March 28, 2024

Economic yearbook 2010

Southwest Fla. Yearbook 2010

Market trends offer grounds for 'some renewed optimism.'

Amy Keller | 4/1/2010

Bradenton/Manatee County

Efforts to diversify the region’s economy are coming to fruition and creating jobs in areas like clean energy and biotech. Business newcomers include:

» France-based Trod Medical opened its U.S. headquarters in the Lakewood Ranch area last September. The Florida location will spearhead the launch of its Encage surgical device, a radio frequency device used in urology, radiation oncology and interventional radiology.

» Mustang Vacuum Systems, which produces the machines that make photovoltaic solar cells, recently moved its manufacturing operations from Sarasota County to south Manatee County, where it plans to add 125 jobs over the next two years with an average annual wage of more than $44,000.

» Florida Biomass Energy received approval in December from the Florida Public Services Commission to build a $185-million plant that will burn wood waste and specially grown vegetation to generate up to 60 megawatts of electricity for Progress Energy.

Meanwhile, the county awarded two economic development incentive grants totaling $213,000 to Oliphant Financial, a debt buyer and software provider, and Star2Star Communications, which develops and provides business communications solutions via the internet. The grants are expected to create 213 jobs.

Seeking to build on the success of IMG Academies, officials are also looking to grow the area’s sports performance industry. IMG announced in January that it had signed a deal with the National High School Coaches Association to create and host official High School National Championships.

Businesses to Watch

» Palmetto-based Sleek Audio, which manufactures high-quality earphones, has moved a number of its manufacturing operations from China to Manatee County. Sleek Audio’s SA6 earphone, an acoustically customizable wireless hybrid earphone, has won rave reviews and won the Popular Science “Best of What’s New” award for 2008.

» Shopping online is convenient — unless you live overseas and are ordering from a U.S. store, since many online retailers refuse to ship abroad. MyUS.com provides a Bradenton address for consumers overseas. It then repackages and ships the items overseas. Revenue has grown 156% since 2006, and CEO Eric Baird projects $100 million by 2012.

Person to Watch

» Annie Eng, a former stockbroker who grew up in Malaysia, founded HP Ingredients in 2001 to introduce North America to tongkat ali, a plant that is a popular aphrodisiac. Today, the Bradenton-based company markets LJ100, a patented extract of tongkat ali, and more than 200 other standardized botanical extracts for private labeling. The company has eight employees and revenue of more than $2 million. In 2008, Eng launched a related company, Novelle International, which offers three products containing maqui superberry. Eng, 38, says the maqui has the highest known antioxidant level of any fruit.

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