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Enterprise Florida Programs

Enterprise Florida Inc. (EFI) is a public-private partnership serving as Florida's primary organization devoted to statewide economic development.

With a mission to diversify the state's economy and facilitate and support efforts to produce high-paying jobs for Floridians, EFI accomplishes it by supporting, attracting and helping to create businesses in innovative, high-growth industries. The focus is on a wide range of sectors including life sciences, information technology, aviation/aerospace, homeland security/defense and financial/professional services.

And, it is through collaboration with a statewide network of regional and local economic development organizations (stakeholders) that EFI helps to improve Florida's business climate, ensuring the state's global competitiveness.

Small Business
www.eflorida.com/smallbusiness

Purpose:
Enterprise Florida devotes a special section of its website to addressing the needs of the small business community. This tool provides information on EFI's programs as well as information about programs offered by other organizations throughout the state.

Access:
Log onto the site on the Internet at www.eflorida.com/smallbusiness


Export Counseling

Purpose:
Enterprise Florida's Division of International Trade provides counseling to Florida companies interested in exporting their products overseas.

How It Works:
Export counseling sessions normally take the form of one-on-one meetings at the business location or an EFI office.

Contact:
Enterprise Florida International Trade Unit
(305) 808-3660


Market Site Trade Events

Purpose:
Enterprise Florida's Division of International Trade offers small and medium-sized Florida businesses interested in doing business internationally the opportunity to participate in overseas trade events and marketing missions to a number of countries worldwide.

How It Works:
Open to all businesses registered in the state of Florida interested in doing business internationally, Enterprise Florida market-site trade events are professionally planned missions. They feature one-on-one, prearranged appointments with business executives interested in the specific product lines or services of participants. Or, they are professionally managed Florida product exhibits at leading
international trade fairs.

Contact:
Enterprise Florida International Trade Unit
(305) 808-3660


International Trade Field Offices

Purpose:
The International Trade & Business Development field offices provide export consulting and other services.

Boca Raton (561) 362-5626
Miami (305) 808-3660
Jacksonville (904) 359-6600
Orlando (407) 956-5600
Pensacola (850) 595-5416
Tallahassee (850) 298-6620
Tampa (813) 276-9430


Electronic Trade Leads Network

Purpose:
Through trade events, international marketing initiatives and its network of international offices, Enterprise Florida generates numerous trade leads - offers from foreign companies to buy goods or services from Florida - then coordinates them in a free, online database available to registered companies throughout Florida.

How It Works:
Florida companies may register, free of charge, online at www.eflorida.com to create a password. Using the password, they will be able to download trade leads by product, country or time period.

Who Is Eligible:
All Florida companies interested in international business.

Contact:
Enterprise Florida International Trade Unit
(305) 808-3660

Venture Capital Information

Enterprise Florida's website, www.eflorida.com, includes a listing of venture capital companies with offices in Florida.

Venture capital from private investors and investment groups is critical to growing new technologies and businesses that expand the state's diverse economic base.

Enterprise Florida supports efforts in the state to match capital resources with entrepreneurs.

The Florida Venture Forum Inc. is an organization that holds regular conferences and other meetings that showcase high growth, private company prospects to venture capitalists, investment bankers and private equity investors throughout Florida, the Southeast and the nation.


Enterprise Bonds

Purpose:
Enterprise Bonds are tax-exempt Industrial Development Bonds that provide a cost-effective means for qualified manufacturers, processors and nonprofit organizations in Florida to access the bond market for financing fixed-asset investment projects.

How It Works:
Enterprise Bonds arrange bond financing into cost-effective groupings of smaller, individual project loans to form a larger composite issue. By spreading the cost among many borrowers, it reduces bond issuance costs to make tax exempt financing more economical for smaller projects. The program offers low-cost (as low as 30% below the Prime Rate) variable rate financing through the use of composite bond issues.

Who Is Eligible:
Florida manufacturers (those companies with a manufacturing SIC Code); nonprofits that have a 501(C)(3) federal tax classification and serve a community purpose such as healthcare, service, cultural or education groups. The company must meet certain capital expenditure or prior bond issuance limitations, and the company must also be creditworthy.

Amount of Funds:
Minimum loan size is $800,000. Maximum up to $10 million as recommended by local economic development officials.

Contact:
Enterprise Florida
(407) 956-5631


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