Sumter County Economic Development Newsletter

View this email in your browser

Florida is Springing with Workforce Growth

Florida ranked number one nationally for attracting and developing a skilled workforce, according to Lightcast, industry experts in data analysis. Florida's workforce and is increasing in its malleability because of Floirda's focus on workforce development, local workforce development partners, and people moving into Florida. For example, the largest group of people who filled manufacturing jobs were unsurprisingly from other manufacturing jobs, however, the next largest groups were from retail, accommodation, and food services, according to recent data from Duke Energy. This indicates that those jobs have transferable skills to manufacturing. Sumter County's economic development incentives for manufacturing and Florida's large population of people skilled in service and retail-like jobs make locating and expanding your business to Sumter County ideal.

E-Commerce expanded its market from $892 billion to $1.02 trillion from 2020 - 2021, or an increase of 15%, according to industry experts.
Florida has six of the twenty fastest-growing cities in the country, according to a recent United States Census Report.

Blueberry Festival Season
Florida's blueberries are in season, and that means so are the festivals and U-Pick farms are open. Florida farms generated $78 million dollars worth of blueberries, which makes Florida one of the top 8 states for blueberry production, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. According to The Villages Daily Sun, Florida is the first state each year to produce and sell blueberries. The link below has a list of blueberry festivals and U-Pick farms.

Learn More

E-Commerce Continues to Grow
The demand for e-commerce rose dramatically during Covid and has not receded to pre-Covid levels. Industry experts say e-commerce will continue to grow as more Americans enjoy the practicality of shopping online. The growth in e-commerce has dramatically increased the need for warehouses, industrial space, and real estate. Sumter County is the ideal location for a distribution center with a day's trip to world-class sea ports, miles of rail access, and major interstates and highways, making distribution efficient.

Learn More

Sumter County Continues to Experience Record Population Growth
Sumter County continues to be the fastest-growing county in Florida by percentage. Sumter County has been the fastest-growing county in the country for nine consecutive years. From 2021 - 2022 Sumter County's population grew by about 8% or added approximately 10,000 new residents, bringing the population to about 144,000, according to the United States Census Bureau. Florida's population is expected to increase by about 4 million by 2030.

Learn More

Featured Business

Specialized Services Logistics and Specialized Services Logistics: Quality Driven, Temperature-Controlled Transportation, and Individualized Time-Sensitive Logistics. Specialized Services Logistics is a leading logistics company with a long tradition of outstanding quality and operational excellence. By applying expert insight to the major industry challenges, we deliver innovative and quality-driven solutions that address unmet customer and market needs. Specialized Service Logistics is celebrating ten years since its opening operations in Sumter County.

Learn More

Upcoming Webinars and Events

Florida SBDC at UCF
Offering a Variety of Business Trainings Online

Varies

Online Webinars

Learn More

Mid Florida SCORE
Reach Customers Online With Google

May 17, 2023, begins at 12:00 PM EST

Online Webinar

Great Resources

Thank you for reading!

To subscribe, submit ideas, or comment, email Kristy Russell at Kristy.Russell@sumtercountyfl.gov.

Copyright © 2023 Sumter County Economic Development, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
7375 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785
www.sumterbusiness.com

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Sumter County Economic Development · 7375 Powell Road · Wildwood, Fl 34785 · USA

Did You Know?