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BRIDG is a not-for-profit, industry-led public-private partnership for advanced sensors, photonics and next-generation nanoscale electronic systems. BRIDG provides the research and development capabilities and 200mm microelectronics fabrication infrastructure for manufacturing processes and materials geared toward system miniaturization and smart sensor innovation. Supported by Osceola County, University of Central Florida, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and others, BRIDG provides the physical infrastructure and collaborative process to connect challenges and opportunities with solutions, thus “Bridging the Innovation Development Gap” making commercialization possible. Located at NeoCity—a 500acre master-planned intuitive community of innovation in Osceola County, Florida— BRIDG is centrally located less than 20 minutes from the Orlando International Airport and within a mile of the Florida Turnpike.
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Features
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Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship
OCTOBER 2018
16 The Key is There Should Be No Key
Former ‘Shark Tank’ Contestant’s UniKey Technologies Bucks Traditional Locks
20
New Vision For Diagnostics is Taking Flight
Aviana Molecular Technologies Solution Will Detect Illnesses Electronically for Quicker Treatment
UniKey
24
One Person's Trash is Another's Tech A1 Assets in Lake Mary Keeps Used Technology Out of Landfills
28
Model of Ingenuity
Thanks to Strategic Calculations, Rapid Prototyping Services Has Found an Equation for Impressive Success
42
Jim Moran Institute Pitch Competition - True Made Foods
- Red Eye Film Productions - Healing Women Healing Nations - BLUEWAVE - Essential Validation Services
Rapid Prototyping Services 6 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
A Tribute to.... Rich DeVos 1926 - 2018
Richard M. DeVos was best known as an inspiring, motivational leader and pioneer of the famous Amway direct selling method that offered individuals the opportunity to build businesses of their own. He founded the company in 1959 with high school friend Jay Van Andel, starting with an all-purpose cleaner as their only product. DeVos also was senior chairman of the Orlando Magic NBA franchise. The DeVos family purchased the Orlando Magic in September 1991, and DeVos was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame in 2016. He and his late wife, Helen, donated to numerous causes through their Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation.
“Mr. DeVos' boundless generosit y, inspirational leadership and infectious enthusiasm will always be remembered. Simply, he was the team's No. 1 cheerleader and the best owner that a Magic fan could ever want for their team. When the DeVos Family purchased the Magic, his vision was that the team and organization would serve as a platform to improve the Central Florida community. That legacy will certainly live on, both in the Orlando Magic's community efforts and philanthropic contributions, as well as in the way we strive to play the game with passion, a strong work ethic and integrity, while also bringing people together from all walks of life,� said Alex Martins, Chief Executive Officer, Orlando Magic. i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 7
Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship
BEST PRACTICES
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What Legacy Will You Leave Behind When Your Career Comes to a Close? Romaine Seguin | UPS International
Daniel Haddad | Orlando Utilities Commission
52
35
The Challenges of Managing Multiple Generations in the Workplace Greg Denaro and Jeff Holder | Insperity
54
The Best of Marketing Trends and What You Can Learn From Them Cherise Czaban | i4 Business
DEPARTMENTS
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34
Robert Good | Fidelity Bank of Florida Kaitlyn Study | South Street & Co
36
Carolyn Capern and Greg Trujillo | CTS Agency
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Harry Ellis | Next Horizon Information Technology
38
Lena Rivera P.E., D.WRE | City of Winter Springs
39
Business Briefs
Roger Whiteman and Debra Ferwerda Kolter Solutions
30
40
Take 5 with Visit Orlando Orlando a Hole-in-One for Innovation in Golf
56
TREP Talk It's the Real Thing: The Force of Authenticity
58
Social Entrepreneur Satellite STEM
61
Business Seens
64
Watercooler
Kent Winkelseth | Shelter Mortgage
46
UpClose with Carol Ann Dykes Logue
ON THE COVER
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Phil Dumas UniKey Photograph by Julie Fletcher Photo Editor: Tanya Mutton Sidekick Creations
OCTOBER 2018 $4.95
True Made Foods
Wins Jim Moran Pitch Competition
Aviana Molecular Technologies
Phil Dumas
UNIKEY The KEY is
There Should Be No KEY
Visit Orlando: Golf Innovation
8 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
NEW VISION
For Diagnostics is Taking Flight
Satellite STEM
Special Section Young Professionals
UpClose with Carol Ann Dykes Logue
i4 Business offers CEO | PUBLISHER Cherise Czaban
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Diane Sears
DIRECTOR OF ENCOURAGEMENT Donna Duda
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CONTRIBUTORS Writers:
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2018 $4.95
True Made Foods Win
EXPLOSIVE H GR OW TIEN CE
Tech Association Expansion
FR OM SC TO SA LE S
Barnie's
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Orange Technical College
TREKT Adventures
For Diagnost is Taking Fli ics ght Aviana Molecular Technologi es
UpClose with Gaby Ortigani
Ph il Du m as
UNIKE The KEY isY
AUGUST 2018
H THRIVING WITY: TECHNOLOG ure Region's Fut g urin act in Manuf
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NEW VISION
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Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Wa n t t o k n o w “ w h o ’ s w h o ” i n the Central Florida Commercial Construction and Real Estate industry? That question will be answered in February’s upcoming special section of i4 Business magazine, the region’s premier business publication.
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The invaluable marketing tool will spotlight many of the top Commercial Construction and Real Estate Professionals in Central Florida through comprehensive full-gloss color profiles in our print and digital editions. The spotlight will also be published online at i4biz.com and promoted through our social media channels, in addition to our Special Edition newsletter.
