Citrus County Looks to Add Business Incubator

CITRUS COUNTY - Just as newborn babies who need extra care can get off to a good start in an incubator, fledgling businesses benefit from intensive care.

Space just opened up for a business incubator at the Homosassa office of the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce. After the chamber reorganized earlier this year, only Mike Orlito, certified business analyst with the Small Business Development Center, kept an office in the building.

At Thursday’s meeting of the Citrus County Economic Development Council Board of Directors, Dale Malm outlined plans for starting the incubator, which, initially, would offer space and services to three new businesses.

“This is not different than what a child goes through when they are born,” Malm said. “And that is that you bring companies in that are brand new or start-up in the first stages of their business and bring them into the incubator, give them an opportunity to grow, provide some services for them. Then, at some point, just like in the hospital, you want to kick them out to make room for the next company to come in.”

John Siefert, executive director of the EDC, said, “An incubator has been in our plans for some time. A number of counties around us have successfully implemented that and due to the chamber contribution of the Homosassa chamber building, that presently holds the SBDC, we would like to move forward on that and we are going to ask for a motion on that.”

The office space would be cheaper than current market rates.

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