florida.HIGH.TECH 2010

www.fl oridahightech.comThe Guide to Florida’s High Tech Corridor

2010

www.fl oridahightech.comThe Guide to Florida’s High Tech Corridor

2010florida.HIGH.TECH

Florida’s High Tech Corridor is fertile ground for economic gardening

Grow.Connect.Thrive.

The Faces of Technology

Phone: 407-742-4200 Fax: 407-742-4202

Defense companies in Pinellas County, Florida recognize that a vibrant cluster of local vendors plays a key role in the success and sustainability of this dynamic industry. Prime contractors such as ATK, Cobham, DRS, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and SAIC have teamed with small to mid-sized firms and Pinellas County Economic Development on several initiatives designed to strengthen the industry and grow local companies.

The Pinellas Area Federal Contractors Association (www.floridafederalcontractors.org) provides networking, marketing, and educational opportunities for its member companies throughout the supply chain.

The annual Pinellas Technology & Business Innovation Exchange (www.pinellastechnology.com) showcases local defense capabilities to purchasing representatives of the nation’s largest prime contractors.

Pinellas County is proud to be the home of the U.S. Army Reserve’s 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment and Medical Command, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Headquarters, Air Station and ATON. MacDill Air Force Base, home to both U.S. SOCOM and U.S. CENTCOM is located less than 10 miles from Pinellas, just across the bay.

Find the resources, opportunities and support to expand your business in Pinellas County. Call our business development team today at (888) 759-5627 to learn more or visit us online at www.pced.org.

Pinellas County, FloridaStrong on Defense

Aviation & Aerospace • Advanced Manufacturing • Business & Financial Services Information Technology • Life Sciences & Medical Technologies • Microelectronics & Nanotechnology

Modeling & Simulation • Optics & Photonics

A KC-135R Stratotanker assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, 91st Air Refueling Squadron, at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, flies a training mission over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Pinellas County. Photo credit: United States Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Keith Reed

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5fl orida.HIGH.TECH 2010

Written by • Nancy Curry, Kerry Martin, Roger Pynn and Dan WardStatistical Research • Guy Hagen, President, Innovation Insight

Published by MADDUX BUSINESS REPORT • P.O. Box 202 • St. Petersburg, FL 33731-0202Phone: 800.226.4394 or 727.823.4394 Web site: www.maddux.com • email: [email protected] MADDUX BUSINESS REPORT is a monthly business magazine that covers the general corporate, technology, fi nance and development scene in the Tampa Bay area.

Contentswww.fl oridahightech.com

fl orida.HIGH.TECH 2010

33

8 Grow. Connect. Thrive. The Florida High Tech Corridor is fertile ground for economic gardening

7 Welcome “An unmatched learning opportunity …”

University Research 12 Light-Bending Possibilities - University of Central Florida 16 Water Detective - University of South Florida

20 Smashing Research - University of Florida

25 Three Powerhouse Universities An Overview

28 One Thousand and Counting … Matching Grants Research Program

44 A 3-2-1 Moment The region unites to launch new careers

49 Annual Report Florida High Tech Corridor Council

56 Well Connected Smart partnerships fuel new jobs

58 Organizations/Trade Associations

Florida High Tech Corridor Council EDO Partners

Alachua County Dept. of Growth Management 352.374.5249 • http://growth-management.alachua.fl .us

Central Florida Development Council, Inc. 863.534.4370 • www.cfdc.org

Citrus County Economic Development Council, Inc. 352.795.2000 • www.citrusedc.com

City of Cocoa 321.637.7219 • www.cocoafl .org

City of Deltona 386.878.8100 • www.deltonafl .gov

DeSoto County Economic Development Offi ce 863.993.4800 • www.co.desoto.fl .us

Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast 800.535.0203 • www.spacecoastedc.org

Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County 941.309.1200 • www.edcsarasotacounty.com

Enterprise Flagler 800.899.7962 • www.enterprisefl agler.org

Enterprise Florida, Inc. 407.956.5600 • www.efl orida.com

Florida Economic Development Council, Inc. 850.201.3332 • www.fedc.net

Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce 352.334.7100 • www.gainesvillechamber.com

Gainesville Council for Economic Outreach 352.378.7300 • www.gceo.com

Haines City Economic Development Commission 863.422.2525 • www.hainescityedc.com

Hardee County Chamber of Commerce863.773.6967 • www.hardeecc.com

Hernando County Offi ce of Business Development 352.540.6400 • www.hernandobusiness.com

Highlands County Economic Development Commission 888.388.4233 • www.highlandsedc.com

Hillsborough County Economic Development Department813.272.7232 • www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/

Lake County Economic Growth and Redevelopment 352.343.9866 • egr.lakecountyfl .gov

Lakeland Economic Development Council 863.687.3788 • www.lakelandedc.com

Manatee Economic Development Council941.748.3411 • www.manateeedc.com

Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission 407.422.7159 • www.orlandoedc.com

Nature Coast Business Development Council, Inc. (Levy County)352.486.5470 • www.naturecoast.org

Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation 352.291.4410 • www.ocalaedc.org

Osceola County Economic Development Department 407.742.4200 • www.chooseosceola.com

Pasco Economic Development Council 888.607.2726 • www.pascoedc.com

Pinellas County Economic Development 888.759.5627 • www.pced.org

Putnam County Chamber of Commerce 386.328.1503 • www.putnamcountychamber.org

Seminole County Department of Economic Development 407.665.7135 • www.businessinseminole.com

St. Petersburg Economic Development Department 727.893.7100 • www.stpeteshines.com

Sumter County Economic Development Council 352.793.3003 • www.sumtercountytoday.com/scedc.asp

Tampa Bay Partnership 813.878.2208 • www.tampabay.org

Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation www.tampaEDC.com

Volusia County Department of Economic Development 800.554.3801 • www.volusia.org/economicdevelopment

Faces of TechnologyMeet 16 pioneers of the Florida High Tech Corridor

Cover Story

6 2010 fl orida.HIGH.TECH

FLORIDA

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

WWW.PCED.ORG

888.759.5627

www.cfdc.org www.pascoedc.com

www.research.ucf.edu

www.tampabay.orgwww.BusinessInSeminole.com

www.verizon.com

www.ufl .edu

www.pced.org

www. chooseosceola.com

www.usf.edu

Sponsors offl orida.HIGH.TECH

www.fl oridahightech.com

www.poly.usf.edu

“An unmatched learning opportunity ... that couldn’t be engineered in a lab or learned from a book.” – A graduate researcher


Welcome

This ninth edition of fl orida.HIGH.TECH comes at a time when this unique initiative of three great American research universities is increasingly being recognized as a model for harnessing the power of higher education to create economic opportunity.

At its annual meeting in Reno, Nevada, in October 2009, the International Economic Develop-

ment Council (IEDC) presented the top award for Economic Development Partnerships with Higher

Education to the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) for its Matching Grants Research

Program and Workforce Development eff orts.

While that high praise is sincerely appreciated, equally meaningful are the comments of a young

graduate researcher at the University of South Florida, Nathan Schwagler in the Master of Science

in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies program. He said:

“Financial support from FHTCC, and the intellectual support of Drs. Michael Fountain and Balaji

Padmanabhan, created an unmatched learning opportunity that truly complemented my aca-

demic coursework. The high-level talent from both academia and industry created a team-based,

experiential, and cross-disciplinary scenario that simply couldn’t be engineered in a lab or learned

from a book.”

In this issue you can read about the fascinating history of our now globally recognized Match-

ing Grants Research Program, as well as stories about how regional cooperation will lead to future

opportunities for our student researchers who are one of the world’s most potent human resource

assets and Florida’s eff orts to pave the way for start-up and second-stage ventures to become

powerful economic partners.

And, one of our most popular features – “Faces of Technology” – has been expanded this year

and refl ects growing interest in the Corridor Council’s online presence. If you have not become one

of our “Facebook Fans,” now is the time because by visiting us at www.facebook.com/fl oridahightech

you’ll get to meet the minds behind what is happening all across this exciting region. Their video

interviews are truly fascinating.

Thank you for your continued interest in the Florida High Tech Corridor … a growing hub of

technology industry, employment and research.

PresidentFlorida High Tech Corridor Council

Best regards,

Randy Berridge

Grow.Connect.Thrive.


Florida’s High Tech Corridor is fertile ground for economic gardening

Companies in the Corridor are already creating new technologies, and Florida

can capitalize on technologies ready to be transferred from its established research

universities, Quello observes. “Visionaries in the Florida Legislature have said it is

time to be there to support growth companies at the second stage of development,”

Quello says, “and the potential for return on investment in the High Tech Corridor is

very high.”

Quello was an early advocate of the concept in Florida, urging leaders to consider

investing in second-stage development. He has served as an advisor to the Edward

Lowe Foundation of Michigan, advancing their mission of supporting entrepreneur-

ship and second-stage businesses, and worked closely with Chris Gibbons … consid-

ered “the co-founder” of the economic gardening movement. Gibbons, of Littleton,

Colo., helped create and refi ne practices now in place throughout the country in

communities ranging from California to New Mexico, Indiana and Georgia.

“Florida has been wise to protect the focus on the stage-specifi c needs of growth

companies. This aspect of the Florida economic gardening pilot is unique when com-

pared to other related initiatives that we’ve observed across the nation,” says Mark

Lange, executive director of the Edward Lowe Foundation.

The 2008 Florida Legislature committed $10 million for two initiatives: a preferred

rate loan program being administered by the Black Business Investment Fund; and,

a technical assistance program for second-stage companies, administered by the

University of Central Florida (UCF) Offi ce of Research which has created the Florida

Economic Gardening Institute.

With funding support from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, UCF has

partnered with the 500-member Florida Economic Development Council, Workforce

Florida, Enterprise Florida and the Edward Lowe Foundation to deploy technical assist-

ance statewide.

Economic Gardening Expert I

Steve Quello (above) says, “Gardening is

about serving growth-oriented companies of all

sectors ... focusing on the High Tech

Corridor is a good place to start.”

COVER STORY


As Florida embraces “economic gardening,” a concept fi rst advanced in Colorado and becoming an

accepted principle of economic development, much of the initial activity will take place across the Florida High Tech Corridor … working to see that second-stage companies have the resources necessary to build the state’s economy. • The Florida High Tech Corridor is fertile ground, according to economic gar-dening expert Steve Quello. “Gardening is about serving growth-oriented companies of all sectors. Technology companies tend to create more high-wage, high-value jobs which means focusing on the High Tech Corridor is a good place to start.”

A

Incubating Technology More and more, regional partnerships with institutes of higher learning are

becoming recognized for the key role they play in economic gardening … hardly

a new concept to the 13-year-old Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC),

whose three partner research universities have helped dozens of high perform-

ing spin-out companies stimulate the local economy.

Their main economic engine: technology incubators.

Recently released data from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic

Development Administration found business incubators to be the most cost-ef-

fective investment governments can make in terms of job creation.

Thanks to the FHTCC’s initial and ongoing fi nancial support for Corridor incu-

bators, these centers of business and innovation are proving that fact each and

every day.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council commissioned a study to be the fi rst of

many investigating the true regional economic and community benefi ts of the

university-based incubators within the Corridor. Conducted by Real Estate Re-

search Consultants Inc., the analysis of the University of Central Florida’s Business

Incubation Program proved staggering.

According to the study, UCF’s Incubator program “is responsible for facilitating the creation

of more than 1,600 jobs in the region.” What’s more, the study also utilized a proven formula

developed by the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis as part of the Regional Input/

Output System II to calculate the impact that the incubator has on the regional economy. The

total impact on Central Florida from client and graduate companies, as well as spinoff compa-

nies, was calculated to be $191,306,000 in 2009 alone.

Of course, these indirect fi gures would not be as impressive if the study didn’t also consider

the return on investment for the city and county partners who fronted the cost of the pro-

gram. The study found that “every $1 invested by the local governments (and FHTCC) partici-

pating in the UCF incubator program is returning at least $5.25 in local government revenues

in the form of property taxes and sales taxes.”

The proven success of UCF’s program, named the 2004 Technology Incubator of the Year by

the National Business Incubation Association, sets the precedent for what is to be revealed in

later studies of the incubator programs at the other two Corridor universities, the University of

South Florida (USF) and University of Florida (UF).

The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator at USF is sure to boast notable statistics from the im-

pact of its 25 current and graduate companies. Former incubator company, Intezyne Technol-

ogies, was among 20 businesses recognized by Gov. Charlie Crist with the Governor’s Business

Diversifi cation Award for contributions toward statewide economic diversifi cation.

Similarly, the UF Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator’s 26 current and graduate companies

have attracted $300 million in investment and $150 million in contracts and grant awards.

According to William H. Owen, CRE, president and CEO of Real Estate Research Consultants

Inc. and key analyst of the UCF study, “Because of the high tech focus of these incubators,

they are poised to provide a greater economic impact than that of the national average of

traditional business incubators.”

As the Corridor incubators have proven, economic gardening is an idea that has already

taken root and is producing a crop of high tech companies to fuel Florida’s new economy.

Incubator in Action I Dr. Tom O’Neal (right), founder and executive director of the UCF Business Incubation program, visits incubator member company OptiGrate, a high tech manufacturer of sophisticated laser components.


Grow. Connect. Thrive.

One-Stop Virtual Entrepreneur CenterHaving the experienced support staff of a university incubator is a luxury that

some small businesses can’t aff ord, and for many entrepreneurs looking to start a

business, it’s something they don’t even know about.

