texture, vol 6 issue 1 2009

TEXTUREO R L A N D O ’ S T E C H N O L O G Y L A N D S C A P E

V O L 6 I S S U E 1

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GARDENINGHow Central Florida isSprouting New Business

ECONOMIC

LIGHTTHE WAY

Official Publication of

ROCKSTARSTop Docs Rock O-Town

Orlando as a Leader in Solar Energy

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U N I V E R S I T Y O F C E N T R A L F L O R I D A

Breaking new ground.

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Find out more at www.LearnLakeNona.com or call the Info Center @ 407.888.6500The features and amenities described and depicted are based on current development plans, which are subject to change without notice. No guarantee is made that the features, amenities and facilities depicted by artist’s rendering or otherwise described will be provided.

Lake Nona. The two smartest words you’ve said all day.Basic studies in l iv ing better

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This message has been provided to you by the Center for Nonalogic Research and Information Dispersal in an effort to further educate you on the thoughtfully designed 7,000- acre master-planned community that is Lake Nona.

There is so much happening,

Come, take a Look!

NONANOMICS

UNITL E S S O N

Some serious research and development.

Compared to other communities which focus strictly on living, working and playing, Lake Nona considers learning to be of great importance to residents. As such, Lake Nona is being developed using the most sophisticated community planning principles to ensure thereis a good balance between living, working, playing and education.

In addition to the medical city, amajor open-air Town Center in Lake Nona will feature over a million square feet of retail and office space with department stores, upscale fashion boutiques, large-scale retailers and an impressive mix of restaurants and entertainment venues.

Lake Nona will also be home to an area aptly referred to as “medical city.” To say this region of Lake Nona has the power to change perceptions of Central Florida is most likely an understatement. Plain and simple, it will be a state-of-the-art health and biotechnology cluster of monumental proportions, with plans for the following major heathcare, research and education facilities to lay the foundation:

Burnham Institute for Medical Research - East Coast Campus

UCF College of Medicine and Health Sciences Campus

Orlando VA Medical Center

Nemours Children's Hospital and Research Campus

M. D. Anderson Orlando Cancer Research Institute

University of Florida Research Center

L I V E W O R K

P L A Y

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W O R K

P L A Y

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Metro Orlando EconomicDevelopment Commission

President & CEOTexture Executive Publisher

Raymond Gilley

Vice President, MarketingTexture Editor & Associate Publisher

Maureen Brockman

Director, Publications & Web DesignTexture Project Support

Lisa Addy

Director, Business DevelopmentTexture Project Support

Amy Dinsmore

Director, Tech Industry DevelopmentTexture Project Support

Eric Ushkowitz

Director, Public RelationsTexture Project Support

Jennifer Wakefield

Orlando/Orange County Convention& Visitors Bureau, Inc.®

PresidentTexture Publisher

Gary C. Sain

Vice President of PublicationsTexture Associate Publisher

Deborah Kicklighter Henrichs

Managing EditorJessica Chapman

Publication ArtistsLisa Buck and Michele Mitchell

Production CoordinatorsShelley Hampton and Stacey Smith

Associate V.P. of Advertising SalesSheryl Taylor 407.354.5568

Contributing WritersJustin Campfield, Michael Candelaria,

Sandra Carr, Barry Glenn, Kendall Litton Jensen,Jackie Kelvington, Jack Roth, Russ Stacey

Contributing PhotographersJacque Brund and Phelan Ebenhack

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TEXTUREO R L A N D O ’ S T E C H N O L O G Y L A N D S C A P E

This publication is sponsored in part by the Orange CountyGovernment’s Economic Stimulus Package 2.0 and theUniversity of Central Florida. Texture magazine is producedby everything ink, a division of the Orlando/Orange CountyConvention & Visitors Bureau, Inc.® (Orlando CVB), for theMetro Orlando Economic Development Commission.Orlando CVB: 6700 Forum Drive, Suite 100, Orlando, FL32821, Phone 407.363.5841, Fax 407.370.5021. Texturemagazine assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, negatives or transparencies. Metro Orlando Economic DevelopmentCommission 301 East Pine Street, Suite 900 Orlando, FL32801. Phone: 407.422.7159 or 888.TOP.CITY. Fax:407.425.6428. E-mail: [email protected]. Advertisinginformation: 407.354.5512. Copyright 2009 Metro OrlandoEDC. All rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or inpart without the express written consent of Orlando CVB, onbehalf of the EDC, is prohibited. Printed in the U.S.A.

Departments

FROM THE EDITOR 5

TECH TRENDS 6

TALENT POOL 8

INTERFACE 10

SPECIAL FX 20

INNOVATION ALLEY 28

INTELLIGENT FORMS OF LIFESTYLE 30

OFF THE WIRE 32

Features

LET THERE BE LIGHT 12Orlando is poised to become a nationalleader in solar power.

HARVEST TIME 16The practice of nurturing homegrowncompanies as an economic developmentstrategy requires foresight and patience.

SKYROCKETING HOPES 22With sights set high, Space Florida seeksto take flight on the wings of its commer-cial launch zone.

TOP DOCS 24Orlando’s biotech rock stars take centerstage.

On the cover: Orlando has become a hot spot for economicgardening. Illustration by Jonathan T. Simon.

TEXTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2009 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1

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ditionally left out of the tech revolution.We also get the dirt on the economic

gardening trend that is an important com-ponent of state and federal economicrecovery plans. In an economic cyclewhere large-scale investment is difficult tocome by, this trend’s focus on strategiesdesigned to grow our own prosperity istaking root. And, much of that nationaldialogue is being led by Central Floridi-ans such as Steve Quello who has advisedpresidents, legislators and governors, andTom O’Neal, director of the UCF Technology Incubator network.

Solar energy research is hot in Central Florida, home to the UCF SolarEnergy Center. And our space industry isgoing where no man has gone before in establishing commercially-focused, vertical-launch capability for civil, militaryand commercial markets. Those stories,too, are found within these pages.

All of this multi-dimensional activity,interwoven through and around thetourism industry for which we are famous,continues to take much of the world bysurprise. Texture provides a means toopen their eyes to those strengths andnuances of our economy that might nothave been evident at first glance.

The Metro Orlando EDC — in part-nership with Orange County, the University of Central Florida and FloridaHigh Tech Corridor Council — is proudto bring you this unique perspective onour rich and vibrant region. Explore and enjoy.

Ray Gilley, president & CEO,

Metro Orlando EDC

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REVOLUTION

This semi-annual publication isdesigned to provide a sense of the tex-ture of our community: Metro Orlando.

This is a region blessed by globalawareness of one dimension of our

Texture, defined byMerriam-Webster

as a composition of closelyinterwoven elements andvarious dimensions, de-scribes many things: richlywoven cloth, colorfulmusical patterns, uniquefacial appearance, andeven intertwined commu-nity connections.

>> economy; after all, Orlando is the tourism capital of the world. What is less knownis that we are also home to an ever-grow-ing tapestry of innovative companies,entrepreneurial endeavors and ground-breaking research. Those are the stories that Texture, the magazine, setsout to tell.

In this issue you’ll meet some of the rock stars of our region. Rather than topping the Billboard charts, this talented group is making their mark witha new biotech cluster that is reverberat-ing throughout Metro Orlando. Whilethe over $2 billion in developmentunderway at our new “Medical City” inLake Nona is the most visible sign of thisindustry’s impact, these local phenomsare rocking all parts of our region —including inner city neighborhoods tra-

The Tech

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Conservationists with Disney’s AnimalPrograms have traveled the globe toimprove the lives and habitats of endan-gered species. One of the program’smost notable projects, however, is takingplace right here in Florida.

Led by Senior Conservation BiologistDr. Anne Savage, Disney’s animal careexperts are using innovative satellite technology to track the travel patterns ofendangered sea turtles. The projectinvolves a Platform Terminal Transmitter(PTT), which is attached to the backs of


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By KendallLitton

Jensen

CONSERVATIONBreakthroughs

Without a doubt,conservation has

become a hot topic.While concerns such assaving energy, reduc-ing waste and loweringfuel emissions are oftenat the forefront of the movement, conser-vation has another, sometimes overlooked, component: speciesprotection. With thehelp of technology,Central Florida resear-chers are pioneeringnew ways to protect at-risk animals, bothlocally and abroad.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES BREED NEWMETHODS FOR STUDYING AND PROTECTINGAT-RISK ANIMALS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA.

>>

rehabilitated turtles upon release. Whena tagged turtle surfaces for air, the PTTsends a signal to an orbiting satellite,which re-transmits the data to a receivingstation on Earth.

The information collected allows sci-entists to determine the latitude and lon-gitude of the turtle’s location. It also pro-vides clues about the creature’s behaviorat sea, migratory and nesting patterns,and external threats.

In August 2008, Disney used the track-ing technology to raise awareness of

Lumiere the loggerhead is releasedinto the wild with a transmitterattached to its back. Below: WendyNoke Durden responds to help ananimal found on the beach.

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In addition to using tracking technol-ogy, HSWRI uses geographic informationsystem (GIS) technology, photo-identifi-cation and aerial surveys to map animalmovement patterns, estimate populationsizes and determine human impact onmarine mammals.

“Our studies help us understand andprotect marine animals,” HSWRI SeniorResearch Biologist Dr. Daniel Odell says.“The only way we can begin to controlhuman activity is to know how humanbehavior is affecting them.”

In 2001, HSWRI joined forces with theUniversity of Central Florida (UCF) totackle marine animal conservation issues.The collaboration, led by Hubbs-Sea-World Endowed Professor Dr. GrahamWorthy, has resulted in new findings aboutthe endangered West Indian manatee.

Through cutting-edge initiatives suchas the Physiological Ecology and Bioen-ergetics Lab (PEBL) and the Studies Inves-tigating the Reproduction, Energetics andNutrition of the Sirenia (SIRENS) pro-


human threats to sea turtle survival.Through an online event called the Tourde Turtles Migration Marathon, Disneyand the Caribbean Conservation Corpo-ration invited the public to track themovements of nine rehabilitated turtles,each representing a specific cause. Tur-tles included Lumiere, a loggerheadswimming for artificial light pollution, andLittle Crush, a green sea turtle swimmingfor marine debris.

Disney is not the only local organiza-tion using tracking technology to protectanimals. Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Insti-tute (HSWRI) in Orlando works withgroups statewide to equip rehabilitatedmarine mammals with radio and satellitetransmitters.

“We are the first-responders to whaleand dolphin strandings,” says WendyNoke Durden, co-director of the HSWRIMarine Mammal Stranding Program.“After treating an animal, we generallymonitor its progress for one to threemonths post-release with radio telemetry.”

grams, researchers are investigating thephysiology and nutrition of manatees andother marine animals. With state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment, they can determine manatees’ adaptability to con-ditions in the wild, diagnose medicalissues and establish pregnancy in females.Thermal imaging equipment is also usedto assess a manatee’s insulative qualitiesand to identify inflammation and infection.

