News

If your small business needs funds, and you have not previously applied for or had difficulty securing a loan in the past, an SBA loan may be your best option. In 2014 the SBA initiated loans at record levels. Through it’s primary mechanism, the  7(a) Loan Program, the SBA had approved 52,044 7(a) loans for...

On Jan. 31, UF Health and Orlando Health officially began a new partnership program that will establish the UF Health Cancer Center at Orlando Health. The partnership is in response to the rising cancer rate in Florida, as evidenced by recent studies by the National Cancer Institute, which say that Florida has the second-largest cancer...

The Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency (GRAC) held a kick-off event on Dec. 18 for the redevelopment of the Gainesville Technology Enterprise Center (GTEC) and the Kennedy Homes site at 1717 SE Eighth Ave. About 40 members of the community attended the meeting. GTEC opened in 2001 as a technology incubator in East Gainesville off of...

Plum Creek, the largest landowner in Alachua County, completed the second phase of its Envision Alachua economic development process on Dec. 13 when it submitted its long-term master plan to the county for approval.   The submittal is the result of two years — 2011 to 2013 — worth of community workshops and task force...

By Bradley Osburn I think the true representation of Gainesville is an untold story,” said Susan Davenport, the vice president of economic development for the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, before lamenting that the city doesn’t market its aesthetic very well. Sitting in the Chamber’s conference room, she cited a recent article she read that...

On the corner of 34th Street and West University Avenue in Gainesville, at the entrance of Westgate Plaza, sits a faded Grandy’s sign. Other than memories, it’s all that is left of the restaurant, which was torn down earlier this year after 28 years in business and was the last location in Florida. A chicken...

By Bradley Osburn The City of Gainesville Planning & Development Services Department is responsible for making sure that the land in Gainesville is put to proper use according to a set of standards. And those standards are laid out in a massive, meticulously written document called the Comprehensive Plan. “The Comprehensive Plan is the vision...

On Dec. 19, The Education Foundation of Alachua County awarded three Alachua County Public Schools with $1,900 each to fund projects thanks to an AT&T “STEM@Work” grant received through the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF). Students at Oak View Middle School, Mebane High School and Santa Fe High School will have the opportunity to...

Plum Creek Hires Workers to Install Legal Notice Signage as Part of Land-Use Application to Alachua County GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Delivering on requests from the community that the company target local workers for employment opportunities arising from Envision Alachua, Plum Creek has hired 10 Alachua County residents to install road signs as public notice of...

By Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce will present its recommendations relating to energy costs and GRU (Gainesville Regional Utilities) governance to the Gainesville City Commission during the next City Commission public meeting on Thursday, December 19 in the evening at the City Commission. The four recommendations included in the...