TAMPA BAY, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--News briefs concerning economic and business growth in the Tampa Bay region from the Tampa Bay Partnership:
Center for Training & Evaluating Health Professionals to Have $5.7M Annual Economic Impact on Tampa Bay
The University of South Florida (USF) Health’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), which opened its 90,000 square-foot downtown Tampa facility in February, is on the fast track to becoming a national model for improving medical training, evaluation and patient safety, and creating needed healthcare solutions through cutting-edge technology, innovation and simulation. The new center is a $38 million facility that was fast-tracked and completed in less than 14 months of construction, with 350 construction workers on site. CAMLS is expected to become a job engine for Tampa Bay, bringing 30,000 or more health professionals to the region each year. CAMLS is projected to have a $5.7 million annual impact on the Tampa Bay economy going forward, with an increase of at least five percent yearly. (Contact: Paul Ayres, 813-224-7847, payres@health.usf.edu)
Moffitt Cancer Center Launches New Personalized Medicine Institute
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute has announced the creation of a Personalized Medicine Institute aimed at making a national impact in the war on cancer by delivering on the promise of personalized cancer care. Having patented a unique clinical trial matching process, Moffitt’s biotechnology subsidiary, M2Gen™, is partnering with Merck and other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to launch the first clinical trials in which patients have been recruited using the world’s largest cancer-focused biorepository. This approach speeds the clinical trial process, giving cancer patients faster access to drugs that are a good match for their unique genetic characteristics. (Contact: Michelle Foley, 813-745-1505, Michelle.Foley@moffitt.org)
Life Sciences Manufacturer Expands to Tampa Bay, Plans to Add 72 Jobs
Enzymedica Inc., a life sciences company and industry leader of therapeutic enzyme supplements, will relocate from Port Charlotte to a new, larger location in Sarasota County, allowing the company to expand its laboratory and production facilities. The company plans to add 72 employees to its staff of 50 over the next five years. Enzymedica researches, develops, manufactures and distributes targeted enzyme supplements made from plant-based enzymes. According to SPINS, a market research and consulting firm for the natural products industry, Enzymedica’s Digest™ and Digest Gold™ are the two top-selling digestive enzymes in the United States. (Contact: Cassandra Frank, 941-979-6566, cassyfrank@enzymedica.com)
Raymond James to be Among Largest Investment Banking Firms Outside of Wall Street
Raymond James Financial, headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL with more than 3,400 employees, has announced a purchase agreement to acquire Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. and related affiliates from Regions Financial, expanding both its private client wealth management and capital markets businesses. The official purchase transaction is expected to close on or about March 30, 2012. The combined businesses will create one of the country's largest full-service wealth management and investment banking firms headquartered outside of Wall Street. The addition of Morgan Keegan's 1,000+ private client financial advisors will increase Raymond James' advisor count to 6,000+ to represent one of the largest retail franchises in North America. (Contact: Steve Hollister, 727-567-2824)
Humana Cares Adds 149 Jobs in Tampa Bay, Grows to 1,450 Employees
Humana Inc.’s Humana Cares division, headquartered in St. Petersburg, recently announced the national care center will add 149 employees to handle the expansion of the company’s national care management programs. Positions include care managers, social workers, community health educators, referral specialists and health coaches. Humana Cares, which opened its doors in February 2009 with about 200 associates, will employ approximately 1,450 once the additional 149 positions are filled. (Contact: Mitch Lubitz, 813-287-6180, mlubitz@humana.com)
Port of Tampa Receives $22.5 Million for Major Infrastructure Improvements
The Tampa Port Authority, the energy gateway for all of west central Florida, serving almost nine million people, has received $22.5 million in state funds toward the modernization and expansion of its primary petroleum terminal complex. Critical to consumers and the economic vitality of the region, all of the automobile gasoline and aviation jet fuel for the region's airports, including Tampa and Orlando, moves through the port. Modernization and expansion of the port’s primary petroleum terminal will enable the port to continue to underpin the region's economic growth, viability and job creation. (Contact: Andrew Fobes, 813-905-5132, afobes@tampaport.com)
Polk County Sees Economic & Environmental Boost with Alternative Fuel Investment
Saddle Creek Corp., a nationwide third-party logistics provider, has completed construction of a compressed-natural-gas (CNG) fueling station at the company’s headquarters in Lakeland, the first such facility for a for-hire fleet in Florida. Saddle Creek made a $22.5 million capital investment in the project without local, state or federal assistance in incentives or financing. CNG is one of the cleanest-burning alternative fuel options available with near-zero emissions. The facility offers a more environmentally friendly transportation solution for area shippers and the potential for additional economic growth in the region. (Contact: Tom Collins, tom.collins@saddlecrk.com)
Feld Entertainment Relocates Global Headquarters in Tampa Bay
Feld Entertainment, Inc., which produces the most well-known brands in live family entertainment, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Monster Jam and other Feld Motor Sports productions, has chosen to remain in Tampa Bay, moving the company’s worldwide production headquarters from Palmetto to Ellenton in Manatee County. The move represents a significant capital investment by the company in the Tampa Bay region, preserving 148 local jobs and projected to create 235 new high-skill, high-wage jobs in Tampa Bay over the next five years. (Contact: Stephen Payne, 703-749-5505, spayne@feldinc.com)
USF, Tampa Bay Lightning Team Up to Offer Sports Management MBA
Made possible by a partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning and The Lightning Foundation, the University of South Florida’s (USF) College of Business will offer an MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management. Launching this August, the two-year degree program will emphasize the business fundamentals of the sports and entertainment industry and provide graduate students with paid internships to help them experience how those lessons play out in the industry. “Our metropolitan location is rich with sports and family entertainment businesses and our region has been the host to the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup, the World Series, and NCAA Tournaments,” said USF President Judy Genshaft. “Our partnerships will help prepare students for careers in sports and entertainment management all over the world.” (Contact: Lorie Briggs, 813-974-7280, lbriggs@coba.usf.edu)