A unique component of the PEBL pro-gram is HSWRI’s high-tech Mobile Ener-getics Lab (MEL), a self-contained portablelaboratory. With MEL, metabolism andenergy research are not limited by location; rather, scientists can study marineanimals at any facility in the country.

PEBL and SIRENS are only part of thegroundbreaking conservation efforts taking place at UCF. Recently, Biology Professors Jane Waterman and JamesRoth launched a one-of-a-kind onlinedatabase to help track and identify threat-ened polar bears in Churchill, Canada.

Called the UCF Polar Bear Photo-iden-tification Library, the database incorpo-rates special software that can recognizebears by their whisker prints. When animage is uploaded into the database, thesoftware extracts the bear’s naturalwhisker spot pattern and compares it toevery other photo in the system.

To help ensure accuracy, two differentrecognition programs will eventually beused, including one modeled after aNASA algorithm for mapping stars.

“The software acts like a virtual mark-recapture study,” Waterman says. “Itallows us to study the bears, their bodycondition and migration habits, withoutactually touching them. It also gives us a glimpse into the effects of humanbehavior.”

By using technology for conservationefforts, Waterman and other localresearchers hope to increase awarenessand protection of animals around the world.

“I hope our findings will impact theenvironment in some way,” Watermansays. “We want to make people thinkabout the implications of their actions.”

Seconds Disney’s Savage: “By sharingour findings, we hope we can influencepeople’s activities and help create long-term conservation solutions.” x

A study at UCF tracks polar bears in Canada by recognizing their whisker prints.

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Metro Orlando is entering a new chapter;transforming itself into a “medical city”

anchored by two of the largest hospital systems inthe nation, east coast headquarters of the BurnhamInstitute of Medical Research, the University of Cen-tral Florida’s brand new College of Medicine, andover 150 established life science companies.

In July 2007, the Metro Orlando EconomicDevelopment Commission (EDC) formed a collab-orative council called bioOrlando, which is workingto accelerate Central Florida’s growth as a centerfor healthcare, life science, biotechnology andpharmaceutical businesses.

By Sandra Carr

>>

LIFELARS HOUMANN, CHAIR OFbioORLANDO AND PRESIDENTAND CEO OF FLORIDA HOSPITAL

bioOrlando chair and president and CEO of Florida Hospital, LarsHoumann, felt it was his institution’sresponsibility to the community and itsfuture to get involved with bioOrlando.

“I have been the chair of bioOrlandofor the past two years. I was invited to participate because of Florida Hospital’s visible role in the healthcareindustry in Central Florida, which wasviewed as part of the life sciences sector. I felt we [Florida Hospital] shouldparticipate in a very comprehensive wayin order to strengthen and grow theCentral Florida economy.”

Houmann has been employed withFlorida Hospital for 16 years and hasserved as president and CEO for the past

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Healthy Initiatives for a Better

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three years. He began his career there in1993, originally overseeing the behav-ioral health service line.

Healthcare roots run deep in theHoumann family; his dad is a familypractice physician and his mom is aphysical therapist. He earned a Bach-elor’s degree in business administrationfrom Columbia Union College in Wash-ington, D.C. and a Master’s degree inhealthcare administration from LomaLinda University in Loma Linda, Calif.

It was instructors and other mentorsthat influenced him towards a career inthe Adventist Health System. They rec-ognized the need for well-trainedhealthcare leaders and hospital admin-istrators; and Houmann’s skill and pas-sion were already evident. It is thatdetermination to make a difference thatdrives Houmann’s career. Under hisguidance, Florida Hospital is helping toshape the future of healthcare with itsCreation Health principles, which are ablueprint for healthier living.


Texture: How has the CreationHealth philosophy guided FloridaHospital for the past 100 years?

Lars Houmann: Creation Health isa philosophy that we have named andidentified really in only the past 10years, but the content of this philoso-phy has guided the institution since itwas founded as a sanitarium by peo-ple who wanted to address healthimprovement and holistic healthcare atthe turn of the twentieth century. Thewhole idea is that being healthy ismore than just avoiding disease ortreating an illness.

Texture: How will Florida Hospi-tal’s Creation Health lay the founda-tion for a healthier Central Florida community?

I hope that it’s giving us a strongfoundation, led by a major, crediblehealthcare provider, to enable the com-munity to begin addressing issues likechronic disease and poor lifestylehabits that are denigrating our qualityof life.

Texture: Tell our readers aboutDr. Monica Reed’s book The CreationHealth Breakthrough: 8 Essentials toRevolutionize Your Health Physically,Mentally and Spiritually?

The book allows you to assess andthink about your own lifestyle. It does-n’t offer eight simple steps in 30 daysto fix everything in your life. What itdoes do is help you to understand whatbeing a human being all is about. Whatmakes life happen; what can throw youoff; and what can help you achieve amore fulfilled life — understanding theimportance of elements like havingpurpose, balance and making goodchoices.

Texture: How do the eight com-ponents (Choice, Rest, Environment,Activity, Trust, Interpersonal rela-tionships, Outlook and Nutrition) inDr. Reed’s book go hand-in-hand

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with Florida Hospital’s healthy lifestyles mission?

All of the components fit togetherinto a complete picture. We have tobecome healthier and to find specificways of improving health and reducingthe long-term cost of healthcare in theU.S. This [Reed’s The Creation HealthBreakthrough] is Florida Hospital’shand-and-glove contribution.

Texture: From a business stand-point, how can Florida Hospital andbioOrlando assist with building Cen-tral Florida’s prominence as a pre-ferred destination for healthcare, lifescience, biotechnology and pharma-ceutical companies, especially afterthe Burnham Institute of MedicalResearch facility is built in LakeNona?

By demonstrating an exciting, col-laborative, dynamic environmentwhere committed professionals areproviding healthcare, teaching thosethat are seeking health careers, andproducing health services and productsto advance healthcare.

The Burnham Institute of MedicalResearch at Lake Nona will make a difference because, as one of those few,elite, private research institutes in theU.S., it brings Orlando the credibility thatcomes along with that level of research.Burnham’s presence gives us a partner,as well as an identity as a place wherethe finest research is going on. Thisallows us, as a community, to attract oth-ers in the research and life science realmsat that same level of quality.

Texture: How can Creation Healthmake a difference in the lives of Cen-tral Floridians, especially in years tocome?

We’re opening the door to ourresponsibility to improving health. It [Creation Health] serves as a mentalframework for how to live better and moves society as a whole to ahealthier place.

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Metro Orlando is entering a new chapter;transforming itself into a “medical city”

anchored by two of the largest hospital systems inthe nation, east coast headquarters of the BurnhamInstitute of Medical Research, the University of Cen-tral Florida’s brand new College of Medicine, andover 150 established life science companies.

In July 2007, the Metro Orlando EconomicDevelopment Commission (EDC) formed a collab-orative council called bioOrlando, which is workingto accelerate Central Florida’s growth as a centerfor healthcare, life science, biotechnology andpharmaceutical businesses.

By Sandra Carr

>>

LIFELARS HOUMANN, CHAIR OFbioORLANDO AND PRESIDENTAND CEO OF FLORIDA HOSPITAL

bioOrlando chair and president and CEO of Florida Hospital, LarsHoumann, felt it was his institution’sresponsibility to the community and itsfuture to get involved with bioOrlando.

“I have been the chair of bioOrlandofor the past two years. I was invited to participate because of Florida Hospital’s visible role in the healthcareindustry in Central Florida, which wasviewed as part of the life sciences sector. I felt we [Florida Hospital] shouldparticipate in a very comprehensive wayin order to strengthen and grow theCentral Florida economy.”

Houmann has been employed withFlorida Hospital for 16 years and hasserved as president and CEO for the past

10

Healthy Initiatives for a Better

010-11 Interface:010-11 Interface 2/27/09 1:37 PM

three years. He began his career there in1993, originally overseeing the behav-ioral health service line.

Healthcare roots run deep in theHoumann family; his dad is a familypractice physician and his mom is aphysical therapist. He earned a Bach-elor’s degree in business administrationfrom Columbia Union College in Wash-ington, D.C. and a Master’s degree inhealthcare administration from LomaLinda University in Loma Linda, Calif.

It was instructors and other mentorsthat influenced him towards a career inthe Adventist Health System. They rec-ognized the need for well-trainedhealthcare leaders and hospital admin-istrators; and Houmann’s skill and pas-sion were already evident. It is thatdetermination to make a difference thatdrives Houmann’s career. Under hisguidance, Florida Hospital is helping toshape the future of healthcare with itsCreation Health principles, which are ablueprint for healthier living.


Texture: How has the CreationHealth philosophy guided FloridaHospital for the past 100 years?

Lars Houmann: Creation Health isa philosophy that we have named andidentified really in only the past 10years, but the content of this philoso-phy has guided the institution since itwas founded as a sanitarium by peo-ple who wanted to address healthimprovement and holistic healthcare atthe turn of the twentieth century. Thewhole idea is that being healthy ismore than just avoiding disease ortreating an illness.

Texture: How will Florida Hospi-tal’s Creation Health lay the founda-tion for a healthier Central Florida community?

I hope that it’s giving us a strongfoundation, led by a major, crediblehealthcare provider, to enable the com-munity to begin addressing issues likechronic disease and poor lifestylehabits that are denigrating our qualityof life.

Texture: Tell our readers aboutDr. Monica Reed’s book The CreationHealth Breakthrough: 8 Essentials toRevolutionize Your Health Physically,Mentally and Spiritually?

The book allows you to assess andthink about your own lifestyle. It does-n’t offer eight simple steps in 30 daysto fix everything in your life. What itdoes do is help you to understand whatbeing a human being all is about. Whatmakes life happen; what can throw youoff; and what can help you achieve amore fulfilled life — understanding theimportance of elements like havingpurpose, balance and making goodchoices.

Texture: How do the eight com-ponents (Choice, Rest, Environment,Activity, Trust, Interpersonal rela-tionships, Outlook and Nutrition) inDr. Reed’s book go hand-in-hand

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BY

PH

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AN

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EN

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with Florida Hospital’s healthy lifestyles mission?

All of the components fit togetherinto a complete picture. We have tobecome healthier and to find specificways of improving health and reducingthe long-term cost of healthcare in theU.S. This [Reed’s The Creation HealthBreakthrough] is Florida Hospital’shand-and-glove contribution.

Texture: From a business stand-point, how can Florida Hospital andbioOrlando assist with building Cen-tral Florida’s prominence as a pre-ferred destination for healthcare, lifescience, biotechnology and pharma-ceutical companies, especially afterthe Burnham Institute of MedicalResearch facility is built in LakeNona?

By demonstrating an exciting, col-laborative, dynamic environmentwhere committed professionals areproviding healthcare, teaching thosethat are seeking health careers, andproducing health services and productsto advance healthcare.

The Burnham Institute of MedicalResearch at Lake Nona will make a difference because, as one of those few,elite, private research institutes in theU.S., it brings Orlando the credibility thatcomes along with that level of research.Burnham’s presence gives us a partner,as well as an identity as a place wherethe finest research is going on. Thisallows us, as a community, to attract oth-ers in the research and life science realmsat that same level of quality.

