Stormwater Fee Should Not Cause Concern

The new Stormwater fee invoice that you will receive in the next few weeks may be twice the bill you received last May. FCMA has a workshop on June 25 on how you can reduce this bill by as much as 50%.

The City of Jacksonville’s new Stormwater Utility Management Fee (SUMF) program that was rolled out in 2008 caught many local businesses by surprise. In fact, many had no knowledge of the fee until the invoice arrived in the mail in May.

Consequently, given the short time in which they were given to respond, many companies were not able to take advantage of the “Adjustments and Credits” provision included in the City’s SUMF program. In some cases, a company’s fees could be reduced up to 50% from the originally invoiced amount. With fees being assessed at roughly $421 per acre of impervious surface, significant savings can be gained by taking advantage of the “Adjustments and Credits” provisions. For example one company approximately 50 acres in size that received a 50% credit saved almost $9,000 in its first 6 months billing cycle. Another business with multiple properties in Duval County that received 30% in credits saved over $ 100,000 in SMUF fees for the same period.

Several of the credits are fairly straightforward and likely to be something that a company already has in place and/or is already doing. It would be just a matter of submitting the application for the credit. Others take a little more work, but also carry the greatest fee reduction value.

Once an adjustment or credit is achieved, it does not have to be applied for again and is reflected in all future SUMF annual invoices. Additionally, a business can apply for credit reductions at any time and can apply for additional credits later as they become eligible.

If you are interested in how your company might benefit from reducing its annual SUMF fees, please plan to attend this month’s FCMA EHS-sponsored workshop… City of Jacksonville Stormwater Fees: How to Identify and Get Credits from 7:30 – 10:00 AM on Thursday, June 25, at the Northeast Florida Safety Council. Come learn from the experience of fellow members who have taken advantage of the adjustments and credits savings, and from representatives from the City Of Jacksonville Public Works Stormwater Utilities Department discussing changes in the SUMF program. Rumor has it that SMUF fees will be increased for the next billing cycle.

There is much excitement and enthusiasm going on in the Membership Services Committee right now. As you may know, most associations, including FCMA, have membership drives every year. This is something that our association has always done, and today membership drives play an important role in sustaining an association. Who would have guessed that FCMA would have a record month in May for new members. So far, thanks to all of those who enlisted these companies to join FCMA. FCMA is strong today because of it’s members and the fact that each one becomes a great resource to the other members.

- Mark Wood, Membership Chairman 2009

FCMA Welcomes Our New Members!

Advanced Roofing, Inc.
Contact: Thomas Hanzl, Branch Manager
Phone: 904-826-3860
110 Cumberland Park Dr., Suite 205, Jacksonville, 32095

Advanced Roofing has been in business since 1983, growing steadily on our overriding “Commitment to Quality.” Which has made us the number one commercial re-roofing company in South Florida.

AON Risk Services
Contact: Chris Dunn, Account Executive
Phone: 904-861-3513
13901 Sutton Park Drive, South, Bldg C, Suite 360 Jacksonville, FL 32224

AON Corporation is the leading global provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human capital consulting.

Alternative Energy Technologies, LLC
Contact: Karen Allain, Marketing Coordinator

Phone: 904-781-8305
1057 Ellis Rd. N. Jacksonville, FL 32254

Solar Thermal Flat Plate Collector manufacturer since 1975. Solar water heating systems for both residential and commercial applications.

Gyrx, LLC
Contact: Bill Dennis, CEO
Phone: 904-641-2599
10302 Deerwood Road Jacksonville, FL 32256

A full-resource medical device developer and manufacturer. Their primary specialty is within the market for disposable sterile devices. The company has been instrumental in developing and/or producing many products.

LBA Certified Public Accountants, PA
Contact: John Reynolds, Principal
Phone: 904-224-9770
501 Riverside Ave., Suite 800 Jacksonville, FL 32202

The largest local CPA firm in Northeast Florida. Provides tax, audit, accounting, strategic consulting and litigation support services to private businesses, law firms, professional services firms, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.

