5A Identifying Local Opportunities
Opportunity 1
"Volunteers Fan through the city to tally Homeless"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190123/volunteers-fan-through-city-to-tally-homeless
Description of the Story: Mark Watson, co-chairman of the survey company, who got hired by the city to go over the approximate numbers of homeless individuals in the city. The religious community of Gainesville has been providing some aid, by providing household items such as shampoo, soap, snacks, and socks. The article also talks about one female homeless person, Paige H., and how she wants to save enough money to go back to her home state, Maine, and start a project where she can turn a cabin into a commune for people who live off of streets.
Description of the Problem: I believe Paige is working toward a good cause, however, she needs to find a way to maintain the commune property in order for her project to work. It's important for Paige to find a way to collect a minimum amount of money from those who will live in the commune to financially maintain the property down the road.
Who?: Paige has a problem, because she may not be able to maintain the property financially if her money runs out. Homeless individuals will have a problem, if the commune can't maintain itself, they may be driven back to the street. There is a business opportunity here because if I could train these individuals with skills such as cleaning knowledge, they can work as a community to bring in income to the commune and part of the income can be shared to maintain the commune.
Opportunity 2
"County Votes to Stop using Prison Labor"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/county-votes-to-stop-using-prison-labor
Description of the Story: Alachua County commissioners voted to end the use of state prison laborers for projects such as mowing grass, filling potholes, and mixing concrete. One of the reasons is that none of the charges the county paid to the dept of corrections went to the inmate laborers, thus, the county wants to end the contract with the dept. of corrections to fix the broken program. The city is planning to hire 20 full-time employees to fulfill the duties inmates did before.
Description of the problem: The county does not have laborers to maintain these jobs around the county and even if they hire new employees, it could cost the county more to have full-time employees because they have to provide benefits and insurances for the new-hires as official county government employees. Also, maintenance may not always be needed, thus, hiring an employee for these types of jobs may not be suitable. Instead, if I could establish a company and provide the county with laborers with the necessary knowledge as a contractor with a cheaper price than the amount the county has to pay new hires with monthly salaries, the county may consider using my service rather than hiring full-time employees.
Who: Alachua County
Opportunity 3
"Main Street Post Office Dropbox Burglarized"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/main-street-post-office-dropbox-burglarized
Description of the Story: A USPS mail dropbox was burglarized at the main street post office in Gainesville. Police are suspecting that someone tampered with the dropbox to look for checks to use illegally.
Description of the Problem: USPS mail dropbox can be tampered with, thus securing the dropbox is needed. Having an alarm system attached to the box that can ring when tampered with will deter criminals from trying. Just like alarm systems placed in banks, an alarm can be triggered when the dropbox is opened by forced or when it is disturbed.
Who: mostly USPS, because they are responsible to protect their customers' mail.
Opportunity 4
"3 Trapped Kids Died from Accidental Asphyxiation"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190117/sheriff-3-trapped-kids-died-from-accidental-asphyxiation
Description of the Story: 2 young children and a toddler accidentally froze to death in Suwannee County. The kids were playing in their backyard; at one point, the mother went inside the house to use the bathroom, the police suspect that the kids climbed onto a top of a working freezer in the backyard and then the lid closed and the kids were trapped inside. They were stuck inside the freezer for up to 45 min.
Description of the Problem: People see news about an individual getting stuck inside a freezer every now and then, which means this types of accidents happen. Adults sometimes get killed by accidentally being stuck in a walk-in freezer and children can get stuck inside of a home appliance freezer. Commercial freezers may have some sort of preventative measures, such as installing a system that the door can be opened from inside. However, domestic freezers do not have this function. If I can produce a movement sensor that can be put inside of domestic fridge and freezers which can detect any movements inside of the fridge and connect the sensor to an alarm system outside of the fridge, there is a business opportunity.
Who: Parents with a freezer reachable by small children
Opportunity 5
"City Commissions Unanimously Approves Plastic Bag Ban in Gainesville"
https://mycbs4.com/news/local/city-commission-unanimously-approves-plastic-bag-ban-in-gainesville
What's the Story?: Commissioners in the city of Gainesville voted on banning the usage of plastic bags and styrofoam. Beginning on August 1st, 2019, giving out plastic bags will be banned in grocery stores and restaurants in an effort to motivate consumers to use recyclable bags. The use of styrofoam take out utensils and containers by restaurants will also be banned. Shops and restaurants have time until August to make adjustments in their plastic bag and styrofoam usage.
What's the Problem?: Shops and restaurants can no longer continue to use plastic bags and styrofoam products. They are forced to find other products to replace these items. For instance, Publix and other grocery stores heavily use plastic bags to put items, they will have to find alternative and affordable ways to bag customers' groceries. Or Publix may only offer a paper bag for their customers. This is an opportunity to introduce and supply biodegradable bags that can replace plastic bags. There are disposable bag products out there that are made out of cassava root vegetable and it performs like a plastic bag, however, the bags are biodegradable, it can fully decompose in 90 days. Also, there are bio-degradable cutlery products made out of rice, wheat, and water that can be used for disposable take-out forks and spoons. If I can supply these items to these shops at a competitive price, there is a business opportunity.