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i4 Business® is published monthly by i4 Business, LLC, 121 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 1500, Orlando, FL 32801. Tel. 407-730-2961 | i4biz.com The contents of i4 Business magazine, i4biz.com and any other media extensions related to the brand, including advertisements, articles, graphics, websites, web postings and all other information (“contents”) published, are for informational purposes only. i4 Business® and all other affiliated brands do not necessarily endorse, verify, or agree with the contents contained in i4 Business. i4 Business makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness, timeliness, or usefulness of any information contained or referenced. i4 Business shall not be held liable for any errors or omissions. © 2018. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
Publisher's Perspective
THE INTERSECTION OF INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” — Steve Jobs
T
he fast-paced, ever-changing world we live in today provides entrepreneurs with endless opportunities. The advancements being made in technology are amazing, and they are leading to major changes in industry and will continue to do so. We all know our cell phones have more computing capability than mainframe computers had when the space shuttle was first launched in April 1981. But did you know that NASA approached Black & Decker to develop a lightweight device for the Apollo astronauts to collect samples on the moon? The company then used that technology to create the DustBuster in 1979. All kinds of technology, from scratch-resistant lenses to CAT scans, has come from research brought about by NASA and space exploration. Today, sensor technology is making a big impact on modern product creation in everything from the automotive industry, with advancements in autonomous vehicles, to smart cities, where technology will help aid optimization of functions such as disaster recovery.
experiences for our students, and expanded research opportunities for our faculty,” says Thad Seymour, UCF’s vice president of partnerships and chief innovation officer, who was quoted in a press release about the ranking. “Our growing presence at Lake Nona Medical City and in the heart of downtown Orlando will demonstrate how universities and their community partners can drive economic and social transformation in the 21st century.” The inevitable fact is we will continue to see these major advancements impact our lives. It’s exciting to see how so many entrepreneurs recognize the possibilities and embrace innovation. They are courageous individuals, stepping out in faith and belief in the impact of their work. Their companies are truly making a difference in the lives of others.
We’re seeing companies like UniKey Technologies and Aviana Molecular Technologies, which are both featured in this issue of the magazine, that have taken advantage of these new advancements and are building upon them and using them in development of new products. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the University of Central Florida as one of the 10 most innovative in its annual list of best colleges in the nation. In 2014, a group of UCF engineering students set out to build a bionic arm for a 6-year-old boy, and today Limbitless Solutions is using that technology to provide prosthetics to children across the nation. This is just one example of how the university’s innovative programs are connected to industry. “UCF has embraced the power of place-based innovation clusters that offer impactful new learning
To Your Success,
CEO and Publisher
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 11
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From the Editor
People, Planet, Profit: The Triple Bottom Line
I
was just going about my normal business, or busy-ness, and I realized that within a three-day span, I had read the same phrase three times in different contexts. I don’t know about you, but I always see this as a sign to stop what I’m doing and take notice. The phrase was “people, planet, profit,” and it was accompanied by the words “triple bottom line.” This message was coming to me in the middle of production for this issue of the magazine, which has a theme of technology, and I thought that was very fitting. Who hasn’t bought a new cell phone, computer, printer, TV or other device and wondered, “Now what do I do with the old one?” We all know tossing it in the trash isn’t an option, for so many reasons. Our writer Elyssa Coultas answers that question in her article “One Person’s Trash is Another’s Tech.” Here in the United States, we discard more than 2.37 million tons of electronic trash, or e-waste, every year. In this issue, we talk about those who are preventing some of this equipment from going into landfills, including A1 Assets (Page 24) and the City of Orlando (Page 15). So what about the triple bottom line? British consultant John Elking ton, founder of the firm SustainAbility, first coined the phrase in 1994. His premise was that organizat ions should b e measuring their performance in three areas: financial, social and environmental. Only then can they understand the true cost of doing business. I’ve been thinking about this for some time, and it came into play when I was
co-founding a nonprofit 12 years ago with my friend Cindy Chace. We created the organization to help connect women entrepreneurs with larger contracts to expand their businesses and contribute more to the economy. We decided that in addition to helping them grow, we would promote the use of golf as a business tool and show them how to operate their companies with an eye toward sustainability. We named the organization Go for the Greens, and it’s still going strong today. Over the years, we’ve watched our board member Tim Center, the executive director of Sustainable Florida, take us to new levels in the conversation about sustainability and small businesses. Ten years ago, we were discussing how to consciously use less paper at work by carrying your own coffee cup to Starbucks. Today the conversation has matured to focus on how to make the supply chain greener by ensuring that small businesses observe the same types of best practices as the larger organizations that hire them as vendors. We’re finally starting to get it as a society. Companies like True Made Foods (Page 42) are practicing the Triple P’s of “people, planet, profit” every day. That’s something that should make us all stop and take notice. Have a great month!
Editor-in-Chief i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 13
Business Briefs
Magic Reveal Plans for Downtown Entertainment Complex The Orlando Mag ic organization has unveiled its plans for a sports and entertainment complex surrounding the Amway Center arena near Interstate 4 and Church Street that will cost more than $200 million. The development will include a hotel, class A office space, multifamily residences, restaurants and a central events plaza with WiFi, lighting, audio and digital technology. The project is part of the organization’s efforts to help revitalize downtown Orlando and the Parramore neighborhood. The seven-story office building will be home to the headquarters of the Magic organization, which owns the NBA basketball team and the Orlando Solar Bears hockey team. “Like with the Amway Center, this has been several years of planning and working with the city to find the right avenue to add another iconic destination that will add to the core of downtown,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins. The organization will also continue to add to its $1 million investment and volunteer efforts in the Parramore area. “It’s our neighborhood, and it’s important to us that we continue to help revitalize it,” Martins said of Parramore.
Business 14 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
“We think this is another significant step. Like the great addition of Orlando City Soccer’s stadium, hopefully this is a spark for others to invest in that part of
downtown. Downtown really stretches from Orange Avenue to Camping World Stadium. So this is an opportunity to spark the western side of that stretch."
