You wouldn't think a company with a commanding market share would choose to re-brand itself, particularly in the midst of a prolonged recession. But that's exactly what Peninsular Pest Control Service Inc. did.

Carolyn Richardson, the company's president, said the time was right.

"We wanted to keep it fresh," she said. "We didn't want to lose our position as market leader."

Fendi Replica Handbags A female owner in an industry dominated by men, Richardson is a rarity. Her parents founded the company out of their Arlington garage. Richardson's father, R. Earl Dixon, was a University of Florida graduate, professor and former member of the Legislature. While he served in the Legislature, Richardson said her mother, the first woman to hold a pest control license in the state, ran the business.

Now, 55 years after the company's founding, Richardson has stepped it up a notch, launching a new marketing approach that incorporates social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, while continuing some of the historical marketing efforts that tie the company to its customer base.

Richardson said the new retro-style logo and outreach gels nicely with her desire to get the company more engaged with the community. She's added a Paper Retriever recycling bin at her location that will allow people to drop off Replica prada wholesale recyclable paper products to benefit HabiJax.

The goal of creating a fresh brand while maintaining an allegiance to a company's roots is always a difficult fence to straddle. In the end, all parties seem to be quite thrilled with the result.

Richardson says for all of the efforts, referrals from her loyal customer base remain the biggest source of clients.

And, lest anyone worry, the company's sign over its offices on I- 10 that has become a signature Jacksonville landmark will stay put.

FLORIDA'S MANUFACTURERS

Florida is one of only a handful of states that remains a net exporter, meaning that we ship more goods out of the state than we bring in. Ninety-three percent of the state's exports come from the manufacturing sector, which also provides direct employment for nearly 400,000 workers.

Those statistics are just some that the Prada Replica Handbags First Coast Manufacturers Association will use this year as it works to educate the community on the economic benefits manufacturers bring to the First Coast's economy.

The trade group says its sector is estimated to have contributed $122 billion to Florida's Gross State Product in 2009 - 5 percent of the state's total.

FRESH MINISTRIES BUSY

Fresh Ministries' Beaver Street Enterprise Center has been garnering quite a bit of attention lately. The full-service incubator was founded six years ago to serve Northwest Jacksonville and offers office space, receptionist and technical services to start-up businesses in the city's urban core.

U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., toured the center a few weeks ago. Today, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims will visit. The center is expanding, with Phase 2 of the center slated to break ground on March 1.

It's exciting to watch a local success story receive national attention.