Registration for the PLC training being offered by St. Pete College is OPEN! The links below will take you to the registration page. Seats are limited and we are expecting the classes to fill so please sign up quickly.

For more information, contact:
Fred Tucker, GCDF Program Coordinator, Information and Innovative Technologies
727.791.2409, tucker.fred@spcollege.edu

Below are the registration links for the two PLC classes.
10/9/17 to 11/5/17, 1-4pm http://bit.ly/2xUlkjI
10/9/17 to 11/5/17, 5-8pm http://bit.ly/2xydRWF

Vocational Rehabilitation Celebrates Disability Employment Awareness Month with Event Honoring Businesses Committed to Hiring People with Disabilities

In honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month, Vocational Rehabilitation will recognize five local businesses: FBD Signs, Inc, HSN (Home Shopping Network), Jabil, Mister Car Wash, and Professional Surveys, Inc. (PSI), who are committed to hiring people with disabilities. The event is free and open to the public. Please indicate any special accommodations you may need.

Date: Friday, October 21
Time: 8:30-10:00 a.m.
Location: Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, 333 1st Street S.

SPECIAL GUESTS: Community leaders who are scheduled to attend, include: Senator Brandes, Senator Latvala, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard, and Master of Ceremonies Jeff Paterson of WFLA.

Florida’s Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program committed to helping people with disabilities become part of America’s workforce. The employer-focused website, https://abilitieswork.employflorida.com/, allows businesses to search at no charge for employees who are ready to go to work, as well as to post available jobs. VR has 90 offices across Florida, and last year helped 5,760 Floridians with significant disabilities find or keep a job. For more information about VR and its services, call (800) 451-4327 or visit http://www.Rehabworks.org.

Vocational Rehabilitation
Sarah Timoti
(850) 245-3280
Sarah.Timoti@vr.fldoe.org
www.rehabworks.org

Article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal

Mettler Toledo cut its staff turnover at its Tampa operation from 25 percent to 10 percent in 10 years. Still, workers leaving their jobs remains a major challenge, said Viggo Nielsen, general manager of the local plant, which manufactures food inspection equipment. He suspects that’s true for most manufacturers.

“If we really knew what the cost of turnover is we would be extremely worried and try harder to avoid it,” Nielsen said, during an executive roundtable hosted by the German American Chamber of Commerce of the South-Florida Chapter.

Nielsen said there were four keys to hiring success for Mettler Toledo Tampa.

Read more of the article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the opening of Business Recovery Centers (BRCs) to help businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma. SBA representatives at the Centers can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and assist businesses in completing the SBA application.

The location of the BRC in our area is at The EpiCenter-Pinellas County Economic Development Center, 13805 58th Street North, Clearwater, FL 33760
Hours: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday - Saturday
Closed: Sundays

“The SBA is committed to facilitating economic recovery in this disaster. We want area businesses to have a resource where they can meet individually with SBA representatives and find out how a low-interest disaster loan can help them recover,” said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA’s Field Operations Center East in Atlanta. The SBA offers low-interest, long-term disaster loans for physical damage and working capital. To be considered for this assistance, you need to apply by the deadline.

Additional information on the disaster loan program may be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to a recovery center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

FEMA Teleregistration: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
SBA Customer Service Center: 1-800-659-2955
Hours:
8 a.m. - 8 p.m. (ET) Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (ET) Saturday and Sunday

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 9, 2017. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 11, 2018. For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, visit our website at www.sba.gov/disaster.

AmSkills - A New Approach to Workforce Education
How Education is the Key to the Renaissance of U.S. Manufacturing!
Panel Discussion & Cocktail Dinner

Panelists Include:
- Viggo Nielsen, General Manager, Mettler-Toledo Safeline, Inc.
- Kathryn Starkey, Commissioner, Pasco County, District 3 / AmSkills Board Member
- Hubertus Muehlhaeuser, President & CEO, Wellbilt, Inc.
- Gardner Carrick, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, National Association of Manufacturers, Manufacturing Institute

Monday, September 18, 2017
6:30 p.m. Registration & Cocktails
7:00 p.m. AmSkills Presentation
7:20 p.m. Panel Discussion
8:30 p.m. Cocktail Dinner

Location: Oxford Exchange
420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606

Members: Free of Charge; Non-Members: $40.00
Contact: TMudano@AMSkills.org

An increase in 63,000 manufacturing jobs from July 2016 to July 2017

Through Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC), business owners receive cost-free executive education focused on business growth and access to capital and one-on-one coaching to help strengthen their companies.

Suggested profile of a small business to recruit for 2017 ICCC-Tampa Bay
• Annual company revenues: $500,000 and above
• Age of business: 2 years or longer

The most important qualification is the readiness of the CEO to participate in a program that will enable him/her to fully explore business growth challenges and develop strategies to enhance leadership skills, engage new business networks & prepare for a much-needed capital infusion

For questions, please contact Hyacinth Vassell at hvassell@icic.org or 617-238-3019

CLICK HERE IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO APPLY TO PARTICIPATE in ICCC Tampa Bay.

Nominations are now open for the 2017 MAF Manufacturer/Distributor/Supplier/Logistics
Business of the Year Awards

Anyone or entity can nominate a company in Florida for these awards AND companies may self nominate. July 31, 2017 is the deadline for nominations.

Register here: www.mafmfg.com