Texture: How can Creation Healthmake a difference in the lives of Cen-tral Floridians, especially in years tocome?

We’re opening the door to ourresponsibility to improving health. It [Creation Health] serves as a mentalframework for how to live better and moves society as a whole to ahealthier place.

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Throughout its history, Orlando has relied onone resource to power its economy: the sun.

That abundant resource has created countless jobsand companies in the region by nurturing prizedoranges, creating ideal launch conditions for the space industry, and providing warmth thatentices millions of tourists each year to escape harsher climates.

>>


ORLANDO IS POISED TO BECOME ANATIONAL LEADER IN SOLAR POWER.

By Justin CampfieldLIGHT

Let there be

But the sun may not be finished generating new marquee industries forthe region. With its ideal weather, prox-imity to a prominent research university,diverse technology cluster, and forward-looking business and community leaders, Orlando is poised to become aleading force in what ultimately maybecome the transformational industry ofthe 21st century — solar power.

“I believe the economic impact

012-15 Solar Energy V2:014-018 Innovation 2/27/09 2:26 PM


cent, to a record $122.8 million in 2008. While UCF’s prominence in solar

research is not new — FSEC opened itsdoors in 1974 — the quality of its other

research programs has created a potent cross-discipline approach to developingsolar energy solutions.

“UCF, through our Florida SolarEnergy Center, has been a leader in solarresearch for 35 years,” says Dr. M.J.Soileau, UCF’s vice president for researchand commercialization and a professor

at CREOL, UCF’s college of optics andphotonics. “Now it is time for us to bea leader in solar application.”

To accomplish that, many different

UCF departments – ranging from opticsand photonics, nanotechnology, turbineand energy, advanced materials, andmechanical engineering – are exploringtechnological breakthroughs that havethe potential to greatly impact the useand generation of solar power.

One of the researchers pushing the

When Orlando Util ities Commissionopened its new headquarters it equippedthe building with 144 solar PV panels.

Bob Reedy, director of the solar energydivision at UCF’s Florida Solar EnergyCenter.

potential for solar [energy] in CentralFlorida is limitless,” says John Lewis,Orange County’s economic develop-ment administrator. “It’s only a matterof time before more and more, andlarger and larger solar-related compa-nies establish themselves here.”

After decades of researching how touse the sun to produce electricity, BobReedy, director of the solar energy division at University of Central Florida’s(UCF) Florida Solar Energy Center(FSEC), is convinced that the time for theregion to shine in solar power has come.

“We have potential with a capital P,” says Reedy. “We are right on the edge of when things are going toaccelerate in huge proportions.

“One study suggests that there willbe 110 gigawatts of rooftop potential inFlorida by 2020. That’s a big number,especially when you consider that thecurrent generating capacity of allsources in the state is probably around40 gigawatts.”

But abundant sun alone doesn’texplain why Orlando’s solar future is sobright..Reedy says that Orlando’s exist-ing technology cluster and advancedresearch continuously coming out ofUCF set it apart from other regions.

“We are well positioned to be anindustry leader because we have a predisposition to technology due to thespace industry,” says Reedy. “We havea broad technological base becausespace is not just aviation; it involveselectronics, materials, chemistry, andeven fuels like the hydrogen that we usefor the shuttle.”

Complementing, and in many casesdriving, the region’s broad technologycluster is UCF’s growing reputation asone of the nation’s top research univer-sities. In Intellectual Property Todaymagazine’s 2008 patent scorecard,which ranked technology innovationsgained from patents, UCF earned theNo. 8 spot. This places it in companywith such internationally recognizedschools as MIT, Stanford, NYU, and theUniversity of California system. The university’s rise in national prominenceis also illustrated by the amount of outside research dollars raised. Since1998, that total has increased 336 per-

“We are well positioned to be an industry leaderbecause we have a predisposition to technologydue to the space industry.”

— Bob Reedy, UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center


Another UCF research project, beingled by undergraduate students, seeksto collect the energy created by solarthermal means and store it in a tank forlater use.

Angelo Lisojo, who along with BobbyGray, Michael Mixa and Rohit Yarabothu,is conducting the research under thedirection of UCF Center for AdvancedTurbine and Energy Research DirectorDr. Jayanta Kapat, says that the projecthas many potential applications.

“It could possibly lead to the creationof a thermal storage heat sink where notonly solar energy could be stored, butdifferent household appliances, such asrefrigerators or air conditioning systems,could ‘dump’ wasted thermal energy,”says Lisojo, a mechanical engineeringmajor. “This stored thermal energy canthen be used to reduce the cost of heat-ing water.”

SOLAR-POWEREDVENTURESThis multi-disciplinary approach is alsobeing applied at two local companiesthat are using their expertise in otherindustries to make big forays into solarenergy generation.

One is Lake Mary-based AdvancedSolar Photonics (ASP), poised to becomeFlorida’s first PV manufacturer. ASP islooking to make its mark by producingthin film solar panels, which are more effi-cient than the industry standard crys-

talline silicon, but are also more expen-sive to manufacture. However, the com-pany believes it can bring the same effi-ciencies of thin film to a comparable cost.

“We should be able to get the costper kilowatt hour to less than one dollarby 2010,” says Edgardo Rodriguez, vicepresident of ASP. “Currently the indus-try is between two and four dollars perkilowatt hour, so this will revolutionizethe industry and help commercialize thin film.”

ASP is building out the existing318,000 square-foot building it shareswith another Central Florida tech com-pany, Laser Photonics, to include a50,000-plus-square foot solar panel production plant. When it is up in run-ning in 2010, the plant is expected toemploy between 150 and 200, withpositions ranging from engineers andmachine shop technicians to managersand salesmen.

SKYShades is a Longwood-basedcompany that specializes in the design,engineering and installation of stylish,high-tech tension membrane fabricshades that are increasingly found overplaygrounds, pools and outdoor diningareas. Says SKYShades Executive VicePresident Joe McKenna, “One of thethings we asked ourselves was ‘do webelieve that we need to pursue alterna-tive energies?’ The obvious answer wasyes, so then our focus became finding away to participate in these new tech-nologies.”

The result of that focus is the Power-brella, SKYShades’ high-tech take on thetraditional café umbrella. With 16, eight-watt thin film solar panels bonded to itstop, the Powerbrella generates up to128 watts of electricity per hour andstores it in a battery, allowing people tosimultaneously shade themselves whileusing solar energy to power their elec-trical devices such as laptops, cellphones and MP3 players. With a fullycharged battery, the Powerbrella canfuel four laptops continuously for ninehours — even after the sun goes down.

SOLAR SUPPORTFor a region to become a nationall technology cluster, a supportive envi-ronment is also necessary. Fortunately

solar envelope is Dr. Sudipta Seal, aprofessor at the university’s AdvancedMaterials Processing and Analysis Cen-ter. Dr. Seal is currently working withdye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs),which are promising alternatives to thephotovoltaic (PV) cells found in mostsolar power systems, because they aremore economical than PVs. The maindrawback is that they are less efficient.

Dr. Seal and his team are working toovercome that obstacle by studying howthe kinetics of electron transfer withinnanotubes of various diameters impacts the efficiency of DSSCs. Bottomline is that, if successful, the researchcould lead to less expensive solar powersystems.

But speeding up the adoption ofsolar power is not the only possible resultof the research project. The quality ofdrinking water for millions of peopleacross the world could also be improved.Dr. Seal theorizes that if the nanotubesbeing modified in his research weredeveloped on a larger scale, they wouldbe an optimum system for water purifi-cation using natural solar light.

“On one hand, our research couldhelp improve the efficiency of more economic options of solar energy, mak-ing it more reachable to the commonman,” says Dr. Seal. “On the other, asuccessful project on the water purifi-cation side would diversify the use ofsolar energy.”


SKYShades Powerbrella generates up to 128 watts of electricity per hourand stores it in a battery.


gold-level LEED requirements, also fea-tures four solar hot water panels, a30,000 gallon cistern that collects rain-water, and high-efficiency glass and day-light-sensitive lighting.

OUC’s area electric utility colleagues,Progress Energy and TECO, also have ademonstrated commitment to solarpower. TECO, the Tampa-based utilitywhose coverage area extends into por-tions of Metro Orlando, has had nearly3,000 of its customers sign up for a pro-gram that enables them to purchasesolar energy generated by four TECO-owned PV systems. Progress Energy’sSolarWise for Schools program hasinstalled solar power systems at sevenCentral Florida schools. The PV systems

not only reduce energy consumption atthe participating schools, but the panels are used to educate studentsabout environmental stewardship andrenewable energy.

“Our goal is to make all of our cus-tomers aware of the benefits of emerg-ing technologies, such as renewableenergy,” says John Masiello, ProgressEnergy’s director of demand-side man-agement and alternative energy.“SolarWise for Schools, and all of ourrenewable energy programs, help bringtomorrow’s energy technology into ourcustomers’ reach today.”

The impressive amount of solar activ-ity in the region, spanning public, privateand investor-owned sectors, has BobReedy feeling pretty confident in theregion’s ability to catch up to other areasof the country that got head starts onsolar adoption and generation.

”At this point we are behind Califor-nia, Arizona and, amazingly enough,New Jersey,” says Reedy. “But, as I liketo say, we are in a long race and we’vebeen holding back. Now we are ready toburst out. We’ve been cruising along atnumber four or five in the pack, but nowthe other guys are winded and we arejust getting ready to kick into high gear.”

15t e x t u r e S p r i n g / S u m m e r 2 0 0 8

for solar, many of Orlando’s most influ-ential organizations are big fans of itsadoption and generation.

In 2008, Orange County, the City of Orlando and Orlando Utilities Com-mission (OUC) combined their solarinterests for Orlando to be named oneof 12 Solar American Cities by the U.S.Department of Energy. Along with thenational recognition gained for Orlando,the designation included a $200,000grant that the three entities are applyingto programs that encourage the use andproduction of solar energy in the region.

And Orange County’s solar partner-ships don’t end there. It has also joinedefforts with UCF’s Institute for EconomicCompetitiveness to author a cleantech

benchmark study that is due to bereleased later this summer. The study will map out where the region currentlystands in green technology and how it can take advantage of resources in the future.

The purpose of the study, saysOrange County’s John Lewis, is to bringtogether all of the region’s resources inthe area of cleantech, including thelarge local contingent of solar-relatedcompanies, so that the area can betterposition itself to benefit from theopportunities ahead.

“While the economic impact in Central Florida is limitless, other com-munities also feel this way,” says Lewis.“There will be competition for the bestcompanies and projects.”

When it comes to the adoption ofalternative energy, actions speak louderthan words, and perhaps nobody’sactions speak louder than those of elec-tric utilities.