CenterState Becomes Official Banking Partner of Florida Citrus Sports Sports and entertainment fans will see signs of a new official banking partner in Camping World Stadium and the surrounding area. CenterState Bank has become the official banking partner of Florida Citrus Sports, which operates the stadium. The bank has also forged a partnership with LIFT Orlando to help boost small businesses in the economically struggling West Lakes area near the venue. “We are so excited to have CenterState Bank as our official banking partner,” Florida Citrus Sports CEO Steve Hogan said. “For nearly 30 years, CenterState has been both a banking and community leader in our state and throughout the region, and it’s an honor to have them join our team.” The CenterState brand will be integrated throughout the stadium, and the Indoor Club will be renamed the CenterState Club. CenterState was ranked No. 1 in the state in July in a Forbes magazine list of “Best-in-State” banks. The organization is one of Florida’s largest publicly traded banks, with more than $10 billion in assets. It provides online banking, commercial lending, residential mortgages and investment services. “As we continue to grow our presence in Orlando and throughout our state, we want to forge partnerships with other Florida-based organizations who share our desire to make a great impact in our communities,” said Brett Barnhardt, CenterState’s Orlando Osceola Community president.
Innovation
Education
Business Briefs
Tavistock to Open Boxi Park at Lake Nona in December Lake Nona will soon be home to Central Florida’s first outdoor entertainment venue built with repurposed shipping containers. Boxi Park at Lake Nona, set to open in December, will be a 30,000-square-foot park with restaurants, bars, beach volleyball courts and a live entertainment venue. Located in the 100-acre Lake Nona Town Center just south of SR 417 on Lake Nona Boulevard, it will be built using 12 containers arranged in one- and two-story conf igurations. The design will include shaded seating, a playground and a fenced dog park. “Lake Nona is about connecting people,” said Jim Zboril, president of Tavistock Development Company. “Boxi Park will provide a unique entertainment venue to relax, grab a beer, let the kids run around, and enjoy the sunshine. We’re very excited to bring this new concept to Central Florida.”
State Ranks No. 1 in Growth of Women-Owned Companies Florida ranks first in the nation Here are some statistics: for growth in the number of womenowned businesses since 2007, with an 87.8 percent increase, according to the eighth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report. Commissioned by American Express, the research analyzes data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Business Owners and factors in relative changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The state ranked 38th in growth of jobs created, with a 7.4 percent increase, and 31st in g rowth of revenues, with a 29.8 percent increase.
• Women-owned businesses in Orlando: 131,300 • Number of people they employ: 71,100 • Sales they record: $12.4 million • Women-owned businesses in Florida: 1,091,200 • Number of people they employ: 505,400 • Sales they record: almost $99.8 million • Women-owned businesses in the United States: 12.3 million • Number of people they employ: 9.2 million • Sales they record: $1.8 trillion
Orlando International Parking Rates Increase to $19 a Day Leaving a car overnight at the Orlando International Airport now costs an extra $2 a day, or $19, because of a price increase Oct. 1 for vehicles in the A and B garages and the Terminal Top lot. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority issued a press release saying the last time there was a price increase, in 2009, the top song in the country was “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus, the No. 1 movie was “Avatar,” and the Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl. The newer C garage, located further away, has increased from $15 a day to $17, and the North Park Place and South Park Place economy lots are still $10 a day.
WANT TO SHARE YOUR NEWS? Do you have some news you’d like us to share with the community? Please be aware that we work two to three months in advance of our publication date. Submit press releases and announcements to press@i4biz.com.
Tourism
Growth
Inspiration i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 15
COVER STORY
THE KEY IS THERE SHOULD BE NO KEY
16 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
Former ‘Shark Tank’ Contestant’s
UniKey Technologies
Bucks Traditional Locks By Diane Sears
P
hil Dumas started his company the way many entrepreneurs do: out of frustration that something he wanted was not on the market. His sister sometimes locked herself out of the house when they were in high school, and he was the one who had to go home and let her in. He developed a disdain for keys and thought surely there must be a better way. So when it came time to choose a project during his junior year at the University of Central Florida, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering, he turned to what he calls “alternative access control.” That was in 2003, and his career path since then has taken him on all kinds of adventures – including an appearance in 2012 on TV’s “Shark Tank,” where his was the first business pitch in the show’s history to receive proposals from all five investors. Today his company, UniKey Technologies, offers technology that allows people to use a cell phone application to open doors to anything — homes, apartments, commercial buildings, cars, hotels, safes — and also to control who else has access. Locks that carry UniKey’s technology can be programmed to meet the needs of the user, instead of the user being at the mercy of the lock. “Every time you go home, you pull out a key and unlock your door,” Dumas explains. “Once you’ve used a modern smart lock, you realize how archaic that is. You pull the key out, you’re fumbling, it’s raining … what if your door recognizes you, and you walk up and it unlocks?”
The technology can offer more than convenience, he says. It can also offer more safety than a traditional lock-andkey operation. “What if you have a maid service that comes on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m., but you have to give them a physical key because you’re not there?” Dumas says. “What’s to say they don’t lose that key or misplace it, or what if a bad actor copies that key? When someone has a physical key, you do not know how many keys are out there. People can duplicate it as many times as they want.”
Learning on the Job
Located in downtown Orlando, UniKey employs about 50 and is continuing to grow, signing partnership agreements with several companies this year to expand its reach into the automotive and commercial markets. It’s come a long way since Dumas first conceived the idea in college. Back then, before smartphones and the Internet of Things were commonplace, the technology wasn’t ready. So Dumas put his idea on the back burner.