Who: Mostly local merchants
"Volunteers Fan through the city to tally Homeless"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190123/volunteers-fan-through-city-to-tally-homeless
Description of the Story: Mark Watson, co-chairman of the survey company, who got hired by the city to go over the approximate numbers of homeless individuals in the city. The religious community of Gainesville has been providing some aid, by providing household items such as shampoo, soap, snacks, and socks. The article also talks about one female homeless person, Paige H., and how she wants to save enough money to go back to her home state, Maine, and start a project where she can turn a cabin into a commune for people who live off of streets.
Description of the Problem: I believe Paige is working toward a good cause, however, she needs to find a way to maintain the commune property in order for her project to work. It's important for Paige to find a way to collect a minimum amount of money from those who will live in the commune to financially maintain the property down the road.
Who?: Paige has a problem, because she may not be able to maintain the property financially if her money runs out. Homeless individuals will have a problem, if the commune can't maintain itself, they may be driven back to the street. There is a business opportunity here because if I could train these individuals with skills such as cleaning knowledge, they can work as a community to bring in income to the commune and part of the income can be shared to maintain the commune.
Opportunity 2
"County Votes to Stop using Prison Labor"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/county-votes-to-stop-using-prison-labor
Description of the Story: Alachua County commissioners voted to end the use of state prison laborers for projects such as mowing grass, filling potholes, and mixing concrete. One of the reasons is that none of the charges the county paid to the dept of corrections went to the inmate laborers, thus, the county wants to end the contract with the dept. of corrections to fix the broken program. The city is planning to hire 20 full-time employees to fulfill the duties inmates did before.
Description of the problem: The county does not have laborers to maintain these jobs around the county and even if they hire new employees, it could cost the county more to have full-time employees because they have to provide benefits and insurances for the new-hires as official county government employees. Also, maintenance may not always be needed, thus, hiring an employee for these types of jobs may not be suitable. Instead, if I could establish a company and provide the county with laborers with the necessary knowledge as a contractor with a cheaper price than the amount the county has to pay new hires with monthly salaries, the county may consider using my service rather than hiring full-time employees.
Who: Alachua County
Opportunity 3
"Main Street Post Office Dropbox Burglarized"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190122/main-street-post-office-dropbox-burglarized
Description of the Story: A USPS mail dropbox was burglarized at the main street post office in Gainesville. Police are suspecting that someone tampered with the dropbox to look for checks to use illegally.
Description of the Problem: USPS mail dropbox can be tampered with, thus securing the dropbox is needed. Having an alarm system attached to the box that can ring when tampered with will deter criminals from trying. Just like alarm systems placed in banks, an alarm can be triggered when the dropbox is opened by forced or when it is disturbed.
Who: mostly USPS, because they are responsible to protect their customers' mail.
Opportunity 4
"3 Trapped Kids Died from Accidental Asphyxiation"
https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190117/sheriff-3-trapped-kids-died-from-accidental-asphyxiation
Description of the Story: 2 young children and a toddler accidentally froze to death in Suwannee County. The kids were playing in their backyard; at one point, the mother went inside the house to use the bathroom, the police suspect that the kids climbed onto a top of a working freezer in the backyard and then the lid closed and the kids were trapped inside. They were stuck inside the freezer for up to 45 min.
Description of the Problem: People see news about an individual getting stuck inside a freezer every now and then, which means this types of accidents happen. Adults sometimes get killed by accidentally being stuck in a walk-in freezer and children can get stuck inside of a home appliance freezer. Commercial freezers may have some sort of preventative measures, such as installing a system that the door can be opened from inside. However, domestic freezers do not have this function. If I can produce a movement sensor that can be put inside of domestic fridge and freezers which can detect any movements inside of the fridge and connect the sensor to an alarm system outside of the fridge, there is a business opportunity.
Who: Parents with a freezer reachable by small children
Opportunity 5
"City Commissions Unanimously Approves Plastic Bag Ban in Gainesville"
https://mycbs4.com/news/local/city-commission-unanimously-approves-plastic-bag-ban-in-gainesville
What's the Story?: Commissioners in the city of Gainesville voted on banning the usage of plastic bags and styrofoam. Beginning on August 1st, 2019, giving out plastic bags will be banned in grocery stores and restaurants in an effort to motivate consumers to use recyclable bags. The use of styrofoam take out utensils and containers by restaurants will also be banned. Shops and restaurants have time until August to make adjustments in their plastic bag and styrofoam usage.
What's the Problem?: Shops and restaurants can no longer continue to use plastic bags and styrofoam products. They are forced to find other products to replace these items. For instance, Publix and other grocery stores heavily use plastic bags to put items, they will have to find alternative and affordable ways to bag customers' groceries. Or Publix may only offer a paper bag for their customers. This is an opportunity to introduce and supply biodegradable bags that can replace plastic bags. There are disposable bag products out there that are made out of cassava root vegetable and it performs like a plastic bag, however, the bags are biodegradable, it can fully decompose in 90 days. Also, there are bio-degradable cutlery products made out of rice, wheat, and water that can be used for disposable take-out forks and spoons. If I can supply these items to these shops at a competitive price, there is a business opportunity.
Who: Mostly local merchants
The 5th opportunity you presented is the most exciting to me because I am a huge advocate for environmental protection so this ban is a huge step in the right direction. I think everyone can follow in Aldi's footsteps and only provide bags if customers pay for them. Not only will it save them money in the long run, it will continue to encourage people to protect the environment and use less harmful materials.
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