At a Volusia County economic development quarterly breakfast on Valentine’s Day, a county economic development presenter told attendees that roughly 1,400 patents had been filed in the county since February and urged support for local startups and small businesses as engines of job growth.

The presenter said the county's commercial permitting and employment charts show modest growth in some sectors and a small dip in residential permitting tied to higher mortgage rates. He said several large employers ' including Amazon, AdventHealth, Boeing and French electric-aircraft firm Aura Aero ' have projects in the area that the presenter said are expected to add jobs. "We're going to see a trend going up again in employment," the economic development presenter said.

Why it matters: county staff argued that small businesses and startups now account for a large share of new jobs created since COVID and that local innovation can bolster economic resilience. The presenter said startups and high-propensity businesses ' those likely to hire additional employees ' are increasing in Volusia County and that supporting those firms will help diversify the local economy.

Panelists Desiree Holler, founder of Subsafe, and Tim Meadows, an entrepreneur in aloe-derived products and former technical director in sunscreen development, described how they validated markets, protected intellectual property and navigated growth challenges. "We just started with some of the market research and started asking friends and family," Desiree Holler said of the early work that led her team to pursue a patent and retail distribution.

Meadows described product and supply challenges tied to aloe's properties and industry standards. "Aloe is very photoreactive. It turns color in the presence of light, UV light," he said, describing why his company developed stabilized processing methods and supply‑chain controls.

The presenter also showed county data on patents and innovation. He said about 1,400 patents have been filed in Volusia County since February; a slide used in the presentation displayed a separate visual of roughly 1,014 iconized "light bulbs" representing patents. The presenter attributed compilation of the patent data to county staff who reviewed filings and classifications tracked by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Resources and needs: both entrepreneurs cited challenges small businesses face, including knockoffs, shipping costs, quality controls and the need for business mentoring. Holler said early retail placements were won through direct outreach and relationship-building with corporate buyers. Meadows described vertical integration and testing steps his firm used to demonstrate product purity.

The county invited the public to the Volusia Innovation Challenge, a competition the presenter said the county retained after its founder retired. The presenter said the challenge has run for more than a decade, is open to the entire Volusia County community, and will hold a final event on March 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; registration is free, he said.

The event closed with an appeal for attendees to support local entrepreneurs through mentorship, purchases and by attending the Innovation Challenge showcase.