CENTRAL: New Spirit
Regional Trends
? Digital Media The industry includes modeling, simulation and training; film and TV production; theme park rides and shows; and interactive and immersive entertainment. The average wage for an Orlando high-tech worker is $70,000. Source: Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission |
ECONOMIC GROWTH: Metro Orlando has been named a top 10 "geek mecca" by Wired magazine. Business Week called it the "world epicenter" for computer simulation as well as a top-three growth hot spot, along with Stockholm and Singapore. ... Orlando is the future home of a coveted Burnham Institute for Medical Research facility. That has sparked a flurry of calls from companies wanting to move to central Florida, says John Krug, vice president of business development for the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission.
COOPERATION: Area leaders are teaming to develop three public entertainment venues in downtown Orlando, start commuter rail from Volusia through Osceola counties and solicit public input on regional growth. "We truly are on fire as a community," county Mayor Rich Crotty says.
CHALLENGES: The region faces tough issues that come with expanding by 100,000 residents a year -- urban sprawl, gridlocked roads and record murder rates in Orlando and Orange County in 2006.
Orlando
DOWNTOWN: The skyline is covered with construction cranes adding office towers, hotels, condominiums, restaurants and retail properties expected to turn downtown into a 24-hour city in the next three to five years. ... A new performing arts center, a more modern arena and a renovated Citrus Bowl stadium are in the works, along with a "creative village" of digital media companies, housing and shopping.
ON THE OUTSKIRTS: Redevelopment initiatives outside the downtown core include an incubator for general business rather than tech companies; a grant program to spruce up buildings in blighted areas; and a multimodal transportation station at Orlando International Airport.
PLUSES: Low unemployment ... a boon in office space construction ... an increasingly diverse population ... major expansions at both downtown hospitals.
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Innovators
? Dr. Brian Tonner, president and CEO of the Orlando Science Center and father of four, envisioned an event that would combine pop culture, technology and education, which led to Otronicon, a 10-day electronic interactive entertainment convention. The second annual event, held in January, attracted 18,000 local video game enthusiasts of all ages. The event included contests, seminars and demonstrations that spotlighted central Florida's growing digital media industry.
? Intelligent Global Pooling Systems manufactures the first plastic shipping pallets tagged with computer chips that allow them to be tracked and inventoried anywhere in the world. The devices are lighter than their traditional wooden counterparts, so they allow shippers to carry more cargo within weight limits.
? ZeroChaos helps Fortune 1000 companies find and maintain contract information technology workers. It has just acquired New York-based FlexCorp Systems, which specializes in placing "alumni talent," or semi-retired people. Both have been noted for their innovative full-disclosure pricing, which allows clients to see exactly where their money is going. Before the acquisition, Inc. magazine ranked ZeroChaos 71 on its list of 500 fastest-growing private companies in the country. The company posted a three-year sales increase of 1,070%.
? As founder of Riptide Software, Phil Loeffel has led the fastest-growing company in Florida's High Tech Corridor with a 6,000% increase in revenue in the past five years, according to the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. The company's online gaming products, including America's Army, have been picked up and retooled by the military as training tools, and Riptide's Professional Services division provides IT staffing for corporations, including Walt Disney World, Starwood and Marriott.
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Orange County
RESEARCH: Innovation Way near the University of Central Florida continues to take shape with plans for a research park expansion and the start of a life sciences community at nearby Lake Nona to be anchored by the Burnham Institute, a UCF medical school, a Veterans Administration hospital, a University of Florida research team and possibly a Nemours children's hospital.
UCF: In its first capital campaign, the University of Central Florida exceeded its goal by more than $200 million, raising $356 million over eight years through mid-2006 -- including $80.3 million toward its new medical school.
TAX FIGHT: Watch for Orange County to join other local governments in fighting a state tax-cut proposal that could threaten funding for local projects, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty says.
Innovators
? Joe Lewis and Rasesh Thakkar of Tavistock Group are developing Lake Nona, the largest master-planned community in central Florida, and have teamed with other community visionaries to create a council that will guide growth of the local life sciences industry cluster. Besides the business angle, they're looking at how to make Lake Nona "America's healthiest community" by incorporating healthy living as part of all 9,000 homes expected to be built there, Thakkar says.