“As I got out of school, I was very interested in that space and interested in entrepreneurship,” he says. “Both of my parents were entrepreneurs, and it was all I knew. The corporate path, in a funny way, was more foreign and scary than the entrepreneur path.” He joined a start-up that was working on using fingerprint technology for door locks, safes and computers. Then, when the recession started to hit in 2007, he was recruited by a private equity firm that invested in companies in financial trouble to turn them around and increase their value. In late 2009, he was still passionate about access control, and he heard about a new technology called Bluetooth Low Energy. Like its older sibling, Bluetooth technology, it facilitated wireless transmission of data. But the new version’s low power consumption would allow applications to run on a small battery for years, instead of days, weeks or months. He thought it would be perfect for locks. “This was the moment, at the end of 2009, where I felt like I could unlock a door with a phone in a more convenient way than a key,” Dumas says. “It was i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 17
"I’m a little biased, but I think we’re up to some cool stuff." — Phil Dumas
His company is still coming up with more ideas, forging partnerships with others in the space to propel the industry forward. But Dumas jokes that he didn’t get the same creative genes as the rest of his family. His mother is an interior designer, his father is in fine arts, and his sister is a hairstylist.
very apparent and important to me early on to make a product that was just as good or better, in every way, than the existing solutions like the key, badge, fob or PIN code.”
Looking to the Future
Dumas is excited about the possibilities UniKey’s technology can offer now and in the future. It can be used to keep track of time and attendance, clocking workers in and out as they enter and leave a retail store. It can be used to manage workflow, opening apartment doors in sequential order as maintenance workers finish one job and move to the next. Eventually, combined with cameras, it can be used for automated security — for example, allowing banks to limit which customers are approved to enter a branch and which ones are suspicious, possibly because facial recognition technology has identified them as wanted by authorities.
18 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
“I’m a 1’s and 0’s engineer guy,” he says. “I guess their creativity is bred into me somehow, but from a much more technical creative standpoint.”
Challenges of Entrepreneurship
He did, however, get the entrepreneurial gene. Dumas remembers his family riding out waves of good financial times and bad. His parents set the tone and the example. “When things are going bad, it’s OK, there are going to be those times,” he says. “They’re not more uncomfortable than they need to be. And when things are going good, you don’t allow yourself to act like the music is going to play forever. You should start adding to the war chest because the turn’s coming. It’s a mindset that was subconsciously ingrained in me as I grew up.” He has adjusted to the challenges of entrepreneurship. The first one was finding cash. “They say the rule is that you’re going to need twice as much money as you think,” he says. “From this venture, I’ve learned you need
an order of magnitude more money than you think you’re going to need. We definitely took on a big market that is slow-moving and required a tremendous investment. We’ve been fortunate to have some great investors. “And people. We need a lot more people,” Dumas says. “Managing a large team was more difficult than I anticipated. But it’s been a good challenge and a good growth opportunity for me as a leader, and it’s something I continuously work on.” It’s taken some adjustment since the days when the team was small and Dumas could interact with everyone daily. Today he has senior leadership in place to help. “It’s been difficult, but I’ve tried to make sure I still understand what’s going on in the trenches,” he says. “I think it’s important for a leader to know what the team is up against and where the challenges and opportunities are, and to provide vision and guidance at the 50,000-foot level. “I recommend constantly looking at yourself and what role you need to play in the organization, because as the company grows, inevitably you need to change as a leader. One size does not fit all, especially as you grow from the early stage to growth stage. “The good news is the days fly. It’s certainly interesting. There is not a bland day.”
Perfect Pitch
Dumas still looks back on the taping of the Season 3 finale of “Shark Tank.” Getting an offer from all five investors was “incredibly validating,” he says. He accepted a deal but then ended up turning it down once he saw the paperwork. The provisions about how his company would be controlled were “deal breakers,” and he said that to Mark Cuban, one of the “sharks” and an owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team. Fortunately for Dumas, the episode aired — and it still airs all over the world today in reruns. He stays in contact occasionally with Cuban, sending him press releases about major partnership deals, and Cuban playfully jabs back with comments like, “It took you long enough.” He also has run into some of the other sharks at entrepreneur events. People ask him often how he was able to do so well on the show. His secret, he says, was preparation. “I had given that pitch hundreds of times before I went on there,” Dumas says. “Every question they asked me I had been asked and answered at least 10 times and had looked for the feedback and mannerisms of people whose question I was answering, and I kept morphing the answers. “One of the pieces of advice I give to other entrepreneurs is they should not be afraid to share their ideas, and they should pitch people in full character as many times as they can. Look for the feedback and be constantly tweaking your presentation, because you never know when you’re going to have your figurative ‘Shark Tank’ moment.” For now, Dumas is focused on changing the way the world accesses everything. “This is something I believe in deeply,” he says. “The increase in security, visibility, and accessibility is tremendous. However, from a security standpoint, it’s important to know you’re only as good as your weakest point. The smart lock is not the weakest point, the actual window or the door frame itself is.” He feels UniKey is slowly but surely moving the needle forward on proliferating mobile access control and persuading others in the space to give the technology a try. “Access control is a very old market,” Dumas says. “Keys and locks have been around in a version of their current form for about 1,100 years. It’s a relatively mature market, to say the least. It’s a giant cargo ship, and it takes a while to turn that boat. We’ve taken a unique and necessary approach to do it.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 19
New Vision for Diagnostics is
TAKING FLIGHT By Meaghan Branham
Aviana Molecular Technologies Solution Will Detect Illnesses Electronically for Quicker Treatment
A
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We call the device Pegasus — for us it symbolizes a winged, flying, mythical horse which is airborne, as is our technology. — Dr. Vanaja Ragavan
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quick search for the word “Aviana” reveals its most common meaning: “Like a bird.” With an ability to swiftly work through Bluetooth wireless technology to deliver messages that could be lifesaving, that name has proved to be well-suited to Orlandobased company Aviana Molecular Technologies. The company is in the development stages of groundbreaking medical technology with an accessible point-of-care system that can diagnose illnesses quickly and efficiently. Using small biological samples gathered via a disposable, credit card-size cartridge that operates much the same way as a blood glucose meter, Aviana’s sensors can test for and diagnose specific infections, as well as disease agents such as viruses and bacteria. The information is then translated to a reader that can be integrated into a smartphone or other device. “A binding occurs on the cartridge that converts acoustic waves to electronic signal, which can be communicated through Bluetooth to the reusable Reader,” said Dr. Vanaja Ragavan, the company’s founder and president. “We are a platform technology, so we can adapt it for any number of illnesses. We are primarily interested in using our technology in areas of seriously unmet
need where it can make a difference in providing proper therapy given in a timely fashion.” One of the potential uses identified by the company is the detection of Lyme disease, which is typically conveyed through a tick bite and causes a bullseye-shaped mark, leading to flulike symptoms and a rash. After the disappearance of the rash, the patient can be left with both short-term and long-term symptoms, which can vary in severity. If left undiagnosed and untreated for long enough, Lyme disease can lead to serious, debilitating joint pain, arthritis and sometimes neurological and cardiac signs. The company presented its research to an international conference on the disease in Atlanta in mid-September. Ragavan was laying the groundwork for Aviana long before she could fully anticipate its effects. After attending Harvard University and the New York University School of Medicine, and a stint as a medical officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she worked in several global pharmaceutical companies, developing her skills in both pharmaceuticals and the world of biotech. At the same time, she was sharpening her entrepreneurial instincts.
