PUNTA GORDA — It appears Charlotte County is making significant inroads in the technology field — so much so that the Suncoast Technology Forum has included it, along with Sarasota and Manatee counties, in its monthly meetings.

Of course, the much-anticipated construction of a new Cheney Brothers 250,000-square-foot food warehouse on 35 acres near the Punta Gorda Airport may have been an important factor in STF adding Charlotte County. The new distribution ­center is expected to employ about 600 people.