“I’ve come across so many people out there who are unaware of the kinds of

resources available to them at brick-and-mortar offi ces and get lost for hours online

searching for specifi c information on starting a business in their area,” says Dr. Bob

Williams, vice president of economic development at Daytona State College.

“If fostering the growth of second-stage companies is the essence of economic

gardening, then assisting entrepreneurs to get their ideas off the ground is the

fi rst step,” says Randy Berridge, president of the FHTCC. “The recognized need to

provide help for small businesses was the impetus for creating a virtual place for

entrepreneurs to explore their future.”

Originally identifi ed and developed through the Volusia/Flagler Higher Educa-

tion Consortium, the concept of the Virtual Entrepreneur Center (www.fl vec.com)

was to provide a one-stop-shop online library for entrepreneurs looking for busi-

ness resources. When FHTCC pledged its support to fund fl vec.com, Williams and

his team at Daytona State went to work compiling and cataloging entrepreneurial

resources online.

“With the help of our regional partners, the fl vec.com database has expanded

into a robust tool serving all 23 counties of the Corridor,” says Williams.

The project’s latest phase has added information and is upgraded with more

user-friendly features such as advanced searches and message boards to help start-

up companies locate topics of interest. The site averages 4,000 visits per month.

Through outreach to workforce boards, chambers of commerce, Corridor univer-

sities, community and state colleges, business development centers and economic

development organizations, FHTCC has fostered a user community of entrepreneurs

and business owners that utilize the free resources and service listings on fl vec.com

as a way to develop and diversify the Corridor’s economy.

The Brains Behind fl vec.com I

Randy Wadle and his team

at NetWise Technology

continue to evolve the entrepreneur

Web site.


Creating and maintaining a database

with the wealth of knowledge of every small

business support organization across the

Corridor has been no easy task. Thanks to

Randy Wadle and his team at NetWise Tech-

nology, their sophisticated back-end data-

base has fused seamlessly into the design of

the Virtual Entrepreneur Center.

“NetWise developed and owns a database

management architecture called Client-

Space,” says Wadle. “When Dr. Williams

approached me to build the site, we decided

that ClientSpace’s dynamic nature would

make the perfect solution for storing and

modifying listings of entrepreneurial

resources that could fi t the team’s technical

specifi cations.”

Wadle has been involved in the planning

of the Virtual Entrepreneur Center through-

out every phase of the site, which focused

on making the functionality more complete

and better organized as the site grew from

servicing only two counties.

“This fi nal Phase 4 expanded the site to

the entire 23-county Corridor and focused

almost entirely on making the user experi-

ence more appealing to both entrepreneurs

and our resource providers,” says Wadle.

Wadle participates in monthly online

meetings with the FLVEC executive partners

team to hear comments and suggestions for

improving the site. “It’s great to get instant

feedback on the site’s functionality, and with

every idea they off er the group, the site gets

better and better,” says Wadle.

The Virtual Entrepreneur Center’s Technology

COVER STORY

Light-Bending,Mind-BlowingPossibilitiesMind-BlowingPossibilitiesMind-Blowing

Beams that Bend I UCF scientists were the fi rst to prove the existence of a special form of “bendable” light beam.


University of Central Florida

Most light beams diff ract, or spread, over distance. Picture a lamp with intense

light near the bulb that diff uses throughout the space of a large room. Or, as UCF Pro-

fessor Demetri Christodoulides explains, “If you aim a laser beam a few millimeters in

size at the moon, by the time it gets there, it’s widened to many tens of kilometers.”

In November 2007, two groups headed by Christodoulides and fellow professor

Aristide Dogariu at UCF’s Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers

(CREOL) proved the existence of a special form of light beam that was only a theory

30 years ago.

The CREOL team was the fi rst to produce and demonstrate the Airy beam, which

is unique because it doesn’t diff ract over appreciable distances. In the process, they

discovered that Airy beams have the ability to bend, and now are working to explore

that potential. The team is pursuing a patent and collaborating with Lockheed Martin

to build a prototype device to test this new class of beams over long distances.

(According to Nature magazine, the beam is named after the 19th century British

astronomer George Biddell Airy, whose Airy function describes mathematically the

shape of a colorful rainbow in the sky.)

“Light is known to travel along straight paths,” says Christodoulides. “In contrast, in

our case, the intensity features of Airy waves follow parabolic or ballistic trajectories,

very much like those of a cannonball moving under the action of gravity.

“The Airy beam is very interesting,” he says. “You may shoot it straight, but it can

then bend. That’s what is really exciting – a beam that’s not only propagation invari-

ant, but can also self-bend. In addition, an Airy wavefront tends to self-heal itself

when damaged. We fi nd this aspect very exciting, especially in biomedical applica-

tions, where beams are naturally damaged.”

Also part of the project is comparing Airy waves to more widely used Gaussian

beams in a turbulent environment, as well as developing calculations to predict per-

formance over longer distances. “We’re looking to prove the concepts and eventually

go beyond the dimensions of the lab to hundreds of meters,” says Christodoulides.

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is providing $46,253 in funding for the re-

search, matched by $118,760 from Lockheed Martin.

Clara Rivero Baleine is a senior research engineer with Lockheed Martin Missiles

and Fire Control in Orlando. “The Airy beam technology is relatively new,” she says. “It

is what we call 6.1 basic research. Our team is investigating the Airy beam technology

because we see much potential in it.”

“Airy beams” could lead to astounding applications. • Oddly, the most ephemeral resource of all … light … is one of the hardest-working items in mankind’s toolbox. The optics and photonics industry harnesses light for all kinds of applications in every technology sector … from the fi ber optics that enable telecommunications to the lasers used in delicate surgical procedures. Now, Lockheed Martin and a team of researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are exploring ways to use light in a, literally, mind-bending new way.

Pure Potential I A two-dimensional

profi le of an Airy beam.


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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

IEEE, the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology, lists the top

10 universities from its Patent Scorecard™.

1. MIT2. Cal Tech

3. Univ. of California4. Harvard

5. Rice

6.Texas��

8. Georgia Tech9. Stanford

10. Wisconsin

“This year we are building a prototype that will propagate diff raction-free for at

least 10 meters,” says Rivero Baleine. “We want to bring the prototype to our facility

to conduct some experiments internally.

“Airy beams have fascinating properties. We believe these properties may enable

a broad range of potential applications such as RADAR and LADAR over the horizon,

novel laser targeting and designator applications, and may improve the propagation

of laser beams in turbulent atmospheric environments.”

When it comes to optics, having “a head for fi gures” is a major requirement … and

possibly an enormous understatement. Investigating wave confi gurations takes place

in two and three dimensions, incorporating knowledge from engineering, quantum

and atomic physics, along with some serious math.

“Computer and mathematical calculations are absolutely necessary to produce

and understand these beams,” says Christodoulides. To create them, he and his col-

leagues shine a beam of visible light onto a spatial light modulator, which is an array

of liquid-crystal pixels that can alter the path of light waves. This enables them to

shape the wavefront to a desired shape or function. They then program it to produce

an Airy function and study its characteristics.

Says Christodoulides, “The next frontier is going to be biomedical, where the

impact can be huge. Perhaps we can use these bent trajectories to move bacteria

from one place to another. Scientists may use the very fact that these waves bend to

convey nutrients or other chemicals around the curved membranes of living cells. If

so, their self-healing properties may prove an asset in adverse environments.

“From the defense point of view, as high-powered lasers become widespread, Airy

beams could prove advantageous in military settings,” he says. “The Matching Grant

Research Program allows us to study the beams in more detail and in more realistic

environments.”

The grants employ two graduate students, including research

assistant John Broky, who’s studying photonics diagnostics of

random media. “What’s pretty exciting about it is I was part of the

team that fi rst did the research into propagating these beams and

now I’m working on them in a more applicable set-up,” he says.

“In essence, we’re trying to make the propagation device more

effi cient and more compact.”

After graduating from the University of Arizona, Broky came to

CREOL “for the great optics program, which is very much at the

forefront and cutting-edge.”

Rivero Baleine sees the professors and students at UCF as

its greatest asset. “The researchers at UCF/CREOL are conduct-

ing state-of-the-art research,” she says, “and Lockheed Martin

is in pursuit of the best technologies that we can apply to our

systems and products to deliver the best quality products to our

customers.”

“The Matching Grants Research Program is a great approach for advancing the

Airy beam technology. It provides our CREOL collaborators the opportunity to devote

more resources into this new class of waves. I think the program is an excellent driver

for companies, both large and small businesses, to invest at UCF. It provides the UCF

professors the ability to allocate more resources into the project and the companies

the opportunity of getting more deliverables for the money they need to invest. It is a

win-win situation for everybody!”

Grad Work I John Broky, UCF graduate

student researcher, studies Airy beams

and is employed by the Matching Grants

Research Program.



In FocusThe grants: $46,253 from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, matched by $118,760 from Lockheed Martin

The project: Exploring the potential of Airy beams, or light with the ability to bend

The bottom line: “The Matching Grants Research Program is a great approach for advancing the Airy beam technology. It provides our CREOL collaborators the opportunity to devote more resources into this new class of waves. I think the program is an excellent driver for companies, both large and small businesses, to invest at UCF. It provides the UCF professors the ability to allocate more resources into the project and the companies the opportunity of getting more deliverables for the money they need to invest. It is a win-win situation for everybody!”

– Clara Rivero Baleine, senior research engineer, Lockheed Martin Missiles and

Fire Control


University of South Florida

Water Detective

Mapping and Monitoring I The unmanned vehicle prototype gathers a wide range of important data on bodies of water.


While the reliability and availability of fi eld instruments for routine water monitoring has

increased dramatically over the past decade, the development of sampling platforms from

which to deploy them has lagged behind. That makes fi eld personnel, ship time and lab analy-

sis the main limitations and costs associated with the monitoring process.

Historically, scientists have monitored water quality by collecting a small number of dis-

crete samples to characterize large areas. Transporting samples to the lab for analysis can add

hours, if not days, to the process.

AMJ, a division of YSI Incorporated, specializes in services and custom solutions for environ-

mental monitoring. It designs and builds a variety of static platforms and sees a need to collect

samples from more locations within a body of water, providing a more robust picture.

Territory Manager Brian Bendis deals fi rst-hand with the challenge of collecting and analyz-

ing samples for clients including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the

Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the City of Kissimmee and a number of water

management districts.

“The industry has progressed from grabbing a sample from the water and taking it to the

lab, maybe 20-30 years ago,” says Bendis. “Now, we’re going out and getting in the water. The

next step is leaving the instrumentation there to collect samples. Long-term monitoring is

still somewhat in its infancy – and that is a function of cost. You need to be able to aff ord the

instrumentation and the personnel to maintain it.

“In our current economic climate, it’s diff erent than, say, three years ago,” says Bendis. “The

costs of equipment and personnel for monitoring projects are certainly a challenge. We’re try-

ing to fi gure out the complexities and how to do the monitoring in an effi cient way.”

That effi ciency involves taking, in eff ect, a three-dimensional picture. “Temporal resolution

is when you monitor a few particular spots over a long period of time,” says Bendis. “Current

technology allows for fi ne resolution on a time scale, but not so much resolution spatially.”

“What we’re attempting to do is increase the spatial resolution, because you can then

quickly map an area for the same qualities you’re getting on a temporal basis. We want to

combine environmental monitoring, both for high temporal and spatial resolution.”

“The unmanned vehicle is complementary to some of YSI’s other systems, our off -the-shelf

products – buoys, vertical profi lers, etc. The Ecomapper AUV or autonomous underwater

vehicle, dives down and gets a 3-D picture. If you run that in combination with the USV on the

surface, you can pick up a great deal of information.”

For example, one of YSI’s instruments monitors 16 diff erent water quality parameters,

including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and blue-green algae concentration.

An unmanned vehicle provides a fl ood of information on rivers, lakes, canals and reservoirs. • Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and fi lled with rivers, canals, reservoirs and thousands of lakes, Florida is a watery state. St. Petersburg’s AMJ Environmental is using a matching grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council to develop an unmanned vehicle that will improve how scientists monitor and protect this most critical natural resource.

Remote Control I Eric Steimle gets

ready to launch his robotic boat,

programming a course and letting it

collect data.

“You can pick up on key events, like an algae bloom or a rain event that brings

nutrients or pollution into a water body,” says Bendis. “By monitoring long term, you

can catch sporadic events that happen. With the unmanned vehicle we can capture

fi ne-scale events spatially, pick up nuances and fi nd sources of interest, such as a low

DO area (dissolved oxygen) or an area of high turbidity, which is the concentration of

particulate matter, such as runoff from a construction site.”

Eric Steimle is the principal investigator overseeing the research project for the

University of South Florida (USF). He’s in charge of integrating YSI’s equipment with

the unmanned vehicle, a brainchild he developed in his garage several years ago.

“Deployed sensors at discrete locations limit the amount of info you can collect,”

says Steimle. “High data density is the goal. You can use that data as a window into

other things that are happening in the water. It now costs us the same amount of

labor to collect 10,000 samples as it does to collect 50, so why not collect 10,000?

“My personal opinion is that data density brings accountability. Large data sets

allow for better statistical analysis which can lead to better decision making. You can

go into a court of law to argue 10,000 points, but at the end of the day, data is data.

Right now we design systems that collect data maybe every fi ve seconds, which in-

clude buoys and other fi xed long-term monitoring stations used by various agencies

such as NOAA and USGS.

“It’s not needed everywhere but it does fi ll a niche in the environmental toolbox

that allows you to take a high resolution survey with minimal equipment. It’s faster

and provides more data than standard techniques allow.”