OUC provided the ultimate exampleof “walking the walk” last fall with theopening of its new headquarters indowntown Orlando. The 10-story build-ing is equipped with a rooftop array of144 solar PV panels with the combinedcapacity to generate 32 kilowatt hoursof electricity. The building, which meets

OSCEOLA COUNTY'S DESTINY IS ECO-FRIENDLY

If a city were designed from scratch to be as

eco-friendly as possible, what would it look

like? That is the challenge, and the oppor-

tunity, that developers of the future city

of Destiny have before them as they plan

to turn 65 square acres in the southeastern

corner of Osceola County into America's first

eco-sustainable city.

A vision of developer Anthony Pugliese

and his partner, Subway Restaurants

co-founder Fred DeLuca, Destiny is aiming

to be a model for sustainable living and

environmentally-responsible businesses.

“Environmental planning will be incorpo-

rated into all facets of the community, includ-

ing water systems, energy, transportation,

infrastructure and manufacturing,” says

Randy Johnson, COO of Destiny. “The city

will serve as a hub for companies develop-

ing clean technologies, renewable energy

sources, and alternative fuels that will help

reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels

and enable consumers worldwide to live a

truly sustainable lifestyle.”

Located near the intersection of Florida’s

Turnpike and State Road 60 in Yeehaw

Junction, Destiny is proposed to be the

home of the state's first green energy

station, an electric automobile charging

station, a solar- and geothermal-powered

convenience store, a multi-modal trans-

portation system, and a 400-acre energy

research park. Once fully developed,

Destiny could accommodate as many as

250,000 residents living, working and

playing in a truly self-contained green

community.

Johnson, a former state legislator from

Osceola County, says that Destiny will do

right what far too often has been done the

wrong way in parts of the state.

“The most important choice Florida has

to make over the next 50 years is how

to apply real growth management tools

to guide the future development of our

state's interior.”

x

“I believe the economic impact potential for solarin Central Florida is limitless.”

— John Lewis, Orange County Economic Development Administrator.



Economic gardening, the underlying economic model that stresses business

creation and expansion, has gained a foothold in Florida thanks in large part to a coordinated effort from Central Florida economic devel-opment leaders who view local entrepreneurs as the key to economic growth and prosperity.

When the town of Littleton, Colorado,faced a potential economic disaster in1987 due to layoffs of thousands of peo-ple by the community’s major employer,the crisis strained the resources of localresidents and businesses and threatenedto undermine the community’s overall taxbase. Staring into a dark abyss, commu-nity leaders disregarded conventionaleconomic development wisdom andchose a divergent strategic path.

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HARVESTTIMETHE PRACTICE OF NURTURING HOMEGROWNCOMPANIES AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTSTRATEGY REQUIRES FORESIGHT ANDPATIENCE.

By Jack Roth

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The EDC is part of a particularlystrong infrastructure in Central Floridathat supports entrepreneurship, busi-ness growth, new-industry develop-ment and recruitment in the region, but

the recent buzz associated with eco-nomic gardening lies in how its basicphilosophy syncs with the current eco-nomic climate. “A focus on existingcompanies is more practical right now,especially when cities and states havelimited economic funds,” explains JohnFremstad, vice president of BE&K Inc.and former vice president of the EDC.“You can spend limited funds on yourown entrepreneurs, and the benefitswill trickle down to other areas withinthe community.”

In fact, a tough economy isn’t theonly reason to consider an inside-outeconomic growth strategy. Globaliza-tion, the impact of the Internet, rapidlychanging technologies, and the emer-gence of new, fast-growth overseaseconomies are forcing wholesale eco-nomic change across the United States,making business expansion programsmore important than ever. Despite this,many cities and states still focus onrecruitment, not expansion. So why isCentral Florida, and now the entirestate, so ahead of the curve?

The answer: an infrastructure gearedtoward an entrepreneurial growth con-tinuum and the presence of forward-thinking individuals.

A PERFECT FITNo region can be truly successful at economic development without local universities and colleges that offer the curriculums, mentoring and internshipprograms that help create and retainhome-grown talent. This is true in Central Florida, where the University ofCentral Florida (UCF), Rollins College,Stetson University, three top-rated community colleges and other institu-tions offer the tools necessary for eageryoung talent to blossom.

Take the UCF Business Incubation Pro-gram, for example. Opened in 1999, ithas served more than 90 emerging com-panies that have generated more than900 new jobs and more than $200 millionin annual revenues. This community part-

nership provides early-stage companieswith the tools, training and infrastructureneeded to create financially stable, high-growth enterprises.

“Growing is our main role, whichhopefully leads to maintaining,” says TomO’Neal, associate vice president forResearch and Commercialization at UCFand founder of the incubator program.“These young companies are run by indi-viduals who have the intent and where-withal to grow, so we help reduce the risksby being coaches and mentors.”

The university has a built-in network ofadvisors, in the form of professors, whoare familiar with the particular issues asso-ciated with various industries. It also nur-tures the region’s future workforce. “Wehelp these companies write grants so theycan get money, and we connect them withgraduate students who work with the pro-fessors to write the proposals,” O’Nealexplains. “So when they graduate, theyget jobs with these companies. It’s a goodexpansion model. We have many highlyskilled graduates currently working onprojects with incubator companies, sowe’re parlaying this local talent into theregion’s economic growth.”

At the Rollins College Center forEntrepreneurship at the Crummer Grad-

Instead of seeking a quick fix toreplace lost jobs by offering relocationincentives and tax breaks to firms out-side the region — an approach knownas “economic hunting” — theyembraced an alternate, long-termentrepreneurial strategy designed togenerate new jobs from the commu-nity’s existing base of businesses. Thisapproach, which became known as“economic gardening,” yielded remark-able results. During the 15-year periodfrom 1990-2005, Littleton saw a 136percent increase in the number of netnew jobs, outperforming Denver Metro,the state of Colorado and the entirenation by a significant margin. Economicgardening proved to be a successfulparadigm shift, as well as a burgeoningalternate strategy in the arsenals of economic development commissionsacross the nation.

When Florida Governor Charlie Cristwent against conventional economic wis-dom and — during an emergency bud-get-slashing session this past January —pushed through an economic develop-ment pilot program that called for moneyto be spent on preferred small-businessloans and entrepreneurial support ser-vices, it marked a bold and significantleap toward adopting economic garden-ing as a model for the state.

The impetus for the state legislativeaction, however, started in Central Floridayears ago with the efforts of a handful ofpro-entrepreneur advocates who haveunderstood the importance of “fertiliz-ing” homegrown businesses and reapingthe benefits of a strong harvest.

THE NEW BUZZ PHRASERay Gilley, president and CEO of the

Metro Orlando Economic DevelopmentCommission (EDC), stresses that theEDC has always incorporated economicgardening as part of both an inside-outand outside-in economic developmentstrategy. “We’ve always tried to createa balance between recruitment andretention and growth,” he explains.“Both the attraction of out-of-marketcompanies into Metro Orlando and theretention and growth of companiesalready within this market are vital tothe regional growth process.”

“We’ve always tried to create a balance betweenrecruitment and retention and growth.” — Ray Gilley,

president and CEO, Metro Orlando EDC

Ray Gilley

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uate School of Business, the goal is toprovide the best possible training for itsMBA students. The Center provides semi-nars, workshops, mentoring programs,internships and speakers, many of whichare open to the public and all of whichpromote the retention of MBA talent.

“Economic gardening is the founda-tion of what we are working to accomplishthrough the Center,” says Cari Coats,interim executive director. “We help our

students successfully start and grow theirown businesses. We also network withentrepreneurs in the region who are look-ing to grow their businesses and offerthem access to resources and programsthat will foster successful growth.”

As a partner with UCF and five otherFlorida institutions, the Center for Entre-preneurship hosts the annual New Ven-tures Business Plan Competition, whichhas resulted in the creation of viable busi-nesses that contribute to the economicvitality of Central Florida. The Center alsopartners with the Athena Powerlink Pro-gram, a national organization that pro-vides panels of volunteer business expertswho advise female business owners onimportant issues that can help themachieve growth and further success. TheCenter’s inclusion as part of a partnershipthat includes Orlando Regional Chamberof Commerce, Center for Entrepreneur-ship and Innovation at UCF, and the Dis-

ney Entrepreneur Center secures its roleas one of the many entrepreneurship-focused organizations working in concertto create one of the best regional entre-preneurship systems in the United States.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Coun-cil (FHTCC), under the guidance of presi-dent Randy Berridge, partners with variousCentral Florida institutions to attract, retainand grow high tech industry and to helpdevelop the workforce to support thoseindustries in the 23-county service areas ofUCF, the University of South Florida (USF),and University of Florida (UF).

“The Corridor Council plays an integralpart in providing services to high-techcompanies, many of which wind upbecoming second-stage growth companies with often limitless capacityto provide jobs and wealth for theregion,” says Ed Schons, director of Economic Development at UCF.

Additional support for regional entre-preneurs comes courtesy of the DisneyEntrepreneur Center, which has become

nationally recognized for small businessdevelopment and provides a variety ofservices such as free business coaching,networking functions, a resource library,access to video conferencing and more.“Whether an entrepreneur is just consid-ering starting a business, or a seasonedbusiness is seeking tools for growth, the10 separate business organizationslocated at the Center can accelerate theprocess,” says Jerry Ross, executive direc-tor. “Our region is very entrepreneurialand we are very good at assisting thestart-up/first-stage ‘main street’ busi-nesses. By supporting and acceleratingthese start-ups into second-stage busi-nesses, we are supporting the economicgardening concept of growing compa-nies and, in turn, growing jobs.”

There is no doubting that a stronginfrastructure exists in Central Florida toeducate, create and retain start-up busi-nesses, but it is during the crucial next

step in a company’s growth cycle whensupport gaps often exist and manyregions fail to fill them. Ross emphasizessecond-stage growth companies asessential to economic development, and,in fact, they are the critical focus of eco-nomic gardening. It became clear to Rossthat economic gardening could be an ini-tiative worth considering for CentralFlorida when he read the 2006 Report tothe President on The Small Business Econ-omy, written by Orlando-based economicdevelopment researcher Steve Quello.

“Steve has brought his knowledgeand research on economic gardening toCentral Florida because of the fertileground of high-tech, biotech, and entre-preneurial capital present here,” addsRoss. “It only makes sense that a regionthat is so engaged and supportive of eco-nomic development would be at the fore-front of this type of initiative.”

SECOND-STAGEGROWTHTo Quello, who has been studying entre-preneurship and economic growth formore than a decade, economic garden-ing is more than a metaphor. It is a crit-ical part of a broader economic devel-opment story associated with the con-tinuum of entrepreneurship. There is aleverage point, he suggests, where com-munities can do better faster if theyinvest the right way. “With limited

resources, communities have to allocateresources strategically, and in times likethis, industrial recruitment is not as effec-tive as supporting expansion programstargeting resident businesses. Most jobsare created and sustained over time bythe creation and expansion of local com-

“These young companies are run by individualswho have the intent and wherewithal to grow, sowe help reduce the risks by being coaches andmentors.”— Tom O’Neal, associate vice president for Research and

Commercialization, UCF

Tom O’Neal

Randy Berridge


panies. The message of economic gar-dening is to allocate resources moreeffectively, by focusing on the stage-specific needs of high growth/highpotential second-stage companies.”

