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WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. (February 20, 2008) --- Nearly
200 – including city, county and university officials – attended
the recent grand opening of the University of Central Florida
Incubator–Seminole County.
Like its sister program, the UCF Technology Incubator
in Orange County, the 10,000 square foot Seminole incubator
provides office space for emerging high-growth companies,
as well as coaching and mentoring, training, educational
and networking opportunities.
The goal of those involved with the incubator is simple:
Provide enough assistance to area business start-ups that
will help them make an impact on the economy.
Funding for the facility was made possible by Seminole County,
with assistance from the City of Winter Springs and the
Florida High Tech Corridor, according to Dr. Tom O’Neal,
director of the UCF Incubation Program. The university
also contributes and administers the programming.
The facility, which was planned for more than a year, is
in the Vistawilla Office Center at 1511 E. State Road 434
at the intersection of State Roads 434 and 417 [the Greenway].
Site manager Esther Vargas-Davis said UCF officials were
delighted that so many people attended the event, which
included a ribbon-cutting by the Oviedo-Winter Springs
Regional Chamber of Commerce, presentations by city, county
and university spokespeople, as well as tours of the building
and networking with client companies.
“There was a great showing of support and tremendous
interest and excitement around the opening of the incubator;
and people stayed for quite a while to network with others,” Vargas-Davis
said.
And, with the ink on the grand opening programs still damp,
the incubator already has seven companies in place.
“The companies here are mainly high-growth technology
businesses,” Vargas-Davis said. “All of the
owners were present for the grand opening and they were
excited to interact with so many guests who were eager
to learn more about their companies.”
O’Neal said he has a goal of filling the remaining
13 openings within the next year. “If we just add
one a month, we’ll be there.”
While some are high-tech companies, O’Neal said other
businesses also are welcome, as one of the seven new members
is a law firm, another a wireless communications company
and yet another specializes in finding obsolete parts.
“People just don’t make parts for things anymore;
they just seem to replace things. This company can find
all kinds of parts for everything from helicopters to gyroscopes,” O’Neal
said.
With the addition of the Winter Springs facility, the UCF
Incubation Program now operates five centers, including
the Technology Incubator in the Central Florida Research
Park and in downtown Orlando, the Orlando Business Development
Center on East Colonial Drive, and the Photonics Incubator
on the UCF campus.
* * *
For more information about this release, contact:
Dr. Tom O’Neal, Director UCF Incubation Network, 407-882-1120
Esther Vargas-Davis, Site Manager, UCF Incubator–Seminole
County, 407-882-2448
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications,
407-644-4142
About the UCF Incubation Program
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has
helped more than 100 emerging technology companies create
over $200 million in annual revenues and more than 800
new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. The UCF Technology
Incubator was named 2004 Incubator of the Year by the National
Business Incubation Association. The UCF Incubation Program
is a collaboration in economic development between the
University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City
of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs,
the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and the Metro Orlando
Economic Development Commission. For more information,
please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu.
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