November 2006
Florida’s New Minimum Wage Takes Effect January 1, 2007.  Florida’s minimum wage was created in a constitutional amendment approved by voters on November 2, 2004, and covers all employees in the state covered by the federal minimum wage.  Employers must pay their employees a wage not less than the amount of the hourly state minimum wage for all hours worked in Florida.  The amount of this wage is recalculated each year by the Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI).  The minimum wage effective January 1, 2007 will be $6.67 per hour.  For more information on Florida’s minimum wage and signage requirements, please visit AWI at www.floridajobs.org.

2006 Upper Pinellas Business of the Year Awards Gala, November 8 at Ruth Eckerd Hall.  The Upper Pinellas Business of the Year Awards are presented in three categories according to the size of an organization’s annual revenues: small, medium and large businesses.  Finalists in each category are selected based on their work ethics, integrity, creativity, problem-solving abilities, contributions to the economy and financial success.  The awards gala takes place from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in the Margarete Heye Great Room at Ruth Eckerd Hall.  Click here for more information and registration.

U.S. Government Re-Launches Business.gov.  Business.gov is the official business link to the U.S. Government and is managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in a partnership with twenty one other federal agencies.  Re-vamped and re-launched in October, Business.gov now focuses on helping businesses comply with Federal regulations.  The website saves businesses valuable time by providing a definitive, one-stop source for compliance assistance resources from all Federal regulatory agencies.  Visit the new website at www.business.gov.

Tampa Bay Partnership’s Annual Meeting and Community Update, November 17.  Join Tampa Bay’s community and business leaders at this luncheon hosted by the Tampa Bay Partnership.  The event takes place at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, located at 950 Lake Carillon Dr.  Networking and registration takes place from 11:00am to 12:00pm, with the program and luncheon to follow.  Click here for more information and to register.

30 Under 30 Class of 2006 Awards Dinner.  The Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 30 Under 30 have been announced and we are proud to recognize Pinellas County Economic Development’s own Jennifer Olsen as a member of this year’s group.  Please join the Tampa Bay community in honoring this group of successful business professionals at the awards dinner on November 9, at the Wyndham Westshore in Tampa.  Click here to register.

St. Petersburg Times – Redesigned with Readers in Mind.  The St. Petersburg Times has unveiled a redesigned newspaper including a new business section on Sundays called Working.  Working will offer on-the-street and online guidance about jobs: getting one, keeping one -- and who's getting jobs in the Tampa Bay market.  Visit www.sptimes.com to view the new look.

Quarterly EnviroBusiness Hazardous Electronics and Chemical Waste Collection Day, November 8.  Does your business have unwanted hazardous electronics and chemicals?  Get rid of them at Pinellas County’s next Quarterly EnviroBusiness Hazardous Waste Collection Day, November 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Household Electronics & Chemical Collection Center, 2990 110th Ave. N., St. Petersburg.  Any business may drop off its hazardous electronics.  To drop off chemicals, businesses need to qualify as small waste generators (producing less than 25 gallons, or 220 pounds, of chemical waste per month).  Businesses pay the contractors directly, at the County’s reduced contract prices.  For many electronic items, the price is either “no charge” or “minimal charge”.  For more information, call (727) 464-7500 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/bizwaste.

November 2006 Pinellas County Success Story
Pinellas County Leads Florida in Incumbent Worker Training Funds.  For the third straight year, Pinellas County is the state’s leader in Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) funds with 34 Pinellas businesses receiving IWT awards in Fiscal Year 05/06.  From October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006, IWT funds totaling $833,992 provided training for over 2,500 employees in Pinellas County.  Pam Kauten, President of Peak Connections, shares, “As an active member of the information technology community, I believe programs like the Incumbent Worker Grant are critical to the continued growth of this region's workforce, and the continued success of Pinellas County businesses."

Five Pinellas companies that received IWT funding in September 2006 illustrate the diversity of IWT recipients, as well as the effectiveness of the program: Formulated Solutions, SCC Soft Computer, Mercury Enterprises, Peak Connections, and On-sight Optical.

Click here to read the rest of this story and how Incumbent Worker Training funds are helping each of these companies succeed.