determine if you have the best rate and service for your need. For registration call Jayne Fifer at 386/673-0505 or Roy Braddy at 386/676-6204.

MANUFACTURING STIMULATES PRODUCTION – A recent report from the National Association of Manufacturing (NAM) states that a dollar’s worth of direct demand to the manufacturing sector induces another $1.41 of supporting production -- one of the highest industry sector inducement rates. A quarter of the supporting production is from the manufacturing sector, but other nongovernment service sectors also benefit from increased production for over half of the remainder. To access the full report go to http://documents.nam.org/CMA/PopkinReport.pdf.

ECONOMIC GARDENING LOAN PROGRAM FUNDS AVAILABLE – Don’t wait until the $5.8 million loan fund is gone. If you are a for-profit company, employ 10-50 employees, and generate at least $1 million in revenue annually, you may be eligible for this program. To apply or to discuss eligibility contact Paul Mitchell at the Volusia County Department of Economic Development at 386/248-8048 or email pmitchell@co.volusia.fl.us

HERE’S WHY WE NEED TO CONSERVE OUR FRESH WATER -- Did you know that only one percent of the water on earth is readily available for drinking? That's because only 3 percent of the world's water is fresh water, rather than salt water. And of that amount, icecaps and glaciers account for two thirds. In a typical household, four people use approximately 9,000 gallons per month or 108,000 gallons per year. That's enough water to fill a bathtub more than 2,500 times. More than half of this use occurs in the bathroom -- from toilets (24 percent), baths (9 percent) and showers (21 percent). Leaks in bathroom faucets add another five percent. So the total is much more than a drop in the bucket.

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.

Department of Economic Development
700 Catalina Drive, Suite 200, Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Telephone: 386-248-8048   FAX: 386 238-4761   Toll Free: 800-554-3801