President's Report December 2006/January 2007

Kathy Baylis President

Message From The President New faces and construction dust have been more the norm than the exception at the EDC this past month! In November we welcomed back Joan McGill as the vice president of business development. We also welcomed Kathy Grandt to the EDC as an addition to our administrative team supporting Joan and our business development efforts. We are in the final selection process for a film commissioner and hope to have an announcement by mid-January. In preparation for the film commissioner we have remodeled our offices to create another private office. All construction will be complete by early January. On behalf of the staff at the EDC, we wish you and your colleagues a warm and wonderful holiday and a very prosperous New Year!

EDC Website Features New Investor Portal
Investors now have a one-stop web resource to call their own. The investor portal features 
easy access to our most popular online resources and investor level-specific information,
like the President's Report.  Later this month you will receive an email from the EDC
detailing sign-on procedures.  We will continuously improve the site based on your feedback. Let us know what type of information you would like to see posted on your portal! [email us]

Business Climate Survey: Voice Your Opinion
In January the EDC will be surveying Sarasota County businesses about business climate issues. Results of the online survey will be shared with those in attendance at the Business Climate Work Group Strategic Planning session on January 30 (see registration information below).  This information will be compared to a similar survey completed in 2005 to see if there are new or emerging issues affecting our businesses.  Your input is important and we appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete the survey when you receive it.

Florida Speaker of the House, Local CEOs to Address EDC at Economic Outlook 2007
Speaker Marco Rubio, Florida House of Representatives, will give the keynote address
at Economic Outlook 2007: Forecasting Local and Global Competitiveness on Friday,
Jan. 26. The event also will include a panel comprised of Gwen MacKenzie, CEO of 
Sarasota Memorial Health Care; Art Lambert, co-founder of LexJet and Allen Carlson,
president and CEO of Sun Hydraulics. This must-attend event always fills up early.  
[register online]    [related news release]

EDC Welcomes New Members
The EDC welcomes the following new investors: 

Insignia Bank - Corporate Sponsor
Sterling Manufacturing - Corporate Sponsor
BankUnited- Corporate Sponsor
Tervis Tumbler - Upgrade to Corporate Sponsor

Upcoming Events
For a complete listing of activities, please visit the EDC calendar of events

January 18    Financial Services Focus Group, 8:00-9:00 a.m., Kerkering Barberio & Co.
                        [register]

January 24    Cluster Classroom: a one-hour orientation to the cluster workgroups and their 
                        initiatives, 8:00 -9:00 a.m., EDC Office [register]

January 26    Economic Outlook 2007, 11:30 a.m., Michaels On East  [register online]

January 30    Business Climate Strategic Planning Meeting, 8:30-10:30 a.m. , Twin Lakes
                        [register]

February 5     Investor Update Breakfast, 7:45 a.m., Boca Royale Golf & Country Club,
                        Englewood [register]

February 23  Life and Environmental Sciences Cluster Workgroup Strategic Planning
                       Session, 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.,  Location TBD. For more information,
                       contact Diane Andrews