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Central Fla., Space Coast Business Briefs - October 2010

CAPE CANAVERAL — The new Air Force Space & Missile History Center opened in August at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The museum chronicles the history of the Air Force's role in the U.S. space program. Admission is free.

DAYTONA BEACH — The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is partnering with the county to open a business incubator at Daytona Beach International Airport by the end of the year. The facility will become one of nine operated by UCF in Central Florida.

DELAND — Country Pure Foods, which owns the Ardmore Farms juice plant in DeLand, has been acquired by New York-based Mistral Equity Partners and Management from the affiliates of First Atlantic Capital and DN Partners.

» Sen-Pack plans to open a robotic packaging equipment manufacturing plant at DeLand Crossings, where it has bought property for $578,000. The Port Orange company employs 11 people and could create almost 40 jobs in the next three years. It is a subsidiary of Sentry Equipment & Erectors, based in Lynchburg, Va.

» Stetson University's School of Music is one of seven colleges and universities named to Parade magazine's "College A-List" for arts programs.

EAST FLORIDA — The U.S. Department of Transportation has tapped the East Coast Marine Highway Initiative as one of 14 proposals accepted into its new Marine Highways Program. The initiative is a partnership between Port Canaveral and the ports of New Bedford, Mass., and Baltimore, and it involves using vessels to transport domestic and international shipments by sea to relieve traffic along Interstate 95.

FLAGLER COUNTY — The county signed a lease agreement in mid-August with hose manufacturer MH Operations of Newberry. The company will move into a building that formerly housed a flight school at Flagler County Airport while it builds a facility. It's expected to create 125 jobs in the next two years.

LAKE/SUMTER COUNTIES — Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa is working with the Central Florida Health Alliance to build two cancer treatment centers in Lake and Sumter counties. One will be at Leesburg Regional Medical Center and the other affiliated with The Villages Health System. Construction starts this fall, and the facilities open in late 2011.

LAKE NONA — Skanska USA Building held a topping-out ceremony for the new Nemours Children's Hospital in Lake Nona. The $380-million, 95-bed facility is set to open in the "medical city" in 2012.

MELBOURNE — Harris Corp. has opened a factory in Brazil to manufacture equipment that will help Brazil and the region transition to digital television.

OCOEE — Independently operated Health Central hospital in Ocoee is looking to partner with a larger hospital organization, officials announced.

ORANGE COUNTY — The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions signed an agreement to hold its annual 25,000-attendee convention at the Orange County Convention Center through 2019.

ORLANDO — The Disney Entrepreneur Center, currently housed in the Landmark One building in downtown Orlando across from Lake Eola, is considering a move to Orlando Fashion Square, where it would take up residence near the food court. Officials say the move would save the center about $50,000 a year in rent and give the program room to expand with classrooms, more offices and mall kiosks for retail businesses.

» The University of Central Florida has introduced a master's program in urban and regional planning. Students can choose from three areas of study: Healthy community, environmental or transportation planning.

» The FDIC is investigating why Old Southern Bank failed earlier this year, when it became the first Orlando-based financial institution in decades to go under. The failure cost the FDIC an estimated $95 million.

» Old Florida National Bank, located in downtown Orlando with eight branches and more than $375 in assets, expects to finalize its merger this year or in early 2011 with Mercantile Capital Corp., an Altamonte Springs firm that specializes in U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loans for owners of small and midsized businesses. Mercantile Capital will operate as a subsidiary of the bank.

PALM BAY — Austin, Texas-based Sematech is partnering with several central Florida organizations to create a consortium that would set up a solar energy research facility at the Palm Bay site previously owned by Intersil Corp. and donated earlier this year to the University of Central Florida. The photovoltaics project is seeking $50 million from the U.S. Department of Energy and could generate 300 jobs in two years and attract other companies, economic development officials say.

PALM COAST — Sherwoods Real Estate Consultants, based in Dubai with offices in the Middle East, the United Kingdom and Russia, is opening a Palm Coast office. The real estate brokerage and investment consulting firm has not released details, but officials visited city leaders in August.