"Efforts to diversify the region’s economy have already paid dividends." — Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration
Orlando / Orange County
 UCF’s Sean Snaith says an effort to form a clean technology cluster fueled by federal stimulus money could be “the next version of the life sciences cluster.” [Photo: Jeffrey Camp] |
“Efforts to diversify the region’s economy have already paid dividends,” says Sean Snaith, director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida’s College of Business Administration. “Health is the one sector that is growing in an otherwise contracted economy. It’s a sector that is recession-resistant. ... You can’t delay an emergency appendectomy until the economy turns around.”
A new biotech and life sciences cluster at Lake Nona remains the region’s brightest spot, growing ahead of schedule with more than $1.5 billion in active construction projects. Anchors include a $656-million Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a $400-million Nemours Children’s Hospital — both set to open in 2012 — a $160-million UCF Health Sciences campus and a $85-million Burnham Institute for Medical Research facility, which are ramping up operations this year.
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Meanwhile, downtown, construction of an events center to replace the Amway Arena is on schedule and under budget, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says. But two companion projects to build a performing arts center and renovate the Citrus Bowl stadium are on hold while officials determine how to replace $270 million worth of tourism taxes that were supposed to fund the projects.
With incentive dollars tight, the area is toning down goals of bringing in new companies, focusing instead on helping existing businesses survive and grow. The city, county and other partners are expanding programs aimed at accelerating small businesses, including the Disney Entrepreneur Center, a one-stop shop of multiple service providers; a growing chain of UCF business incubators; a UCF Venture Lab, which helps high-growth companies raise capital; and programs affiliated with private Rollins College in Winter Park and the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“You can’t be in the game if you don’t have bait to attract companies here,” Snaith says. “So you’ve got to focus on what’s already here and help those businesses grow and do what you can do locally until we can right the fiscal ship.”
Developing
Leaders are working on developing a fast-growing cluster around environment-friendly products and services or “clean technology,” fueled by federal stimulus money and a new Orange County government program that includes a benchmark study and a symposium series. “It could be the next version of the life sciences cluster,” says Snaith.
Businesses to Watch
| Who's Hiring |
| » Jardon and Howard Technologies, which designs and produces simulation and training programs for the Department of Defense, plans to create 100 jobs in Orange County by 2011. |
| » Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, a “clean tech” power generation company, is expected to create 225 jobs with a recent expansion at its Orlando service center and a new manufacturing facility in Orange County. |
| » FPA Clinical Research, which conducts clinical trials for major drug companies, expanded its headquarters in downtown Kissimmee in January and added a family practice clinic, creating 15 jobs. The company’s plans call for 25 to 30 more hires within two years. |
| » Goodman Manufacturing, a distribution facility, is bringing about 20 jobs and expanding into an 18,000-sq.-ft. facility. |
| » Skanska USA Building starts work this summer on the Nemours Children’s Hospital that broke ground in February. The company and its subcontractors will provide employment for at least 200 people onsite this year and a total of between 2,000 and 3,000 workers in all different types of construction by the time the facility opens in mid-2012. |
| » Planar Energy Devices, a 2-year-old company that designs and manufactures metallic-lithium batteries for everything from electronics to electric vehicles, employs about a dozen scientists and Ph.D.s and is doubling its staff this year to add manufacturing and process employees. |
| » FedEx opened a regional facility in Sanford late last year with 120 to 130 jobs and is looking to expand. |
» Kaplan University opened an operations support center in the Central Florida Research Park near UCF in January and plans to create 750 local jobs by 2012. Positions will be in admissions, information technology, management and administration. About 60 veteran employees are moving to Orange County to launch the center. Based in Davenport, Iowa, the university serves more than 41,000 students online and in classrooms.