Steimle describes his robotic boat as “basically a pick-up truck for the

water.” He programs a course for the vehicle and “can sit under a tree

watching it zigzag around and collect the data.” Ultimately, the unmanned

monitoring provides an overlay of the body of water with extensive detail

on its chemistry, depth and other factors.

“We can map an area, say a 50-acre lake, in half a day or a day,” says

Bendis.

USF Associate Professor Deby Cassill, Ph.D., teaches a graduate course in

environmental science. She and her students have used the prototype to

study St. Petersburg’s Crescent Lake.

“It’s like an ant walking on the surface of a human face … the ant can

see part of a lip, part of a nose, part of an eyelash, but it has no concept of

what the whole face looks like,” says Cassill. “With this equipment, we can

see the whole face.”

Cassill is thrilled about the hands-on fi eld experience the project gives her

students. “It’s a huge opportunity for them. Graduate school is really about an ap-

prenticeship, walking side by side with experts, not just sitting in the classroom and

talking.”

The $30,000 grant from FHTCC is matched by $30,000 from AMJ, which is also contrib-

uting nearly $40,000 of in-kind support, including instrumentation, use of facilities and

salaries. “What this grant really does is help us move along an idea we’ve had in terms of

environmental mapping with a great partner such as USF,” says Bendis. “It helps us move

that concept along with an organization that has experience in this area.”

USF’s College of Marine Science and Center for Ocean Technology are of key

importance to his company. “That’s the reason AMJ moved to St. Pete in spring 2007,”

says Bendis, “because of the concentration in oceanographic and marine sciences

here. That concentration allows us the potential for partnerships to develop.”


Info at a Glance I A sample report

generated by monitoring the

unmanned vehicle provides data on multiple factors,

including depth, dissolved oxygen

levels and salinity.

In FocusThe grant: $31,602 from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, matched by $70,402 from AMJ in cash and in-kind support

The product: an unmanned vehicle designed to improve the monitoring and protection of bodies of water

The project: Providing an overlay of bodies of water with extensive detail on their chemistry, depth and other factors

The bottom line: “What this grant really does is help us move along an idea we’ve had in terms of environmental mapping with a great partner such as USF. It helps us move that concept along with an organiza-tion that has experience in this area.”

– Brian Bendis, territory manager, AMJ


Fractal Spiral I Analyzing fractals, geometric patterns that are repeated at ever smaller scales, could be key to pre-venting materials from breaking. D

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University of Florida

SmashingResearchSmashingResearchSmashing

zeroCrete is green and groundbreaking on many levels. Because of its lighter weight,

zeroCrete is less expensive to transport than traditional cement (the dry, powdered form of

concrete), and its manufacturing process releases no carbon dioxide. That’s signifi cant, says

Seal, because the concrete processing industry is responsible for as much as fi ve percent of the

carbon dioxide released into the air worldwide.

Seal developed zeroCrete in partnership with Larry Hench, director of special projects for

UCF’s Offi ce of Research and Commercialization and a retired professor of ceramics at the Im-

perial College in London. The pair founded nSolGel, a tenant at UCF’s Technology Incubator, to

commercialize technology developed at the university that converts industrial waste products

into useful materials without emitting any greenhouse gases.

“Traditional concrete is produced at 1,000 degrees Celsius, versus 7-80 degrees Celsius for

zeroCrete,” says Seal. “When you convert these waste products at room temperature, you do

good for the environment and you do good for society. Power plant fl y ash normally goes to

landfi lls, but we’re using it as a value-oriented product.”

In fact, zeroCrete may be better than concrete, which has a tensile strength ranging from

2,400-10,000 pounds-force per square inch (PSI) when produced with additives. Seal says that

zeroCrete off ers as much as 3,700 PSI without any additives.

“These additives cost money,” says Seal. “There are many uses for concrete and they don’t

always necessarily require high strength. In that margin we can have a lot of applications.”

The research represents a synergistic collaboration between UCF and UF. “We produce

these powders at UCF, make them into cubes and cylinders and ship them to the University

of Florida,” says Seal. “They’ll test the product, look at the fractive surface and tell us ways to

improve it.”

John Mecholsky Jr., Ph.D., professor and associate chair of UF’s Materials Science and En-

gineering department, is an international expert in the failure analysis of brittle materials. He

considers the collaboration between the two schools “a natural.”

“I am an expert on fracture, and Larry Hench is a part-time faculty member here and at

UCF,” says Mecholsky. “There’s a lot of communication and cooperation between the two

universities.

“The way something breaks is unique,” he says. “Fractal analysis is applied fractal geometry.

Smash & Study I Macroscopic

images of fractal, or broken, surfaces can provide insight

on the surface’s atomic structure, like

this fractal image of baria silica glass

ceramic.


How fractal analysis is helping to improve a revolutionary building material. • How is making an omelet like developing an innovative new building material? At some point in the process, you have to break something. University of Central Florida (UCF) professor of materials science and engineering Dr. Sudipta Seal has created a building product that is stronger and lighter weight than tra-ditional concrete, but is manufactured with fl y ash, the waste product left behind by coal-fi red power plants. The director of UCF’s NanoScience Technology and Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Centers, Seal is using a $25,000 grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council to test zeroCrete at the University of Florida (UF) – by smashing it and studying the results – along with an internation-ally recognized expert on fractal analysis.

thegator nation

is everywhere. The University of Florida contributes nearly $6 billion annually and 75,000 jobs to the state of Florida’s economy.As one of the nation’s leading institutions of higher learning, UF has a presence that is felt throughout the country. On the global level, the university enrolls students from 142 countries and our top-ranked study abroad program

sends students to Europe, and South and Central America.You’ll find our alumni on every single continent, and the University of Florida makes significant

contributions in every field of endeavor all around the globe.The Gator Nation truly is everywhere.

www.ufl.edu


Fractal Image I A caulifl ower is a good example of a fractal

object. “If you magnify it, you see

an image where each big stalk is made up of

many, many little stalks that look very much

like it,” says Dr. John Mecholsky Jr.

We’ll be able to tell if we’re improving the material by looking at the fractal surface.

We give it a numerical assignment and relate that to the toughness of the material.

“We may be able to tell something atomically about the structure by looking at

the macroscopic results of surface structure. That’s totally mind-boggling if you

think about it, because it’s essentially looking through the other end of the micro-

scope.

“Picture a caulifl ower – if you magnify it, you see an image where each big stalk

is made up of many, many little stalks that look very much like it. Doing the same

thing with a tree branch, you can make out what looks like a forest … fractal objects

are self-similar in scale and variance, so mathematically you can do this infi nitely. In

nature, it’s fi nite.

“When they (nSolGel) alter the processing we’ll be able to tell them why it’s an

improvement and perhaps how to improve it. There will be interaction back and

forth between the two labs.”

Says Mecholsky, “I’ve been working in this fi eld for nearly 30 years, and we’re

discovering things all the time. It’s very exciting.“ He became captivated by the con-

cept of studying how things break while getting his doctorate at Catholic University

of America in Washington, D.C. “I kept searching for something,” he says. “Then, at

my fi rst job, I looked through a microscope at a fractal image and I knew right then

that’s what I should be doing. It opened up a whole new world for me.

“Fractals create characteristic markings and they produce beautiful pictures – such

as starburst patterns – that are absolutely gorgeous. You can get the whole history of

a material,” he says. “And, it’s safe detective work ... no one’s shooting at you.”

The grant will fund two graduate students, one each at UF and UCF. Seal expects

the results to be complete in 2011. “Some big companies are already interested,”

says Seal. “Not just for construction, but for the oil and gas industry, too. They use a

lot of concrete to protect the aquifer when drilling.”

“The matching grant research means a lot to nSolGel,” says Seal. “This is a startup

company. It can be a couple of million dollars to do this kind of research, and we

always have done it on a shoestring budget. Research needs people, students, post-

docs. Without this grant, this kind of innovation would never happen. This is also

exciting because we’re trying to bring manufacturing to Florida … and these are

things the current administration in D.C. is going after … green, nanotech, energy-

effi cient and creating jobs.”

Bhabendra Pradhan is managing partner and chief scientifi c offi cer of Nano-

Holdings LLC, a Connecticut-based venture capital fi rm that seeks scientists using

nanotechnology to dramatically improve the effi ciency of the global energy market.

Four of its 14 nano-energy companies are associated with UCF and UF.

“NanoHoldings is investing in this environmentally friendly technology devel-

oped at UCF,” Pradhan says.

Pradhan says zeroCrete can be manufactured on-site at construction projects, or

at a plant next to a thermal plant/fl y ash source. “We’re looking at 18-36 months for

laboratory testing and fi eld tests, then taking it to market.

“The matching grants program has two-fold benefi ts,” Pradhan says. “One ben-

efi t is once we get the matching funds, the technology that NanoHoldings is invest-

ing in gets a validation. The second part is the Florida High Tech Corridor is helping

grow this innovative and environmentally friendly technology into a business that

will impact Florida. It’s a helping hand and a validation.”


In FocusThe grant: $25,000 from the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, matched by $50,000 from nSolGel in cash and in-kind support

The product: zeroCrete, a green and groundbreaking building product, made by nSolGel

The project: Applying fractal analysis to zeroCrete to improve its strength

The bottom line: “The matching grant research means a lot to nSolGel. This is a startup company. It can be a couple of million dollars to do this kind of research, and we always have done it on a shoestring budget. Research needs people, students, post-docs. Without this grant, this kind of innovation would never happen.”

– Dr. Sudipta Seal, professor of materials science and engineering.

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The University of Central Florida, the nation’s third-largest university

with an enrollment of more than 53,500 students, is a dynamic and

entrepreneurial institution. Off ering more than 200 degree pro-

grams, it is an academic and research leader in optics, modeling and

simulation, engineering and computer science, education, science,

hospitality management and digital media.

UCF has 12 colleges, including the newly established College of Medicine, where

the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences now resides. The UCF College of Medicine

opened in August 2009, and its new facilities are under construction as part of a medi-

cal city at Lake Nona in South Orlando.

Serving students from 11 regional campuses throughout Central Florida, UCF has

granted more than 192,000 degrees since fi rst off ering classes in 1968. About 95,000

UCF graduates are living and working in the region.

In 2008-2009, UCF professors received $120.8 million in research funding, topping

$100 million for the fi fth consecutive year.

Many of the 10,000 employees in the adjacent Central Florida Research Park work

with UCF researchers and students on projects in the sciences, engineering, photonics

and optics, modeling and simulation and health-related fi elds.

Colleges Burnett Honors College College of Arts and Humanities College of Business Administration College of Education College of Engineering and Computer Science College of Graduate Studies College of Health and Public Aff airs College of Medicine College of Nursing College of Optics and Photonics College of Sciences Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Academic Degree Programs (2008-2009) Bachelor’s 90 Master’s 91 Specialist 3 Doctoral 29 Professional (Medicine) 1

Number of Degrees Awarded (through Summer 2009) Bachelor’s 157,702 Master’s 31,856 Specialist 472 Doctoral 2,066

Personnel (2008-2009) Teaching Faculty and Adjuncts 1,771 Graduate Assistants 1,548 Executive/Admin/Manag 282 Other Professionals 1,236 Enrollment 53,537

“When the Florida High Tech Corridor Council was formed in 1996, nobody could

have predicted how essential it would one day be to the growth of our research

programs, the education of our students, and the diversifi cation of our economy.

The numbers tell a tremendous story: more than 150 jobs created for graduate

students, more than 200 patent awards and applications, and more than $600-

million in fi nancial impact on our region.

But the most satisfying story is about people: entrepreneurs who are using

grant dollars to make breakthrough discoveries; university professors who are

partnering with these entrepreneurs on compelling research projects; students

who are applying their classroom learning to solve real problems; and, technology

leaders who are relocating or expanding their companies in our region to be part of

this vibrant high tech community.

Here in Central Florida, the Corridor is driving new investment in technology

and technological infrastructure, which includes a profound impact on the growth

of our “Medical City.” It’s no wonder that the Corridor and its regional partnership

approach are winning international acclaim as a model for economic development

success.”

John Hitt I President

T



Colleges and Schools Arts & Sciences Behavioral & Community Sciences Business Education Engineering Marine Science Medicine Nursing Public Health The Arts Honors College

Academic Degree Programs Bachelor’s 89 Master’s 97 Ed Specialist (EdS) 2 Research Doctoral 36 Professional Doctoral 4

Number of Degrees Awarded (through June 2009) Bachelor’s 188,423 Master’s 53,415 Ed Specialist (EdS) 704 Research Doctoral 3,788 First Professional (MD) 3,056

Personnel (September 2009) Full-time Faculty 1,585 Part-time Faculty 233 Graduate Teaching Assistants 1,802 Administrative & Professional 1,731 Other Professionals 2,011 Enrollment 47,122

The University of South Florida was ranked by the Chronicle of

Higher Education as the nation’s fastest growing university for

federal funds for Academic Research and Development from 2000-

2007 (August 28, 2009, Almanac) by increasing 213 percent over

the seven-year period. This was the highest percentage increase

in the country based on data provided by the National Science Foundation. And, USF

reached a new high with $380.4 million in research grants and contracts for FY 2008-

2009, an increase of $20 million over the previous year.

Scientists at the University of South Florida receive 30 to 40 patents each year for

new inventions and more than 100 of these leading-edge researchers are inaugural

members of USF’s new Academy of Inventors. Academy members are innovators of

a wide array of inventions from nanotechnology applications to new medical devices

to bioengineered cells and clean energy technology. Revenue generated from the

licenses of faculty intellectual property to private business now exceeds $2.1 million.

