November 2022
Catalent Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Mark Enhanced Development Capabilities and Additional Pilot Plant Area
On Aug. 22, Pinellas County Economic Development staff members joined economic development partners from the City of Pinellas Park for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark Catalent’s enhanced development capabilities and additional Pilot Plant area. This expands on Catalent’s 453,000-square-foot facility in Pinellas Park, where the company provides softgel development and manufacturing services for a variety of prescription and over-the-counter products.

Over the past 10 years, Catalent has worked with Pinellas County Economic Development (PCED) to explore ways to sustain its growth in the region, including conversations about programs available to encourage growth, utilizing the benefits of a Foreign Trade Zone, and gaining support from the City of Pinellas Park. Catalent’s General Manager of the site Brian Rhatigan states that “We’ve been doing business here in Pinellas since 1980. The area has everything our company needs to continue finding success in new ventures and having the support of an agency like Pinellas County Economic Development behind us is extremely helpful.”

Read the full story here.
2022 Pinellas County
Reverse Trade Show, Nov. 4
Gain access to government buyers, contract administrators, and prospective customers. This Reverse Trade Show is a valuable opportunity not just for direct sales and marketing, but for strengthening your brand and positioning your business as a supplier for local, state, and federal agencies. Here you can meet and connect with prospective customers; strengthen your bond with existing customers; learn about upcoming business opportunities; and much more.

Nov. 4, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Register for free here.
Employment Sites Program Applications Open Nov. 15
Pinellas County’s Employment Sites Program will open its fourth round of funding at 8:00 a.m. November 15.

Pinellas County has committed funds in excess of $80 million to assist in the construction and redevelopment of industrial (manufacturing & flex) and office buildings in order to facilitate a strong and robust local economy that provides growth opportunities for existing businesses and attracts new target industry employers to Pinellas County. The program assists in funding gaps in capital expenditures related to the development/redevelopment of a building.

Find details and a link to the online application portal at PCED.org/esp. All applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. on January 17, 2023.
Climate-Tech Accelerator – Applications Open for January 2023 Start
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center will launch its next startup accelerator program which will focus on innovations and emerging markets in climate-tech. TBIC will be working with early-stage tech ventures as they develop new products that unlock the environmental and economic potential of clean-tech and climate-tech innovation. The program will kick off the week of January 9th and consist of weekly group workshops supplemented by one-on-one mentoring to help these early-stage ventures with customer discovery, product strategy, pricing, go-to-market skills, and putting systems in place that are essential for success.

Learn more and apply before Nov. 28 at https://tbinnovates.com/accelerator. 
New Federal Sales Opportunity for Small Businesses: the Air Force First Look Program
Nov. 3, 2022, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Virtual Meeting

The First Look Program is a new procurement opportunity established by the Pentagon to benefit small businesses within the local footprint of the their closest Air Force base. At this time, MacDill AFB is initiating its participation.

This discussion of the program will be an initial overview, cover the basics of all online platforms utilized, the business model/benefit of each, and the POCs. 
SBA Disaster Assistance

Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are now available to businesses in Pinellas County under the Presidential disaster declaration due to Hurricane Ian. Businesses in Pinellas County are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. The Electronic Loan Application (ELA) is available via the SBA's secure website at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s under SBA declaration #17644. The filing deadline for physical property damage is November 28, 2022 and the deadline for economic injury applications are due June 29, 2023. For more information, visit sba.gov/disaster.

Please visit https://conta.cc/3rmZ4Zy for additional resources available to businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Access ASEAN: Explore Business Opportunities in Southeast Asia and Beyond
Bangkok, Thailand, March 13-15, 2023
Join the U.S. Commercial Service in Bangkok, Thailand for the largest U.S. government-led trade mission and business development forum.

Organized by the U.S. Commercial Service, Trade Winds will feature meetings with U.S. commercial diplomats from over 20 countries in Southeast Asia and beyond, plus exciting conference programming, and plenty of networking.
Pinellas County Economic Development | (727) 464-7332 | econdev@pinellascounty.org
13805 58 St. N., Suite 1-200 | Clearwater, FL 33760