The bracket typically used todescribe second-stage growth compa-nies is 10 to 99 employees and $1 mil-lion to $50 million in revenues. In thisspace, says Quello, if a community cancultivate the right environment and offerstage-specific support, they will gener-ate the best return. Historically, he adds,the majority of public sector resourceshave flowed to supporting first- andfourth-stage companies, but entrepre-neurs are not equally productive. Only asmall subset of first- and second-stagecompanies have the desire and capac-ity to become truly high-growth enter-prises. The goal of economic gardeningis to recognize and support stage-spe-cific needs of these high achievers inorder to generate a greater return, nomatter the industry sector.

The Edward Lowe Foundation,based in southwest Michigan, was cre-ated to enhance entrepreneurship andeconomic growth across the country.Mark Lange, the executive director, hasknown Quello for 10 years, andtogether they have worked to betterunderstand how to recognize and sup-port second-stage growth companies.“Steve is our man on the ground in Cen-tral Florida,” he says. “He introducedme to Tom O’Neal four years ago, andI quickly realized what a great infra-structure Central Florida already had inplace. We simply began to provide thedata and new ways of thinking to keysupport people, and Steve became anadvocate for these ideas in the region.”

Acknowledging that UCF was wayahead of the curve with its incubatorprogram, Lange and the Foundationlicensed its PeerSpectives Program toUCF. O’Neal was quick to embrace it asa “graduate program” for his incubatorcompanies. PeerSpectives is a peer-to-peer, learning and problem-solvingprogram based on the best practices ofCEO peer-learning programs across thecountry. Quello worked in concert withthe Edward Lowe Foundation to study,design and implement the programnationally.

In essence, second-stage CEOsmeet in a roundtable setting once amonth to discuss issues relevant to theirbusinesses. The entrepreneurs decidewhat topic to discuss at the meeting. Inlaunching this program, Quello alsoserved as a facilitator, and has devel-oped a mentoring program that goeshand-in-hand with PeerSpectives, inwhich third-stage CEOs give advice tosecond-stage CEOs.

This supportive and proactive infra-structure has allowed Central Florida toovercome the most common hurdlesassociated with recognizing second-stage growth companies.

“Most communities have a hardtime finding them because they justdon’t know who they are, but CentralFlorida can target them easily becausethey’ve already been part of the con-tinuum process from the first-stagegrowth programs already in place,”explains Lange. “I’m really looking for-ward to seeing how this works out long-term for Florida now that initial fundingfrom the state is in place. I can seeusing Florida, and Central Floridaspecifically, as a blueprint when takingeconomic gardening to other regionsof the country.”

At the core of all this, stresses Quello,is the entrepreneur. “They create thejobs and wealth that drive the economy.That’s the message here — being entre-preneur-centric allows Central Florida tobe more productive and competitive inan increasingly “flat” world. Striking theappropriate balance of investment inentrepreneurship and innovation offersthe only truly sustainable economicdevelopment strategy.” x

Steve Quello

Signs of Second-StageGrowth A major principle of economic gardening

states that high growth/high potential com-

panies are critical to inside-out economic

development. They can be of any size but are

ideally bracketed between having 10 to 99

employees and $1 to $50 million in revenue;

established companies operating at a stage

beyond start up or early development. Most

importantly, second-stage companies are

particularly strategic.

The Edward Lowe Foundation describes

the second stage of business development

as a point in the business life cycle when the

casual ad hoc methods of entrepreneurial

ventures begin to fail. It is a stage when the

complexity of employing an increasing num-

ber of workers and the related regulatory

compliance issues begin to exceed the span

of control of one owner or CEO.

At this stage of business

development, more formal

systems and processes may

be required to effec-

tively manage the

business if it is to

sustain or accel-

erate its

current

rate of

growth to the

next stage of busi-

ness. These compa-

nies have moved

from where

the founder is

owner, operator, manager,

innovator — all in one — to

an operation organized

around specialization and more formal

organizational structure. This is an inher-

ently fluid stage of business development

that requires support to be available

in “just-in-time” fashion.

“They require high-maintenance and are

often difficult to get a handle on,” says Mark

Lange, executive director of the Founda-

tion. “We often liken second-stage growth

companies to a child’s terrible

twos. It's a tough growth

period that requires specific

support and under-

standing.”




s p e c i a l f x

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SPOTLIGHTBy Russ J.

Stacey

Commercial

THRIVING COMMERCIAL PRODUCTIONSPROVIDE THE BACKBONE FOR CENTRALFLORIDA’S ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.

“We have the sound stages, we have a sophisticated crew base, we are greenpractically 365 days a year when the restof the country is in whiteout, and it willalways be more cost effective to shoothere than in New York or L.A. Plus, we have a surplus of professional athletes who live here; that drives a lotto this market.”

A healthy year, like 2008, can see 75to 100 spots shot in the area. Despite

challenges related to the sagging economy, Central Florida remains a hotbed for regional and national television spots.

Benefiting from its world-class facilities, back lots and soundstages,Universal Studios Florida ProductionGroup is one of the busiest companiesaround. Vice President and GeneralManager Pamela Tuscany-Warren esti-mates that the company produced

between 50 and 75 commercials lastyear. “Spots slated for this quarterinclude TD AMERITRADE, Bush’s BakedBeans, Steinmart, Cracker Barrel andRooms To Go. Gillette has an ongoingcampaign with Derek Jeter, Roger Fed-erer and Tiger Woods. The TigerWoods’ Gatorade commercials — themoon shot one and the one where hehits the golf ball like a baseball — thosewere also shot here.”

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When it comes to production companiesscouting locations to shoot commercials,

Central Florida has a lot going for it, explains Suzy Spang, head of the Metro Orlando EDC’s Film & Entertainment Commission.

>>A commercial shoot for Gillette takesplace at Universal Studios.

020-21 Special FX:000-00 New Cos 2/27/09 1:49 PM

Many sports stars sign contracts withclauses permitting them to shoot theirendorsements in the market where theylive. Because so many live in this area,it is a boon to the industry.

Orlando-based Convergence is another local production companythat makes high-profile spots with well-known athletes. “We’ve shot withRoger Federer for Wilson and with Tom Watson for Adams Golf. We’veshot with Jason Taylor, the formerMiami Dolphin, and with golfers FuzzyZoeller and Nick Faldo. We did anOrlando Magic spot with DwightHoward,” Partner Kenny Taht says. Hedescribes 2008, when the companyproduced about 15 commercials andinfomercials, as “very busy” andremains optimistic about 2009.

What some people don’t realize isthat the health of the television and filmproduction industry here is inextricablytied to the stability and vitality of itscousin, the commercial productionindustry.

“Florida has always been a strongstate for commercials,” explains Celebration-based filmmaker ToddThompson. “In fact, most of the crewswe use on our films are technically‘commercial’ guys. Filmmaking inFlorida would not be possible if itweren’t for the steady flow of commer-cial work the state enjoys. That’s why wehave such a solid infrastructure.”

To maintain its solid position incommercial production, the industryrelies heavily on the University of Cen-

tral Florida, Valencia and SeminoleCommunity Colleges, DAVE School,Full Sail University and other schoolsto groom and grow the developingworkforce. Spang describes these institutions as a “huge advantage forthe community.”

Another benefit of the area is its terrain. “I think that some people ini-tially don’t understand what our geo-graphic footprint is. We can look likeAfrica, we can look like Latin or SouthAmerica, and we have small towns thatlook like Anywhere, U.S.A.,” she says.

Film industry leaders have their fin-gers crossed as several bills containingcreative solutions wait their turn in thecurrent Florida legislative session. Dueto budget constraints, the current stateincentive fund that offers cash reim-bursements to companies filming inFlorida has been diminished. The newbills instead offer tax credits that canbe deferred, so there is no cash outlayby the state.

And though the commercial marketis not necessari ly driven by the incentive fund (the turnaround time onproductions is so quick), it is a greatasset of an overall marketing strategythat most other states don’t include intheir incentives.

“We have to keep reeducating peo-ple that this is a smart place to shootall year long,” Spang says. “We havethe infrastructure and we have the tal-ent. It’s all here. This is a communitythat’s very supportive of the commer-cial industry.”


x

A sampling of recent, andupcoming, commercial shootsin Central Florida, and someof the familiar faces in them.

AAAAmerican ExpressAT&TBennigan'sBest BuyBuickBush's Baked BeansCadillacCracker BarrelDodgeEASports FordFriendly's RestaurantsGillette Home DepotHondaJohnson MotorsKodakLowe'sNickelodeonNikePepsiRagúRhodes FurnitureRooms To GoSea-DooSonicSteinmartTD AMERITRADE ToyotaWilson

Carrot TopNick FaldoRoger FedererDwight HowardDerek JeterShaquille O'NealTom WatsonTiger WoodsFuzzy Zoeller

ROLL CALL>>

Universal Studios ProductionGroup is also responsible forthe Rooms To Go commercials.

020-21 Special FX:000-00 New Cos 2/27/09 1:49 PM


Steve Kohler had only been on the job less thana year, but he saw the writing on the wall.

Actually, it was stenciled in the sky.>>

By Michael Candelaria

WITH SIGHTS SET HIGH, SPACE FLORIDA SEEKS TO TAKEFLIGHT ON THE WINGS OF ITS COMMERCIAL LAUNCH ZONE.

Canaveral Air Force Station, either couldbe part of that problem or part of the solution. Secure in the knowledgethat civil launches would be a continualgo and that a “fair share” of militarylaunches would come his way, Kohlerchose the latter.

“There wasn’t an ‘aha’ moment [aboutcommercial launches],” he says. “It was a trend of reckoning that went back 10 years.

“We really see the commercializationof space as the most rapidly growing sector, as the commercial industries of theworld see the value and profitability thatcan be generated.”

Kohler, though, isn’t sitting back, waiting for takeoff. He is, in his words,“incentivizing” to accelerate SpaceFlorida’s flight. “We needed to create acompelling reason for the payload

In May 2006, the Florida Legislaturepassed the Space Florida Act, consoli-dating Florida’s three space entities(Florida Space Authority, Florida SpaceResearch Institute and Florida AerospaceFinance Corp.) into a single new organi-zation: Space Florida, with Kohler takingthe helm in October 2006. Created as a special district, Space Florida wouldserve as the single point of contact for all space-related functions in the state,encompassing civil, military and commercial areas.

The problem was that commercialappeal sorely was lacking, not only acrossFlorida but nationwide.

During the previous decade, the U.S.market share for commercial launcheshad spiraled from 80 percent to roughly10 percent. Space Florida, includingKennedy Space Center and Cape

HOPESSkyrocketing

Steve Kohler

Florida Governor Charlie Crist(third from left) was among theattendees at the dedication cere-mony for Launch Complex 36.

