Tourism and aviation/aerospace — the two stalwart industries on which East Central Florida’s economy has long relied — continue to perform well. In 2013, Orlando set another tourism record with 59 million visitors, while the giants of aerospace — Northrop Grumman, Lockheed and Boeing — tapped into the infrastructure and talent birthed by NASA to once again grow their presence along Florida’s “spacecoast.” And fueling additional economic success across the region: increased activity in technology, manufacturing, logistics and other high-impact industry sectors.

Port Canaveral — North America’s second busiest cruise port — celebrated its 60th year with an unprecedented 3.7 million multi-day passengers, a seven-story combination shopping, exhibit and observation structure dubbed “Exploration Tower” and a comprehensive dredging operation to prepare for larger ships. The much-anticipated SunRail commuter train connecting Orlando to Volusia County opened in May 2014, and Orlando International Airport, the nation’s 13th busiest, received FAA approval on its plans for a new intermodal transportation center to link airline passengers with ground transportation, including All Aboard Florida’s proposed Orlando-to-Miami train.

WHO LIVES HERE

Young and old
Two-thirds of Orlando’s population is under the age of 44 and nearly one-third has earned a college degree. Conversely, more than half (52%) of Sumter County residents are age 65 and older, and many reside at The Villages, one of America’s largest retirement communities and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the nation’s fastest-growing metro area in 2013.

Multiple cultures
Latin influences are strong here, especially in Osceola County, where Hispanics make up 49% of the total population, compared to 24% statewide.

Tech-ready workforce
Brevard County, ground zero for Florida’s aerospace industry, boasts 48 engineers per 1,000 workers — more than any of the 25 most populated metro areas in the U.S. — and attracts 13 patents for every 10,000 workers, more than double the national average.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Aviation/Aerospace/Defense

• Brazil-based Embraer will expand its footprint at Melbourne International Airport with an assembly plant and related facilities for its twin-engine Legacy 500 and 450 executive jets, adding 250,000 square feet and 600 jobs.
• The Boeing Company and U.S. Air Force plan to bring their X-37B orbital test vehicle program to Kennedy Space Center, where a former shuttle hangar will be re-purposed to enable landing, recovery, refurbishing and re-launching of the 29-foot-long unmanned space vehicle at a single site.
• Lockheed Martin’s Orlando-based Missiles & Fire Control group has snagged a $200-million Department of Defense contract to develop new hardware for testing and deployment of advanced naval combat missiles.
• North American Surveillance Systems Inc., a global leader in rotary and fixed-wing aircraft modification, has consolidated operations at Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville; 20 jobs are expected.

Technology

Ranked among Techie.com’s 10 “Most Promising Tech Hubs of 2014,” Orlando continues to spawn technology growth:

• 3-D imaging company Photon-X is relocating its corporate headquarters from Alabama to Kissimmee with plans to create 100 jobs.
• Tampa-based mobile application and software development firm AgileThought has expanded to Orlando with a 2,585-sq.-ft. office and 15 new jobs.
• Frontier Communications Corporation will add 17,650 square feet and 139 jobs to its customer contact center in DeLand.
• Orlando-based PowerDMS, developer of cloud-based secure document management systems, plans to add 65 jobs through 2017.

Tourism

With 18.6 million visitors in 2013, Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando remained the most visited theme park in the world, while Universal Studios Orlando posted the biggest year-over-year attendance increase — a whopping 14%. In 2014:

• Disney completed Fantasyland improvements and broke ground for its new Avatar attraction slated to debut at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017.
• Universal opened “Diagon Alley,” its second Harry Potter-themed attraction, to huge crowds in July.
• SeaWorld marked its 50th anniversary with the opening of the multi-path drop slide “Ihu’s Breakaway Falls” at its Aquatica water park.
• Elsewhere, Kennedy Space Center, where the retired Atlantis Space Shuttle went on public display in summer 2013, continued to draw record attendance, as did Daytona International Speedway, where work on a $400-million upgrade remains on schedule for a 2016 completion.

ECONOMIC LIFE

Logistics and Distribution

• Eckler Industries, a provider of restoration parts/accessories for classic automobiles, will build its international headquarters and parts distribution facility in Titusville, adding 65 new jobs to its 150-member staff.
• Global cargo logistics firm National Air Cargo Holdings, and its subsidiary, National Airlines, has relocated its headquarters from Michigan to a facility near Orlando International Airport, bringing 105 jobs.

Manufacturing

• U.S. Ambulance Corporation solidified its position as the world’s largest single-site manufacturer of ambulances and rescue vehicles with expansion of its Winter Park facility and the addition of 126 new jobs.
• Fuel storage tank manufacturer MEMCO has expanded to a 50,000-sq.-ft. building in Bushnell with plans to add another 30,000 square feet and 35 new jobs.
• CaptiveAire Systems, operator of commercial kitchen ventilation equipment manufacturing facilities in five states, opened its sixth plant in Groveland with 44 workers.

