VOLUME 2, ISSUE 12
B U S I N E S S
M A T T E R S
A NEWSLETTER FROM THE BDBMC M A Y
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From the Executive Director: Regions have become an important factor in economic development and the global economy. Rebranding of the Treasure Coast into Florida’s Research Coast (FRC) in 1998 was a huge step for marketing efforts on a regional basis . The FRC is made up of the respective economic development organizations in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties whose mission is to provide economic growth and competitiveness for the Florida Research Coast region. The FRC is also comprised of our local workforce board, “CareerSource Research Coast” which covers all four counties. I serve as Secretary and Treasurer for the Board of Directors and work closely with my counterparts from neighboring counties to market the region locally, statewide and on a national level. Each year, the FRC holds a “State of the Region” event recapping highlights from the previous twelve months. We have lined up a dynamic group of professionals to address state initiatives, regional targeted industry studies, higher education/ training and a case study of a recent expansion in Martin County. The invitation for the event is located on page four of this newsletter and I encourage you to RSVP soon, as space is limited. Don’t miss the chance to see what has been happening right here in your own backyard and learn a little bit about regional economic development. I look forward to seeing you there! Thank you for your support of the BDBMC and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at tim@bdbmc.org or contact the office at 772.221.1380.
Timothy M. Dougher, Executive Director
WWW.Y ESM ARTINFL.CO M 772-221-1380 1
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers is proud to collaborate with progressive organizations and innovative leaders in a quarterly publication that celebrates successful and smart business on the Treasure Coast. Each quarter they intend to bring you compelling local stories about progressive and innovative businesses from a perspective that is forward-thinking and optimistic. Each edition will celebrate the heroes of progress and innovation in our local business community. Above is the May Edition, which features the BDBMC Team and some of Martin County’s finest companies. The next edition will be published in August and focused on the following themes: education, non-profits, research and technology.
Email progressreport@scripps.com to submit a business listing, announcement or business story idea. 2
Ecosphere Technologies Receives 7th U.S. Patent to Eliminate Scaling Chemicals for Hydraulic Fracturing Oil and Gas Wells Ecosphere Technologies, Inc. a U.S. technology licensing and innovative manufacturing company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a formal Notice of Allowance for Patent # 8,721,898 which is a process patent for lowering the scaling tendencies in flowback water used in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas wells. This notice of allowance marks the seventh patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office since 2010 for Ecosphere's patented Ozonix® water treatment technology. Since 2008, Ecosphere's patented Ozonix® technology has been used by major energy exploration and production companies around the United States to reduce the amount of chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing operations to release trapped oil and gas from unconventional shale formations. In 2013, the chemicals and equipment sub-markets of the global water and wastewater treatment market were estimated at over $25 billion and $50 billion, respectively, further validating the market demand for innovative chemical-free water treatment solutions. Dennis McGuire, Chairman and CEO of Ecosphere Technologies, stated, "The latest receipt of our seventh Ozonix® patent clearly demonstrates that the U.S. Patent Office has recognized our early position as being a leader in the development of emerging advanced oxidation technologies to replace chemicals used during hydraulic fracturing operations. Since 2008, Ecosphere Technologies has pioneered a unique and patented ozone based Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) to eliminate biocides and scale inhibiting chemicals from the hydraulic fracturing process. Our energy customers have experienced reduced chemical consumption, increased initial well productivity (IP), and reduced chemical costs to frac a well as compared to using traditional chemicals. Microbiologically Induced Corrosion (MIC) is a major concern in the energy business and is a leading expense item in refinery operations." McGuire continued, "When we met one of our first energy customers in 2009, they were injecting their produced water into deep underground Class II injection wells. We showed them how to recycle a major portion of that produced water rather than disposing of it. Ecosphere pioneered the concept of recycling produced and flowback water without using liquid chemicals or filtration technologies that leave behind a toxic waste stream that has to then be properly disposed of. One hundred percent of the produced water that is treated by our patented Ozonix® process can be used 'at the frac site' and at the flow rate of a frac (80-120 bbls per minute) to frac a well."
Click here to continue reading this exciting news….
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Just a Reminder!
A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Business Development Board of Martin County, Inc. (BDBMC) will be held on Thursday, June 19th, 10:30 a.m. at the Martin County Administrative Building, located 2401 SE Monterey Road, Stuart in the 4th Floor Workshop Room.
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On Friday, May 16th, members of surrounding communities attended the 6th Annual Treasure Coast Business Summit. Great presentations were given by Congressman Patrick Murphy and leading regional economic developers, Helen Caseltine - Indian River County, Pete Tesch - St. Lucie County, Terry Burroughs Okeechobee County, Tim Dougher - Martin County and Shawn Rowan - Palm Beach County. Over a hundred businesses and service providers were on hand to promote their business and provide valuable information to those in attendance. For more information on becoming an exhibitor for next years event, call or email:
772-224-2898 • info@tcbizsummit.com Thank you to the Pharus Group for putting together a great event!
