$15 an hour starting salary
Employees at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office who are hired after Jan. 5 will receive a starting salary of $15, according to a news release from the office.
Any current employee who is receiving less than that amount also will be boosted to at least the new wage, the release added.
“In 2013, starting salaries were only $9.25 an hour,” Tax Collector Mike Fasano said, in the release. “Our jobs are complicated and require in-depth training and experience. When I learned that people, especially those who have loyally served this organization for many years, were making so little, I knew I had to make it a priority to increase their wages.”
“Over the past 5-plus years, we’ve been able to raise the starting salary by 62 percent,” Fasano noted, in the release.
For more information regarding the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office and the services it provides, visit PascoTaxes.com.
New SMARTstart program manager
The Pasco Economic Development Council has appointed Daniel Mitchell to run the economic development agency’s in Central Pasco and East Pasco county.
Mitchell comes to the position after having owned and operated two businesses. He also has a background in the finance industry as a certified financial planner and continues to attend the College for Financial Planning in the Masters of Arts program, according to a release from Pasco EDC.
“I am looking forward to using my skills and entrepreneurial experience to help people launch and grow their business in Pasco County. My goal is that these businesses are more than a driver of profit and job growth – but are also a catalyst to a fulfilling life for the entrepreneur and a diversified economy for all of us in Pasco.” Mitchell said, in the release.
His primary focus is to develop a portfolio of early stage entrepreneurs in Pasco who understand how to develop their products and services in collaboration with their customers. Mitchell will also take the lead on the CO.STARTERS program and the Food Hub Task Force, which has been created to develop a plan to create an agricultural value chain model to conserve, sustain, and create food and food-related partnerships that grow and create jobs as an economic development model in depressed and vibrant communities.
Sprouts to open in New Tampa
Sprouts Farmers Market has announced plans to open a store at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Hunter’s Green Drive. The store also plans to add stores in Seminole and Stuart, and those stores are in addition to previously announced several other locations, including one in Trinity.
Fostering business growth and success
This free seminar teaches companies how to understand and strengthen the team responsible for shaping, executing and fostering your business’s growth and success. It is being offered on Jan. 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at 37837 Meridian Ave., No. 309, in Dade City. Go to PascoEDC.com for more information.
WOW-Too (Wow of Trinity and Odessa)
WOW-Too started as Women of Wesley Chapel and was so popular that it expanded into Trinity and Odessa. The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., at the Holiday Inn Express Trinity, 2125 Corporate Center Drive, Trinity, Florida 34655.
Allstate owners help domestic violence survivors
Tampa-area Allstate agency owners recently joined Allstate volunteers across 15 states to secure Allstate Foundation Helping Hands® grants to benefit 35 nonprofit organizations, including a $6,000 grant for Sunrise of Pasco County. The nonprofit serving domestic violence survivors will use the funding to further their programs, such as economic empowerment and outreach services, according to a news release.
Allstate volunteers empowered local community members to donate critical supplies, such as clothing, housewares and personal care items.
“With one in four women experiencing domestic violence in her lifetime, this is an issue affecting every community, including Tampa,” Lisette Fernandez, an Allstate agent in Lutz, said in the release. “We’re proud to dedicate our time and collect much-needed resources to support these vital local organizations and the survivors they serve. We care about helping survivors and their families break the cycle of violence in their lives.”
The supply drive was part of a multi-state effort of The Allstate Foundation benefitting 35 participating domestic violence nonprofits in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. The volunteer efforts raised $340,000 in grants for the nonprofits.
Sunrise of Pasco County is one of thousands of organizations this year to receive Allstate Foundation Helping Hands grants secured by Allstate agency owners and financial specialists for their volunteer efforts. The grants support organizations addressing domestic violence, youth empowerment, disaster preparedness, hunger and other causes.
Participating area Allstate agency owner volunteers include: Mary Jo Chamberlain, Stefanie Cubbedge-Wiggins, Sebastian Dealmenara, Lisette Fernandez, Michael Lia, Naomi Taylor-Kenney and Ryan Toombs.
To learn more about The Allstate Foundation Helping Hands Grants and all the ways Allstate volunteers put their Helping Hands to work in local communities, visit AllstateFoundation.org.