Liberty Property Trust
Contact: Mike Heise, Vice President
Phone: 904-281-5454
4875 Belfort Road, Suite 110 Jacksonville, FL 32256

A real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Malvern, PA and has operated an office in Jacksonville for over 30 years. Liberty owns and manages over 2,400,000 square feet of office and industrial space in the Jacksonville area.

National Premium, Inc.
Contact: Raquel Crummitt, Account Executive
Phone: 904-246-2655 ext.101
750 Third Street. Neptune Beach, FL 32266

Provides creative marketing solutions, generate “great ideas” as well as develop custom product sourcing for local and national corporate accounts.

RL Harris LLC
Contact: Robert Harris
Phone: 904-610-7682
3965 Blazing Star Road West Jacksonville, FL 32210

Field Technical Services and Support; Technicial Equipment Repair and Troubleshooting (mechanical, electrical, instrumentation), Job Planning (all aspects), Candidate Interviewing (screening and technical), Bench Testing, SAP and CMM Superusers.

Unison Industries, LLC
Contact: Chanel Griffith, Human Resources Manager
Phone: 904-739-4470
7575 Baymeadows Way Jacksonville, FL 32256

A wholly owned subsidiary within GE’s Aviation business unit. Leader in the design and manufacture of electrical components, sensors, and systems for aircraft, industrial, marine, and space uses.

Water And Air Research, Inc.
Contact: Sandy Metz, Senior Marketing Executive
Phone: 904-521-8828
6821 SW Archer Road Gainesville, FL 32608

Provides consulting services in the areas of environment, management of resources, and management of hazardous and toxic materials, providing them with quality information on which to base environmental decisions.

Williams Scotsman
Contact: Abe Oweis, Sales Representative
Phone: 904-424-0027
25 Clark Road Jacksonville, FL 32218

A leader in the mobile and modular space industry. With nearly 90 branch locations across North America, we maintain one of the largest mobile office and storage fleets available.

Golder Associates Inc…. has made two recent Jacksonville appointments within the leadership of the firm. Richard Keenan, vice president of Southeastern operations for Golder, is a newly appointed Principal and Jesse Brown, senior project engineer, is a new Associate.

Presser, Lahnen & Edelman, PA…. will become part of the Dixon Hughes firm on June 1. The office will operate under the Dixon Hughes name and remain at its current location on the Southside.

Waste Management…. is a finalist in the Large Business category for Sustainable Florida’s 2009 Best Practice Award. The nomination was made by Lad Daniels of FCMA based on their success and innovative practice with single stream recycling. The Best Practice Awards Program will be held on June 9 at the Orlando Rosen Shingle Creek.

Ellis & Associates, Inc… was recently selected by the City of Jacksonville to provide Construction Materials Testing and Threshold Inspection Services for the New Duval County Unified Courthouse Program (Better Jacksonville Plan). Work is scheduled to begin in May 2009 and should be completed by the end of 2011.

Solantic Walk-in Urgent Care… has teamed up with Shands HealthCare to build a co-branded clinic in Gainesville.

Advanced Disposal Services… is pleased to announce that its Chairman and CEO, Charlie Appleby is a finalist for the Ernst & Young 2009 Floirda Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The winner will be announced on June 11 at the Omni Champions Gate in Orlando.

Regions Bank’s… North Florida president, Marty Lanahan was featured in the Jacksonville Business Journal. She shared her personal financial strategy for surviving the financial downturn. Click here to read the full article.

Update about Senator King… We have recently received an update on his condition from his wife, Linda King. To read it click here.

Medtronic Welcomed FCMA!

Medtronic, a manufacturer and worldwide marketer of sterile medical devices for the Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons hosted FCMA’s General Meeting on May 18th. Members who attended the event were treated to a fantastic tour of the Medtronic facility. Many thanks to Metro Property Services (Dan Davis, President) for sponsoring the refreshments.

Following are a few photos from the event…

Gov’t Relations Hosts Ronnie Fussell!

On May 12, the FCMA Government Relations committee hosted at the new downtown facilities of The Ronco Group. Council President Ronnie Fussell shared his thoughts on his year as council president.

On June 16, the committee will be meeting with the Putnam Board of County Commissions. If you have any questions regarding time or location, please contact Debbie Warren at the FCMA office.