USF off ers 228 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and

doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine and is ranked a “doctoral intensive”

institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The USF

System of Institutions and Campuses has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual eco-

nomic impact of $3.2 billion and serves more than 46,000 students at USF in Tampa,

USF St. Petersburg, USF Sarasota-Manatee and USF Polytechnic in Lakeland.

“The Florida High Tech Corridor Council continues to have a tremendous impact on our

campuses and our community, but its economic impact is felt throughout the state of

Florida and around the globe.

Together, the 23 counties that make up the Corridor region represent the 15th largest

economy in the world, and the more than a quarter-million high tech workers make up 70

percent of Florida’s high tech jobs. What could be a better example of positive economic

stimulus than the Florida High Tech Corridor?

Here at the University of South Florida, Corridor projects are not only providing

research opportunities for our faculty, but also high-paying jobs for our graduates. Our

scientists are working hard on developing new solutions and new technologies to the

most vexing problems of our times: energy, the environment and health.

That’s why we are here – to create a better, richer future for our state, and the Corridor is

making that happen.

The Corridor’s eff orts are helping to drive the new Florida economy and the state’s

emergence as a destination for high tech employment and real-world research solutions.

As always, I remain proud of our long-standing association with this unique partnership.”

Judy Genshaft I President

T



The University of Florida is one of the largest research universities

in the nation. With an enrollment of about 50,000 in the 2009-2010

school year, it is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research

centers and institutes. Since 1985, UF has been a member of the As-

sociation of American Universities, the prestigious higher education

organization comprised of the top 62 public and private institutions in North America.

UF was awarded $574 million in sponsored research in 2008-2009. Research spans

health care, agriculture, energy, natural resources and other diverse areas. UF contrib-

utes nearly $6 billion annually to Florida’s economy and is responsible for nearly 75,000

jobs. In 2009, UF health science center researchers received a $26 million grant to en-

hance bench-to-bedside research and a $29.5 million grant to investigate how physical

activity impacts age-related disability. UF this year also helped inaugurate the world’s

largest telescope in the Canary Islands. A part owner of the telescope, UF is the only

U.S. institution participating in the project.

Plans are under way to construct a major research facility in collaboration with the

Burnham Institute at Lake Nona in Orlando. The facility will house a comprehensive

drug development center and biomedical research facilities.

“The ability of universities, community colleges and economic development organiza-

tions from a wide swath of Florida to work together in the Florida High Tech Corridor will

have an important impact on Florida’s economic future.

To see a concrete example of the opportunities created through regional partner-

ship, one need only look at the agreement between the University of Florida and the

developers of Lake Nona‘s Medical City in Orlando.

As a result of that agreement, UF will locate a research facility adjacent to the Burn-

ham Institute and UCF’s new College of Medicine. There, we will pursue a comprehen-

sive drug development center and biomedical research facilities.

Through the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s Matching Grants Research Program,

many business leaders are commercializing new technologies, a process that is building

a high tech culture in our region. I am sure that in the years and decades to come, we

will see the Corridor’s technology community continue to grow. ”

Colleges and Schools 16 colleges and more than 150 research, service and education institutes/centers/bureaus.

Academic Degree Programs(November 5, 2009) Bachelor’s 101 Master’s 122 Advanced Master’s 1 Specialist 10 Engineer 10

Doctoral and Professional Degrees Research Doctorate: 83 Professional Doctorate 10

Number of Degrees Awarded(through Spring 2009) Bachelor’s 281,749 Master’s 77,894 Specialist 2,739 Engineer 104 PHD 17,382 MD 4,735 DVM 2,271 EDD 1,453 DMD 2,274 JD 16,250 DPH 4,118

Personnel (September 30, 2009)Full-time Faculty 4,207 Part-time Faculty 782Graduate Teaching Assistants 4,403Executive/Administrative/ Managerial 453Other Professionals 3,697

Bernard Machen I President

T

OneThousandand Counting . . .


Matching Grants Research Program

But these three projects – by Sinmat, Petra Solar and New Energy Solar

Corporation, respectively – are impressive for an additional reason.

Together, they helped the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s (FHTCC)

signature program reach a critical milestone in 2009.

Grants approved for these projects by FHTCC’s Matching Grants

Research Program (MGRP) put the program over the 1,000 mark for

applied research projects conducted in partnerships with companies in

the 23-county Corridor area and the University of Central Florida (UCF),

University of South Florida (USF) and University of Florida (UF).

The MGRP fosters applied research between the universities and

high tech industry partners, providing needed funding with a corpo-

rate match requirement. The program relies on a detailed funding proc-

ess whereby applications are approved by review committees at each

university, and partner companies provide a match of dollars, equip-

ment and in-kind services before receiving Corridor funding.

Virtual Reality Research I

Electrical Engineer Todd Lazarus wears a prototype haptic suit to experience the sense of touch

during a virtual reality simulation

session at UCF’s Institute for

Simulation and Training as part of

a 2004 research project.

T


he Florida High Tech Corridor Council has awarded more than 1,000 grants in its fi rst 13 years for a total project value of more than $650 million. • Research projects to enhance the effi ciency of LED-based lighting devices; to develop inverters for distributing solar energy into the power grid; and, to produce semi-transparent “power foil” for collecting solar energy sound impressive – especially at a time when “clean tech” is emerging as an important industry sector.

FHTCC focuses matching grants on 10 industries targeted for growth:

Agritechnology; Aviation & Aerospace; Digital Media/Interactive Entertain-

ment; Financial Services; Information Technology; Life Sciences & Medical

Technologies; Microelectronics/Nanotechnology; Modeling, Simulation &

Training; Optics & Photonics; and, Sustainable Energy.

Though an unquestioned success today, no one involved in the devel-

opment of the MGRP in 1996 could have expected it to have had such a

substantial impact so quickly.

“We knew that the concept of funding research through a mix of state

dollars and corporate matching investment had tremendous promise,”

says FHTCC President Randy Berridge. “Our goal was not to fund a specifi c

number of projects, but rather to invest in the right projects, and over time

we have seen that strategy work as we support the growth of the new

Florida economy.”

In a region of the Sunshine State often noted for its frequent rainfall, it’s

fi tting that the story of the Matching Grants Research Program (and of the

Corridor) begins in a shower … that of UCF President John C. Hitt. It was

here that President Hitt had a “Eureka!” moment, coming up with the con-

cept for a program that would eventually grow to help high tech businesses

succeed, create new opportunities for university researchers and involve

students in groundbreaking research that opens the door for lucrative

careers.

At the time, there were no lofty goals for what the Corridor and its signa-

ture grants program would become and achieve. Rather, it was born out of

necessity, as a practical approach to keeping a community partner – an AT&T

microelectronics plant being courted heavily by Spain – in the region.

President Hitt contacted USF President Betty Castor with the idea of form-

ing a partnership to leverage the resources of the two universities in support

of AT&T and the region’s high tech industry. From this initial exchange,

the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and its Matching Grants Research

Program were born.

“We needed to move quickly to help AT&T expand its facilities here,”

President Hitt says. “We succeeded and, more importantly, established the

foundation of a partnership that has strengthened our state and regional

economies and provided fi rst-class research and educational opportunities

for our students.”

Said Dr. Peter Panousis, at the time a former Bell Labs scientist who

headed the Orlando plant, and now Dean of the College of Sciences at UCF,

“nowhere had we ever seen universities so willing to partner with private

enterprise.”

Over the next nine years, the Council awarded more than 700 grants for

projects involving UCF and USF researchers. In 2005, UF joined the Council

expanding the reach of the MGRP to a 23-county mega-region. Throughout,

the focus has been on partnership and collaboration, seeking opportuni-

ties for the universities to partner on research programs across traditional

At work: Grants & Students I Through a matching grant in 2005, Modelithics (above) utilized a state-of-the-art microwave characterization lab at USF. (Below) A student works in a lab at UCF’s College of Optics and Photonics, a major sponsor of MGRP projects.



geographic boundaries.

“In that fi rst year, we hit the ground running

with the Matching Grants Research Program,

and we’ve joined our partners at UCF and

USF each year in celebrating the tremendous

results of this eff ort,” says Erik Sander, director

of industry programs and manager of the

MGRP at UF. “The success we’ve achieved is

testament to the partnership among three

world-renowned research universities who set

aside competitive interests and collaborate

with each other.”

The 1,000-plus grants awarded over the fi rst

13 years of the program represent an invest-

ment of state funds by the Council totaling

more than $50 million, and the return on

investment has been nothing short of phenomenal. That investment has

been matched by corporate cash and in-kind investments of $144 million,

generating an additional $484 million in quantifi able downstream impacts,

resulting in a return of more than $628 million and total project value of

$680 million.

The program has involved more than 300 companies and institutions;

more than 250 university faculty researchers; and more than 2,000 graduate

and post-doctoral students working on its projects, including more than

150 who have gone on to high-paying jobs with MGRP partner companies.

It has led to 90 awarded patents and attracted 223 subsequent governmen-

tal or private research awards, including Small Business Innovation Research

and Small Business Technology Transfer funding.

Of those more than 300 companies and institutions receiving funding,

many have been involved in several MGRP projects, with Lockheed Martin

and Siemens receiving approximately 90 and 65 grants, respectively. Glenn

Boreman – trustee chair professor of Optics, Electrical Engineering, Material

Science and Physics at the UCF College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL)

– holds the distinction of serving as the principal investigator on the most

MGRP projects, with 27 research projects completed or underway.

But the numbers tell only part of the story. The real story is the impact

the MGRP has had on growing high tech industry in the Corridor, and its im-

pact on the researchers and students now enjoying rewarding careers here.

Dr. Xiaomei Jiang, a physics researcher at USF who serves as principal

investigator on the 1,001st grant project, needs no convincing about the im-

portance of the program. “This grant is a milestone in my career development

at USF,” says Jiang. “Through the joint sponsorships of New Energy Solar and

FHTCC, I can not only support my graduate students, which is the No. 1 prior-

ity in higher education, but I am also able to support more senior personnel

for accelerated advancement in renewable energy technology.”

Grant No. 1,000 I Dr. Deepika Singh’s

Gainesville company, Sinmat,

participated in a research project

that put the FHTCC’s MGRP over the

1,000 mark.



o Fosters applied research between the Corridor universities and high tech industry partners, providing needed funding with a corporate match requirement

o Began in 1996

o Focused on 10 industries targeted for growth

o More than 1,000 grants awarded

o Has involved more than 300 companies and institutions, more than 250 university faculty researchers and more than 2,000 graduate and post-doctoral students

o Has led to 90 awarded patents and attracted 223 subsequent governmental or private research awards

www.facesoftechnology.com

All across the Florida High Tech Corridor are fascinating people doing amazing things in compa-nies large and small. These faces of technology are driving a region that is home to an estimated 70 percent of Florida’s high tech activity. They are the force of innovation in a state committed to expanding its technology industries through partnerships with higher education.

This year, fl orida.HIGH.TECH 2010 ventured out to meet them in a new and exciting format … asking them to interview

themselves. Creating a virtual “camera crew,” we sent 16 tech leaders a Flip video camera package and had them tell us about

themselves, their companies and their technology. In this feature, we’ve captured their story in vignette form and invite you to

venture on afterward to www.facesoftechnology.com to see and hear fi rst-hand their full story.

Chances are you may have something in common with them. We invite you to become a Fan of Faces of Technology on Face-

book, and begin a dialogue with these and more faces of technology you’ll fi nd as that community grows.

Number of Companies: 121

Number of Employees: 16,001

Payroll: $1.2 billion

Average Employees Per Company: 132.2

Average Annual Salary: $75,383

The People


Aviation & AerospaceSector Stats

Faces of Technology

Derek Lyons Prioria Robotics develops autonomous Unmanned

Aerial Systems (UAS) whose embedded computerized processes for

fl ying and maneuvering make ‘smart’ airplane drones for military and

commercial applications.

Your roots: Prioria’s management team is made up of University of Florida graduates who founded the com-pany in 2003. We licensed the patents from UF for their Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and since then have further advanced the technology to include collision avoidance capabilities, side cameras and image processing. What’s hot: Our feature UAS product, the Maveric, not only uses our custom-embedded processing for real-time communication with the plane, but also has fl exible wings that can bend down to fi t inside a six-inch tube, making launch as easy as removing the Maveric from the case, setting the coordinates and throwing it into the air.Recent breakthroughs: We performed a demonstration of the Maveric’s fl ight capabilities for the special opera-tions command at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. We were able to successfully fl y in 25-plus knot winds and 31-knot gusts sustained, making ours the smallest man-port-able UAS in the world to be able to handle those kinds of winds.

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In Orlando, we see tomorrow. A place charged with creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit. An economy built on a wide variety of emerging industries and led by a diverse group of innovative thinkers. A community determined to live up to its reputation as one of the world’s “most fiercely competitive” locations for business. Look closer. You’ll find tomorrow has arrived today in Metro Orlando!

Call 407.422.7159

www.OrlandoEDC.comC.com

Metro OrlandoEconomic Development Commission

Future + Planning

In Orlando, we see tomorrow. A place charged with creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit.

thinkers. A community determined to live up to

FINDING EXCELLENT RECRUITS IS EASY

Put our Career Services Team on the job

Program availability varies by location.©2009 DeVry University. All rights reserved.

DeVry University graduates bring a winning combination of skills, experience and knowledge of their chosen fi elds to the table. One of the keys to a DeVry education is the combination of progressive classroom learning and live working experience. It’s what we call “experiential education.” This approach ensures that our graduates develop unique skill sets in all degree programs, from Business Administration to Web Graphic Design.

