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Economic yearbook 2010
Central Fla. Yearbook 2010
Rail. downtown projects and Lake Nona lead the way.
Lake Mary-Sanford/Seminole County
The area has seen steady growth in the number of small businesses opening and creating jobs, helping to stabilize the economy. The Seminole locations of the expanded UCF Incubation Program have been been especially fruitful: Sanford filled all five of its incubator offices immediately after its September opening. “We’re in a situation where things are as bad for us as anywhere else in Florida, but we’re probably better off than two-thirds of the cities in the region as far as unemployment and number of companies closing,” says Bob Tunis, economic development director for Sanford.
People to Watch
» Greg Watson, president of Cold Plasma Medical Technologies in Sanford, received a patent last December for a medical device that can kill bacteria and accelerate healing of flesh wounds.
» Robert Reynolds is founder and president of Altamonte Springs-based Solis Energy, which is expected to reach $5 million in sales this year with its new product, an off-grid system that operates on batteries charged by solar panels. The Power HotSpot can be used for everything from camping trips to WiFi sites to Third World countries.
» With economic empowerment as one of its key areas of focus, the Metropolitan Orlando Urban League named Oviedo resident Allie Braswell Jr. its new president and CEO in January, filling the position E. Lance McCarthy left after five years in 2009. Braswell, a former U.S. Marine, previously worked as an Orlando-based manager of Global Strategies for Diversity and Inclusion with Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.
Business to Watch
» Winter Springs electrical engineering firm Power Grid Engineering is among Florida companies supporting new legislation to adopt renewable energy portfolio standards like those in 29 other states. The company, started by two former Progress Energy executives, employs 16.
Who’s Hiring
» Florida Hospital’s 15-year Health Village project is expected to bring more than 20,000 high-wage jobs to the Orlando/Orange County.
» The Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research is expected to create 300 research jobs.
» With a remodeling and expansion plan under way at Orlando International Airport, AirTran Airways is creating 121 jobs with an average wage of $45,000-plus and retaining 290 existing positions.
» The Father’s Table, a national dessert maker that sells cheesecake, cake rolls and other products to wholesale clubs, groceries, restaurants and school cafeterias, donates 50% of its profits to charity. The company opened a second Sanford plant this year and plans to hire 50 employees.
» Rose’s Paper, which manufactures paper products for restaurants, is expanding its Sanford facility by 65,000 square feet and plans to hire as many as 40 employees.