Life Sciences/Healthcare

• Kidney care services provider DaVita HealthCare Partners will expand its laboratory operations in DeLand, constructing a 65,000-sq.-ft. facility and adding 100 to its staff of 350.
• In downtown Orlando, Florida Hospital broke ground in early 2014 on the 400,000-sq.-ft. Florida Hospital for Women, a 332-bed facility offering high-risk obstetrics, neonatal intensive care, infertility treatment, gynecologic oncology and other woman-centric health services.

At Lake Nona Medical City:

• Work has begun on the Florida Blue Innovation Center, a 92,000-sq.-ft. facility anchored by health insurer Florida Blue, with office, retail and laboratory space and a 15,000-sq.-ft. life sciences incubator jointly managed by University of Central Florida and University of Florida.
• Construction continues on the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center with an anticipated completion date of December 2014; the first patients will be accepted 90 days later.

Expanding in Kissimmee:

• Poinciana Medical Center, adding 40,000 square feet, two floors and 46 beds.
• Florida Hospital Kissimmee, doubling its size with the addition of a three-story, 80-bed tower.

Small Business Success Starts Here

Small businesses are impacting East Central Florida’s economy in a big way thanks, in large part, to the University of Central Florida Incubation Program.

Now in its 15th year, the UCF Business Incubation Program is a network of partnerships between private enterprise and local governments in Orlando, Winter Springs, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Apopka and Daytona Beach. Offices in each city provide space for up-and-coming entrepreneurs; business specialists, veteran executives and on-site managers serve as advisors and advocates; and the region reaps benefits.

The 2013 Regional Impact Study commissioned by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council revealed that between October 2011 and June 2013, the UCF Business Incubation Program helped sustain 3,350 jobs and generate a direct regional economic output of more than $327 million.

In 2013, the UCF Incubation Program was named “Incubator Network of the Year” by the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA), the world’s leading organization for advancing business and entrepreneurship.

And to put icing on that cake, in August 2014, the 2,200-member NBIA announced plans to relocate its headquarters and the formation of the Global Training Center for Business Incubation & Innovation from Athens, Ohio, to Orlando.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Downtown rising
Orlando has more than theme parks to crow about. SunRail is providing easier access to urban amenities and a “Project Downtown Orlando” task force has been formed to foster residential and business growth. Projects already under way: The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts with two entertainment venues opening in November; a $200-million renovation of the city-owned Citrus Bowl; and planning for a pro soccer stadium.

Educational clout
East Central is home to 16 non-profit colleges and universities, including: University of Central Florida, ranked 21st among the top 100 universities worldwide for registering patents in 2012; Florida Institute of Technology, one of only three Florida universities named among the top 200 World University Rankings 2013-14; and Valencia, Seminole State and Lake-Sumter State Colleges, which are sharing a $1.5-million National Science Foundation grant to increase the number of STEM minority students.

Fun in the sun
Florida’s “spacecoast” boasts 72 miles of Atlantic beach. Find your own patch of sand beside the ocean or venture inland to enjoy kayaking in the Indian River Lagoon, biking/hiking along the first completed section of the 52-mile East Central Regional Rail Trail in Volusia County and bird watching at Turkey Creek Sanctuary.

NOTABLE ADDITIONS/EXPANSIONS

Aviation/aerospace
Northrop Grumman Corporation, currently constructing a new 1,000-employee Manned Aircraft Design Center of Excellence at Melbourne International Airport, is planning an even bigger multi-phase expansion representing $500 million in new capital investments and 1,800 jobs. Phase one — a 220,000-sq.-ft. building and 300 jobs — is slated for completion in 2015.

Corporate headquarters
Golf Channel is expanding its worldwide headquarters in Orlando to accommodate consolidation of digital media operations for its websites, GolfChannel.com and GolfNow.com; 79 jobs are anticipated.

Business services
At the May 2014 opening of its new $50-million finance center in Lake Mary, Verizon Communications announced plans to add 350 more jobs at the 220,000-sq.-ft. facility. The company expects to fill all 1,100 positions before 2016. Elsewhere in Lake Mary, Deloitte Consulting will open a 130,000-sq.-ft. U.S. Delivery Center, creating 1,000 new jobs over the next four years in software development, systems analysis and information technology.

NOTABLE EMPLOYERS

Aviation/Aerospace/Defense

• The Boeing Company Titusville
• Harris Corporation Melbourne
• Lockheed Martin Orlando
• Northrop Grumman Orlando and Melbourne
• Raytheon Orlando and Melbourne
• Rockwell Collins Melbourne
• Siemens Orlando and Melbourne

Tourism/Hospitality

• American Automobile Association Heathrow
• Darden Restaurants Orlando
• SeaWorld Orlando
• Universal Orlando Resort Orlando
• Walt Disney World Resort Orlando

Healthcare

• Adventist Health System Orlando
• Orlando Health Orlando