For a new employee search that beats your expectations, contact the DeVry University Career Services Team today.

For more information, call Kathaleen Emery at 407.226.6491 or email [email protected].


Number of Companies: 11,636





Financial ServicesSector Stats

Faces of Technology

Clark Huang Fintech provides electronic funds transfer (EFT),

invoice settlement and eCommerce solutions to buyers and sellers of

regulated goods and services in the convenience store, grocery, drug,

and restaurant/hospitality industries.

How did you get your start?: I’ve always been interested in computers and new technology. During high school, I ran bul-letin board systems before the Internet really existed. The technology: We take the electronic invoices from the alco-holic beverage distributors, transform it into a common format and then convert it into a retailer-specifi c data format. At the same time we validate all the payment terms, as alcohol payment terms vary in all 50 states, and we move that money from the retailers’ bank accounts to the distributors’ bank accounts. We’re basically improving the effi ciency of a payment process that has been in place since the end of prohibition in the 1930s.

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Dr. Dennis Tribble Baxa Corporation provides solution-based

technologies for medication handling and delivery. Its systems and

devices promote the safe and effi cient preparation, handling, packag-

ing and administration of medications.

How did you get your start?: Going through pharmacy school was both business training and professional training, and that helped me prepare for what turned out to be my love aff air with computers and computer-controlled medical devices. Favorite part of the job: That it’s never the same. I spend a lot of time interfacing with customers. I get to spend a lot of time doing research and development. I participate at the national and state level in pharmacy organizations setting practice policy.What’s hot: Everything we make has a patient receiving an intravenous dose on the other end of it – something we take very seriously. After having produced 26 million doses on our automa-tion products we have yet to be involved in a patient incident.I B

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Biggest challenge:

Motto:

What’s new:

Angela Salva The Virtual Reality Medical Center (VRMC) special-

izes in treating and rehabilitating medical disorders including trau-

matic brain injuries, as well as training military medics in a simulated

battlefi eld environment using life-like wound prosthetics.

How did you get your start?: Growing up I always wanted to be a physician, but in college I pursued computer science. Now at VRMC, I can apply both my engineering background and educa-tion with my passion for medicine. The industry: The Modeling, Simulation and Training industry has continued to grow, primarily because we have made such strides in technology development and also continue to provide a cost savings to the government and other organizations that have been able to capitalize and leverage this technology. Goals: Some of the things I would like to contribute to the indus-try’s future, personally, are developing new technology, growing the job market in our industry, and also opening doors for young female engineers, such as myself, in fi nding jobs similar to mine or even better opportunities here in Central Florida.

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USF Polytechnic and its partners have launched our region’s first business incubators, USFP Blue Sky East (downtown Winter Haven) and USFP Blue Sky West (downtown Lakeland). These incubators nurture the creation and development of high tech companies, allowing them to “hatch and grow”—maximizing their viability and economic impact at the heart of Florida’s High Tech Corridor.

Incubated companies will benefit from the proximity to and resources of a national research university as well as the assets of economic development networks.

Benefits

� Operational infrastructure, including office space, equipment and technology

� University resources, such as faculty experts, technology consults, and student interns

� Entrepreneurial education and training programs

The perfect place to grow.

Space is available for interested entrepreneurs.

Apply today!

poly.usf.edu/BlueSky

poly.usf.edu

Florida's first and only polytechnic -- located at the heart of the state's high-tech corridor -- is a key

element of the region's dynamic economy. Innovative, multi-

disciplinary programs special-izing in applied learning and

research are USF Poly's way of making an

impact.

It’s you!





Payroll: $3 billion



Information TechnologySector Stats

Faces of Technology

Trey Lauderdale Voalte developed a customizable application

that improves communication among clinicians to improve patient

care. The main focus of the application is to enable critical alarms and

notifi cations, easy to use text messages, voice override communication

– all brought together in one device: the Apple iPhone.

Greatest achievement: Taking a product from concept, install-ing it and then having it go live at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, our fi rst pilot site. It’s easy to come up with great ideas, but to actually put the team together, implement the solution, and have the customer be satisfi ed with the end result has been a great ex-perience. We look forward to repeating that over and over again.The Industry: We really see ourselves as the catalyst to getting the iPhone and other smart phones inside hospitals and health care organizations … taking this consumer-focused device and making it ready for business and real-world applications.The Region: The ground is set for things to change and for great innovation to come out of the state of Florida.

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David Coalter Coalter Digital Animation Studio designs and

produces realistic 3-D digital animations and renderings for engineer-

ing fi rms, architects and advertising agencies.

What’s hot: We take technology that was created for animated features in the fi lm industry (similar to what companies like Pixar use) and apply that to technical concepts. Unlike with traditional mediums such as PowerPoint or still imagery, defense and engi-neering companies that are going after large billion-dollar jobs are able to communicate these concepts in a clear and concise way so people who don’t have technical backgrounds can un-derstand them. Many of our animations have been used to brief Congress and other major decision-makers.The technology: We integrate multiple eff ects to create the most realistic video: motion capture, live action, digital eff ects and animation. Favorite part of the job: It really feels good to be on the leading edge of a new technology concept and to set a trend that compa-nies are starting to acknowledge and use on a regular basis.I C

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Lou Oberndorf Lou Oberndorf Lou Oberndorf METI (Medical Education Technologies Inc.)

provides 21st century learning technologies based on human patient st century learning technologies based on human patient st

simulators that provide true-to-life health care learning opportunities.

Your roots: We were the fi rst adopters of what was then revolu-tionary technology. It was created at the University of Florida by a team of anesthesiologists and biomedical engineers back in the early 90s. What’s your mantra?: We started with fi ve people in 1996 and we’re over 175 today. Our mantra from the very beginning is to think like a small company, like an underdog, and constantly in-novate our own technology before somebody else does. What’s new: We’ve just brought out a whole portfolio of products which we started 3-4 years ago, and we’ve been able to provide them at a lower cost.

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» Complete accounting with monthly reporting

» Accounts payable/receivable and collections

» Frequent property inspections

» Maintenance management

» Construction management

» Highest and best use review

» Yearend reconciliation

» Lease abstracting

» Tenant retention

» Zoning review

Pridgen Management, Inc. offers more than great service.

We provide services that are designed to maximize profits and enhanceproperty values. We incorporate the latest in environmentally friendly technologies that are good for the environment and good for business.

Located in the heart of Tampa Bay, our business reaches all areas of the Tri-County region. We pride ourselves on our immediate turn around service and the ability to work with a variety of real estate types (office, commercial, industrial).

When you’re looking for a great property management team, you’ll find it at Pridgen Management, Inc.

Pridgen Management, Inc. manages over 3,000,000 square feet of class A real estate.

Our management portfolio consists of Fortune 100 companies, small mom-and-pops, start-up

companies and everything in between. If you need assistance with your property, we can help.

PropertyManagement 101

Advanced Property Management

David M. Kramer, CCIM, LEED AP to discuss how we can help you.

727-577-5890727-577-5890 (ofc) (ofc) 727-410-5476 (cell)

CALL

METROPOINTE COMMERCE PARK

9900 18th St N, Suite 105, St. Petersburg, FL Total Size:..................................... 83,000 SFTotal Available:........................... 23,852 SFAmenities: Transit-oriented employment center; centrally located to Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater (Gateway area); easy access to all major roadways in Tampa; fully air-conditioned; Verizon services

WESTBAY CORPORATE CENTER

9705 International Court N, St. Petersburg, FLTotal Size:.......................................15,180 SFTotal Avail:.....................................15,180 SFOffices:..............................................6,800 SFAmenities: Transit-oriented, high-tech employment center located in Gateway area; home to Atlantis, the first LEED for Commercial Interiors building in Tampa Bay

METROPOINTE COMMERCE PARK

1661 Commerce Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FLTotal Size:.........................................9,960 SFTotal Available:...............................9,960 SFAmenities: Approx. 3,204 SF of office space; one truck well; large IT room; air-conditioned warehouse; 16’ clear height; 5 parking spaces per 1,000 SF

PRIDGENCommercial, Industrial & Residential Real Estate Services

MANAGEMENT, INC.




Payroll: $554.9 million



Medical TechnologiesSector Stats

Faces of Technology

Dr. Carlos Santos Accentia Biopharmaceuticals commercializes

health care technologies for the treatment of a broad range of chronic,

debilitating and life-threatening diseases.

Recent breakthroughs: We manufacture BiovaxID, the fi rst personalized cancer vaccine for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is a therapeutic vaccine that targets the tumor by harnessing the patient’s own immune system to fi ght the cancer cells, instead of trying to kill them with the standard chemotherapy drug.What’s hot: Personalized medicine is really a new model for treating disease. BiovaxID as a cancer vaccine is tailored for every patient specifi cally. We fi rst take a patient’s tumor biopsy when it’s diagnosed and we manufacture a specifi c vaccine that is unique to the patient and works with the cells in their body. Goals: In 2010, we will be focused on getting the vaccine through the regulatory agencies and eventually submitting it for approval both in the U.S. (through the FDA’s Biologics License Ap-plication) and its counterpart in the European Union.

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Dr. Bill Warren VaxDesign is an emerging biotechnology com-

pany that develops a surrogate human immune system for multi-di-

mensional analysis of blood that makes predictions about how certain

populations would respond to a particular drug or vaccine.

Goals for the future: To reduce animal studies, to help our cus-tomers make better vaccines, and make drugs faster and cheaper to produce.Biotech in the Corridor: We have some great partnerships go-ing on with Florida Hospital and Florida’s Blood Centers, as well as with UCF. And we’ve also teamed up with several local biotech-nology companies. There’s a really collaborative spirit here.What’s new: Our system has correctly predicted human immune responses when the animal model has not. So we have stopped vaccines because we saw there could be adverse eff ects.

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Dr. Ryan Kern Optima Neuroscience develops advanced technology Optima Neuroscience develops advanced technology

that analyzes the complex electrical signals of the brain to very accurately

detect and predict critical changes, allowing clinicians to alert staff and

care providers so that they can intervene appropriately at the bedside.

Your roots: Researchers at UF analyzed the brain’s electric signals (called EEG), and found that, although there are many diff erent types and causes of seizures, they all have in common an abnormally organized state of the brain. By applying complex mathematical algorithms, they developed a way to detect and even predict seizure activity before it happens. This platform technology is the fi rst clinical application we’re pursuing.Research backing: Grant funding has gotten us to where we are today. As the recipient of more than $2 million in NIH funding, we’ve built a team of scientists and developers, developed our fi rst commercial product and led it through clinical trials.What’s new: Our fi rst product, IdentEvent, is a software package to help specially trained neurologists review EEG recordings. I O

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Average Employees Per Company: 122


MicroelectronicsSector Stats

Faces of Technology

Brian Johnson Dais Analytic designs and manufactures new

products in ventilation and air quality, water clean-up (desalination and

waste treatment), energy storage, immersion coatings, and high per-

formance fabrics using patented nanotechnology-polymer processes.

Favorite part of the job: Our future products with game-chan-ing potential. It’s not often that a company gets to develop and patent an entire class of new materials that can alter the way we live. Turning sea water and waste water into pure drinking water has limitless possibilities.Our goals for the industry: Focus on saving signifi cant amounts of energy and global warming emissions in the heating, ventilat-ing and air conditioning industry, and then increase the world’s potable water supply.What’s new: Our Conserv Energy Recovery Ventilator, which uses our membranes to transfer heat and humidity into or out of the fresh air being used to ventilate buildings. It reduces air conditioning and heating, dramatically lowering energy costs.

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Dave Corey Solicore is the world leader of embedded power

solutions, off ering a fl exion product portfolio of advanced, ultra-thin

fl exible lithium polymer batteries for powered cards, RFID devices and

micro medical devices.

What’s hot: Solicore batteries can be hot-laminated into a plastic credit card, and they can take the wear and tear of postal delivery and survive up to three years. Solicore is also working with groups that created new methods of drug delivery through powered medical patches that will change the way drugs are administered.Advice: Have patience. Market adoption is something that takes more time and eff ort than anyone realizes, but staying patient can eff ectively build a strong foundation on a solid technology. The future of the industry: We are currently working on the world’s fi rst three-volt printed lithium battery. This breakthrough will enable a battery to be printed in hundreds of millions of units annually and will dramatically reduce the cost of the battery.

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Dr. Rainer Meinke The Advanced Magnet Lab (AML) provides

revolutionary technology for the design and manufacture of advanced

coils, magnets and magnet systems for a variety of applications and

markets including renewable energy and the medical fi eld.

Favorite part of the job: Building something and seeing it work is really a great feeling. If in the end it is successful, it was worth all the eff ort that you had to put in it – it’s an adrenaline rush. What’s hot: Electromagnets haven’t changed much since the days of Nikola Tesla, but we’ve come up with technology that revolutionizes any kind of electromagnet – our coil confi gura-tions are much more complex yet much more versatile. I think our patents in this fi eld will have enormous future implications.What’s new: We’re working on drug delivery systems using mag-nets, so drugs could be magnetically directed and steered.

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State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees. The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Associationof Colleges and Schools awarded membership at Level II to offer the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA, 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500 for questions aboutthe accreditation of SCF. An equal access/equal opportunity institution.