» The Virtual Reality Medical Center, a San Diego-based medical simulation company with offices at the University of Central Florida and in the downtown Parramore neighborhood, is launching a virtual-reality physical and cognitive rehabilitation system this year funded by the National Science Foundation. The first prototype will be for use in hospital and clinic settings, says Angela Salva, director of the Florida operations, which employ about a dozen people.
People to Watch
» Tom O’Neal, associate vice president for research and commercialization and executive director of UCF’s business incubation program, was named 2008 Business Incubation Advocate of the Year by the Florida Business Incubation Association, an organization he now leads as president. Founded in 1999, the program operates five centers in Orlando and Winter Springs and is expanding into Winter Park and Lake and Osceola counties. The incubators have helped more than 100 emerging companies create 900-plus jobs with an average salary of $59,000.
» As senior managing director of Tavistock Group, Rasesh Thakkar is the company’s point man for its Lake Nona development and the “medical city” concept. He’s passionate about bringing together a community of scientists who might work with different entities but will gravitate toward each other in social settings and start brainstorming. From there, he says, who knows what kinds of scientific breakthroughs could come out of central Florida.
Lake Mary / Seminole County
Seminole County saw its workforce grow each month last year. In Lake Mary, the financial services industry, one of Seminole’s strongest sectors, has held relatively steady despite the ties some local employers have to troubled Wall Street institutions. “People are continuing to move here. I’m feeling like this could have been a lot worse, in terms of the types of companies and who they’re connected to,” says Bill McDermott, the county’s director of economic development. “For whatever reasons, they’ve made decisions to maintain these workforces down here.” Still, he says, “I go to work every morning and look at the parking lots and say, ‘Are there as may cars as there were yesterday?’ ” In Sanford, a new city program unique to the state is helping business owners finance renovation projects in the historic downtown district. Modeled after an initiative in Des Moines, Iowa, the program issues grants equivalent to buying down the interest to 1% for rehab costs, says Bob Tunis, Sanford’s economic development director.
Businesses to Watch
» Las Vegas-based Allegiant Airlines is now flying to 30 destinations non-stop out of Sanford Orlando International Airport. The company added eight cities in 2008 and two already this year, tipping the airport’s balance to more than 60% domestic flights instead of its long-standing reliance on international travel.
» Houston-based Access MediQuip, an implantable device benefit management company, is opening an office in Lake Mary this year. Chairman Steve Cosler formerly served as president and CEO of Priority Healthcare in Lake Mary, which was acquired by Orlando-based CuraScript in 2005.
Person to Watch
» Looking for space to increase his staff of 12, Ben Pittman moved his 18-year-old company last fall from Orlando to Sanford’s historic downtown. Computer Solutions Engineering produces add-ons to QuickBooks and was hit hard when its largest client base, the construction industry, started seeing businesses close. Expansion plans are on hold but still pending. Pittman has started working with the Chamber of Commerce and is getting active on local non-profit boards in Sanford. “I think because of the smaller community up here, it’s easier to have a voice.”
Kissimmee / Osceola County ?
With one of its borders touching the “medical city” in east Orange County, another along fast-growing Polk County, and close proximity to Walt Disney World, Osceola is positioned well to bring in new industries with high-wage jobs. The county has created competitive incentive packages, impact fee mitigation and fast-track permitting, and it’s fine-tuning the types of companies it targets. In recent years, its focus has included corporate headquarters and specific clusters of industries such as clean energy, manufacturing and amateur sports. Also, the county has committed $675,000 over five years to fund the St. Cloud Research and Technology Center Incubator, a partnership including Osceola County, the University of Central Florida and St. Cloud. UCF’s incubator program will operate the 14,200-sq.-ft. facility.
Business to Watch
» Harmony Development Co. has partnered with Florida State University to build the FSU Energy and Sustainability Center, a state-of-the-art research facility in the “green” community of Harmony that will develop sustainable and clean energy technologies.