“I had started a company earlier in the 1990s, which was sold,” she said. “After the sale of the company, I joined an angel group in New York called Golden Seeds, which invests in womenowned and women-run companies. I was part of the life sciences investment group when I came across this acoustic-based technology and decided to start a company to develop this new concept.”
From Angels to Myth
From there, Aviana Molecular Technologies was born, and eventually the technology started to come to life as well. When Ragavan learned that some researchers at the University of Central Florida (UCF) were working with advanced acoustic technology, she moved her company to Orlando in 2016 to be close to the source. “We call the device Pegasus — and we came up with the name long before we made a deal with UCF,” she said. “For us it symbolizes a winged, flying, mythical horse which is airborne, as is our technology." The mythical namesake is the official logo, symbol and mascot of the university. UCF professor Dr. Donald Malocha spent eight years developing sensors used on vehicles in extraterrestrial missions with the NASA space shuttle program, as well as a wireless mechanism for remote communication between the sensor and a reader. i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 21
“It was wireless, passive, robust,” Ragavan explained. “It was what we needed as our base technology, and from there we adapted it for biological sensing with major innovations.
as the rural town of Bethel, Alaska, where in 2014 The Atlantic magazine reported an average of 68 doctors per 100,000 people, versus the 84 in more urban cities.
“We are now located at the UCF incubator and are very grateful for all the support we have received in Florida,” Ragavan said. That includes investments from the Florida Institute for Commercialization of Publicly Funded Research. “It’s been a long journey, but now we are a Florida company and hope to highlight our presence and success here.”
Aviana’s cartridge and reader require just a small sample, can be integrated into smart devices to make them easy to carry, and can be used by anyone from a doctor to the patient for a quick and accurate diagnosis that can lead to a timely treatment plan.
Down-to-Earth
After members of the Aviana team were able to adapt the technology to be used for human diagnostics, it became clear that what they’re working toward has the power to revolutionize medical care. It can be used in not only the most up-to-date hospitals and doctors’ offices, Ragavan said, but in remote areas such
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Because of the wireless nature of the product and its connectivity with smart devices, the technology can even use location systems to identify places in the world where spikes of a particular infection or disease might be occurring. The product can also communicate with hospitals’ electronic medical records to ensure a patient’s history is accurate. “Think about a test that might be needed in an area that’s hard to get
to, and also at someone’s bedside or in an emergency room,” Ragavan said. “In many instances, it’s better to be diagnosed right away. Our technology is very sensitive and processes information quickly. Otherwise, the patient would have to wait for several hours or days. “Eventually, we hope it can be used in many places. If there is an outbreak of a disease that can be spread by travel — think of the Ebola crisis — we can develop a product to make sure that a person who is getting onto a plane does not carry the disease, since we can test within minutes at any terminal. “And think about sports injuries,” she added. “We can test for a major trauma at the time of injury, so the player can be properly treated. And we are investigating a method to diagnose antibiotic resistance within a couple of hours, rather than days, which can save a patient’s life.” ◆
One Person's Trash is Another's Tech A1 Assets in Lake Mary Keeps Used Technology Out of Landfills By Elyssa Coultas
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tacked into tower-like structures throughout the 120,000-squarefoot warehouse at A1 Assets, used computer monitors, tablets, CPUs, mobile data devices and other outdated electronic products line the aisles in a labyrinthine system of organized chaos. With determination in their motions, employees strip down, separate or repair these products that otherwise would wind up in landfills.
Every year, U.S. consumers and businesses discard more than 2.37 million tons of e-waste, which includes old televisions, computers, cell phones, printers, scanners, fax machines and other electronic equipment, according to 2009 figures, the most recent available. Only 25 percent of these electronics were collected for recycling, with the remainder disposed of primarily in landfills, where the precious metals cannot be recovered.
A1 Assets is a Lake Mary-based company that seeks to reduce, reuse and remarket electronic waste and other salvageable trash in Central Florida. The EPA considers e-waste to be a subset of used electronics and recognizes that these materials can be reused, refurbished or recycled.
The EPA estimates that recycling 1 million laptops saves the energy equivalent to the electricity it takes to power 3,657 U.S. homes for a year. A1 Assets refurbishes about 4,000 computers a month. As of the end of 2017, the company’s facilities had processed more than 70 million pounds
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of electronic recyclables with a 100 percent reuse or recycle rate. “My passion is finding value in things other people no longer need,” said David Leavitt, founder and CEO of A1 Assets, which has been keeping used technology out of landfills since January 2001. The company works with the philosophy that extending the life of these products extends the life of the planet.