ConstructionManagement

EngineeringTechnology

CAREER EDUCATIONLEADING TO AN

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Engineering Technology A.A.S. Degree• Core classes aligned with Manufacturing Skills Standard Council (MSSC)

industry certification.• Degree leads to careers as a production technician in manufacturing,

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Construction Management A.A.S. Degree• Training in business, management & finance, reading blueprints,

planning, estimating, scheduling and technical skills.• Degree leads to careers as a construction project manager scheduler,

estimator, purchasing agent or superintendent.




Payroll: $167 million



Optics & PhotonicsSector Stats

Faces of Technology






Other Technologies – Media/Telecom/Research & Engineering

Jason Eichenholz Ocean Optics is the world leader in solu-

tions for optical sensing, enabling diverse applications in medical and

biological research, environmental monitoring, life science, science

education and entertainment lighting and display.

What’s hot: Our next generations of systems are going to be much smaller and more compact, leveraging nano photonics and microelectronic technology and enabling applications that don’t exist today. Favorite part of the job: The uncertainty. There is such variety that I never know on a daily basis what our spectrometers are going to be used for. The industry’s future: I see a lot of growth opportunities for Florida’s photonics industry. There’s a good base of technology to be transferred from UCF and USF, a lot of expertise in photonics.I O

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Biggest challenge:

Motto:

What’s new:

Sudipta Seal AMPAC (Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis

Center) engages in materials research and education and provides facility,

faculty, and student support not only to all UCF units, but also to research-

ers from industry, university and government organizations.

What’s new: The rare earth oxide nanoparticles that we create can be used for a variety of biomedical applications including Alzheimer’s, retinal degeneration, anti-infl ammatory therapies and anti-angiogenesis (cancer) treatment. Favorite part of the job: By treating the surfaces of fl y ash, a byproduct of power plant smokestacks, we can convert it into a so-called cement substitute, creating a concrete block which has excellent strength and is also very lightweight. By doing so, we’ll be able to reduce a huge CO

2 emission on the atmosphere.

Our goals for the industry: Our work with waste materials and cleansing nanoparticles will create a better environment for years to come.

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Richard Sweat .decimal Inc. is a medical device manufacturer

that produces custom-made, patient-specifi c radiation therapy de-

vices for cancer patients around the country and now Japan.

How did you get your start?: When I was a kid I wanted to be a paramedic. I grew up watching “Emergency” on TV and I liked the idea of helping people. I went through paramedics at Seminole Community College, and then worked at Radiation Technology. Biggest challenge: The biggest challenge facing tech compa-nies today is keeping up with the pace of the changing technolo-gies. At .decimal, not only do we have to change with technology with the clinic and what our customers are using to treat cancer, but also software technology, IT technology, manufacturing tech-nology and trying to spread that around the globe.Motto: My motto is “never forget about the patient.”What’s new: Our newest product is electron conformal therapy bolus. These are used for cancer patients with tumors that lie very superfi cially to the skin’s surface. The bolus conforms the dose to just underneath the tumor volume, sparing healthy tissues. P

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A 3--2-1 Moment

In May 2008, offi cials at NASA and Brevard Workforce – whose mission is to facili-

tate workforce development aligned with the county’s employment needs – signed

the Space Act Agreement to offi cially launch the Aerospace Workforce Transition

Program (AWT).

Designed to promote career preparation resources to aerospace workers aff ected

by the retirement of the Space Shuttle program, AWT partners: continually monitor

next-generation aerospace trends and issues aff ecting regional workforce develop-

ment; identify emerging requirements for skill training; and, assist workers in obtain-

ing the knowledge, skills and abilities required for transitioning to new aerospace

programs.

Though led from Brevard, it was clear from the beginning that the eff ort must be

regional in scope, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) has taken a

leading role through partnership with Brevard Workforce, Workforce Central Florida

and the Center for Business Excellence on one aspect of the AWT program known as

the Regional Aerospace Workforce Initiative (RAWI).

“In the Shuttle program, the entire region is losing a national asset, and the rip-

Along Florida’s Space Coast, the numbers “3-2-1” have for decades conjured images of the Space Shuttle triumphantly soaring to the heavens. The Shuttle program’s planned expira-tion in September 2010, however, has created an entirely new “3-2-1 moment” for the region and the thousands of aerospace workers who suddenly fi nd themselves in a career-chang-ing predicament. • Workforce development leaders in Brevard County and throughout the region have long been planning for this moment as the countdown to a new kind of launch … a launch of new careers and new job creation opportunities … recognizing that long term these talented aero-space workers are a potent economic development tool. They are unquestionably one of the world’s greatest human resource assets.


ples of layoff s will be felt well beyond East Central

Florida,” says FHTCC President Randy Berridge.

“Brevard Workforce and its partners have taken

action, creating a network of employers, workforce

boards, economic development organizations and

education entities that will link skilled workers with

skill-hungry companies.”

Under the transition umbrella, the RAWI eff ort

– funded in part by a Federal Regional Innovation

Grant – seeks to retain, retrain and redirect dislo-

cated aerospace workers into related or emerging

industries within the East Central Florida region.

RAWI is fulfi lling that mission through a focus on

three key strategies:

o Creating a mechanism for a regional response

to counteract a massive and possibly unexpected

economic upheaval;

o Leveraging existing collaborative eff orts that

have successfully brought workforce, economic de-

velopment and education-based entities together

on common issues of regional signifi cance; and,

o Employing a regional perspective to ensure

that East Central Florida’s businesses and workforce

will be well-prepared to compete and succeed in a

global economy.

“Workforce development is a key element in

the Corridor’s mission, but too often that is nar-

rowly defi ned simply as workforce training,” says

Berridge. “This eff ort is proof positive that strong

workforce development programs involve much

more than training, but also community partner-

ships, research, cluster identifi cation, asset map-

ping and education.”

Much like the Corridor, RAWI is focused on a

number of targeted industry clusters as potential

landing points for displaced workers. Aviation/aero-

space obviously heads the list, but the group is also

evaluating opportunities in biosciences, digital me-

dia, energy alternatives, micro/nano technologies,

photonics/optics/lasers and modeling, simulation

and training.

The eff ort kicked off in July 2009, as more than

90 business and government leaders from Brevard,

Flagler, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and

Volusia counties gathered in Orlando to conduct a

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats

(SWOT) analysis to determine gaps in how economic

development, workforce, education and industry

communicate with one another when faced with

massive workforce layoff events. A Core Regional

Leadership Group was established to provide in-

sight into regional programs, initiatives and studies

and to lead the SWOT analysis.

“We pulled together

a wide variety of leaders

and provided each with

targeted objectives,”

says Lisa Rice, Brevard

Workforce president.

“From workforce

professionals, we seek

defi nition of a regional

rapid response system

to assist dislocated

workers. From economic

development leaders,

we seek collaboration

on the defi nition of

job opportunities and

future skill sets. “We

ask education leaders

to evolve the talent

pipeline with a focus on

science, technology and

math skills. And from

industry, we ask for an

integrated systems ap-

proach to guarantee that talent is available.”

The challenge these leaders face is daunting.

Brevard Workforce estimates more than 9,200 work-

ers are aff ected by the Space Shuttle program retire-

ment, representing a combined income of $600-

million and a secondary contribution to the Florida

economy of $2.6 billion.

A third of aff ected technicians are expected to

need transition assistance to new industries or oc-

cupations, and a third will need skills upgrades for

transition to the Orion/Constellation program and

other space-related employment.

Throughout the region, however, the challenge

has been accepted, and together partners in the

RAWI eff ort hope to capitalize on this 3-2-1 moment

and create new employment opportunities for a

highly trained, highly skilled class of workers.

Creative Thinkers I Core Regional

Leadership Group members (above)

and Lisa Rice, Brevard Workforce president (below).


When it comes to technology,all roads lead to Central Florida.

800.554.3801www.floridabusiness.org

Emerging companies are the hallmark of CentralFlorida’s High Tech Corridor. And some of thenation’s most innovativecompanies are inDaytona Beach andVolusia County. This isthe home of medical,automotive, aviation,simulation and otherleading high-tech products.It is also the home ofEmbry-Riddle AeronauticalUniversity and many otheroutstanding colleges anduniversities engaged in researchand training. If you are lookingto the future, take a look at Volusia County.

COV-1371 HP FL Trnd:190-1132 Fl Trend 10/8/09 8:50 AM Page 1


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2008/2009

FHTCCAnnual Report2008/2009

Total Investment in High Tech Economic Development

Marketing the Corridor

Year in Review

Growing High Tech IndustryEven during a year of immense challenges, theFlorida High TeTeT ch Corridor Council (FHTCC) hasemerged as a major player on the international stageof economic development. The 13-year-old initiativeof three renowned research universities, the Universityof Central Florida, the University of South Florida andthe University of Florida, continues to make a namefofof r itself with global recognition fofof r growing hightech industry.

Thanks to the alliance of dozens of economicdevelopment, workfofof rce, academic and industrypartners stretched across the 23-county Corridor,r,rFHTCC’s’s’ fofof cus on research, workfofof rce and marketinghas built the region into a place where innovation iscultivated and thriving.

The fofof llowing overview provides more details aboutthe initiatives and programs that helped the Councilgrow high tech industry during 2008/2009.

Matching Grants Research ProgramEvery year,r,r dozens of companies across the Corridorparticipate in a unique program that leverages thestrengths of the three Corridor universities in thedevelopment of commercially applicable emergingtechnologies.

Through FHTCC’s’s’ Matching Grants Research Program(MGRP), innovative technological advances havebeen made that otherwise may not have seen thelight of day,y,y from technologies converting biowasteinto hydrogen to detecting traumatic brain injuryusing nanoparticles. With funds fofof r research anddevelopment oftftf en among the first to be reduced oreliminated during an economic downturn, the abilityfofof r universities and company partners to show specificand substantial return on investment has made theMGRP a continued success.

During 2008/2009, the program generated 110projojo ects in partnership with 60 Corridor companies,including 25 companies participating in the MGRP fofof rthe first time. The Council invested nearly $4.2 millionin the projojo ects, while the participating companiesmatched that investment with $13.1 million in cash,in-kind services and equipment. The total value ofresearch conducted through the Matching GrantsResearch Program therefofof re exceeded $17.3 millionthis year.

Since the inception of the program in 1996, theCouncil has partnered with nearly 340 companieson 1,039 research projojo ects in sectors ranging fromAgritechnology to Sustainable Energy.

The $52 million in funds that have been invested bythe Council have been matched by corporate cash

Dear Fellow Floridians:

The last year has been the most challenging many of us have ever known, and yetit has proven rewarding and reassuring for those involved in the Florida High TechCorridor Council … the unique economic development initiative guided by threegreat Florida research universities.

As the year drew to a close, we were notified by the International EconomicDevelopment Council (IEDC) that it had chosen to honor our efforts with its first-ever “Partnerships in Education” award. A high honor, indeed, and in recognitionof the important role higher education plays in economic development the IEDCpointed to our Matching Grants Research Program (MGRP) and workforcedevelopment programs.

Last year I wrote that “even in a time of belt-tightening, research and workforcedevelopment remain important areas of focus for universities and businesses acrossthe Corridor.” That proved true this year as our signature research program attracted60 more companies to partner on 110 applied research projects.

Those companies invested more than $13 million in cash and in-kind contributions,matched by $4.2 million from the Corridor Council. These investments createdapplied research opportunities for 246 graduate students and 68 faculty members,and led to the continued growth of the downstream impact of our work. Ourcontinuing effort to monitor the impact of the State of Florida’s investment ininnovation through the MGRP shows that number has grown to $484 million …an impressive return for just $52 million in initial capital.

The Corridor Council’s support for workforce development continued in the pastyear, as well, with sponsorship of 11 techCAMPs, the program of our techPATHinitiative … a partnership with public school systems across our 23-county regiondesigned to provide classroom teachers with innovative teaching tools that inspirestudents to pursue careers in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.FHTCC also invests in the work of PRISM, an eight-county program within theCorridor region devoted to Promoting Regional Improvement in Science and Math.

The year also saw the formal expansion of the Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center(www.FLVEC.com), an online community for entrepreneurs that is collecting andmaking available resources they need to start and grow their businesses. Judgingby an average of 4,000 unique online visitors a month, it appears to be makinga difference.

I hope this annual report gives you a taste of what we are doing to invest Corridorfunds in programs that grow high tech industry and the workforce to support itthroughout our region.

Best regards,

Randy BerridgePresident

Workforce Development

EntrepreneurialSupport

Volunteer Support

Florida High Tech Corridor Council Annual Report2008/2009 2008/2009

Year in Review

CorridorFundsInvested

CashMatch

In-KindMatch

TotalAllocated

% of Total

Aviation & Aerospace

Information Technologies

Life Sciences& Medical Technologies

Materials

Microelectronics &Nanotechnology

Modeling,Simulation & Training

Optics & Photonics

Sustainable Energy

Other

UCF AppliedMaterials Processingand CharacterizationCenter (AMPAC)

Totals 4,212,939 9,287,439 3,806,813 17,307,191 100.0%

Officials of theInternational EconomicDevelopment Council

presenting Partnerships inEducation Award to

Randy Berridge.

Growing High Tech Industry


Dear Fellow Floridians:

The last year has been the most challenging many of us have ever known, and yetit has proven rewarding and reassuring for those involved in the Florida High TechCorridor Council … the unique economic development initiative guided by threegreat Florida research universities.

As the year drew to a close, we were notified by the International EconomicDevelopment Council (IEDC) that it had chosen to honor our efforts with its first-ever “Partnerships in Education” award. A high honor, indeed, and in recognitionof the important role higher education plays in economic development the IEDCpointed to our Matching Grants Research Program (MGRP) and workforcedevelopment programs.

