Tampa-based Web Design and Development Company Selected to Participate in State-Funded Economic Gardening Program
TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 24, 2011) – Magnetic, a Tampa web-development firm, has been selected to receive technical assistance through the state-funded GrowFL program, an economic gardening program that provides free assistance to Florida-based, second-stage companies looking to move to the next level in their industry.
Founded in 1997 by Ken Bakunas, the full-service web-development company currently has 24 employees, including Jennifer Bakunas, owner and chief executive officer.
“Sometimes the second-stage companies are overlooked as a group and there aren’t many programs that exist to specifically serve them,” Jennifer Bakunas said. “I believe GrowFL serves a unique niche and is a great support system for driving business growth.”
Created in 2009 by the Florida Legislature, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute is based at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. When selecting businesses for the program, the institute looks for ones that have the potential to be successful, according to Dr. Tom O’Neal, executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute.
“Because of its strong leadership and Internet expertise, I believe Magnetic is an ideal candidate for the program,” said O’Neal, who also is associate vice president for the University of Central Florida’s Office of Research and Commercialization.
GrowFL will support Magnetic through a number of free services, including access to market research and technology, strategy analysis, CEO roundtables and forums, database research and website optimization.
Bakunas said the affiliation gives her, as CEO of Magnetic, “a confidence boost.”
“I have more resources available to me if I’m thinking about taking a risk to grow my business more quickly."
About Magnetic:
Magnetic believes the right Internet strategy can change the future of a business in a profound way. The Tampa-based company helps its clients reach their web potential by having talented designers, developers and other experts build award-winning websites and results-driven online marketing campaigns for them. Unlike companies that simply design websites, Magnetic’s talented experts understand the business behind the Internet. For details, go to http://www.magnetic.com.
About the Florida Economic Gardening Institute:
The Florida Economic Gardening Institute was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature as the Economic Gardening Technical Assistance Program to stimulate investment in Florida’s economy by providing technical assistance for expanding businesses in the state. Qualified companies must be engaged in the following sectors to receive no-cost technical assistance: Manufacturing; Finance & Insurance Services; Wholesale Trade; Information Industries; Professional, Scientific & Technical Services; Management Services; and, Administrative & Support Services. Additional information is available at www.GrowFL.com.
For more information about this release, please contact:
Jennifer Bakunas, CEO Magnetic, 877-932-7526, jennifer@magnetic.com
Linda Nelson, Outreach Services GrowFL, 407-882-0046, Linda@Growfl.com
Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142, chagervandyke@yahoo.com and Lvershelco@aol.com