New Firestone opens, off State Road 54
Terrance Martin, store manager for Firestone Auto Care, prepares to cut the ribbon to celebrate the store’s grand opening on Feb. 7. Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore welcomed the store to the community, along with fellow Pasco County Commissioners Jack Mariano and Mike Wells, and members of the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce. Firestone made a $1,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay, which was accepted by regional CEO Chris Letsos. The store is at 25170 Maren Way in Land O’ Lakes.
East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group will have its Feb. 25 meeting at the Palm Tree Acres Clubhouse, with breakfast served for $4. Normally, the group meets at the IHOP on U.S. 301 in Dade City, but the location is being switched because Feb. 25 is Fat Tuesday and IHOP will be having a special pancake day that day. Dr. Randy Stovall will be the featured speaker. For more information contact Nils Lenz, at (813) 782-9491 or ; or, Vicky Jones, at (813) 431-1149 or .
Metro Places job fair
Metro Places is hosting its annual job fair on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. The event will be in the college’s conference center. More than 30 employers will be looking for applicants. This is an annual event for Connected City in Pasco County.
Learn about MOSI’s future
Julian Mackenzie, president and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), will be sharing MOSI’s strategic plan for its future on Fowler Avenue in Tampa, at the North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast meeting on March 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The session will be at Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. For more information, call (813) 994-8534, or go to NorthTampaBayChamber.com, and click on the events page.
Free business seminars
Pasco Hernando Score offers various free seminars to help entrepreneurs. Here are some of the offerings in March. Register for the seminars at PascoHernando.score.org.
- Launch your business with YouTube, March 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Hugh Embry Branch Library, 14125 Fourth St., in Dade City.
- How to apply for a business loan, March 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St., in Zephyrhills.
- Basic QuickBooks, March 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.
Chamber breakfast
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will have its next business breakfast on March 5 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., at the Golden Corral, 6855 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.
Training grants available
The U.S. Small Business Administration is soliciting applications from nonprofit organizations, state and local agencies, and institutions of higher learning to compete for funding of up to $300,000, to deliver entrepreneurship training to women service members, women veterans and women military spouses.
Up to six awardees will receive a total of $300,000 in grants administered by the SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development to participate in the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program. The funds will be used to cover the costs of educating women service members and veterans, as well as women military spouses who are interested in starting or currently own a small business.
Eligible organizations should submit applications for the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program funding opportunity (WVETP-2020-01) through Grants.gov. Applications not submitted via Grants.gov will not be evaluated.
The submission deadline is March 17 at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
Music fest coming
The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for the Land O’ Lakes Music Festival. The event will feature music from Solar Exposure, Den of Thieves, JT Curtis & The Florida Scoundrels, and Stonegrey. There will be food trucks, vendors and activities. The event is set for March 21 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Admission is $5; parking is free. The Laker/Lutz News is one of the event sponsors.
Pasco EDC seeks nominations
The Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., is seeking nominations for its 2020 industry awards. The deadline for nominations is April 30. Every year, the Pasco EDC recognizes the achievements of top companies in Pasco County for their technology, innovation, job creation, growth and capital investment in the area. All finalists are interviewed, and the awards will be announced at Pasco EDC’s 34th annual Awards and Trade Show in September.
Industry awards are presented in these categories: Small (1 to 20 employees); medium (21 to 100 employees); large (101-plus employees); and, start-up/new (within 24 months).
For more information about the awards program, reach out to , or visit PascoEDC.com.
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