Business Archive

“If you have to work more, you should get paid more” – those were the words last week of President Barack Obama as he directed Secretary of Labor Tom Perez to look at overhauling the nation’s laws regarding overtime. Obama went on to say that in his view, if more workers got fatter paychecks, they could spend more and stimulate the economy.

Local economic development representatives spent part of the first week in March at a trade show in California working to lure jobs and investment back to northwest Florida, and according to Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree, it was a very productive trip.

A total of 32 Navarre High School students walked away with jobs after participating in the school’s job fair Tuesday.

The U.S. Small Business Administration March 11 conducted a webinar to share best practices for mitigating spring weather risks and getting businesses up and running after a storm.  While many in Florida think first of tropical systems and severe weather, tornadoes can strike any time of the year with strong early-season twisters often targeting northwest Florida.

The Santa Rosa County Chamber of Commerce is set to host its inaugural Excellence in Business & Leadership Conference April 24 at the Hilton on Pensacola Beach. Organizers have lined up what they describe as an unprecedented group of speakers which they hope will attract leaders from all industries together to network and to learn tangible best practices.

Sharon Triplett from the University of West Florida Small Business Development Center will present “Growing Wealth in Your Business” at 11:30 a.m., March 18 at the Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, 8543 Navarre Parkway. It is part of the “Jump Start Your Business Workshop Series” sponsored by the chamber and Navarre Press.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation each week produces a “Scoreboard Stat” that takes an in-depth look at one specific statistic. The stat for March 10 highlighted the importance of tourism on the state’s economy.

Private investors have completed a strategic capital transaction with Navarre-based Kobetron, Inc., a manufacturer of standard and specialized test equipment for the regulated gaming industry. According to a press release, the investors, James Maida and Paul Magno, have acquired substantially all the assets of the company and will continue to operate under the name Kobetron, LLC.

Although the project is being kept under wraps, 300 to 500 jobs may be on the way to the Santa Rosa Industrial Park.

Santa Rosa County has joined a state-led economic development marketing effort aimed to lure companies to Florida. Commissioners approved allocating $25,000 from the county’s electric franchise fee to participate in the Team Florida Partnership Program for one year at the board’s Feb. 20 meeting.