Monday, Feb. 15, 2021

United Economic Leadership

Brought to you by |
Business Development Board
of Martin County

“Economic development is really about problem-solving. Workforce, infrastructure – getting it all on the table is critical.”Crystal Stiles, FPL senior director for economic development, at the Florida Chamber of Commerce's 2021 Economic Outlook & Jobs Solutions Summit.
Speaking With The CEO: Rich Goldman of Construction Journal
This new feature takes a closer look at the leaders of Martin County companies
Rich Goldman is the founder and CEO of Construction Journal.

Based in Stuart, Construction Journal is an essential tool for anyone in the industry seeking to offer their goods and services, bid on contracts, identify talent and opportunities, or simply gain greater understanding of the projects planned or underway in their community or virtually anywhere around the country.

"We report on construction projects from conception to design to bidding to service contractors to supply contracts," says Rich. "If you see a project and it's under construction, we reported on it from the beginning."

More than a publication, Construction Journal is a tech company focused on construction information that uses proprietary software to gather and disseminate construction information.

It employs 200 people in 22 states and covers 75 percent of the United States and is rapidly expanding to Canada. Plus, they're looking to hire 50 new staff members.

What kind of positions are you looking to fill?

We need people for sales, research, customer support, customer success, programming and software developers. The majority of our staff are reporters operating in a research function. They're engaged in gathering this kind of information. Just because it's public information, that doesn't mean it's easy to get. For us to get our sources and leads, we have to make a lot of calls and do a lot of research.

How many subscribers do you have?

We have 19,000 customers.

So, even though you cover all these states, you can help people know what's going on construction-wise in Martin County?

Yes. The beauty of what we do is we have a research team assigned to each and every region that we cover. So we're the eyes and ears of each region. Federal, state, local and municipal, right down to Martin County or any county across the country. We have teams in place to ensure we're reporting all the information that fits the profile for our customers. We're a source that helps our customers identify their next project and keep their sales pipeline full.

Our customers expect us to have the data as soon as our sources have it, and we've designed our systems and processes to accommodate that.

What is your customer profile?

The vast spectrum of the construction industry, the trades and suppliers, subcontractors to CGs and construction services.

How have you seen activity in the construction industry affected by the pandemic and the policies that followed to address it?

We did see construction activity come to a halt when government was shutting things down. We've seen it slowly and steadily start to recover.... We feel fortunate that we've been able to help companies through this process and help them get access to information to quickly recover and refocus their efforts.

What can you share about the culture of Construction Journal?

We're celebrating our 25th anniversary, but it feels as if we're continuously evolving, especially being a technology company. ...In technology, there are always new and better ways to accomplish your goals and we're always embracing those new methodologies to help us get there faster.

What do you love about your job?

I consider my job just like a favorite pastime. No matter what's on my plate, I've never had a bad day.
Headquartered in Stuart, Prescription Hope announces recruitment, expansion efforts
Prescription Hope announced its active recruitment of new staff as it launches the next phase of renovating and expanding its national headquarters in Stuart.

Having renovated and built out 30,000 square feet of its third floor to 100-percent operational readiness, Prescription Hope is renovating a new suite on the first floor and building out the second floor.

Throughout the expansion, Prescription Hope has maintained full business continuity, and is working to provide customers across the country with uninterrupted and responsive support.

"When we moved our national corporate headquarters to Florida, we did so with the intention and commitment to create quality long-term jobs that foster economic growth--both for our growing roster of Prescription Hope team members, as well as for numerous other businesses and workers in the community that financially benefit from our presence and investments," said Douglas Pierce, founder and CEO. "I am proud to say that our expansion plans are moving ahead, and we look forward to completing the next phase this year."
Latest winners of BAP receive grants
Three grant winners were selected in the latest Business Accelerator Program (BAP).

Ebersold Boatworks of Port Salerno and Hassell Free Tile & Window of Palm City each received $2,000 and Concierge Companion Care, also of Palm City, was awarded $1,000.

In partnership with Indian River State College and BDBMC, BAP provides business counseling, technical assistance and training for small business owners, and the opportunity to attain an allocation of grant funding for small business growth. 

The purpose of BAP is to enhance entrepreneurial skills and activities, create jobs and assist in the expansion and growth of our existing business community.

The BDBMC is currently recruiting for the next BAP cohort which will begin on April 5. For more information and to sign-up, contact James Carroll at 772.221.1380 or visit bdbmc.org..
Bob O'Brien, coordinator of Corporate & Community Training Institute at IRSC, Beth Gaskin, campus president of the Chastain campus at IRSC, Wendy Meyer, CEO of Concierge Compassion Care and Joan K. Goodrich, executive director of the BDBMC.
Joan, Hillary Hassell of Hassell Free Tile & Windows, Beth and Bob.
Bob, Sean Ebersold of Ebersold Boatworks, Beth and Joan.
Looking for government contracts? Make sure you're in Demand
Do you provide a service or create a product that could benefit local government operations?