Strong Network Connection
While A1 Assets primarily handles electronics, it also regularly recycles everything from medical lab equipment to lawn tools to automotive machinery. “Pretty much if you can imagine what a municipality or a Fortune 500 company would surplus, we handle that for them,” Leavitt said. “What we can’t sell, we disassemble and recycle. I don’t think there’s anything out there that we’ve never sold or recycled before.”
To resell refurbished items, A1 Assets maintains a network of e-commerce stores, online auctions and a retail location: • Refresh Computers is a brick-andmortar superstore in Longwood. Many of the recycled computers, laptops, monitors, printers and other electronics received by A1 Assets are refurbished and sent to this location for sale. Refresh Computers also operates a fleet of service and installation vehicles, so a technician can visit any home or office in Central Florida for any type of computer or network repair issues. • Refurbished phones often wind up at Refresh Telecom, which is a telephone equipment remarketing store and an FCC-registered business-class VoIP, or internet-based, telephone service provider. Refresh Telecom issues new local telephone numbers and ports in existing telephone numbers from other communications companies.
• Technology Surplus Depot features thousands of government and corporate auctions online. This platform remarkets items ranging from computer chips to lawn equipment, furniture to hospital supplies. “We even auction surplus buses for the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority,” Leavitt said. “I remember about a year ago, the police department had busted a shoplifting ring. So, we got hundreds of pairs of brand-new Nike sneakers in an auction and wound up selling the shoes on our site. Sometimes we’re a shoe store, sometimes we’re an automotive parts store, sometimes we’re a tech store — and it’s all on TechnologySurplusDepot.com.”
Connecting the Dots
“In the very beginning, I started with recycling phone equipment, which obviously launched into other things,” Leavitt said. “I believe in connecting dots. There’s always another dot, and
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My passion is finding value in things other people no longer need — David Leavitt
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I believe in connecting dots. There’s always another dot, and you have to follow those dots wherever the business takes you. And that’s what we did. — David Leavitt
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 25
you have to follow those dots wherever the business takes you. And that’s what we did.”
in Florida, so we needed to grow the team to cater to the municipalities and companies we serve.”
In April of this year, A1 Assets moved from Longwood to its new 120,000-square-foot headquarters. “Since moving to Lake Mary, we started dealing with scrap metal as a result of recycling. We not only decided to start bidding on scrap metal projects, but since moving to a larger location with more space, we also started recycling old CRT-type televisions, which are a totally new venture for us. More dots connected.”
A1 Assets currently holds all of the relevant certifications in the recycling industry, including ISO (14001), OHSAS (18001) and R2. This validates the organization’s compliance with ethical and responsible recycling standards and shows A1 has passed the rigorous auditing processes associated with each certification.
The team has expanded from 65 employees to 130 in the past year. “By the time we got up and running in the new facility — I don’t know if it was just word-of-mouth — but we quickly needed more hands on deck,” Leavitt said. “We handle 26 different counties in Florida and probably 40 to 50 different cities
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“The R2 certification is significant because it essentially proves that we’re not just dumping material or waste in a Third World country or acting unethically,” Leavitt said. “We prove that all of our shipments are monitored and that we make sure they are going to the right places.” A c c o r d i n g t o t h e E PA , a n undetermined amount of e-waste
is shipped from the U.S. and other countries to developing countries that lack the ability to decline imports or to properly dispose of hazardous materials. Without safe practices, handling these imports often leads to public health and environmental concerns, such as toxic materials leaching into the environment, or workers being exposed to harmful materials such as mercury, lead and arsenic, which all can lead to negative health effects including cancers, diminished IQ or miscarriage. Leavitt’s goal for A1 Assets extends beyond the reach of an ethical mission to sustainably remarket products, revive technology and reduce waste. “The vision of the company is also to return as much money as possible back into taxpayers’ pockets for the municipalities that we serve, while at the same time responsibly recycling what is just no longer marketable.” ◆
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i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 27
Thanks to strategic calculations, Rapid Prototyping Services has found an equation for impressive success By Mike Candelaria
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trictly by definition, threedimensional printing is formal and precise. It’s a manufacturing process of making solid objects from a digital file, the result of laying down successive layers of material until the object is created by machine. Those digital files, typically consisting of sophisticated computeraided designs, don’t allow for uncalculated wiggle room. The process, like the plastic models that result, is inflexible and uncompromising. What you see on the computer screen is pretty much what you get once the printing is done, which is inherently helpful to engineers, inventors and other customers seeking immediate, tangible feedback on their creations.
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Nonetheless, the approach is, for the most part (pun intended), rigid. Those limitations don’t apply to Ken Brace. Brace is the owner, chief executive and lone employee (excluding his cocker spaniel, who assists on some deliveries) of Rapid Prototyping Services in Satellite Beach. After 17 years of running a sheetmetal business with his father, with clients such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Brace scrapped one industry for another and employed an entirely different technology. At the same time, he also was able to maintain a base of former customers who were “real familiar with what I could do for them and my work ethic.”
Smart move. Since 2004, in his own bit of ingenuity, Brace has engineered his company to become a model itself — one used by area economic developers to showcase the depth of service providers available to prospective companies relocating to the Space Coast. Or, it can be said that one quick turn by Brace led to many others for his business. “The gist of 3D printing is you don’t have to wait for your machine shop to do it,” explained Brace, a 1986 engineering graduate of the University of Central Florida. “A 3D printer can do it overnight for you. You can get it in your hand and make any changes you want, then we can print it overnight for you again. “You can look at something on the computer all day, but until you actually get it in your hand, it’s really a huge difference.”
