The purpose of the CEP is to be the One-Stop Shop and Voice of the Business Community. We are the designated economic development organization for all of the Ocala Metro. While many focus on our Business Attraction successes (bringing in new major employers like McLane, Dollar Tree, and FedEx) or our Business Services programs (such as Business After Hours, TuesdayTalks, and Leadership Ocala Marion), it is our Business Retention and Business Creation efforts that really have the ability to impact the business community. This is especially true as we go through a difficult crisis such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Business Retention efforts are focused on assisting existing businesses throughout the community with a particular focus on primary employers (manufacturing, distribution, and large office). We work with approximately 200 businesses every year REGARDLESS of their partnership with the CEP. In other words, a business does not have to be a CEP partner to receive assistance. Much of this work is focused on removing barriers to their growth. Sometimes this means connecting them existing resources on the local, state, and federal level. Other times it means we are connecting them with other businesses to the benefit of both.
Business Creation coordinates all of the CEP’s entrepreneurship efforts. Assisting would be entrepreneurs and small business owners is an important part of both the CEP’s mission and the growth of our community. While these efforts are most often associated with the Power Plant Business Incubator, the Business Creation team works with more than 150 entrepreneurs a year the majority of which will never by incubator residents.
As we go through the pandemic, the CEP is coordinating efforts for the business community. A centralize page of resources and information is frequently updated on our website (https://ocalacep.com/covid-19-updates/) and we are scheduling webinars and Facebook Live sessions to provide businesses with important tools to help them through this crisis. We will be using our video capabilities to provide tutorials on many programs and to guide businesses through new resources. Additionally, the CEP staff on these teams are a resource to help small and medium size businesses plan their strategies on moving forward.
I would be remiss if I did not highlight that continued positive economic activity is still occurring. We are optimistic that a major new employer announcement is moving forward in the near future, and one of our local companies is accelerating plans for a significant expansion. Work continues on the new massive Dollar Tree distribution center and work on several smaller projects continues to progress.
