Mark Your Calendars!
April 13-14, 2010 - MAF Safety Conference at the Doubletree Hotel, Tampa Westshore Airport, Tampa, FL. The 2-day event will cover best safety practices in manufacturing and other industries. Registration materials are on this website!
No New Taxes
On January 20 Florida Senate President Atwater told the Senate he did not want to pass any laws that raised costs for Floridians by even a $1. He also said the Legislature must address unemployment tax rates in the 2010 Session.
Unemployment Tax Rates
Florida legislative leaders have vowed to address the high unemployment tax rates the first week of session. View the Florida Chamber of Commerce Fact Sheet on the increase.
Economic Updates Released
Enterprise FL has released the Florida Economic Bulletin, Fall 2009 and the Global Economic Update, November 2009.
Prepare to Export!
MAF and Enterprise Florida will cohost the first of a series of teleconferences on exporting on February 11, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. E.T. The dial in number is (866) 699 3239; PIN 50903801. All Florida manufacturers and MAF members are invited to participate! Please RSVP to nancy@mafmfg.com so you will receive the materials.
Manufacturers in Florida are encouraged to register in the Florida Export Directory that is being marketed to other countries by Enterprise Florida. Go to www.FloridaExportDirectory.com to see if your company is already listed. If not, click the "Register" button to view and select the best membership plan for your company. Signing up is easy and only takes a few minutes. And don't stop there...plan to go on a trade mission in 2010. Check our Resources page for Enterprise FL contacts on exporting.
Register Now for EPA Numeric Nutrient Criteria Workshops
On Januaryh 14 U.S. EPA released their numeric nutrient water quality criteria for Florida MAF is very concerned about the imposition of federal criteria for the state and the costs that will be imposed on Florida manufacturers.
EPA has set up three public meetings in Florida for the public to voice comments on the new water quality criteira. They are in Tallahassee on February 16, Orlando on February 17, and West Palm Beach on February 18. We urge you to register to speak or just show up for moral support! It is important that we tell and show EPA how concerned we are.
MAF gave testimony at the Florida Senate Environmental Protection and Conservation Committee on this topic on December 9. Other relevant documents to this issue are posted on our Resources site under Numeric Nutrient Criteria.
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Manufacturers of the Year Announced
On November 5, 2009 MAF announced the 2009 Manufacturers of the Year: Small Manufacturers - Big Cat HPV; Medium Manufacturers - SV Microwave; Large Manufacturers - Fleet Readiness Center Southeast. Congratulations! Photos under Events/Summit Photos
Now You Can Reach High School Students
Each year MAF has an advertorial in Florida Trend's NEXT magazine that reaches some 730,000 high school students exploring life careers. We are now accepting sponsors for that advertorial. Manufacturers sponsoring will have their logos and product highlighted in the advertorial. Take a look at the 2009 NEXT advertorial and call us today to reserve your sponsorship spot. The "drop deadline" is April 1 for paid sponsorships! Contact nancy@mafmfg.com.
Join MAF
MAF is an advocacy organization that serves to improve the business climate for manufacturers in Florida. Anyone who has a common interest is invited to join MAF. There are several options: Board membership, Regular membership for manufacturers based on number of employees, or Affiliate membership for non manufacturers. Click here for a Membership Application.
Low Interest Loans for Equipment Available
Manufacturers who need financing to purchase new or used equipment can turn to the SBA "504" loan program and take advantage of historically low rates on its 10-year equipment loan. The interest rate is 4.15% for financing up to $4 million. These loans are paired with private sector commercial loans to support manufacturing projects of up to $20 million. For more info, check www.ffcfc.com.
Technical Assistance Available for Teenage Businesses
GrowFL will deploy its team of analysts at no charge to qualified companies to provide technical assistance and access to a suite of information and decision-making tools, including: database research, search engine optimization, geographic information systems, network mapping, social media strategies, strategy analysis, management team temperament, capital referrals, and labor referrals. For more info, check www.GrowFL.com.
Florida Chamber Becomes Partnering Organization
The Florida Chamber of Commerce is our newest partnering organization. We welcome them and look forward to working together on mutual issues.
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