TAMPA BAY, FL—Enza Zaden Research USA plans to create a 46-acre, $10 million research complex in Manatee County. That’s only one of a handful of recent technology-related developments noted in the Tampa Bay Partnership’s current highlights of economic growth in the region.
Enza Zaden, the U.S. arm of the Netherlands-based vegetable-seed breeding company, and best known for its Campari tomato, is researching ways to make vegetables like tomatoes easier to grow and better tasting. It will create 30 jobs at the new research complex.
Other developments in the Tampa Bay region include:
STAR TEC accelerator 2007 Entrepreneurship Conference
STAR TEC technology and manufacturing accelerator will hold its 2007 Entrepreneurship Conference April 11-12, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel in St. Petersburg. The conference, “Keys to Entrepreneurial Success,” is expected to attract entrepreneurs, investors and service providers throughout the state of Florida.
Host sponsor of the program is Pinellas County Economic Development. Online registration is available at www.startecflorida.com/conference. (Contact: Mary Rodriguez Gort, 727-549-6436, info@startecflorida.com
USF Health gets $1.6 million for cardiovascular research
The University of South Florida core for cardiovascular research at USF Health recently received $812,000 from the Walter L. and Phyllis W. Mason Trust. USF Health will seek matching funds from the state to raise a total of $1.6 million. The funding will be used to purchase specialized scientific equipment and technology for researchers studying heart disease.
Oscor expansion creates 55 jobs
Oscor, Inc., one of the leading medical device manufacturers in the Southeast announced a major expansion of its facilities in Palm Harbor. Oscor’s expansion will add 55 new jobs to their Pinellas County operations. The company will also increase its footprint with 20,000- square-feet of new construction adjacent to its existing 40,000-square- foot facility. The expansion will include clean room space, as well as plastic injection molding facilities and a larger assembly area.
Animal Replacement Technologies recognized
U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology, Robert Cresanti presented Manatee County-based Animal Replacement Technologies with a “Recognition of Excellence in Innovation” certificate. ART develops sophisticated synthetic body parts for the medical device, consumer, and pharmaceutical industries.
Its patented products employ replaceable muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, and organs made from materials that mimic the structural, chemical and mechanical properties of living tissue. They’re used by medical device makers in design development and by doctors in surgical training. Military manufacturers used them in ballistics testing.
St. Petersburg To Offer Citywide WiFi
St. Petersburg will be one of the first major cities in Florida to offer a citywide wireless broadband network. EarthLink, Inc. plans to build, own, and operate a 60 square mile WiFi network, at no cost to the city.
One day Reality Check exercise
The Tampa Bay region is projected to have unprecedented growth in the future — doubling in population by the year 2050.
Reality Check Tampa Bay is a one-day exercise designed to discuss, analyze and develop alternative growth scenarios for the rapidly growing seven-county Tampa Bay region through 2050. Nominations for participants are accepted through March 15. For more information contact: amy@realitychecktampabay.org
Southeast Venture Conference, February 29 – March 1, 2012 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, VA – Where Smart Money Meets Smart People.
www.seventure.org
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