Person to Watch
» Michael Grego, hired as superintendent of Osceola County schools in mid-2008, formerly served as an assistant superintendent in Hillsborough County. He replaced Blane Muse, who retired after 10 years. He has been holding town hall-type meetings to get input from county residents on improving the schools and has vowed not to close schools or cut teacher pay to make up for reduced school funding.
Lake County
In a county that has relied on growth, new development has slowed to a crawl. The health industry remains vital, propped up by the county’s large retiree population. The three hospitals are all growing, and local listings for healthcare positions typically outnumber other job postings 2 to 1, says Dottie Keedy, Lake County’s director of economic growth and redevelopment. The county is using the “down time” to implement its “Strategic Plan for Economic Development,” which the county adopted in February.
Business to Watch
» Buildtelligence Web Solutions was awarded a $62,000 incentive package from the county to expand in Mount Dora. The internet marketing company is growing this year from 14 employees to 45, with salaries ranging from $35,000 to $55,000.
People to Watch
» As one of the creators of RubeLab, new Eustis City Commissioner Bill Ferree has gathered the county’s science buffs to brainstorm how to use new technology to solve environmental issues. The group meets in its members’ offices and warehouses and recently launched its inaugural project, opening a solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles, the first of its kind in the state. “In terms of creating jobs, this is really an opportunity,” says Ferree.
» Seventh-generation south Lake County resident Robert Thompson, a co-founder of Thompson Wesley Wolfe marketing and public relations, narrowly lost a bid for a state House seat in 2006 before being elected last year to the Clermont City Council. Thompson, 27, also serves on various boards, including the South Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Reubin Askew Institute on Politics and Society.
| Jobs | ||||
| MSA | Jan. 2008 | Jan. 2009 | % Change | Jobless Rate |
| Orlando / Kissimmee |
1,089,100 | 1,047,300 | -3.8% | 9.0% |
| Source: Agency for Workforce Innovation | ||||
| HOMES | ||||
| Single-family, existing-home sales by Realtors | ||||
| MSA | Jan. 2009 Sales | 1-Year Change | Jan. 2009 Price | 1-Year Change |
| Orlando |
1,127 | +28% | $150,500 | -32% |
| Source: Florida Association of Realtors | ||||
| POPULATION TOTALS | ||||
 2.4% or higher  1.0% - 2.4%  1.0% or less |
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| COUNTY | 2009 | Average Annual Growth | ||
| 2005-2009 | Trend | |||
| Lake |
316,705 | 3.55 | |
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| Orange |
1,107,684 | 1.82 | |
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| Osceola |
273,604 | 4.29 | |
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| Seminole | 422,552 | 1.18 | |
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| Florida | 18,898,835 | 1.60% | |
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| POPULATION BY AGE | ||||||
| Years of Age (2009) | ||||||
| County | 0-14 | 15-19 | 20-39 | 40-64 | 65+ | Total |
| Lake |
15.9% | 5.0% | 24.2% | 28.2% | 26.7% | 316,705 |
| Orange |
20.9 | 7.2 | 29.7 | 32.2 | 10.0 | 1,107,684 |
| Osceola |
21.2 | 6.7 | 30.4 | 30.1 | 11.6 | 273,604 |
| Seminole | 18.4 | 6.6 | 26.3 | 36.5 | 12.2 | 422,552 |
| Florida | 18.0% | 6.3% | 25.8% | 32.7% | 17.2% | 18,898,835 |
| PER CAPITA INCOME | |||||
| COUNTY | Per Capita Income 2009 | Source of Income | |||
| Labor | Property | Transfer | |||
| Lake |
$32,409 | 58.6% | 21.9% | 19.5% | |
| Orange |
36,955 | 85.9 | 13.1 | 0.93 | |
| Osceola |
25,215 | 75.8 | 10.1 | 14.1 | |
| Seminole | 46,266 | 83.5 | 13.6 | 2.9 | |
| Florida | $40,331 | 67.6% | 23.6% | 8.8% | |