Dental Supplier Announces Expansion of Tampa Bay Facility; 40 New JobsProjected
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DENTSPLY International recently announced that it will merge two of itsorthodontic businesses: Glenroe, which has its manufacturing site and 144employees in Manatee County, and Raintree, which is currently headquartered inNew Orleans; and will relocate the merged division in Bradenton, Florida. TheGlenroe and Raintree Divisions provide professional dental products to generaldentists and orthodontists throughout the world. Initially, 15-20 newmanagement level jobs in accounting, customer service, manufacturing, andsales/marketing will be created to support the relocation and facilityexpansion. Over time, it is expected another 15-20 manufacturing assignmentswill be needed to support production in the expanded operations. (Contact:Kerri Sebring, 717-849-7876, [email protected])
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Tampa Bay Biotechnology Company May Hold The Key To Treating Hepatitis C
Romark Laboratories, a Tampa-based biotechnology company, hopes to provethat a drug used to treat gastrointestinal illnesses in children and adults iseffective against hepatitis C, the leading cause of liver transplants in theUnited States. If ongoing clinical trials are successful, it could transformRomark's drug, Alinia, into a billion-dollar blockbuster. And it would be abreakthrough for the more than 4 million Americans with hepatitis C, which canlead to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Romark is testing Alinia,in conjunction with the standard treatment, in 120 U.S. hepatitis C patients,half of whom have failed prior treatment. It expects to announce results ofthe trials by year-end. (Contact: Jean-Francois Rossignol, 813-282-8544,[email protected])
Confucius Institute To Be Established at USF
The University of South Florida won a competitive bid to launch one of thenewest Confucius Institutes, cultural centers that China has spread touniversities globally. The Confucius Institute at USF is expected to help theeducational and business communities in Tampa Bay and throughout Floridadevelop and promote closer ties with China, the world's fastest-growingeconomy. USF's campus is the only Florida location for the cultural center,branches of which have proliferated in 64 countries since 2004, including 40in the United States. USF is running the Confucius Institute with its longtimepartner, Nankai University in Tianjin, with which it has exchanged studentsand faculty for nearly 25 years. Two Nankai scholars will arrive at USF inFebruary. A third will arrive in time for the fall semester, when theinstitute will begin a course on doing business in China. The Chinesegovernment will award USF $100,000 annually for up to five years to teachintroductory Chinese, contemporary political science and doing business inChina. USF will match that with about $200,000 for the first year. (Contact:Ken Gullette, 813-974-4014, [email protected])
Work Tools International Rolls Out Tampa Bay Expansion
Work Tools International, one of the world's largest manufacturers ofspecialty and decorative paint applicators, is utilizing a $3.2 millionIndustrial Revenue Bond (IRB) to finance an expansion in Pinellas Park, FL.The expansion includes construction of a 43,600-square-foot building, thepurchase of new manufacturing equipment, and the addition of 10 newmanufacturing jobs. "The IRB is opening new doors for us," explains GregKieler, Co-President of Work Tools International. "With it, we were able toend our days of leasing and purchase the land and building needed to expandour product line and increase our sales." With its IRB-funded expansion, thecompany plans to manufacture more of its WHIZZ line of paint rollers, brushes,handles and poles at its Pinell
