BUSINESS BUZZ: CareerEdge programs made $4.6 million impact on region in 2022

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
Students work on a tiny home at Suncoast Technical College, a two-year project with students from CareerEdge.
Students work on a tiny home at Suncoast Technical College, a two-year project with students from CareerEdge.

  • The work of CareerEdge Funders Collaborative had an economic impact of $4.6 million in 2022, according to its annual evaluation. Its funding opportunities, and unique programs and strategic partnerships with employers, educators, government officials and community stakeholders are significantly contributing to the region. CareerEdge’s 2022 Annual Evaluation shows the impact to the region’s economy, including more than $1.1 million invested in workforce development, more than $3 million in added wages, 501 workers trained, the creation of 93 new jobs, 170 new employment opportunities and 671 new certifications earned.

Throughout 2022, CareerEdge achieved several notable honors while setting records in contributions to local business. In May 2022, CareerEdge received Sarasota County Schools’ Outstanding Business Partner Award for its involvement in the creation of a Tiny Home project.

The two-year project was a combined effort between CareerEdge and Suncoast Technical College to allow students to learn construction-related skills by building a tiny home on the school’s campus.

Elevate Data Consulting, an independent third party, conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses of the raw data. The Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS-II) was used to estimate type II direct economic impacts of increased wages and jobs.

CareerEdge is the workforce initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

  • Gettel Automotive Group ranked No. 57 in the Top 150 Dealership Groups in the U.S. The 2023 ranking is based on new vehicles sold in 2022 and complied by Automotive News.

The Gettel Group has 15 unique brands and 20 locations in Florida and Georgia, including Sarasota, Bradenton and Punta Gorda.

  • The RASM REALTORS Charitable Foundation of the REALTOR Association of Sarasota and Manatee will host the 2nd Annual REALTOR Day: Name Your Game on May 4 at Palm Aire Country Club, 5601 Country Club Way, Sarasota.

REALTOR Day: Name Your Game features different sporting events followed by an after-party. The event will host golf, cornhole and pickleball tournaments during the afternoon.

All skill levels are welcome and the event is open to the public.

Proceeds from the event benefit the RASM REALTORS Charitable Foundation, which financially supports local housing-related organizations, scholarships for college students and real estate agents faced with unexpected financial hardship.

REALTOR Day is presented by Berlin Patten Ebling and Stock Development.

To register and see the schedule, visit https://www.myrasm.com/realtorday. For more information, contact Leah DeCesare at leah@myrasm.com or 941-952-3415.

  • The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce will present “The State of the Community Series: Transportation Transformation - Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain,” on April 28, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Carlisle Inn, in Sarasota.

The presenter, Wayne Gaither, District 1 Southwest Area Office Director at Florida Department of Transportation, will speak about ongoing transportation issues in the area. A Q&A will follow.

Registration for “The State of the Community Series” is $55 for members and $70 for nonmembers. To register, visit the Sarasota Chamber website or contact hmoore@sarasotachamber.com for more details.

Carlisle Inn is at 3713 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. The event is presented by Keiser University.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: CareerEdge had big impact on economy in 2022