Defense and Government Suppliers: What You Need to Know about the New NIST 800-171 Regulation
FloridaMakes Webinar
March 30 - 9 to 10 am

If you are a defense / government supplier – or if you are a subcontractor selling to a government supplier – you need to know about the new NIST 800-171 regulation, and take steps to assess and comply with the regulation by the end of 2017. This new regulation covers the protection of “Controlled Unclassified Information,” defined as information created by the government, or an entity on behalf of the government, that is unclassified, but needs safeguarding.

Sign up for this free March 30 FloridaMakes webinar, designed to provide manufacturers with an overview of what the regulation requires, and what’s needed to develop a plan of action.

Register here by March 29.

The Tampa Bay area ranks once again as one of the most affordable metros in the United States and the second most affordable market in Florida. With a 2016 Cost of Living Index (COLI) of 91.5, the Tampa market is 8.5 points lower than the national average of 100.

In comparison with the rest of Florida, the Orlando market’s COLI was 94.2, Miami was 111, and Jacksonville was 95.8. The lowest composite score of 90.6 belonged to the Palm Coast-Flagler County area. The Tampa metro came in more affordable than major markets across the United States as well. Atlanta’s composite score was 98.7, Dallas sat at 100.4, and Raleigh was 94.4.

Read more on the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development website.

There is still time for making nominations to the FloridaMakes/Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Award. Please consider recognizing your deserving suppliers, customers, or partners with a nomination for this prestigious award. Please pass along this solicitation to your colleagues. We are accepting nominations through Monday, February 13, 2017.

The nomination process is very simple...just reply and send the following information to me in an email, or use the link at https://www.floridamakes.com/nominator.stml

-Name of the company
-Contact person
-Email address
-(Phone, if available)

That's it...NO nominee write-ups are required. Every Florida manufacturing company is eligible. It is not necessary for the nominee to be a member of any association.

Additional information about the awards process can be found at https://www.floridamakes.com/what-we-do/mbe-award.stml

Awards will be announced at the 25th Annual Governor's Sterling Award Banquet at the conclusion of the Florida Sterling Conference on Friday, June 2, 2017. More information about the Conference and Award Banquet can be found at https://www.floridasterling.com/conferences/annualconference

If you have any questions, contact: Phil Centonze, Lead Judge, FloridaMakes, 954-684-2642, phil.centonze@FloridaMakes.com

Tampa Bay Startup Week is a five-day celebration of our community. Last year over 5,000 business and community leaders attended to help bring out the best in local talent.

This event contains over 50 unique sessions teaching attendees about startup and existing business topics from technology to accounting, marketing and public relations, legal topics, beer manufacturing and more.

The best part of Tampa Bay Startup Week is that it is free to attend. They also have 2 very unique opportunities for startups and businesses under 10 years old and they are encouraging startups to apply for approval to set up a table for free at the launch party.

Review the schedule at https://tampabay.startupweek.co/.  Need more information? Contact: Ebony Grimsley-Vaz, ebony@abovepromotions.com, (813) 383-1914, ext 1000

The USF Lean Six Sigma program will encompass all the necessary requirements for you to obtain a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification including training hours, project assessment and the exam.

Program Begins: January 20
Meets Jan.20; Feb.3,4; Mar.3,4,31; Apr.1,21
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Questions?
Call 813-974-5550
Email CE-Inquiries@usf.edu

More Information

As an HP foundational partner, Jabil Circuit was among the first companies to receive pre-production Jet Fusion 3-D printers earlier this year. Now, they have the real thing and are open for business.

Read the article online at Industry Week.

Currently, we are looking for people who would like to judge for the BAMA special award the upcoming STEM/Science fairs. What this entails is looking at the projects and picking out ones that apply specifically to manufacturing. Those students are then given a cash award and invited to attend our annual dinner in June.

Here is the info on the fairs:
Pinellas County - February 4, 8am-3pm (or until we’ve selected winners) at Seminole Middle School, 8701 - 131st Street North, Seminole, FL 33776
Hillsborough County - February 14, 8am-1pm (or until we’ve selected winners) at Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St. Tampa, FL 33607

If you can take time out of your busy schedule to help, please contact becky@bama-fl.org ASAP.

Opportunity for Pinellas County companies to find customers in Argentina Export Trade Mission to Buenos Aires, April 23-27

With a population of 41.5 million people and a GDP of approximately $609 billion, Argentina offers excellent opportunities for Pinellas companies. Argentina is Florida's fourth largest export destination with an estimated $3.3 billion worth of exports.

Due to recent changes in political leadership, the country has adopted a pro-business approach, and new legislation allows Argentine importers an easier process to buy foreign goods.
Best export opportunities for local industries include:
• Medical Technologies
• Information and Communications Technology
• Telecommunications Equipment
• Transportation Infrastructure Equipment and Services
• Electronic Security Equipment
• Food Processing Equipment
• Agricultural Machinery and Part

This Enterprise Florida Export Sales Mission, supported by Pinellas County Economic Development, will provide local companies with the U.S. Commercial Service's Gold Key Service (GKS) Matchmaker program of customized one-on-one meetings with potential customers and partners in Argentina.

Click here for the agenda and costs of this Export Trade Mission to Argentina

Reimbursable Gold Key/Matchmaker Grants from Enterprise Florida can assist local manufacturers with a reimbursement to qualified companies of up to $1,000 for a stand-alone Gold Key/Matchmaker service.

Ready to learn more? Contact Brent Barkway at (727) 464-7411 or barkway@pinellascounty.org to discuss this trade mission and opportunities for your company. Visit PCED.org/international for more information.

BAMA members are invited to the next Tampa Bay Regional Goods Movement Advisory Committee meeting on Feb. 1.

Their guest speaker for this meeting is Ram Kancharla from Port Tampa Bay who will be presenting Vision 2030, the new Masterplan for Port Tampa Bay (Website link). He will be answering questions you may have and they will be providing an update on other freight initiatives occurring in the Tampa Bay region.

Meeting details are provided below:
Goods Movement Advisory Committee Meeting
February 1, 2017 at 1:30 PM
FDOT District 7 Auditorium
11201 North McKinley Drive
Tampa, Florida 33612

Please RSVP to adouglas@citiesthatwork.com