The intersection of agriculture and wellness is now expanding. The Villages Grown, the community’s farm-to-table initiative, is building on its relationship with the University of Florida through its agricultural, health and culinary programs. Villages Grown Executive Director Jennifer Waxman recently announced The Villages Grown became the local produce supplier for UF’s campus in Gainesville. Both The Villages Grown and UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The Small Business Administration is awarding $28.6 billion through the Restaurant Revitalization program to restaurants, bars, and other similar businesses that serve food or drink. The purpose of this funding is to provide support to eligible entities that suffered revenue losses in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Register now to be a part of Sumter County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business
Expo. This year we are celebrating the variety of businesses in and around Sumter County and offering them a platform
to shine.
The 6th Annual Sumter’s Future Entrepreneurs Competition to be held April 29, 2021 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the Wildwood Community Center, 6500 Powell Road Wildwood, FL 34785.
Students from South Sumter High, The Villages Charter High, and Wildwood Middle High will be competing for cash prizes at the event.
Tickets – which include dinner provided by La Hacienda Catering – are required to attend the event. Space is limited, so reserve your ticket today!!
For the fifth consecutive year, Sumter County, because of The Villages® community, had the best credit debt rating of any county in Florida, according to SmartAsset, a financial services technology company. The firm’s annual 2020 index also ranked the county 11th nationally. Its index ranking was 6.64 points higher than Sarasota County, which ranked second.
Sumter County will begin improvements this fall on CR 229 in Wildwood. The upgrades will include wider travel lanes, paved shoulders, and drainage improvements The project also includes additions at the SR 44 and CR 229 intersection, like a new southbound right-turn lane and a southbound through/left-turn lane.
Salty Boats is expanding to accommodate growth in their boat building operation. The anticipated capital investment for the project is $800,000. The company currently employs 9 people with plans to double, and then triple their employee count in the years following the expansion. Salty Boats has been operating in the marine industry for over 47 years. The company now manufactures several product lines of boats in Wildwood, Florida.
The widening and improvements will allow for easier truck access to existing businesses along the road and new businesses in the rapidly developing Governor Rick Scott Industrial Park. Another upcoming project on the road is the realignment of the crossing at CSX Rail’s Mainline-S which will also improve traffic flow and safety for businesses in the area.
Sumter County Economic Development has once again been recognized as one of 66 economic development organizations accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as an Accredited Economic Development Organization (AEDO).
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