022-23 Space Florida:014-018 Innovation 2/27/09 1:02 PM


customers and the launch vehicle usersto want to be here,” he asserts.

As the calendar turns to spring 2009,mission one is establishing a CommercialLaunch Zone, a move further hastened by phaseout of the shuttle program. Initially set for spring 2010, the shuttle’sretirement could be delayed until that fall.Still, there isn’t much time left to fill a significant void. Notably, a replacementto the shuttle, called Constellation, could be ready to operate as early as 2014, butthere are no certainties about the program.

As Kohler describes it, the Commer-cial Launch Zone, or CLZ, isn’t as mucha physical area at the Cape as it is a strat-egy intended to create a more compet-itive business environment for compa-nies involved in the aerospace sector. Heplans to build it using tax incentives asa foundation and access to the Interna-tional Space Station as a chief pillar.

Last August, that effort received abooster rocket in the form of rights toLaunch Complex 36. The U.S. Air Forceannounced that subject to completionof the environmental impact analysisprocess, Launch Complex 36 at CapeCanaveral would be rebuilt as a multi-use vertical launch complex capable ofsupporting several launch vehicle con-figurations. The complex had beenopened by NASA in 1961 and mostrecently was used as a military and com-mercial Atlas launch site. The final rock-ets launched in 2004. Kohler expectsreconstruction to begin before summer,

with launch activities possibly com-mencing late next year.

As a result, more than ever before, thepossibility of regular commercial launcheshappening on Central Florida’s coast isreal. And, for metro Orlando, the bene-fits are evident in more than mere prox-imity, particularly for biotech companies.Kohler envisions a space-based biotechcorridor that stretches from the Interna-tional Space Station to Earth-based facil-ities and resources such as the Space LifeSciences Lab at Kennedy Space Center.There is precedent, too. Space Shuttle

Mission STS-123, launched in March2008, hosted salmonella research thatvalidated results of experiments fromshuttle mission STS-115 two years earlier.Kohler’s belief is that biotech leaders inmetro Orlando, such as the BurnhamInstitute for Medical Research, willbroaden that activity.

Already, Burnham occupies a portionof the Space Life Sciences Lab’s roughly100,000 square feet. Burnham, which thisspring moves teams of scientists whostudy diabetes, obesity, cardiovasculardisease and drug discovery into a permanent headquarters facility at LakeNona, utilizes an approach to medicalresearch that involves scientists from different disciplines assembling in teamsto accelerate research. Research in spaceis a potential element of that approach,Kohler contends, largely by virtue of thatlab, which is officially recognized as anintegral connecting point with the SpaceStation and features superior payload-

The Space Life Sciences Lab at Kennedy Space Center.

Kohler envisions a space-based biotech corridorthat stretches from the International Space Station to Earth-based facilities.

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prep capabilities for Space Station experiments.

Dr. Daniel Kelly, scientific director ofBurnham, affirms that point.

“Burnham Institute for MedicalResearch at Lake Nona has prioritizedtranslational research and committedtechnology resources so that our basicscience discoveries can advance towardapplication at a faster pace,” he says.“Collaboration with other scientific organizations, such as Space Florida, canattract the attention of investors andspeed commercialization of the mostpromising projects.”

Beyond launch activity and research,there are potential metro Orlando part-nerships in activities such as constructionand space tourism, as well. One recentpartnership involved Lockheed Martin’swork on the building out of the opera-tions and checkout facility at KennedySpace Center.

Kohler also acknowledges a mutuallybeneficial relationship, with metroOrlando providing a talent pool that iscritical to Space Florida’s success. “Theinherent understanding that the centralregion has for space is unique in thecountry,” he comments.

His hopes are, well, high for metroOrlando and, mostly, for Space Florida’scommercial appeal. And the sky isn’teven the limit.

“POPE SCOPE” COULD SETTLE HERESpace Florida officials are in discussion

to obtain a world-class telescope from the

Vatican. The telescope would be donated

for educational purposes. Among the issues

to be resolved is the cost of transporting

the telescope to Kennedy Space Center.

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An Orlando native, Dr. Cheryl Bakerleft Central Florida after receiving herundergraduate degree from Rollins College to earn her Ph.D. at Texas Tech.From there, she established an impres-sive reputation as an instructor in thesurgery department at Harvard MedicalSchool and Children’s Hospital inBoston, as well as an Assistant Professorin the Cancer Biology department at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. But it was like a dream cometrue when she was approached aboutthe opportunity to return to her home-

town to establish and take the helm at M.D. Anderson Cancer CenterOrlando's Cancer Research Institute, a division of the Orlando Health hospital system.

What gets Dr. Baker and her team outof bed every morning is their passion forunderstanding a disease that affects millions of people every year, and theirdetermination to develop new and better treatments. Under her leadership,the Orlando facility specializes in treat-ing more than 11 types of cancer, includ-ing leukemia, lymphoma, pancreatic,breast, gastrointestinal, neurological,head and neck, lung and pediatric; andbrings together expertise in areas thatinclude: harvesting and processinghuman cancer tissue; evaluating thetherapeutic efficacy of targeted agents,chemotherapy and radiation; nanotech-nology; and multi-wavelength fluores-cence and X-ray imaging.

Dr. Henry Daniell knows that two ofthe most challenging problems inhuman healthcare today are the sky-rocketing costs of prescription medicine in developed countries, and

their lack of availability in developingcountries. High costs related to fer-mentation-based production systems,expensive purification methods, low-temperature storage, transportation,and delivery through sterile injectionsare at the root of those problems. EnterDr. Daniell, professor and microbiolo-gist at the University of Central FloridaCollege of Medicine, who is deter-mined to shake things up.

Dr. Daniell has discovered that mostof these expensive production and

ORLANDO’S BIOTECH ROCK STARS by Jackie KelvingtonTAKE CENTER STAGE

TOP DOCSOrlando’s rock star status is rising, especially on the biotech charts. Andbehind the community’s growing collection of industry breakthroughs are

several emerging and legendary artists. Meet the nation’s rising biotech rock starsand learn about the blockbuster work they're producing that is taking MetroOrlando all the way to the top.

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delivery systems can be minimized oreliminated with biopharmaceutical proteins expressed and orally deliveredvia plant cells. He and his team are leading work to produce human thera-peutic proteins in plants for large-scale,low-cost production and oral delivery.For example, he has successfully usedtobacco or lettuce plants to combat thetop infectious diseases listed by WorldHealth Organization (cholera, malaria,rotavirus, amebiasis) and the top bio-threat agents l isted by the CDC(anthrax and plague). Publishedresearch from his lab has shown thatanimals orally immunized with theplague vaccine survived an aerosolchallenge of 50 billion spores, whereasonly one fourth of animals immunizedwith injections survived.

Daniell’s lab recently announcedsuccess in genetically modifying lettuceheads that produce insulin in the questto develop a cure for diabetes. Afterinjecting the human gene for insulininto leaves of lettuce that are grown inthe lab, the leaves can be ground intopowder and put into a capsule. The lettuce helps the powdered capsulereach the intestine. There, plant cellsmeet with bacteria and release theinsulin. This stimulates an immuneresponse and helps the body to pro-duce its own insulin.

“It is the same insulin that is injected,but we are presenting it to the immunecells in the intestine and educatingthem to recognize that this is your own protein,” Dr. Daniell said. “What we have done is to teach the body how tocure this immune disorder. This is atotally new concept, a new platform touse this oral delivery system to fix thisimmune disorder.”

Recently named “Central Floridian ofthe Year” and a Harvard Medical Schoolgraduate, Dr. Deborah German is theforce behind one of the nation’s newest,most prominent medical schools. Set toopen this fall, the University of CentralFlorida’s College of Medicine is projectedto help create more than 30,000 localjobs and to have an estimated economicimpact of $7.6 billion in the year 2017.

As the founding dean, the energeticand inspirational Dr. German seems tobe everywhere at once. She is leading ateam that is building a medical program from scratch and attracting thecountry’s best and brightest faculty andstudents to UCF.

Dr. German has generated wide-spread community support for a first-of-its-kind full scholarship campaign for theinaugural class. With more than 4,300applications received for the 40 open-ings in the charter class, UCF’s Collegeof Medicine may be the country’s mostselective medical school.

Turning a dream of Dr. German’s intoreality, each member of that class willreceive a $160,000 scholarship for

tuition, living expenses, and fees for thefour-year medical degree program. The scholarships were completelyfunded by nearly $7 million in commu-nity donations from across the CentralFlorida region.

UCF’s medical school will be one ofthe anchors in a new “medical city”taking shape in Central Florida. The College of Medicine already has a strongresearch component thanks to the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences,which boasts active research in cardiacand neurosciences, infectious diseasesand cancer. Partners in the Lake Nonadevelopment include the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, a newNemours Children’s Hospital, a new VA Hospital, M.D. Anderson CancerCenter Orlando’s Cancer Research Institute and a University of Florida medical research lab.

After a parasailing accident that broke15 bones and left him temporarily unable to walk, talk or move his arms,

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successful obstetrician Dr. Ed Guindifound that his injuries made it impossibleto return to his former life of deliveringbabies. His life-altering experience has since altered the life of thousands, as the doctor turned his attention to becoming a champion in a new field:non-embryonic cord blood stem cell collection.

With a business partner, he foundedCORD:USE in 2004, drawing on his medical experience to develop the least-intrusive, most-effective way of obtaining cord blood cells. Since then,CORD:USE has entered into agree-ments with hospitals across the countryto provide mothers the option todonate their babies' cord blood, whichis a critical component of therapies formore than 70 diseases, including bloodcancers (leukemias, lymphomas andmyelomas) and other blood diseasessuch as sickle cell anemia and tha-lassemia. After collection, Guindi’s com-pany processes cord blood units atDuke University Medical Center andthen adds them to the National MarrowDonor Program registry. Orlando’sCORD:USE is now on target to becomethe leader in the collection, processing,storage and delivery of hematopoietic(blood-forming) cells found in cordblood and provided to transplant cen-ters worldwide.

As professor and scientific director ofBurnham Institute for Medical Researchat Lake Nona, Dr. Daniel Kelly guidesthe scientific direction of Burnham’s newEast Coast campus. He has established

the Diabetes and Obesity Research Center and has attracted a faculty of sci-entists with varied specialties to conductresearch that is focused on diabetes,obesity, metabolism and heart disease.And, he is helping lead an effort to forma Florida Hospital-Burnham ClinicalResearch Institute to study diabetes.Both of these initiatives focus on Dr. Kelly’s long-term scientific goals: fundamental and translational researchin cellular energy metabolism relevant to common diseases such as heart failure and diabetes, especially diabeticheart disease.

And the science is only beginning atBurnham Orlando. The Institute willreceive $35 million in research fundingfrom a National Institute of Health grantto equip and manage small-moleculescreening and discovery centers.Research partnerships have also beenestablished, including collaborationswith M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Orlando and with the Harbor BranchOceanographic Institution at FloridaAtlantic University, with whom Burn-ham scientists are creating syntheticversions of a substance found in oceansponges that has the potential to fightpancreatic cancer.