“The gist of 3D printing is you don’t have to wait for your machine shop to do it. A 3D printer can do it overnight for you. You can get it in your hand and make any changes you want, then we can print it overnight for you again.” — Ken Brace, Rapid Prototyping Services
That’s where some marketing ingenuity has come into play in the form of a little extra personal service, according to one local aerospace/aviation customer (company name withheld for security reasons). In one instance, an early Friday morning request by the customer was fulfilled by Brace with nextday delivery on a Saturday. “A larger company might go the extra mile, but a lot of times it’s with added costs and red tape,” the customer commented, adding Brace even made recommendations on how to reduce production costs. His equipment consists of five large Stratasys Ltd. 3D printers, able to run 24 hours per day, if necessary. With no employees, Brace says he’s continually able to reinvest in equipment, with Stratasys being the recognized leader in 3D printers and production systems for office-based rapid prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. When his previous business sold,
Brace’s company had approximately $5 million in machinery. That knowledge of equipment has proved invaluable, he added. Notably, Brace also has done his share of donating equipment. As one example, he gave a group of young UCF engineers three 3D printers to help advance its work in adolescent prosthetics. That group, now well-known as Limbitless Solutions, has won international acclaim. “I’ve met some of the kids who are showing off their new arms, and it just gives you the chills,” Brace said, simply. These days, Brace is in a good place. More exactly, Brace says he’s in the right place at the right time. “I found a niche that no one was servicing here locally,” he concluded. “It’s worked out really well for me. I just count my blessings.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 29
TAKE
with Official tourism association for America’s most visited destination.
BY THE NUMB3RS PGA Merchandise Show 2018
40,000
1 million
Industry professionals in attendance
square feet of exhibit, meeting & demonstration space at the OCCC
4,350
1,000 Exhibiting golf companies & brands
60 educational seminars & workshops
International attendees from 87 countries
42 acres at Orange County National Golf Center to host the world’s largest professional golf demo event
10 miles of exhibit aisles
1,000 Media from 25 countries reporting live, including live coverage by Orlando’s Golf Channel 30 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
Courtesy of PGA Golf Exhibitions/Montana Pritchard
Orlando a Hole-in-One for Innovation in Golf Q&A with Marc Simon, PGA Golf Exhibitions
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he 65th annual PGA Merchandise Show this year in Orlando w e l c o m e d 4 0,0 0 0 industry professionals from all 50 states and 87 countries. A key player behind this production is Reed Exhibitions’ Marc Simon, event vice president of PGA Golf Exhibitions. Here, he talks about how the PGA Merchandise Show’s technology has adapted to the shifting demographics in golf and why Orlando is crucial to the show’s success.
GEORGE AGUEL President and CEO of Visit Orlando Tell us about Reed Exhibitions and how you are connected to the PGA Merchandise Show.
Reed Exhibitions is the parent company of PGA Golf Exhibitions and a leading B2B events organizer, hosting more than 500 events in 40 countries. We manage two major PGA events, and our portfolio also includes New York Comic Con, ComplexCon and a recently launched show called POPSUGAR Play/Ground. We incorporate many innovations and best practices from those events into our events for PGA. The first PGA Merchandise Show was in 1954, and we have been at the Orange County Convention Center each consecutive year since 1985.
NO MATTER HOW YOU TEE IT UP Orlando delivers something for every golf fan
W
hile modern golf may have gotten its start in Scotland, Orlando has certainly contributed to its continued popularity and evolution.
How has technology influenced the game of golf?
Our region offers year-round play on more than 150 courses and is home to notable tournaments such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a key stop on the PGA Tour. Famous pros have established courses, networks and international brands that remain successful today. And each year, the PGA Merchandise Show pumps upward of $80 million into our local economy.
How is the PGA Merchandise Show evolving to appeal to millennials?
The golf industry, like its players, has changed significantly over the years. Courses once known for strict guidelines are now offering karaoke and craft beer. Dress codes are looser, and rounds are shorter — perhaps mirroring how some younger players may have entered the sport in the first place: through video games.
There’s a lot of innovation in golf right now. Businesses like Topgolf and Drive Shack are bringing new people into the game. Social media has become a bigger part of our marketing and communications tools tied to the show. We now have livestreaming, Jumbotrons, charging stations and a mobile app with floor plan navigation of the show. Little things like that are really important.
Our demographic is getting younger and younger. We appeal to these attendees through a combination of changing how we communicate, incorporating technology and offering more networking experiences. Interactive elements such as Demo Day, a field test of the latest in golf equipment and technology, allow ample networking opportunities. My favorite new initiative is digital matchmaking where, based on attendees’ product interests, we recommend exhibitors that are a good fit. Enhancing these recommendations maximizes attendees’ time and success.
What makes Orlando an ideal city for hosting the biggest “major” of golf shows?
First and foremost, we love coming to Orlando in January for the climate. Orlando also has an easily accessible airport with many affordable flight options, a plentiful hotel inventory close to the Convention Center, many golf courses in the area and great dining and entertainment options. These things are especially attractive to our international attendees who tend to make a vacation of their stay, visiting nearby attractions and theme parks before or after the show. The Convention Center is wonderful and has lots of space — both public and private meeting areas — which allows for an ideal layout.
What role does Visit Orlando play in your experience?
We secure discounts and perks for our attendees at a wide variety of local dining and entertainment options through Visit Orlando. The organization has helped get our PGA Perks program off the ground and has been a valuable resource for our attendees. ◆
Along those lines, the latest in golf innovation is the growing popularity of digital driving ranges like our member companies Topgolf and Drive Shack — exciting additions to Orlando’s sports entertainment landscape that provide hours of fun for locals, leisure travelers and convention attendees alike. In fact, the National Golf Foundation reports that these types of facilities — especially popular with millennials and non-golfers — are sparking interest in more people playing the traditional game. That, of course, spells great news for our region’s impeccably designed and world-renowned courses, which are ready to welcome the digital generation with open arms. So, no matter what the future holds for golf, one thing seems certain: Orlando is well-positioned to continue delivering memorable experiences that can be enjoyed by all.