Last year I wrote that “even in a time of belt-tightening, research and workforcedevelopment remain important areas of focus for universities and businesses acrossthe Corridor.” That proved true this year as our signature research program attracted60 more companies to partner on 110 applied research projects.

Those companies invested more than $13 million in cash and in-kind contributions,matched by $4.2 million from the Corridor Council. These investments createdapplied research opportunities for 246 graduate students and 68 faculty members,and led to the continued growth of the downstream impact of our work. Ourcontinuing effort to monitor the impact of the State of Florida’s investment ininnovation through the MGRP shows that number has grown to $484 million …an impressive return for just $52 million in initial capital.

The Corridor Council’s support for workforce development continued in the pastyear, as well, with sponsorship of 11 techCAMPs, the program of our techPATHinitiative … a partnership with public school systems across our 23-county regiondesigned to provide classroom teachers with innovative teaching tools that inspirestudents to pursue careers in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.FHTCC also invests in the work of PRISM, an eight-county program within theCorridor region devoted to Promoting Regional Improvement in Science and Math.

The year also saw the formal expansion of the Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center(www.FLVEC.com), an online community for entrepreneurs that is collecting andmaking available resources they need to start and grow their businesses. Judgingby an average of 4,000 unique online visitors a month, it appears to be makinga difference.

I hope this annual report gives you a taste of what we are doing to invest Corridorfunds in programs that grow high tech industry and the workforce to support itthroughout our region.

Best regards,

Randy BerridgePresident

and in-kind investments of nearly $144 million, generating anadditional $484 million in quantifiable downstream impacts, resultingin a return of $628 million and total projojo ect value of $680 million.

The success of the Matching Grants Research Program is largelydue to the many talented student and fafaf culty researchers whohave participated in the program. During 2008/2009, 246 studentresearchers and 68 fafaf culty members from our three researchuniversities were engaged in conducting applied research on Corridorprojojo ects. That brings the total number of students (2,094) and fafaf culty(281) who have conducted research on a matching grants projojo ect overthe last 13 years to nearly 2,400.

Workforce DevelopmentThe Council continues its outreach to teachers and their students inpublic school systems through its techPAPAP TATA H program, a partnershipwith educators throughout our 23 counties. Recognizing thepotential to target students directly,y,y techPAPAP TATA H directors altered thecurriculum fofof r its signature teacher workshop, techCAMP,P,P to create afun, one-day learning experience fofof r middle and high school studentscalled “Math and Physics Day.” Theseworkshops have now reached morethan 1,700 teachers and 335students through 53 techCAMPsheld across the Corridor.

Additional workfofof rce developmentprograms supported by FHTCCduring 2008/2009 include: CollegeLeadership Florida, a week-longprogram to educate Florida’s’s’university students about theopportunities in the state’s’s’leadership structure and corporateworkfofof rce; Disney EntrepreneurCenter Fair; the PRISM projojo ect, acampaign spanning eight CentralFlorida K-12 school districts tostrengthen achievement inSTEM fields (science, technology,y,yengineering and math); theFlorida State Science andEngineering Fair; and, theFIRST robotics competitions.

EntrepreneurialSupportThe Council has placed a significantemphasis on increasing the visibilityand functionality of the Corridor’s’s’Virtual Entrepreneur Center(FLVLVL EC.com), which is an onlineresource databank that assistsindividuals and companies inlocating or expanding a businessin the Corridor.

The concept of a VECWeb portalwas originally identified and

developed through the Volusia/Flagler Higher Education Consortium.Shepherded by the economic development team from Daytona StateCollege and our EDO, Workfofof rce and other regional partners andfunded by the Council, FLVLVL EC.com is designed to be an ever-increasing one-stop-shop library fofof r entrepreneurs looking fofof rbusiness resources.

This year,r,r FLVLVL EC.com expanded its coverage to all 23 counties of theCorridor,r,r as well as transfofof rmed its design and functionality to bemore user-friendly. By fafaf ll 2009, the site was averaging 4,000 visitsper month.

Volunteer SupportFHTCC would not be able to successfully achieve its mission withoutthe tireless support of volunteers who are committed to advancingthe Council’s’s’ mission within the Corridor. During the past year,r,r morethan 400 volunteers – from numerous partners and participantsincluding economic development organizations, school districts,universities, workfofof rce boards and others – contributed more than6,000 hours in support of the Council.

2008/2009 Florida High Tech Corridor Council Annual Report 2008/2009

Year in Review

CorridorFundsInvested

CashMatch

In-KindMatch

TotalAllocated

% of Total

Aviation & Aerospace 198,819 292,641 332,643 824,103 4.8%

Information Technologies 274,652 461,456 187,000 923,108 5.3%

Life Sciences& Medical Technologies

451,122 604,362 657,758 1,713,242 9.9%

Materials 417,717 1,043,389 225,000 1,686,106 9.7%

Microelectronics &Nanotechnology

277,525 497,871 212,781 988,177 5.7%

Modeling,Simulation & Training

613,445 1,087,935 0 1,701,380 9.8%

Optics & Photonics 598,506 1,739,460 714,140 3,052,106 17.6%

Sustainable Energy 584,162 1,229,646 1,106,539 2,920,347 16.9%

Other 186,834 438,570 370,952 996,356 5.8%

UCF AppliedMaterials Processingand CharacterizationCenter (AMPAC)

610,157 1,892,109 0 2,502,266 14.5%

Totals 4,212,939 9,287,439 3,806,813 17,307,191 100.0%

Officials of theInternational EconomicDevelopment Council

presenting Partnerships inEducation Award to

Randy Berridge.

Florida High Tech Corridor Council Annual Report2008/2009

2008/2009

Total Investment in High Tech Economic DevelopmentIn an efffff ofof rt to ensure the greatest positive impact possible, the Council regularlymatches contributions from partner organizations. During fiscal year 2008/2009,the Council committed $550,000 in funds to 78 programs and initiatives across theCorridor. As a result of the Council’s’s’ initial investments, those projojo ects generated anadditional value of $2.1 million in funding and support that without the Council’s’s’initial investment may not havebeen. The Council also investedin economic gardening andincubator projojo ects totalingmore than $225,000.

Despite a $2 million reductionin funding due to state budgetcuts during 2008/2009, theCouncil was still able to invest$7.1 million in economicdevelopment, research,workfofof rce development,education and support fofof r theregion’s’s’ evolving technologycommunities. Add to that the$13.1 million in research supportfrom our Matching GrantsResearch Program, the $316,000value of services provided byCorridor volunteers, and the$2.1 million in additional valuerealized through initiativesfunded by the Council, and thisyear’s’s’ direct impact exceeds$22.6 million.

Marketing the CorridorWhile projojo ects such as the Matching GrantsResearch Program, techPAPAP TATA H and the VirtualEntrepreneur Center are not specificallymarketing initiatives, the residual increasein awareness and recognition they providehas helped boost the overall profile fofof r theCorridor. When combined with the targeted marketing initiatives undertaken by the Council, theresult has been an increase in recognition and publicity received by the Corridor.

The Council has placed specific emphasis on recognizing and promoting the region’s’s’ “Faces ofTeTeT chnology,y,y” a program that highlights the innovators across the Corridor. Beginning with profiles of10 tech leaders in the print magazine flflf orida.HIGH.TETET CHCHC 2008, Faces of TeTeT chnology evolved last year toincorporate video interviews through the Council’s’s’ YoYoY uTube channel, www.FacesOfTfTf eTeT chnology.com.This year,r,r FHTCC started a program using Flip video cameras to capture interviews with techinnovators who converge upon statewide industry events and tech expos. These video vignettes arealso prominently fefef atured on the Council’s’s’ other social media pages, Facebook.com/FloridaHighTeTeT chand TwTwT itter.com/FloridaHighTeTeT ch in addition to its YoYoY uTube channel.

The Florida High TeTeT ch Corridor Council’s’s’ presence on social media networks such as Facebook andTwTwT itter allows fofof r direct interaction with business leaders, technologists and economic developers tolink to partner Web sites and in-depth news coverage. High tech news and updates are shared dailywith hundreds of fafaf ns and fofof llowers.

In October 2007, the Council unveiled “The Virtual Visit” (VisitTheCorridor.com), which is an online tourof the Corridor that provides visitors with a visual look at the economic development strengths

offfff efef red across the region. For more than two years the site has consistently averaged800 unique visitors per month thanks in part to continuedWeb site promotion bymany partners across the Corridor. ToToT ensure that VisitTheCorridor.com remains avibrant portal of infofof rmation, fresh content was added to mark the first anniversaryof the site.

The Corridor received significant regional and national media publicity during the lastyear. Print and online publications including Business FaFaF cilities,s,s FlFlF orida TrTrT erer nd,d,d Biotech

WeWeW ek and TeTeT chJournal Southmagazine reported on initiatives within the Corridor.

Florida newspapers and magazines, including the TaTaT mpa TrTrT ibune,e,e Orlando Sentinel,l,l

Lakekek land Ledgdgd er,r,r Dayaya tona Beach Newswsw Journal,l,l St.t.t Petersrsr burgrgr TiTiT mes,s,s FlFlF orida ToToT dayaya ,y,y

Gainesviviv lle Sun, Bizizi 941 andMadduxuxu Business Repepe ort reported on FHTCC programs,activities and leaders.

FHTCC continued to be an active participant in many prominent technology tradeshows. University,y,y business and economic development leaders represented theCorridor at I/ITSEC, Photonics West and Bio2009, to name a fefef w.

In addition to flflf orida.HIGH.TETET CHCHC , the Council continued to regularly infofof rm readersinside and outside of the Corridor of the technology advances taking place in theregion through the monthly eNewsletter Inside FlFlF orida’s’s’ Higigi h TeTeT ch CoCoC rridor. TheeNewsletter is regularly distributed to more than 5,000 people. ToToT subscribe, visithttp://www.floridahightech.com/resources/eNewsletter.aspx.

Year in Review

• Lake Denham 470 offers a campus design that is attractiveand inviting to pedestrian scale features, spaces andamenities. It is setting its sights on being Lake County’s new employment center and Master Planned Industrial Park

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• Natural gas, water, and sewer lines are available at the site andprovided by the City of Leesburg

• Progress Energy provides electricity• The Center is a Planned Unit Development (PUD) strategically

located 2 miles east of the Florida Turnpike on County Road470, and 35 minutes northwest of Orlando

• Future land use in place for industrial and commercialdevelopment

• Within a 3 mile radius, the city has approved over 25,000new housing units that are expected for development overthe next 20 years

• Incentives offered for job creation• Utility impact fee financing• Fast-track permitting

Contact: Kenneth L. Thomas, MPALeesburg Business & Technology CenterTel: (352) 728-9708 • Fax (352) [email protected]

2 miles from Florida Turnpike

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The IT Staffi ng Experts

COMPUTERINTERNATIONAL

CONSULTANTS

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Well Connected

“Our mission is to grow high tech industry and innovation through research,

workforce development and marketing partnerships,” says FHTCC President

Randy Berridge. “In the past several years, we have seen how these partnerships

can drive such growth as the basis for major economic development decisions.”

One need look no further than the University of South Florida (USF) campus

in Tampa for a concrete example. The Corridor was one of several local, regional

and state partners that came together to off er fi nancial incentives that attracted

the prestigious Charles Stark Draper Laboratory to locate a BioMEMS research and

development center at USF along with a manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg.

Specifi cally, the Corridor committed $1 million in Matching Grants Research

Program (MGRP) funding to further the Draper research mission, research that in

turn will create opportunities for USF faculty and graduate students.

SMART PARTNERSHIPS FUEL RELOCATIONS, EXPANSIONS AND NEW JOBS.The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is often recognized for the many research projects it helps to fund and the training opportunities it provides for students in its partner universities. • What is less known, at least outside of economic

development circles, is the Corridor’s direct impact on the relocation and expansion of high

tech industry that has helped to create a vibrant technology culture in the region.

Tiny Tech, Big Splash I MIT spin-off

Charles Stark Draper Laboratory opened labs in both Tampa and St. Petersburg.

56 2010

SMART PARTNERSHIPS FUEL RELOCATIONS, EXPANSIONS AND NEW JOBS.The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is often recognized for the many research projects it helps to fund and the training opportunities it provides for students in its partner universities. • development circles, is the Corridor’s direct impact on the relocation and expansion of high


56

SMART PARTNERSHIPS FUEL RELOCATIONS, EXPANSIONS AND NEW JOBS.The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is often recognized for the many research projects it helps to fund and the training opportunities it provides for students in its partner universities. • development circles, is the Corridor’s direct impact on the relocation and expansion of high



Relocation & Expansion

The BioMEMS Center will explore the applica-

tion of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

technologies to medical and biological problems.

The Multi Chip Module (MCM) pilot facility in St. Pe-

tersburg will position Draper to meet an increasing

demand by a select group of government customers

for this emerging technology that allows multiple

integrated circuits, semiconductor dies and other

components to work together.

“I fi rmly believe that Draper would not be here

today if not for the commitment from the Florida

High Tech Corridor,” says Rod Casto, Ph.D., associate

vice president for research and technology develop-

ment at the University of South Florida. “The grant

commitment for ongoing research was critical to

their decision to expand.”

The expansion will create 165 new jobs for the

region, paying an average wage of $75,000. More

importantly, Draper will be a research partner

with USF, SRI-St. Petersburg and others to form the

nucleus of a micro-technology cluster, resulting in

the growth of innovation workers and economic

development in the Tampa Bay region and the state

of Florida.

Elsewhere along the Corridor, MGRP dollars are

driving similar relocation and expansion decisions.

