Need to catch up on business news in Southwest Florida? No problem. Here are the top stories of the week pulled from our daily newsletter, Gulfshore Business Daily.
Soukup Strategic Solutions Founder and President Sheryl Soukup
Friday, Nov. 1
SOUKUP STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS, ADMINISTRATION ON DISABILITIES PARTNER
Soukup Strategic Solutions is partnering with the Administration on Disabilities (AoD) to facilitate listening sessions in 18 cities across the country. The purpose of these listening sessions is to collect data and identify priority areas of emergency preparedness and recovery for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The AoD is part of the U.S. Administration for Community Living and includes the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) and the Independent Living Administration (ILA). Together with Sidem, who will provide logistics support for the project, the AoD and Soukup Strategic Solutions will gather information from members of the community in each of 18 cities. This information will be used to identify areas in which the federal government can assist states in addressing priority areas of need for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to prepare for and recover from emergencies and disasters. For more information, visit www.soukupstrategicsolutions.com.
Thursday, Oct. 31
COLLIER RANKS AMONG MOST PAYCHECK FRIENDLY PLACES IN FLORIDA
Collier County ranked No. 8 in SmartAsset’s “Most Paycheck Friendly Places in Florida” list. Collier County was reported with a semi-monthly paycheck of $1,742, purchasing power of 1.72x, an unemployment rate of 4.1%, income growth of 2.2%, and overall Paycheck Friendliness Index of 80.52. Additional details on the study, including the methodology and interactive map, can be found here.
Wednesday, Oct. 30
COLLIER TOURISM INCREASES IN SEPTEMBER
The influx of 92,300 visitors to Collier County in September who stayed in paid lodging was an increase of 7.2% over last September, according to the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau. Those visitors also spent more, resulting in an estimated $83.6 million in economic impact to the county, an increase of 12.9%. Visitation, spending and other key tourism indicators were reported Monday at the monthly Collier County Tourist Development Council meeting, based on the September report from Tampa-based Research Data Services Inc. Occupancy rose .9% to 58.3 percent, average daily rate increased 5.8% to $140.60, and revenue per available room grew 6.8% to $82. The most recent tourist tax report, reflecting taxes paid by guests at hotels, short-term rentals and campgrounds in August, shows collections were up 19.76% over August 2018. Strong growth in visitation out of the Midwest (up 17.7%) and Europe, including both the U.K. and Germany (up 12%), was also reported.
Tuesday, Oct. 29
APPLICATION AVAILABLE FOR REBUILD FLORIDA WORKFORCE RECOVERY TRAINING PROGRAM
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has opened the application period for the $20 million Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program for local workforce development boards, educational institutions and technical centers in communities most impacted by Hurricane Irma to train Floridians in the construction trades necessary to support disaster recovery efforts. The funding may be used to launch or expand training programs for construction trades, including roofing, masonry, carpentry, concrete finishing, plumbing, HVAC, electricity, heavy equipment operations, carpet laying, window installation, plastering, welding and more. Additional information about the Rebuild Florida Workforce Recovery Training Program, including the Request For Applications, is available here. As a reminder, the deadline to submit applications for the separate $85 million Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program is Thursday. The original deadline of Aug. 30 was extended due to Hurricane Dorian.
Monday, Oct. 28
INDUSTRY APPRECIATION AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Publicly Traded Companies
BBGI TO REPORT Q3 FINANCIALS
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. (BBGI) will report its 2019 third-quarter financial results before the market opens on Nov. 7. The company will host a conference call and webcast at 10 a.m. that morning to review the results. To access the conference call, interested parties may dial (334) 323-0522, conference ID 2175708 (domestic and international callers). Participants can also listen to a live webcast of the call at the Company’s website at www.bbgi.com. Please allow 15 minutes to register and download and install any necessary software. Following its completion, a replay of the webcast can be accessed for five days on the company’s website. Questions from analysts, institutional investors and debt holders may be e-mailed to ir@bbgi.com at any time up until 9 a.m. on Nov. 7, 2019. Management will answer as many questions as possible during the conference call and webcast (provided the questions are not addressed in their prepared remarks).
[PHOTO: Zach Stovall]
