The members of Leadership Orlando Class 76 discovered a goldmine of resources available to entrepreneurs and new business start-ups in Central Florida, resources that can also help grow existing businesses.  In a new session on Regional Entrepreneurship, Orlando Regional Chamber President, Leslie Hielema, introduced class members to some real gems in our community.

From the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College to the Disney Entrepreneur Center in downtown Orlando, Leadership Orlando participants learned all about resources, many that are free of charge, that can help turn an innovative dream into a business reality.  Interim Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Cari Coats, shared its philosophy of providing practical experience that can be applied to real-world settings, while developing tools and skills students need to create successful business ventures.

During a visit to the Disney Entrepreneur Center, Director Jerry Ross introduced class members to the variety of organizations housed at the Center who provide business counseling and other resources to area businesses, introducing the directors of the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, SCORE, UCF Small Business Development Center, and the Minority and Women-Owned Business Alliance.  The Center may be the “best kept secret” in our region, according to the Leadership Orlando class who plans to share many of the brochures they collected with colleagues and friends.

Entrepreneurship is not just about small businesses.  A guided tour of the 600-employee EA Tiburon headquarters in Maitland was the next stop.  The division of EA Sports, founded in Central Florida, maintains its entrepreneurial mindset while conducting business on a global scale.  Tiburon is “not your father’s” technology company.  Casual dress, dim lighting, cereal and coffee bars, subsidized gym memberships, and more all contribute to the very creative environment that feeds the electronic gaming industry that produces titles like Madden NFL, NCAA Football, Tiger Woods PGA Tour and NASCAR. 

The stories of real-world companies were the focus of a visit to the UCF Technology Incubator at the UCF Research Park.  Following overviews by Joe Wallace, Executive Director of the Park, and Thomas O’Neal, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Incubation Program, class members heard first-hand stories of bringing ideas to market.  Site Manager, Carol Ann Dykes, featured four companies and their executives who are products of the UCF Technology Incubator:  BioTraits, Cell Phone C.O.P.S., Mydea Technologies, and Powerful Education Technologies.  For more, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.

If they didn’t have a business idea in mind before, Leadership Orlando may have just planted some seeds of possibility for future entrepreneurs!

To learn more, also visit www.crummer.rollins.edu or www.floridanec.org.

If you have been looking for the “right” time to participate, or know someone who should be in the room for these types of discussions, now is indeed the perfect time to be a part of America’s largest Community Leadership program, Leadership Orlando.  Preparing for the future of our region is up to each of us.  Now is the time to learn about the issues, participate in the difficult conversations and help in guiding our future. 

Don’t delay!  Enrollment is currently underway for Class 78, and space is limited.  The online enrollment form and the full schedule may be accessed at www.orlando.org/leadership.  Should you have any questions, contact Kathy Panter at 407.835.2499 or via email at Kathy.panter@orlando.org.

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