“We want to make Burnham at LakeNona a catalyst to grow Orlando’s biomedical cluster,” said Dr. Kelly. “Thepioneering spirit of Orlando makes LakeNona the perfect site for this newresearch initiative.”

An internationally recognized expertin the field of minimally invasive roboticprostatectomy, Dr. Vipul Patel, med-ical director of the Florida HospitalGlobal Robotic Institute, has personallyperformed more robotic prostatec-tomies than anyone else in the world.Under his leadership, the Celebration,



Florida-based Global Robotics Institutehas become a sought-after destination program, serving international, domes-tic, and local patients. Dr. Patel is alsopart of the team of talented surgeonsand healthcare professionals helpingto train nearly 7,000 physicians eachyear on the latest minimally invasiveand non-invasive surgical techniquesthrough unique interactive teleconfer-encing technology and on-site atFlorida Hospital’s Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement. And, hehosts a world symposium for roboticsurgery, which brings together surgeons from around the globe toshare knowledge and skills, improverobotic surgery practice, and learnabout technical innovations. His globalconnections are far-ranging. Not only ishe an associate professor here at homeat the University of Central Florida, healso serves as a faculty advisor for theKorean University in Seoul and for theEuropean Oncology Institute in Milan.Our own Dr. Roboto’s goal is unyield-ing: to find and eliminate prostate cancer, which strikes one-in-six men intheir lifetime.

Can you imagine the cost and timesavings if it were possible to substituteoften misleading preclinical human andanimal drug trials for a “clinical trial in atest tube”? Dr. William Warren and hiscompany, VaxDesign, not only imaginedit, they pioneered it!

VaxDesign’s MIMICTM (ModularImmune In vitro Construct) System useshuman blood cells under conditions

similar to that in the human body, repli-cating the human immune system andallowing testing in a more “natural” envi-ronment. Its technologies enableresearchers to test drugs, vaccines andchemical formulations more reliably andpredictably, while potentially saving com-panies years of development time andmillions of dollars in development costs.

It is no wonder that Warren and hisOrlando-based company are recipientsof the R&D 100 Award, and recognizedby BioWorld as one of the most innova-tive companies in biotech .

Developing and producing special-ized devices and advanced medical sim-ulation systems designed to save liveson the battlefield and the emergency room is what Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) and its president, Dr. Mark Wiederhold, are all

about. Partnering with Central Florida-based IT company TeKONTROL to dothis important work from a new research,development and manufacturing facilityheadquartered in a disadvantaged areanear Downtown Orlando brings helpeven closer to home.

VRMC develops and uses com-puter-generated simulations andother special effects to treat mentalhealth disorders, aid physical andmental rehabilitation, and train healthcare providers and military personnel.For example, they have pioneered Virtual Reality-enhanced CognitiveBehavioral Therapy (VR-CBT), used totreat cl ients with panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia and otherphobias. Here in Central Florida, inaddition to their partnership withTeKONTROL, VRMC is partnering withthe University of Central Florida to create a virtual game to aid stroke survivors in expanding their range ofmovement.


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By DeanHybl

GROUPSupport

Access to the research minds of some of America’s great academic experts and their graduate students is driving

an applied research explosion in Florida that is solving problems forcompanies of all sizes and creating downstream value in the form ofcontracts, patents, jobs and capital investment for a region that is hometo 70 percent of the state’s high tech employment.

THE FLORIDA HIGH TECH CORRIDOR COUNCIL OFFERS A NETWORK OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT HELPHUNDREDS OF COMPANIES.

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comfort and support as they look togrow and flourish.

Created in 1996 when the FloridaLegislature empowered the University ofCentral Florida (UCF) in Orlando and theUniversity of South Florida (USF) inTampa to partner in a unique economicdevelopment initiative, FHTCC has nowgrown into a powerful alliance that also

includes the University of Florida (UF), 14community colleges and nearly twodozen economic development organi-zations across a 23-county corridorwithin the central portion of Florida.

With a mission to attract, retain andgrow high-tech industry and to developthe workforce to support it, the Councilhas developed or supported a wide variety of programs that have assistedhundreds of companies across the Corridor, ranging from large globalgiants to small incubator start-ups.

ACCESS TORESEARCHOver the last 12 years, more than 300 companies have worked withresearchers at UCF, USF and UF on more than 900 applied research projects ranging from agritechnology to solar energy. The groundbreakingresearch that has resulted from thesepartnerships has led to the developmentof innovative products, treatments andresearch methods that have enhancedthe lives of people across the globe.

One example of the variety ofresearch being funded through the

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Take a tour of FHTCC with its online virtual visit program.

Its Matching Grants Research Program(MGRP) is just one of the threads in a fabric that the Florida High Tech Corri-dor Council (FHTCC) has been devel-oping for more than a dozen years toweave together the pieces of a high-tech blanket for the region, helpingprovide Central Florida’s high-tech andinnovation sectors with much needed

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Council’s matching grants program is aproject currently underway at UCF thatis developing a new way for doctors tovirtually “see” inside a patient’s bodyand visualize the movements of an inter-nal organ in real time.

Doctors at M.D. Anderson CenterOrlando have partnered with simulationexperts at UCF to help physicians betteradminister radiation treatment to lungtumors. Created by Drs. Jannick Rollandand Anand Santhanam, both UCFresearchers, the technology uses a head-mounted display that projects a 3-D lungmodel on goggles designed to give theexperience of seeing through a patient’schest. That model is an expanding andcontracting lung specific to the patient.

WORKFORCEDEVELOPMENTOver the years, FHTCC has invested ina multitude of programs designed toassist in workforce development acrossthe region through support for educa-tion and workforce initiatives.

The Council has provided financialsupport for an initiative to develop 2+2Associate Degree programs designed toensure that students completing the firsttwo years of a college career at the com-munity college level, have a programavailable to help them achieve a bache-lor’s degree through collaborationbetween the community colleges andresearch universities. Currently, there are2+2 Associate Degree programs avail-able in the technology sectors of micro-electronic manufacturing; biotechnol-ogy; modeling, simulation and training;wireless technologies; digital media;photonics; and information technologysecurity. In addition, the Council hashelped support a SpaceTec CertifiedAerospace Technician program and aManufacturing Center of Excellence certificate program.

Another successful Council initiativeis the outreach to teachers and their stu-dents in public school systems throughthe techPATH program, a partnershipwith educators throughout the 23-county region. techCAMP, the program’ssignature offering, has engaged morethan 2,000 teachers, and through themreached hundreds of thousands of stu-

dents through nearly 50 techCAMPsheld across the Corridor.

In addition, the Council has hostedtwo Career Expos, which provide anopportunity for companies across theregion looking for technology workers tomeet face-to-face with career centerdirectors from some of the leading col-leges and universities in the country.

CREATINGPARTNERSHIPS AND PROMOTINGTHE REGIONThrough its unofficial mantra of “leaveyour egos and your logos at the door,”FHTCC has been able to bring togetherbusiness, economic development, work-force and educational leaders fromacross the Corridor with the single goalof working together to enhance andgrow high-tech industries within the 23-county region.

flvec.com, which is a Virtual Entrepre-neurial Center designed to be a one-stop shop where new and expandingbusinesses can find the information theyneed on everything from potential ven-dors to permitting regulations. FHTCCalso developed a regional Virtual Visit(www.VisitTheCorridor.com) that allowssite selectors from across the globe to learn about the great high- tech amenities available within theregion without the expense of making anin-person visit.

Recognizing the value of social networks in the world of high tech andinnovation, the Council recently initiateda YouTube channel (www.floridahightech.com/resources/facesoftechnology.html) with videos featuring some of thehigh-tech innovators in the Corridor.FHTCC is also looking at the possibilityof hosting an interactive social networkthat would allow researchers and

entrepreneurs fromacross the region toconnect online todiscuss subjects ofinterest.

But even in thiselectronic age, theCouncil also recog-nizes the value ofcreating relation-ships through per-sonal contact. Asupporter of theTampa Bay Technol-ogy Forum, whichbrings technologyleaders from theTampa Bay areatogether for regularsocial and profess-ional functions,

since its inception, FHTCC is currentlyworking with leaders within the MetroOrlando area to re-engage the CentralFlorida Technology Forum. The goal isto provide technology companies fromthe Metro Orlando area with regularopportunities to engage in networkingand relationship building that fostersthe spirit of collaboration that hashelped FHTCC become such an impor-tant part of the high-tech fabric of Central Florida.

Under the guidance of FHTCC President Randy Berridge, the Council isalways looking for opportunities to partner on initiatives that will enhancethe Corridor, either through the additionor expansion of a high-tech company,recognition of the Corridor as a placewhere high-tech innovation thrives, orpromotion of some of the activities and economic tools available within the Corridor.

The Council has helped spearhead

techCAMPs are just one programoffered by FHTCC.

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TWO OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S BIGGEST VENUES ARE PROUDLY WEARING GREEN.

The city and the Orlando Magic are aim-ing for the events center — set to openin the fall of 2010 — to become the firstNBA arena in the country to achieveLeadership in Energy and Environmen-tal Design (LEED) certification. TheLEED honor is bestowed by the U.S.Green Building Council to promotedesign and construction practices thatreduce the negative environmentalimpacts of buildings, while improvingthe well-being of those who use them.

The to-do green list at the events center includes using light-colored roof-ing to reflect sunlight and reduce theamount of air conditioning needed; recycling construction waste and usingmany materials made from recycledproducts; and implementing high-techcooling, heating and ventilation systemsthat are calibrated with one another for peak performance.

There’s also a treat in store for thosewho drive hybrid or electric cars.

“In the parking garage being builtsouth of the building, the hybrid or

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energy-efficient lighting you can get,’’said Stephanie Graham, sustainabilitycoordinator with HOK Sport. “The intenthere is to use a very low energy sourceto provide a feature that will really makethe events center an icon of the community.’’

The beacon’s cool factor: It canchange colors depending on the eventtaking place — for instance, blue for aMagic game or red for an OrlandoPredators football game. Also lightingup the outside will be a 50-by-60-foot“media mesh’’ screen made up of LEDsto display still imagery and messages.

Inside there will be more technologyto wow fans.

“It’s going to be the most techno-logically advanced events center inNorth America,’’ said Alex Martins, chiefoperating officer of the Orlando Magic.

By Barry Glenn

The Orlando EventsCenter, being built

downtown, will showcaseenvironmentally friendlyfeatures, such as a daz-zling iconic tower; whilethe Orange County Con-vention Center is nearingcompletion of a rooftopsolar-power system thatwill be the largest in theSoutheast.

>> electric vehicle spots would probably beon the first floor — easy in, easy out,’’said Brian Purlow, an architect for HOKSport, designers of the center. “So thereprobably would be an advantage to driving a vehicle like that.’’