Pictured below are Ron Avery and Joseph Krall of The Ronco Group with Council President Ronnie Fussell (center).

Professional Progess braves the elements! - This month focused on the environment and the class saw plenty of it when they braved the elements at the Guana Tolomato Matanza National Estuarine Research Reserve Environmental Education Center on May 19. For more information about Professional Progress, including a list of the new class members and a course schedule for this year’s program, click here!

May EHS Speaker

On May 21, the EHS Committee’s special guest Bud Para, JEA’s Director of Legislative Affairs, gave an overview on cap and trade which encompasses the emerging greenhouse gas issues, carbon trading and how it will affect manufacturers.

Training Within Industry Workshop - June 9

The First Coast Manufacturers Association is pleased to announce that our monthly Workforce Development workshop for June will teach supervisors how to ramp up quickly and train employees to do the job correctly, safely, and conscientiously. Click here for more information.

We are still looking for two $500 sponsors. If you are interested, please contact Sherri Mitchell at the FCMA office.

TWI Sponsors:

Jaxon Industrial Services Specializes in heavy industrial cleaning: high pressure water blasting and industrial vacuuming, wet and dry. Provides services to more than 25 major Fortune 500 companies in the South Georgia and North Florida areas.

Roland Hernandez, (904) 743-3437

Miller Electric Company Serves the southeastern states with electrical construction and maintenance on commercial, industrial and governmental facilities. Offers 24-hour on-call service for all Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia customers.

Ron Autrey, (904) 388-8000

Vac-Con The fastest growing combination sewer machine manufacturer in the United States. Pioneered the use of polyethylene water tanks to end water leakage and created a modular subframe so that components could be repaired.

Tom Jody, (904) 284-4200

Members Only Networking Event

Our Members Only Networking Event for June will be held at the Mudville Grille on Atlantic Blvd. It will be on June 18 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, entry will cost $5 and all money collected will be put into a special drawing.

One corporate sponsorship is still available for this event. Sponsorships cost only $400 plus a door prize to raffle. If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Maria Corby at the FCMA office.

Click here for more information about the event and the benefits of becoming a sponsor.

M.O.N.E. Sponsors:

Pal-King Recycled pallets, all types and sizes, including plastic. New pallet manufacturering and computerized pallet design services

Bonnie Quasnick, (904) 358-7135

G4S Wackenhut Provider of quality, customer focused security solutions in the U.S. Provides services to local, regional and national customers through 200 offices coast-to-coast.

Erick Lallemand, (904) 398-1640

Spectrum Logistics Provides the First Coast, with high predictability, trucking, cross dock, warehousing, inventory management, consolidation and point to point service domestically or internationally.

Greg Wellstead, (904) 855-4314

Talagy (formerly ATS Staffing) provides employment services to clients and candidates through a state-of-the art operations center. A revitalized company with intense energy and an innovative process that cultivates talent at all levels.

Kevin Wallquist, (904) 224-1337

FCMA’s Annual Wage Survey

The First Coast Manufacturers Association has begun conducting our annual wage and benefit survey for local manufacturers. If you are a manufacturer and would like to participate in this year’s survey, click here to download the form. Email all responses no later than June 26 to information@fcmaweb.com.

Survey results should be available by August and will be furnished to all survey participants free of charge. If you prefer, you may print out only those pages completed and return by mailing or faxing to the FCMA office.

Remember–the information you report will be treated with the strictest of confidence. Results will be published in summary only and no individual company information will be divulged. Please give us your comments on how we may improve this survey.

2009 Crane Awards

Annoucing the Crane Awards

Outstanding Employee Award Banquet

UNF University Center, Jacksonville, Florida

September 18, 2009 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Click here for more information about the Crane Awards and how you can get involved. Please contact Maria Corby the FCMA office for more information.

Sponsorship Opportunities

FCMA is looking for sponsors for the 2009 Crane Awards. Click here to find out about sponsorships opportunities. If you are interested please contact Maria Corby at the FCMA office

FREE LUNCH from the EHS Committee

Attention Associate Members of the EHS Committee! You will receive your lunch for free and your Manufacturing member guest’s lunch, when you bring an FCMA Manufacturer who has not previously attended an EHS Committee meeting or has not attended within the past year. In addition, your name will go into a drawing for a door prize for all Associates helping to increase manufacturing’s participation. For a schedule of EHS Committee Meetings, click here.