In Orlando, for example, Petra Solar has since 2007

been conducting research with University of Central

Florida (UCF) faculty as part of a global market

expansion. The opportunity to capitalize on MGRP-

funded research at UCF played a signifi cant role in

Petra Solar’s decision to choose Orlando.

“UCF has taken a lead role, not just in develop-

ing the enabling technology, but also in helping us

commercialize it,” says Shihab Kuran, president and

CEO of Petra Solar. “Dr. Issa Batarseh, along with

his colleagues and students, has done excellent

research and development work that is at the core

of Petra Solar’s innovative products.”

Petra Solar licensed technology developed by

Batarseh, a professor of Electrical Engineering

and Computer Science, to simplify the design and

reduce the costs of installing solar power.

Petra Solar’s expansion not only created new job

opportunities in Central Florida, but has also led to

a landmark solar demonstration project launched

in September 2009, in which the company teamed

up with OUC to launch the fi rst utility pole-mounted

solar photovoltaic system in Florida.

Kuran noted his company’s collaboration with

UCF to develop the pole-mounted approach, saying

“we are pleased to realize the fruits of the research

in this commercial endeavor, which will not only

provide power to our

customers but also en-

hance the functioning

of the power grid.”

Further north, it’s

electrical impulses of

another sort that are

causing excitement, as

the Institute for Human

and Machine Cognition

(IHMC) begins research

into “human-centered

computing” at its new facility in Ocala.

The Institute specializes in artifi cial intelligence

and robotics aiming to extend human abilities, and

is affi liated with several Florida universities. The

focus is to make technology fi t humans instead of

humans adapting to technology.

Drawn in part by the availability of signifi cant

MGRP funding, the Institute expanded from its Pen-

sacola headquarters into the former Ocala library,

creating 15 to 20 high-paying research positions and

helping to revitalize Ocala’s historic district. Perhaps

just as important is the added benefi ts IHMC brings,

through its educational outreach events and lecture

series.

“The impact is so much larger than anyone can

really put their fi nger on,” says Ocala Mayor Randy

Ewers.

According to Berridge, comments like that are

becoming more and more common across the

23-county Corridor, as the organization’s programs

and partnerships increasingly play a role in major

relocation and expansion decisions. “Every new

project puts us further along the path toward real-

izing our vision of Florida as the leading innovation

economy.”

State of Sunshine I Petra Solar partners with UCF to better its innovative products, including the fi rst utility pole-mounted solar photovoltaic system in Florida (opposite page).



General Technology

Tampa Bay Technology ForumP.O. Box 20067Tampa, FL 33622Amy Norman, CEO813.341.8283 • [email protected]://www.tbtf.org

AeA12565 Research Pkwy., Ste. 300Orlando, FL 32826Jennifer Gabriel, Program Director407.882.2425 • [email protected]://www.aeanet.org/AeACouncils/FLCoun-cilStart.asp

Florida Business Incubation Associaton12201 Research Pkwy., Ste. 501Orlando, FL 32826Dr. Thomas O’Neal, Chairman407.882.1120 • [email protected]://www.fbiaonline.org

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Orlando ChapterOrlando, FLMartin S. (Steve) Karlovic407.306.2351 • [email protected]://www.ewh.ieee.org/r3/orlando/

Agritechnology

Agricultural Institute of FloridaP.O. Box 940625Maitland, FL 32794Betsy McGill, President863.533.0561 • [email protected]://aifl orida.org/

Dairy Farmers Incorporated166 Lookout Pl., Ste. 100Maitland, FL 32751Michele Cooper, CEO407.647.8899 • michelecooper@fl oridamilk.comhttp://www.fl oridamilk.com/

Florida Certifi ed Organic Growers & Consumers Inc.P.O. Box 12311Gainesville, FL 32604Marty Mesh, Executive Director352.377.6345http://www.foginfo.org/

Florida Citrus Processors Association1501 S. Florida Ave.Lakeland, FL 33803Kristen Gunter, Executive Director863.680.9908http://www.fcplanet.org

Florida Citrus MutualP.O. Box 89Lakeland, FL 33802Mike Sparks, Executive Vice President/CEO863.682.1111 • mikes@fl citrusmutual.comhttp://www.fl citrusmutual.com

Florida Fruit & Vegetable AssociationP.O. Box 948153Maitland, FL 32794321.214.5200 • information@ff va.comhttp://www.ff va.com/

Highlands County Growers Association6419 US 27 SouthSebring, FL 33876Ray Royce, Executive Director863.385.8091 • [email protected]://www.hccga.com/

Florida Farm BureauP.O. Box 147030Gainesville, FL 32614John Hoblick, President352.378.8100 • john.hoblick@ff bf.orghttp://www.fl oridafarmbureau.org

Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association58 4th St. NW, Ste. 200Winter Haven, FL 33881Mary C. Hartney, President863.293.4827 • mhartney@ff aa.orghttp://www.ff aa.org

Aviation & Aerospace

Space FloridaMS: SPFL M6-306, Room 9030Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899Frank DiBello321.730.5301 • fdibello@spacefl orida.govhttp://www.spacefl orida.gov/

Florida Aviation Aerospace AllianceP.O. Box 1163Tallahassee, FL 32302Bennett Napier, CAE, Executive Director850.224.0711 • bennett@executiveoffi ce.orghttp://www.faaa.org/

Florida Aviation Trades Association4685 Longbow Dr.Titusville, FL 32796Paula Raeburn, Executive Director800.280.9662 • [email protected]

Florida Airports Council250 John Knox RoadTallahassee, FL 32303Noah Lagos, President850.224.2964 • info@fl oridaairports.orghttp://www.fl oridaairports.org

Digital Media/Interactive Entertainment

Digital Media Alliance Florida127 W. Fairbanks, #210Winter Park, FL 32789Jud French, Executive Director407.629.2772 • jfrench@dmafl orida.orghttp://www.dmafl orida.org

Florida Digital Media Education Consortiumhttp://fdmec.org/

Orlando ACM SIGGRAPHShelley Kaufeld, [email protected]://orlando.siggraph.org/

International Game Developers AssociationOrlando, FLDustin [email protected]://www.igdaorlando.org/

Financial Services

Florida Venture ForumP.O. Box 961Tampa, FL 33601Robin Kovaleski, Executive Director813.335.8116 • robin@fl oridaventureforum.orghttp://www.fl vencap.org/

Florida Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors1836 Hermitage Blvd., Ste. 200Tallahassee, FL 32308Sharon Heierman, CEO850.422.1701 • [email protected]://www.faifa.org/

Florida Association of Insurance AgentsP.O. Box 12129Tallahassee, FL 32317-2129Jeff Grady, President/CEO850.893.4155 • [email protected]://www.faia.com

Florida Bankers AssociationP.O. Box 1360Tallahassee, FL 32302-1360Alejandro “Alex” Sanchez, President850.224.2265 • asanchez@fl oridabankers.comhttp://www.fl oridabankers.com

Information Technology

IT FloridaSummit East, 1700 Summit Lake Dr.Tallahassee, FL 32317Matt Doster, Executive Director800.748.1120 • mdoster@itfl orida.comhttp://www.itfl orida.com

Society for Information ManagementCentral Florida ChapterMolly [email protected]://www.simnet.org

Citrus IT AllianceP.O. Box 816Lecanto, FL 34460Steve Nelson, [email protected]://www.citrusitalliance.net/

Organizations and Trade Associations


Association of Information Technology Professionals, Polk ChapterP.O. Box 1144Eaton Park, FL 33840-1144Jim Smith, [email protected]://www.polkaitp.org

Association of Information Technology Professionals, North-Central Florida ChapterP.O. Box 12375Gainesville, FL 32604-0375John Tucker, President352.582.2487 http://www.aitp-ncfl .org/

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)Guy Mansueto, Presidenthttp://www.cfhimss.org

Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)Orlando, FLRoger Smith, President407.384.3805 • [email protected]://www.afcea-orlando.org/

Life Sciences/Medical Technologies

BioOrlando301 E. Pine St., Ste. 900Orlando, FL 32801407.422.7159 • [email protected]://www.bioorlando.com/

BioFloridaThe Esperante Building, 222 Lakeview Ave., 4th FloorWest Palm Beach, FL 33401C. Russell Allen, President561.653.3839 • rallen@biofl orida.comhttp://www.biofl orida.com/

Florida Medical Manufacturers’ Consortium11001 Roosevelt Blvd. N., Ste. 150St. Petersburg, FL 33716Geary A. Havran, ChairmanInfo@fl amedmfg.orghttp://www.fl amedmfg.org/

Microelectronics/Nanotechnology

Particle Engineering Research CenterP.O. Box 116135Gainesville, FL 32611Dr. Victor S. Jackson352.846.1194 • [email protected] .eduhttp://www.erc.ufl .edu

Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) Space Coast ChapterMelbourne, FLEileen Hibler, President866.452.5828 • [email protected]://www.smta.org/chapters/chapters_detail.cfm?chapter_id=114

nanovip.com: International Nanotech Business Directoryhttp://www.nanovip.com/

International Microelectronics and Packaging SocietyMike Newton, President321.729.3748 • [email protected]://www.imaps.org/chapters/fl orida/index.htm

Modeling, Simulation & Training

National Defense Industrial Association: Central Florida ChapterP.O. Box 780263Orlando, FL 32878Kevin Dietrick [email protected]://www.ndia-cfl .org

National Center for Simulation3280 Progress Dr.Orlando, FL 32826Russ Hauck, Executive Director407.384.6111 • [email protected]://www.simulationinformation.com

Institute for Simulation and Training Affi liates3100 Technology Pkwy.Orlando, FL 32826Randall Shumaker, Director407.882.1300 • [email protected]://www.ist.ucf.edu

The International Test and Evaluation Association12350 Research Pkwy.Orlando, FL 32826-3276Keith H. Gardner, President407.384.5257 • [email protected]://www.itea.org/southeast_region.asp

The International Council on Systems Engineering, Orlando Chapter12901 Science Dr.Orlando, FL 32026Eddie B. Smith, President407.365.3760 • [email protected]://www.incose.org/

Optics & Photonics

Florida Photonics ClusterOrlando, FLAlex Fong, President407.422.3171 • [email protected]://www.fl oridaphotonicscluster.com

Central Florida Section of OSA, est. 19874000 Central Florida Blvd.Orlando, FL 32765Guifang Li, School of Optics/CREOL407.823.6811 • [email protected]

Optical Society of America2010 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20036Elizabeth A. Rogan, Executive Director202.223.8130 • [email protected]://www.osa.org/

International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE)1000 20th St.Bellingham, WA 98225-6705 360.676.3290 www.spie.org

Laser Institute of America (LIA)13501 Ingenuity Dr., Ste. 128Orlando, FL 32826Peter Baker, Executive Director407.380.1553 www.laserinstitute.org

Society for Information Display (SID)1475 S. Bascom Ave., Ste. 114Cambell, CA 95008-4006Tom Miller, Executive Director408.879.3901 • [email protected]/

Society for Imaging Science and Technology7003 Kilworth Ln.Springfi eld, VA 22151703.642.9090 • [email protected]/

Sustainable Energy

Florida [Chapter] Solar Energy Industries Association927 Fern St., Ste. 1500Altamonte Springs, FL 32701Chris Maingot, Presidenthttp://www.fl aseia.org/

Florida Green Building CoalitionP.O. Box 7308Naples, FL 34101239.263.6819 http://www.fl oridagreenbuilding.org

Florida Institute for Sustainable Energy Gainesville, FLEric D. Wachsman, Director352.392.8049 • [email protected] .eduhttp://www.energy.ufl .edu/index.php

Power Center for Utility ExplorationsTampa, FLDr. Alexander Domijan Jr., Director813.974.6854 • [email protected]://www.pcue.usf.edu

Central Florida’s Polk County offers:

■ Protected inland location

■ Numerous fiber providers with access points

■ Facilities outside 500-year Flood-Zone “X”

■ Highly redundant infrastructure

■ Technology talent provided by the University of South Florida Polytechnic and Polk State College Corporate College

■ Data and Disaster Recovery Centers

The Polk County Technology Region is the right choice for companies and organizations seeking a protected location for their data centers, disaster recovery and high-bandwidth office operations. With its close proximity to two international airports, abundant connectivity and carrier-grade facilities, technology-based companies find Polk County to be the perfect platform for performance and profitability.

Wind-borneD E B R I S R E G I O N Source: Section 1606 1.5 Florida Building Code

To get connected, contact Mark McDuff at: 863-534-2513 www.cfdc.org

Central Florida’s Polk County PROTECTED FACILITIES FIBER RICH

Source: Section 1606 1.5 Florida Building Code

To get connected, contact Mark McDuff at: 863-534-2513 www.cfdc.org

BETWEEN A V ISION AND AN OUTCOME,

THERE IS ONE IMPORTANT WORD: HOW.

A commitment to community. It’s what we pride ourselves in. Helping our communities achieve to their fullest, whether it’s through education or business. Because we live here too. Supporting our communities so that they may grow is all a question of how. And it is the how that makes all the difference.

© 2009 Lockheed Martin Corporation

Congratulations are in order for the hundreds of volunteers, economic

development professionals, faculty and student researchers, and workforce

and corporate partners whose tireless efforts since 1996 were recognized

when the International Economic Development Council presented the 2009

award for Partnerships in Education to the Florida High Tech Corridor

Council ... calling our Matching Grants Research Program and Workforce

Development projects "a clear standout" in an international field.

��

Documents

florida.HIGH.TECH 2010