Congratulations are in order for the Bianculli’s and Ocala Recycling for being the first recycler in the world to become a RIOS certified facility. 

RIOS, the Recycling Industry Operating Standard is an integrated standard encompassing Quality, Environmental, and Health & Safety controls into one management system.

For more details on this prestigious designation, click on RIOS.  

The Ocala/Marion County Economic Action Team met yesterday to update progress and collaborative efforts toward economic recovery. Highlights from the meeting included:

• Workforce Connection and Marion County’s progress with a subsidized employment program,
• Pete Tesch’s announcement of five to six projects that will be going before the City and County or grant funding consideration, and 
• the City of Ocala’s progress in the application process for Enterprise Zone designations.

Workforce Connection will host a Job and Community Resource Fair to help displaced workers on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 from 10:a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Ewers Century Center located on CFCC’s campus. 

Companies seeking future employees in a wide range from financial services professionals to skilled workers in manufacturing and construction will be participating in this event.

Please share this information with anyone who may be interested in these services.

For more details, click on JOB FAIR.  

Click here to view the latest electronic issue of the EDC’s Economic Update.

Now more than ever, our community must act quickly and decisively to spark business investment and quality job growth in our area. Having the right leadership and harnessing the power of our business community and the public sectors are essential factors to renewed economic vitality in Ocala/Marion County. Those essential factors are now in place, and the necessary leadership is active and engaged with the formation of the Ocala/Marion County Economic Action Team.

Download the October 2009 Plan_Update.

The Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and the US Chamber of Commerce are presenting a program entitled:  Business Opportunities for Marion County: Expansion through Trade to New Markets.  This event will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 11:00 a.m - 1:00 p.m. with lunch provided at the Hilton Ocala.

Cost:  $15.00 members/ $20.00 non-members

To find out more about the program and how to register, click on  PROGRAM.

A Florida Housing Help Workshop will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  at the Klein Conference Center located in the Ewers Century Center on CFCC’ s campus.

Foreclosure counseling services will be offered for anyone facing the loss of their home. This will be an opportunity to meet with mortgage lenders, HUD-certified housing counselors, local housing authorities, legal assistance, credit counseling services and many other foreclosure assistance programs.

The event is sponsored by Florida CFO Alex Sink, Florida Department of Financial Services and the Financial Action Team, FACT, in partnership with CFCC, Marion County Board of County Commissioners and Workforce Connection.

Please share this information with anyone who could benefit from these services. 

For more details, click on Housing Workshop.  

After hearing the distressing news regarding the Taylor, Bean & Whitaker layoffs today, Workforce Connection, CFCC and the EDC partnered to assist those employees impacted by this grave decision. This includes employees from Maslow Insurance, Security One Valuation Services, Clear Title, and Taylor, Bean & Whitaker.

As a result, Workforce Connection is opening an Outplacement Services Center on Friday, August 7, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Klein Center located in the Ewers Century Center on CFCC’s campus. At the Center, employees can get free re-employment services including assistance in filing for and answering unemployment questions, registering for online job search services, and workshops on Financial Management, Taking Care of You, and Job Search Basics.

Please download this release for more details, and send this information to anyone you think would find it beneficial.

Marion County Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted an Economic Element for the County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Yesterday’s vote is the culmination of years of work and a great deal of research by the County Commission and the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

The Economic Element provides specific goals and objectives to guide the identification and development of potential sites for business/commerce parks as well as regional activity and employment centers. This will be a valuable tool for future planning and growth for Marion County, and help facilitate the attraction and expansion of companies interested in bringing quality jobs to our community. The Economic Element and Marion County’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan will continue through the public hearing process and be submitted to DCA for final approval in December.

Vice Chair for Properties Dwayne Carlton has championed this cause for the EDC, “This vote is a huge step in the right direction. We applaud the County Commission and staff for their due diligence and work toward the goal of making our community more competitive when it comes to quality job creation. This is the culmination of one stage in this process – yet just the beginning in some ways. We still have a great deal of work to do.”

EDC President/CEO Pete Tesch is pleased with the adoption of the Element for future planning, but shares the community has not been idle while waiting for its final approval. “The EDC has been actively engaged with developers and investors on some very viable properties that should bring shovel ready sites to the market by the end of the year.”

After losing several major companies due to a lack of available commercial land, the EDC conducted research to determine areas of the County that would be potential sites for business/commerce parks. In 2006, an independent firm, Garnet Consulting Services, Inc., was contracted by the EDC to rank potential sites in the County. In 2007, Marion County contracted Wilson Miller to take ranking sites a step further. The Wilson Miller study contains a programmed model that will project the economic and community impact on development projects from business/commerce parks to retail centers and housing developments. These studies can be viewed on the Resources page of the EDC Web site. In 2008, the EDC formed a Sites Committee through its Raising the Bar Initiative to assimilate all the research studies and provide specific recommendations to make our community more competitive for quality jobs. One of those recommendations states: Strongly Advocate and Support the Inclusion of an Economic Development Component in the Marion County Comprehensive Plan. Since this recommendation was made, the EDC’s Sites Team served in an advisory capacity to assist the County with the drafting of the adopted Economic Element.

Click Economic Element to download a print friendly version of this release.