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Economic Yearbook 2007
CENTRAL: New Spirit
Bulding on Burnham and a booming simulation industry.
Kisimmee / Osceola County
IN THE WORKS: An international surgical training center in Celebration that includes an accelerator to grow medical businesses ... an art incubator for creative firms ... a medical/technical incubator to help Osceola lure biotech companies that want to be near Orlando's upcoming Lake Nona medical community.
TREND: A new joint Enterprise Zone operated between Osceola County and Kissimmee has already saved 11 companies about $80,000 in tax breaks, says Maria Grulich, county director of economic development.
HOT SPOTS: The city-owned Kissimmee Gateway Airport is seeing more activity, and companies are moving into the industrial area around it, which is part of the Enterprise Zone.
Innovators
? Celebration-based Overture Development Group has received precertification to earn the highest "green" rating, platinum, from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Conservatory in Celebration will be a six-story office building that uses 35% less energy than comparable facilities. Features include an atrium, skylights, a "green" roof that captures rainwater and cools the building, a parking lot surface that lets water seep through and under-floor air distribution that reduces use of air conditioning.
? Since breaking ground on its first house in 2003, the town of Harmony has continuously shown its commitment to environmentally sensitive practices, requiring energy-efficient homes, hiring a full-time conservation manager, installing public lighting that faces downward to prevent light pollution and prohibiting construction along its waterfronts.
Lake County
NEWCOMERS: The county continues to grow jobs in the industrial sector, adding two significant tenants to the Christopher C. Ford Commerce Park in 2006: Dunkin' Donuts, which moved its Southeast distribution operations into Lake, creating 70 jobs; and QuietFlex, a manufacturer of flexible heating and air-conditioning duct work that expanded its operations from Texas, says Greg Mihalic, Lake's director of economic development and tourism.
RESEARCH PROJECT: In Mount Dora, technology company Cnow and the National Institute of Telehealth partnered for a national research project, providing long-distance help via computer to families with autistic children.
Innovator
? Deputy County Manager Gregg Welstead is leading Lake's participation as one of six pilot communities in a statewide school concurrency initiative. Lake's 14 municipalities have signed agreements to adopt the "pay as you go" measure, which ensures enough classrooms are in place to handle population increases before developments are approved. One innovation the county has proposed: Building cafeterias and libraries bigger than necessary so more classrooms can be added later without straining those common areas. "It made sense to do it that way," Welstead says. "That was just sort of an 'aha!' moment." Lake County originally wasn't part of the study, but "we begged," Welstead says. "We didn't want to wait until what would have amounted to 2½ to three years to make concurrency happen. We wanted it to take place as soon as possible." Orange County and other parts of central Florida are talking with Lake about how it works.
Business Beat - Week of May 3rd