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Coaxial Components Corp. recently introduced a truly non-magnetic SMA connector series in response to the growing medical equipment industry. In the past, ferromagnetic steel connectors left trace quantities of magnetic material present in the strike layers or as material impurities, causing magnetic fields of 1 milligauss or more. This level of magnetism was sufficient to impair the functioning of highly sensitive equipment. The Coaxial Components custom manufactured Non-Magnetic SMA Connectors, developed utilizing a beryllium copper body and Tri-M3 plating, produced no detectable change in magnetic field testing from a prestigious Ivy League University. The connectors tested to within the sensitivity of the handheld fluxgate magnetometer, 0.001 milligauss, compared to fields of 10 milligauss or more for off-the-shelf components. Many of the Coaxicom SMA series are readily available for immediate shipment. For customers requiring unique specifications, Coaxicom’s Florida manufacturing facility can meet demanding delivery requirements while ensuring excellent quality standards. Coaxial Components Corp specializes in the manufacturing and sales of RF Connectors, attenuators, terminations, adapters and cable assemblies. The company serves Customers in the telecommunications, aerospace, industrial, energy, transportation and military sectors. All Coaxicom connectors conform to applicable Military standards, industry standards and specifications. For more information or to order a product catalog, visit Coaxicom.com or call 866-Coaxicom. Coaxicom products are also available through our ever growing network of International Representatives and Authorized Stocking Distributors in the USA and abroad. CONTACT: Joseph Bajger, Marketing Coordinator JosephB@coaxicom.com 772-223-0444 Coaxicom.com
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TriStar Motorsports is excited to announce that NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Hal Martin will be back behind the wheel of the No. 44 American Custom Yachts Toyota Camry!
CONGRATULATIONS! to Martin County School District for earning “Academically High-Performing School District” designation! http://www.fldoe.org/board/ FPL’s PoweringFlorida-Illumination event connected Florida’s economic development professionals with the county’s top corporate real estate executives and site selection consultants. Included in photo are David Powers - Principal of Indiantown Realty, Gray Swoope - President & CEO of Enterprise Florida, Jill Marasa Business Development & Finance Manager and Tim Dougher - Executive Director, both from the BDBMC. 8
Martin County’s April unemployment rate falls below 6% to 5.7% - down nearly 1% from last month and 1.4% from last year!
Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in April 2014, down 0.1 percentage point from the March 2014 rate, while down 1.4 percentage points from 7.6 percent a year ago. There were 599,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 9,608,000. The U.S. unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in April. Florida’s unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage point lower than the U.S. rate and was below the national rate for the ninth consecutive month. Florida’s seasonally adjusted total nonagricultural employment was 7,778,500 in April 2014, an increase of 34,000 jobs (+0.4 percent) over the month. Compared to April a year ago, the number of jobs in the state was up by 246,800, an increase of 3.3 percent. Nationally, the number of jobs was up 1.7 percent over the year. Florida’s annual job growth rate has exceeded the nation’s rate since April 2012. For more information on the unemployment rate:
http://lmsresources.labormarketinfo.com/library/press/release.pdf
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Getting To Know Your Business Community Partners
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Where We Have Been... May 3rd - Centennial Gala - City of Stuart May 5th - Itown Rodeo Meeting May 6th - United Way Champions Dinner - Willoughby Golf & Country Club May 6th - Audi of Stuart Grand Opening May 7th - Enterprise Zone Development Authority Meeting May 8th - Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce Breakfast - Hobe Sound Bible College May 12th - Council of Chambers Luncheon with Patrick Murphy - Martin Downs May 12th - City of Stuart - BDBMC 2nd Quarter Presentation May 13th - Powering Florida: Illumination FPL Event May 15th - BDBMC Board of Directors Meeting - IRSC - Chastain Campus May 15th - Florida Research Coast Meeting - Port St. Lucie May 16th - Treasure Coast Business Summit - Civic Center, Port St. Lucie May 17th - Stuart Sailfish Regatta May 18th - Stuart Sailfish Regatta May 21st - Enterprise Florida Board of Directors Meeting May 22nd - Treasure Coast Builders Association Breakfast - Miles Grant Country Club May 29th - Tobacco Free Partnership Annual Awards - Flagler Place
...Where We Are Going June 2nd - Job Fair Meeting June 2nd - Itown Rodeo Meeting June 3rd - Small Biz Week Seminar - IRSC - Brown Center, Fort Pierce June 5th - Marine Industry of the Treasure Coast Annual Meeting and Awards - Marriott June 10th - Florida Chamber Regional Meeting - Double Tree, Palm Beach Gardens June 11th - Stuart/Martin Chamber of Commerce Luncheon - Yacht & Country Club June 12th - Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce Breakfast - Hobe Sound Bible College June 12th - Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) Regional Training Session - Marriott, West Palm Beach June 16th - Florida Research Coast Meeting - Port St. Lucie June 19th - BDBMC Board of Directors Meeting - Administrative Building, 4th Floor June 20th - State of the Region - IRSC - S.T.E.M. Building, Port St. Lucie June 26th - Treasure Coast Builders Association Breakfast - Miles Grant Country Club 11