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ORLANDO, Fla. (December 2, 2008) --- The Florida Business Incubation Association, an alliance of more than 20 business incubation programs
statewide, has named its chairman the 2008 Florida Business Incubation Advocate of the Year.
Dr. Tom O’Neal, director of the University of Central Florida Incubation Program and chair of the statewide association, said the
acknowledgement is a great honor, especially now with the critical importance of business incubation programs in a declining economy.
“In this economic cycle business incubation should rank as one of Florida’s top economic development priorities,” said O’Neal.
“We’ve always aimed at luring businesses to Florida, but we can’t always afford the sorts of tax incentives and
similar incentives that are common in that arena. We are showing that we can be much more effective growing our own new businesses and industries,” he
said.
The UCF Incubation Program, which O’Neal founded nine years ago, currently operates five different incubators in the Central Florida
area that focus on everything from emerging technologies to service businesses.
“The goal of business incubation is to help startup companies accelerate their growth and maturity in a sustainable manner,” O’Neal
explained. “Accelerated growth means more jobs, better paying jobs and a sustained positive impact on the local economy,” he said.
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For more information about this news release, contact:
Tom O’Neal. Ph.D, UCF Incubation Program Executive Director, 407-882-1120, oneal@mail.ucf.edu;
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com
About the UCF Incubation Program:
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies (including nearly 70 current clients)
create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 900 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the
metro Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between UCF, Orange County, the City of Orlando,
Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu. |