? Stan Thomas and Marc Watson of Thomas Enterprises are developing Universal Boulevard adjacent to the Orange County Convention Center off International Drive and leading a vision that emphasizes environmental protection while building 10,400 hotel rooms and 6,200 homes and condominium units. They've restored the former missile test site and added wetlands at Shingle Creek, which serves as the headwaters of the Florida Everglades, and they're incorporating "green" transportation options into the community, such as horse stables, walking paths and electric carts.
? The Primary Care Access Network and its 11 clinics and 1,400 volunteer medical workers offer healthcare for 200,000 uninsured and underinsured people who otherwise would rely on expensive publicly funded emergency room visits for their primary care. Informal collaboration among the 20 board members has led to innovative ideas in after-hours treatment, specialty care, location and funding, says board chairwoman Maureen Kersmarki. The American Hospital Association recognized the network last year as one of five model programs nationwide, and other counties including Pasco and Volusia are working with PCAN to set up similar systems.
Lake Mary
HOMES: Townhome development is increasing, including communities under construction by D.R. Horton along Rinehart Road and Morrison Homes along U.S. 17-92, says John Omana, community development director. Like a growing number of central Florida leaders, Lake Mary's landuse planners have embraced the concept of "internal capture," Omana says, zoning property downtown and in the high-tech corridor off I-4 so people can live, work and play in the same area of town.
BUSINESS: Manufacturer Central Florida Box relocated from Orlando to Lake Mary last year, renovating a 190,000-sq.-ft. building on Lake Emma Road that houses all of its office, warehouse and manufacturing operations.
Innovator
? The Lake Mary office of Herndon, Va.-based Electronic Warfare Associates employs about 10 software programmers who do computer-based training for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, helping aviators plan and practice missions prior to flying. EWA, with more than 1,000 employees worldwide, has had an office in central Florida since the late 1980s.
Sanford
RENOVATIONS: After more than three years of work to its public infra-structure, the city's downtown historic district is now bustling with private renovation projects, says Bob Tunis, city economic development director. Among them: Several blocks of commercial businesses along Sanford Avenue, a cultural corridor surrounding the Helen Stairs Theatre for the Performing Arts, a commuter rail stop, improvements to the Amtrak auto train station and the ambitious Gateway at RiverWalk waterfront condominium complex, which has stalled in the face of local opposition.
STRENGTHS: The city's employment is up. ... Homes are selling in just three to four months. ... Property assessments have increased 40% from two years ago.
Innovator
? Since it was founded in 1999, XOS Technologies, which provides technology tools for sports coaches and managers, has branched into products that allow consumers to keep up with their favorite sports teams via live broadcasts online -- as many as 1,000 events a month, says Nada Usina, network president. The company hired 80 people last year, bringing its employee count to about 180. "We're going to continue to grow," says Usina. "We have a lot of new products on the horizon."
Seminole County
HOT SPOTS: The county saw 13 expansion projects in 2006 that brought 1,060 jobs and $84.2 million in investment. ... Unemployment is 2.6%. ... Office/industrial space is filled, with the vacancy rate for Class A office space at 4%. ... Orlando Sanford International Airport attracted two new airlines and announced plans for its first on-site hotel. ... A partnership with University of Central Florida is creating a business accelerator in Seminole to foster technology companies.
SLOWDOWN: The county's new business activity and real estate sales have slowed, which might signal a trend for 2007, says Bill McDermott, director of economic development.
Innovators
? Colleen Rotella, Seminole County's acting Business Innovations and Technology Service director, and her colleagues have partnered with the University of Central Florida to create an integrated services network that will give residents streamlined access to data from planning and zoning records, the school board, the sheriff's office, the property appraiser and other government agencies and departments. People who want to build a house, put in a pool or relocate a company to Seminole County shouldn't have to go to multiple offices or websites to gather the information they need, Rotella says. Microsoft is interested in replicating the program for use in other governments, even at a federal level. Another plus: The network will save paper and staff hours, making the county's government 40% more efficient after the initial phase.
? Oviedo-based Rini Technologies has developed military suits and uniforms with "personal cooling technology" that helps prevent heat stress and protects soldiers from chemical, biological and airborne nuclear hazards.
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.
Regional Data