Although low-flow fixtures will beinstalled in restrooms and elsewhere toreduce water use, the center’s land-scaping won’t be using any city water.Instead, it will be nourished with cap-tured rainwater or condensation fromthe air conditioning units. Piping willcarry the water to a ground-level cisternthat’s tied in to the irrigation loop.

Even the events center’s dazzling signature object — a 120-foot lightedglass tower — will use an energy-effi-cient form of lighting.

The tower’s beacon will be light-emitting diodes, “and LED is the most

Going

When built, the new Orlando EventsCenter will be the first NBA arena toachieve LEED certification.

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“I think it’s visionary’’ he said. “It’s theway we all need to be thinking.’’

A few miles down Interstate 4, theOrange County Convention Center hasbeen thinking like that for quite a whilenow. In May, it plans to start using a hugearray of solar panels being installed on top of its North/South Building.

Officials hope that one day the photovoltaic system, the largest in theSoutheast, can provide all the power to the massive 1.1-million-square-footbuilding. That could help the center trimits power bill, which is running $7 millionto $9 million annually.

Meanwhile, the nation’s second-largest convention center is carrying on with its other green programs.

“We recycle everything, whether it’sbottles, cans, cardboard, paper, evendown to the batteries,’’ said Gwen Wil-son, the center’s public relations man-ager. And the numbers prove it – in 2007the facility recycled 80 percent of all ofits dry waste, including 1,200 tons of

Green efforts at the Orange CountyConvention Center include the use of solar panels and an extensive recycling program.

TECH ADVANCES INCENTRAL FLORIDARube Lab, a Lake County think tank spe-

cialized in advancing environmentally-

friendly innovations and solutions, is

building a solar-powered recharge station

for electric cars and golf carts in down-

town Eustis. When complete, the charg-

ing station, which is expected to be oper-

ational by the end of this month, will

accommodate three slots for small ele-

ctric cars and will also feature a pedestri-

an bench and shelter. Building Lake

County’s clean tech industry is a key ob-

jective of the county’s recently adopted

strategic economic development plan.

The scoreboard will feature numeroushigh-definition and LED screens to playvideo and relay information, and therewill be two message-carrying electronic“ribbon boards” stretching around theinterior of the arena.

Fans have other treats in store. BradClark, HOK Sport’s senior project engineer for the center, envisions a“pedestrian front porch’’ in the way thecenter opens out onto Church Street,when part of that thoroughfare closesduring events and becomes a seamlessextension of the center.

Clark points out another fan-friendly

locale — the upper concourse, which will feature a Magic-themed play area for young children and a video gamearea for teens. It’s designed so that Momand Dad can keep an eye on theiryoungsters but still have a view of theaction on the floor.

Clark has kudos for the decision of local governments and the Magic to go green.

“We recycle everything, whether it’s bottles, cans,cardboard, paper, even down to the batteries.’’

— Gwen Wilson, OCCC’s public relations manager.

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cardboard and 14 tons of office paper. Four years ago, the center began a

reusable donations program, askingevent organizers to donate materialsthey might not ship back home or mightotherwise throw away. Last year, Wilsonsaid, local charities received $1.8 millionworth of these items, including cases ofwater, tools, even signs that art studentscould use in their classes by drawing onthe back.

Call it going green with a heart.

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ECONOMYBuilding

>> Lake County-based BuildtelligenceWeb Solutions, an information tech-nology company specializing in searchengine optimization, is expanding inMount Dora. The company will add 31new positions with average salaries of more than $36,000.

>> Digimation, a provider of 3-D content and related services to theentertainment and defense industries,is moving their headquarters from St.Rose, Louisiana, to Metro Orlando. Thenew location will result in 30 new jobs;will generate $750,000 in capital invest-ment; and will lease over 4,000 squarefeet of space on International Parkwayin Heathrow/Lake Mary.

>> Dream Balloon Productions, a digital media production studio, hasrelocated its headquarters from NewJersey to Orlando. The company nowoccupies 10,500 square feet of space inthe DrewTina Commerce Center inOrange County. They expect to add upto 60 new employees over the nextthree years.

>> DataSite Orlando is investing $26million to renovate an existing 130,000-square-foot facility into a 21st centurydata center that prioritizes energy efficiency. Located in Orange County’sSouth Park on John Young Parkway, thebuilding’s features will include thermo-plastic roof membrane, capturing rainwater for liquid cooling, ductedreturns to remove warm air before itmixes with cold air, and participation inan energy-efficiency program offeredby Progress Energy. This project isexpected to generate 39 new jobs aver-aging salaries of $70,000.

For the latest economic develop-ment news in Orlando, visitwww.orlandoedc.com/News.

FLORIDAOPPORTUNITYFUND CREATED TOLURE INVESTMENTNearly 700 venture-capital deals haveclosed in the State of Florida since 2000,resulting in more than $6.4 billion in totalventure-capital spending. A new stateprogram hopes to accomplish more of

the same. The State of Florida has created the Florida Opportunity Fund,a multimillion-dollar program thatdirects investments to high-performingfunds committed to seed and early-stage businesses. This program seeksto realize significant long-term returnsfrom funds making investments inearly-stage opportunities.

The Florida Opportunity Fund wasestablished by Enterprise Florida, thestate’s economic development arm,and is managed by Florida First Part-ners (FFP). The program is designed tobuild upon investment activities ofleading national venture-capitalgroups, such as Kleiner Perkins Cau-field & Byers, Benchmark Capital andSycamore Ventures. These firms pro-vide capital to companies focused ondeveloping advanced technologiessuch as surgical robotics design, busi-ness intelligence software, defense andaerospace applications, and greenmethods to create new products out ofrecyclables.

For more information, visitwww.floridaopportunityfund.com.

While there is no doubt we are in the midst of tough economic times, the key to economic recovery is economic

development — the attraction, retention and expansion of companies that create high-wage jobs for citizens and build thetax base through capital investment. The Metro Orlando EDC is aggressively marketing the region as the premier location forbusiness. As a result, here are some of the most recent economicdevelopment announcements:

>>By Jennifer

WakefieldECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EQUALS ECONOMICRECOVERY.

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VIRTUAL RESOURCE FORENTREPRENEURSMetro Orlando is increasingly recognized as a great loca-tion for growing businesses and entrepreneurs ... and a new online resource is available to assist start-up andexpanding companies located in the region.

The Virtual Entrepreneur Center is a one-stop Web por-tal maintained by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, inpartnership with the Metro Orlando EDC and other localeconomic development organizations. The user-friendly andcomprehensive site catalogs local, regional, state and globalresources for starting and growing a business. Users can findinformation ranging from developing a business plan andaddressing legal and tax issues, to handling challengesrelated to growth and evaluating a variety of technologyoptions.

The EDC worked with Florida High Tech Corridor Coun-cil and Web site developers at Daytona Beach CommunityCollege to provide contact links and other resource infor-mation from the counties and cities within our four- countyregion. The Disney Entrepreneur Center, a national programlocated in downtown Orlando, is also a supporter of thisentrepreneurial project.

To visit the Virtual Entrepreneur Center, go towww.flvec.com.

MEDICAL CITY UPDATEOrlando is one of only two cities in the world currentlybuilding a “medical city” — the other being Dubai. Andthis year, Orlando’s Medical City at Lake Nona goes fromdream to reality. Here is the latest:

>> Burnham Institute at Lake Nona This spring, the doorsto the 175,000-square-foot, $80 million Burnham Institutefor Medical Research at Lake Nona will open. But scientistshave already begun conducting research at temporary labspace located at Florida’s Blood Centers — studying a deep-sea sponge found off of Florida’s coast that could hold acure for pancreatic and colon cancers; and partnering withFlorida Hospital to create the Florida Hospital/Burnham Clin-ical Research Institute to take prevention, diagnosis andtreatment of diabetes and obesity to the next level.

>> Veteran’s Affairs Hospital This 1.2 million-square-footfacility is under construction and slated to open in 2012; the134-bed hospital will establish inpatient services for veter-ans in Central Florida.

>> Nemours Children’s Hospital The $400 million, 95-bedchildren’s hospital is under construction with plans to openin late 2012. The hospital will emphasize pediatric research.

>> University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine The Burnett Biomedical Sciences building shouldbe completed by this summer. The inaugural College of Med-icine class of 40 students — all of whom received unprece-


three-year federal grant to ease the nurs-ing shortage. SCC has also beenapproved to offer its first four-yeardegree — a Bachelor of Applied Science in Interior Design.

>> University of Central Florida (UCF)is now the 5th-largest university in thenation, with more than 50,000 students. UCF is listed in the Top 10“patent scorecard” for universities, whichranks technology innovations gainedfrom patents. The UCF Incubator Pro-gram — named a top incubator in thenation — has plans to add three newincubators: Leesburg Business & Tech-nology Incubator in Lake County; St.Cloud Research & Technology Center inOsceola County; and a virtual businessincubator in Winter Park.

>>Valencia Community Collegeopened its new 80,000-square-footallied health and sciences building at the West Campus on south KirkmanRoad.


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©2009 Progress Energy Carolinas, Inc. and Progress Energy Florida, Inc.

T H E P R O G R E S S E N E R G Y S E R V I C E A R E A

G E N E R AT I N G

R E L I A B L E P O W E RA N D A

R E L I A B L E F U T U R EF O R YO U R B U S I N E S S .

Your business will shine brighter when you relocate or expand in the

Progress Energy service area. Where your business can count on:

Clean, reliable, affordable power for today and tomorrow

A strong local economy, outstanding talent pool and high quality of life

A dedicated economic development team to meet your business’ needs

To learn more about Progress Energy, call 1.800.622.7562 or visit

progress-energy.com/economic.

L O O K I N G A T P O W E R I N A N E W L I G H T .

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dented full- tuition scholarships with liv-ing expenses for all four years — willbegin classes this fall in temporary spaceat Central Florida Research Park. For thelatest, visit www.med.ucf.edu.

HIGHER EDUCATIONUPDATEFrom excellence in university research to innovation in education, here is the latest news from a few of MetroOrlando’s higher-education institutions:

>> DeVry University regularly part-ners with high school students to nur-ture their interest in science, businessand technology fields. DeVry, whichannually hosts a FIRST Robotics com-petition, on April 30 will play host toHer World, an event geared towardfemale high school juniors and seniorsto get them interested in pursuingbusiness and technology in college.

>> Kaplan University opened a newonline student support center in a two-

story, 124,000-square-foot space onIngenuity Drive in the Central FloridaResearch Park. The facility housesadmissions advisors, financial aid offi-cers, human resources and informationtechnology representatives who willsupport Kaplan University’s online stu-dents. Kaplan expects to employ asmany as 750 people over the next fouryears.

>> Lake-Sumter Community Collegehas partnered with both Florida Hospital Waterman and the CentralFlorida Health Alliance to provide scholarships for nursing students.

>> Rollins College’s MBA programwas ranked #24 in the nation by Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review. Rollins’s interna-tional efforts were also featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

>> Seminole Community College(SCC) has been awarded a $2 million,


BC Advertising:000 Lifestyle 2/27/09 1:21 PM Page 1

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