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ORLANDO,
Fla. (April 14, 2009) --- The Orlando
Business Development Center District 2, (OBDC) a partnership
of the City of Orlando and the University of Central Florida
Business Incubation Program, located at 3218 E. Colonial Drive,
will expand over the next 90 days.
Dr.
Tom O'Neal, associate vice president for the University's Department
of Research & Commercialization and executive director of
the UCF Business Incubation Program, said the center will more
than double the size of its facilities from 2,400 square feet
of office space to 6,000 square feet.
O'Neal
said UCF is currently interviewing applicants to choose a full-time
site manager for OBDC, which opened last year directly across
from Fashion Square mall.
"Even
in this economic slump, we are seeing a steady interest in business
incubation from new companies in the community and we are increasing
our capacity to serve more entrepreneurial enterprises," O'Neal
explained.
O'Neal
said the Orlando Business Development Center was empowered by
a recent nationwide study that shows business incubators rank
as the most cost effective stimulators of local economic development.
"Job
growth and economic activity in the U.S. are largely dependent
on the health of small business enterprises, and effective business
incubator programs are one of the best ways to stimulate small
business growth and development," O'Neal said.
O'Neal
said UCF Business Incubation Program client companies are already
positioning themselves to take advantage of new funding offered
by the U.S. Economic Recovery Act and stimulus programs.
The
UCF Business Incubation Program currently serves more than 70
full-time client companies in five locations, and provides a
wide range of walk-in services.
For
more information contact:
Tom
O'Neal. Ph.D, UCF Associate Vice President for Research and Commercialization
and 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. |