• MAF - 2009 Legislative Report - “The Manufacturers Association of Florida’s had a number of victories during the 2009 Legislative Session. They helped secure $7.3 million for workforce training programs; helped pass legislation that:allows municipal utilities to exempt certain businesses from utility taxes in order to recruit or retain them; and helped pass legislation to hold down workers compensation insurance costs. They also helped defeat the proposed repeal of manufacturing sales tax exemptions.”

• Governor Signs Workers’ Compensation Bill - “Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed the Workers’ Compensation Bill on May 29, 2009. This means there will be a six percent decrease in workers comp rates on July 1, 2009, taking us back to the year end 2008 levels. “

• What You Need To Know About Workforce Optimization - “Sustained commitment to employee training and development counters downturns and results in long-term growth and recovery success.”

• Manufacturing is not an Ideology - “If you were hoping the government would pull us out of this recession, it’s time for a new strategy.”

• Alenia’s Cecil plans take another hit - “The effort to save a planned $80 million warplane plant at Cecil Field took a hit after the Defense Secretary sided with the manufacturer’s competitor.”

• Laboring To Find Common Ground - “Launching a continuous-improvement initiative within a union shop involves a number of significant challenges, not the least of which is overcoming the adversarial nature of labor-management relationships.”

• Six Sigma’s Growing Pains - “Six Sigma is the celebrated methodology developed at Motorola in 1986 and championed most famously by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch as a way to improve productivity and cut costs by identifying and eliminating defects in manufacturing processes and other business areas…But is Six Sigma’s reign as the answer to company productivity improvement coming to a close?”

• The Changing Face of Automation - “The factory floor at Coating Excellence International is an ode to automation. From robotic arms to automated sewing equipment, from the latest process controls on production equipment to automated inspection systems, the production areas bristle with advanced equipment and technologies that allow the company to reduce costs and increase efficiency, as well as improve safety, gain better control over quality and more.”

• Emergency small business loans coming in June - “The Small Business Administration has announced that an emergency loan program designed to shore up struggling-but-viable small businesses will open for applications in mid-June.”

• Sharper Drop Is Forecast for Factory Production - “U.S. manufacturing output is expected to decline 12% this year, a much sharper pullback than the 8% predicted just three months ago and a sign of how the downturn is hitting factories particularly hard.”

• A Breath of Hot Air - “Memo to President Obama: If lean works for manufacturing, it ought to work for government, too.”

Next Meeting Will Be MONDAY JUNE 29th!

Our next General Meeting will be held at Ring Power Corporation from 4:00-6:00 PM on Monday, June 29th. Ring Power Corporation has served the First Coast community for over 30 years. Ring Power sales and rents Caterpillar and Gradall work products. Representative Lake Ray will give a 2009 session update and Representative Jennifer Carroll will also be in attendance. Senator King had been schedule to speak, but is recovering from surgery and will be unable to join us. We wish to honor and show our appreciation to these elected officials for their assistance in helping FCMA on its legislative agenda this year! Ring Power’s facility is located at: 500 World Commerce Parkway St. Augustine, FL 32092 For a map to the location, click here.

“Big Ticket” Goods on Are the Rise in the U.S.

According to GlobeInvestor.com, demand for big-ticket manufactured goods in the United States soared by the largest amount in 16 months in April, the second increase in the past three months. New orders have risen in two of the past three months after six straight declines. Analysts believe this could be a sign that the deep recession in manufacturing may be bottoming out. But they believe a sustained rebound is still some distance away.

The 1.9 per cent April increase in orders was the largest one-month gain since orders advanced by 4.1 per cent in December, 2007, the month the recession began. Since that time, U.S. manufacturers have struggled with falling demand in both domestic and foreign markets. More than 90 per cent of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics are predicting that the current recession, the longest since World War II, will end by the end of the year.

Click here to read the entire article.