The Changing Face of North Port, Florida.
November 2022 was a month for celebrating our City's growing entrepreneurial community, highlighting the importance of Small Business Saturday as our local businesses reopen following Hurricane Ian, and wrapping up our in-depth discussions with leaders in Florida's manufacturing arena. Keep scrolling, we’ve got the beat on business in North Port.
City Hosts Inaugural Quarterly Business Welcome
On November 15, the City welcomed 58 new North Port businesses from the last fiscal quarter in an inaugural event at City Hall - the Quarterly Business Welcome. With the 'snip' of some oversized scissors, business owners were officially welcomed into the City by staff, dignitaries, and partner organizations, all there to provide support and resources.
Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, our City is still growing and remains hugely attractive to new businesses," Jerome Fletcher, North Port City Manager, said in his welcoming remarks. "Thank you for bringing your business to North Port and improving our quality of life."
Numerous community partner organizations came out to greet and network with our City's new businsess owners, including the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County (EDC), SCORE Mentors, Florida SBDC at USF, CareerSource Suncoast, and the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce.
Key connections were forged around local, regional, and state resources available to businesses to help ensure success as they set out into the North Port market. The City looks forward to continuing this tradition, empowering our local business owners to utilize the network around them and prosper. If you want to browse the event's photos, follow the link below.
Forging the Future With Manufacturing - North Port Newsbreak
Rob Harris, Executive Director of the Sarasota-Manatee Area Manufacturers Association (SAMA)
The City's own Vinicia Mascarenhas, Marketing and Business Development Specialist, had an enlightening chat with two of our region's manufacturing masterminds, Rob Harris and David Ferguson.
Rob Harris is the Executive Director of SAMA - Sarasota-Manatee Area Manufacturers Association. Rob has over 25 years of experience working in the manufacturing industry and brings a valuable depth-of-knowledge through his experience. We hit on some hot topics, including manufacturing and workforce development in our region, and getting a bead on how manufacturing has an impact on the changing face of North Port.
Check out this North Port Newsbreak.
Listen to the audio of his interview on the North Port Podcast Network, here.
David Ferguson, FloridaMakes Business Advisor
David Ferguson, Business Advisor at FloridaMakes, has over 40 years of experience in manufacturing, engineering, management, and consulting. David brought his decades of knowledge into the studio and had a lot to say about the manufacturing climate in Southwest Florida, recovery and resiliency following #HurricaneIan, and how to meet the growth demands our City is facing.
Listen in at the link below.
Celebrating Small Business Saturday
With Small Business Saturday coming to a close, we want to continue encouraging you to spend big with small businesses. By supporting North Port's brick-and-mortar shops, you:
Help keep our local economy thriving
Support your North Port neighbors
Purchase unique, handmade, or artisan goods
Let's all #shopsmall, #dinesmall, and #entertainsmall this holiday season. Now, more than ever, it's important to support our local business community.
Check out these resources to find just a few of the incredible businesses in the City of North Port:
The North Port Area Chamber of Commerce Business Directory provides a robust list of local businesses. Check out the retail section for some great gift ideas!
Food Trucks In and Around North Port is a community-founded page that highlights the huge variety of food trucks our region represents. Family flying in? Grab a mobile meal at one of these trucks.