Find out what opportunities exist and bid on jobs with local government through Demand Star.

When you're registered with Demand Star, anytime local governments post bids, you'll get notified and can pursue the opportunities.
Become a real lifesaver: Register now for paramedic training
If you've ever wanted to help save lives for a living, here's your chance

From April 13 to Aug. 2, you can take paramedic training from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Martin County Emergency Management, 800 S.E. Monterey Road, Stuart.

Performed by the Coral Springs Regional Institute of Public Safety, in collaboration with Martin County Fire Rescue, the EMT-Paramedic Certificate Program offers learning experiences that enable students to acquire and assimilate the technical competencies necessary to function effectively as a supportive healthcare provider in a pre-hospital environment.

The 1,110-hour program requires a $45 application fee, a $645 fee for lab and materials and tuition of $7,200. (A four-payment plan available. Books, externship tracking program and national/state exam fees not included.)

For more, visit www.csrips.org.
ArtsFest will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 20-21 at Gazebo Park in downtown Stuart.

Originally launched 34 years ago, ArtsFest features exceptional fine art and crafts exhibitions, celebrations of the culinary arts, interactive arts, live music and theatrical performances the entire family can enjoy.

Admission is $5 per person, 18 and under are free.

Among the best-attended arts events on the Treasure Coast, and recognized in the past as among the Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 events, ArtsFest is also offering a virtual ArtsFest at Home event to accommodate patrons near and far. All Covid-19 safeguards will be observed.

Traditionally, the local economic impacts of arts are profound, says Nancy Turrell, executive of the Arts Council of Martin County, which hosts ArtsFest. Every dollar of state grant monies invested in arts and cultural events produces $9 in return, she says.

Reported economic activity in Martin County related to the arts clocks in at $27 million annually. The arts support 752 full-time jobs locally.

Created by the Martin County Office of Tourism & Marketing, the free, mobile-exclusive trail features a range of award-winning museums, celebrated attractions, cutting-edge exhibits, historic sites, eclectic galleries and engaging selections from the Martin County Art in Public Places program.

Residents and visitors alike can sign up to receive the pass here, and use the pass to learn more about these local points of interest and even claim special offers and discounts at participating attractions.

The Office of Tourism has launched a corresponding scavenger hunt component to celebrate the new trail. The team commissioned local glass artist Dot Galfond, of License to Kiln, to create a series of custom glass sea turtles: 45 teal turtles and 10 gold turtles.

Each piece has been signed and numbered, and they have been hidden at every stop along the new trail. Anyone who finds one of the limited-edition glass sea turtles can keep it as a souvenir and register their one-of-a-kind piece here.

Lucky winners who find one of the 10 gold turtles will also be awarded a complimentary two tickets to the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center and four tickets to ArtsFest 2021.

"We are so fortunate to have such an incredible arts and culture scene right here in our own backyard," says Nerissa Okiye, the Martin County Tourism Director. "It not only improves the quality of life for those who call Martin County home, but also adds an enriching aspect to any vacation. Our goal with this program is to highlight these amazing attractions and create an immersive experience for everyone to enjoy."

The program was developed in partnership with Bandwango (a travel technology platform) and the Arts Council of Martin County. It was strategically launched ahead of ArtsFest 2021. 

"We're confident that the new Arts & Culture Trail will help people develop an even deeper appreciation for our vibrant arts community and stay engaged throughout the year," says Nancy Turrell, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Martin County.
Enterprise Florida is holding its first-ever Florida International Trade Expo, a global virtual showcase
of leading Florida export products and services from March 16-18, 2021.

Florida is the first U.S. state to organize such a virtual trade event.
 
This global online platform will connect Florida small and medium-sized companies directly with a worldwide business audience of international buyers, distributors, sales representative, joint-venture partners and decision makers interested in their products and services.
Numbers to know*
$50 million
State allocation supporting Visit Florida, private-public marketing agency promoting state's tourism.

$90 billion
Florida tourism industry

$3.27
Reported return on every $1 spent promoting state's tourism.

$1.11 Trillion
Size of Florida's economy

17th
Ranking of Florida's economy worldwide

BDBMC available to help businesses
The Business Development Board of Martin County, a public-private partnership for economic development is proudly funded and supported by the Martin County Board of County Commissioners, City of Stuart, American Stairparts, Bank of America, FPL, Indian River State College, Council of Chambers, Economic Council, key industry leaders and regional organizations. The BDBMC helps business owners, entrepreneurs and executives to start, grow, stay, invest and create in Martin County, Florida. To learn more, visit www.bdbmc.org or call 772.221.1380.