Pinellas Defense Contracting Forum
On February 19, Pinellas County Economic Development partnered with St. Petersburg College and General Dynamics to hold a Defense Contracting Forum. Roughly 150 attendees were able to take part in a discussion about national trends, the impact of the defense industry in our community, and the federal budget. Speakers included: Congressman Peter Visclosky, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations; Congressman Charlie Crist, U.S. House of Representatives; Pinellas County Commission Chair Pat Gerard; Charlie Bright, Deputy Director of Procurement, USSOCOM; Tim Bagniefski, General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems; Dr. Nancy Crews, Custom Manufacturing & Engineering; and Dr. Mark Strickland and Kimberly Jackson from St. Petersburg College and the SPC Institute of Strategic Policy Solutions. 

Special thanks to General Dynamics OTS St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg College. View photos from the event in our Facebook album. 
Tampa Bay Bank Tank: March 5, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.Meet dozens of different lenders from across the region who are ready to help finance your business! Bank Tank’s mission is to fuel businesses growth and expansion throughout Tampa Bay by providing business owners and entrepreneurs with one stop to compare lending options in a no-pressure environment. Presented by Clearwater Business SPARK and the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development. Sponsored by Bank United. 
Learn more and register for FREE at www.PCED.org/BankTank.
Costa Rica/Panama Trade Mission, June 22-26
Join us for our next export trade mission to San Jose, Costa Rica in June 2020. This mission can be combined with Enterprise Florida’s consecutive export trade mission to Panama the same week. Meet with customers and distributors in both markets within one trip. Contact Brent Barkway at bbarkway@pinellascounty.org or (727) 464-7411 for details.
Small Business Expo, March 10
Network with local business owners, talent, and resource providers at this event presented by the Office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, in partnership with the Florida SBDC Network. Activities will include a vendor hall, workshops, and a keynote presentation from a representative of the Business Connect & Community Outreach Division for the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee. Learn more and register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/small-business-expo-2020-tickets-92357972181.
Celebrate #SBDCDay March 18!
Stop by the Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County Economic Development on March 18 between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to enjoy a selection of refreshments and say “hello” to our staff as we celebrate SBDC Day 2020. The FSBDC at PCED is located at 13805 58th St. N., Suite 1-200, Clearwater 33760.
Call for Applications: Spring 2020 Entrepreneurship & Investment Challenge

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center is now accepting applications to its Accelerator program – The Entrepreneur & Investment Challenge. Don’t miss the chance to apply to the 12-week, cohort-based, high impact Accelerator focused on product-market fit and scaling. Tech startups may apply through March 22. To learn more about the program and acceptance criteria, and to register, visit https://tbinnovates.com/entrepreneur-investment-challenge.
2020 Florida Economic Development Conference: May 11 – 13 in St. Petersburg

Join economic, workforce and community development professionals from across the state at this annual event. Presented by Enterprise Florida. Sponsorship opportunities are available at many levels. Learn more at https://fedconline.org/fedc-conference/.

Pinellas Partners at Synapse Summit
Pinellas County Economic Development staff members were joined by our municipal partners from Clearwater, Dunedin, Largo, Pinellas Park, and St. Petersburg at the Synapse Summit at Amalie Arena. Each year, this event brings together a diverse group of tech innovators for a creative discussion of ideas, technologies and business.
Pinellas News
Tampa metro area ranks high among best areas for new small businesses
(Tampa Bay Business Journal) Madico launches new $40 million headquarters in Pinellas Park(Tampa Bay Times) Clearwater subcontractor gets a piece of $200M Draper missile contract(Tampa Bay Business Journal) Clearwater digital marketer takes steps to go public in$757 million deal
(St. Pete Catalyst) Robust economy drives growing, coworking, workspace options in St. Petersburg(St. Pete Catalyst) Two Tampa Bay companies make Fortune’s best places to work list(Tampa Bay Business Journal) St. Pete genetics firm gets$10M debt financing, hires C-level executive(St. Pete Catalyst) Tampa-St. Pete businesses benefit as most local banks increase lending(St. Pete Catalyst) Jabil rebrands health care division to become one of the world’s largest(Tampa Bay Business Journal) Revamped Trop Field site will be a ‘Grow Smarter research and business park’(St. Pete Catalyst)