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 31
[ SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION ]
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Daniel Haddad
yp
Manager of Power Plant Engineering
Orlando Utilities Commission
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Creating an atmosphere where my team has the ability to succeed is my favorite part of what I do. — Daniel Haddad
Setting an Example Long before Daniel Haddad began his engineering career, he was learning the ins and outs of the industry from his father, who worked at the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC – The Reliable One) throughout Haddad’s childhood. “He always seized opportunities to teach me about ‘how things work’ in all areas of life, but especially in terms of engineering and problem solving,” said Haddad. Those learning opportunities led to an interest in the field of engineering, and in OUC as an employer. “[My father] often spoke about how fortunate he was to work for a company that valued his commitment to his family above his job,” recalled Haddad.
This stayed with him, and while earning a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Central Florida, Haddad became an OUC coop student, a role that led to a position as a full-time engineer upon his graduation. “Every role I’ve held has prepared me in some way for my current one,” he said. “There are opportunities to grow your abilities in every role, and taking those opportunities will prepare you for something else someday that you will never be able to predict.” That “something else” turned out to be his current position as manager of power plant engineering, where he leads his
team through empowerment. “I want them to be their absolute best, and it’s my job to provide them with the opportunity to do that,” Haddad said. Now, in his 11th year at OUC, and with three children of his own, he works to keep the company moving forward, all while upholding the same respect for employees and their families that his father valued so much. “We are always striving to improve and adapt to changing times, but we remain steadfast in the sense that employees are valued over the bottom line,” said Haddad. “I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 33
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Robert Good
Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Fidelity Bank of Florida
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Our advantage over other financial institutions is the speed at which we can get things done. — Robert Good
Staying in the Know Robert Good has been a banker for more than 20 of the 30 years he has lived in Brevard County, and has been with Fidelity Bank of Florida for six years. His role as senior vice president and chief lending officer finds him managing a team of underwriters, business development personnel and lenders throughout Central Florida. While carrying a great deal of responsibility, Good is honored to be a part of the hard work Fidelity Bank is doing to bring its clients the best of customer service and technology. “With our local underwriters, senior management and board of directors, we can give our customers a quick answer and closing for their loan,” he said. “While other banks are
in the underwriting stages, we typically already have a commitment out to the client.” As the way in which people interact with their banks changes, Good explained how Fidelity Bank is proud of its ability to not only keep up, but stay ahead of the game with features like remote deposit capture, mobile banking and treasury management services including QuickBooks DirectConnect. Before beginning his career, Good obtained his bachelor of science degree in finance from the University of Central Florida and his master’s degree in business administration from Webster University. Good keeps up with the changing industry by continuing his education, recently graduating from
Fidelity Bank of Florida is a Member of FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender where all loans are subject to approval
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Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking. This is where Good and Fidelity Bank's goals align again, in a passion for keeping their clients in touch with the most relevant services and programs for them, whether in personal or business accounts, staying in the know for clients who come to them for guidance. “The best advice I’d give a business owner considering applying for a commercial loan is to pay close attention to your projections and cash flow,” Good explained of one question he receives often. “I have seen profitable businesses ultimately fail because of not accounting for the timing of cash inflow and outflow.” ◆
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Kaitlyn Study
yp
Owner and Creative Director South Street & Co.
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Marketing is always changing and evolving, so it's our duty to educate and explain what we're doing and how it can help their business. — Kaitlyn Study
Aha Moment Kaitlyn Study strikes those she meets as surefooted and steady in her knowledge of both herself and her career — and with good reason. The path to her current role as owner and creative director of South Street & Co. wasn’t always so clearly defined, however. She began her career at the University of Central Florida with a much different goal: to study physical therapy. Luckily for her current clients and team, the events of one day on the sales floor of her then-employer, Bath & Body Works, would point her in a different direction. “We were challenged one day with selling a perfume that was very floral,” Study
recalled. “Later, a woman came in with her daughter-in-law who translated what she was looking for as, ‘She just wants something to make her feel beautiful.’ I brought her over to a section I knew she’d like, and then brought her over to those perfumes and had her test them, and she loved both. From that moment on, I reevaluated what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. ... That's when I found marketing.” That acute awareness of herself and of others reveals just how well-suited Study is not only in her field but to her leadership role within South Street & Co. The marketing company takes pride in its emphasis on thorough
communication with clients to fully understand who they are, what they need and how South Street can help. “I was on the other side of the marketing table before I started this company,” she said. “I worked for a company as the director of marketing and learned, grassroots, how to do everything we do for clients now.” Study has carried her enthusiasm for her work through these roles since her aha moment. “The most rewarding part of my work is when a client gets results,” she said. “That's probably the best feeling in the world!” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 35
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Carolyn Capern
Greg Trujillo
Founder/Digital Storyteller
Founder/Chief Engineer
CTS Agency
CTS Agency
Love of Storytelling
Achieving Real Goals
“I grew up in a house that loves knowledge,” said Carolyn Capern, co-founder and digital storyteller at CTS Agency. “My mom recently retired after 13 years as a school librarian, and my dad works for IBM as a software consultant, so I have always appreciated the roles words and technology play in shaping our world.”
Greg Trujillo recalls his early introduction to the world of marketing: “Commercials during my favorite Saturday morning programs — 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'Thundercats' and others — had me excited about toys I wasn't even interested in. Remember Skipit? I never really wanted one, even though the messaging in the commercials made me feel as if I needed one.”
Although she studied political science and history in college, Capern discovered in digital marketing a way to combine her love of stories with her passion for social change, and she hasn’t looked back since. Since founding CTS Agency six years ago with partner Greg Trujillo, Capern has quickly become familiar with every aspect and role required of her. As the company has grown, her focus has shifted toward management and growth, though she makes a point to stay involved in her favorite aspect, the storytelling. “Our team has been 'behind the scenes' on some pieces of content that have gone viral or been picked up by major influencers,” she said. “But vanity metrics pale in comparison to knowing that your messaging is part of a groundswell that changes the community — and we've been lucky enough to find out what that feels like, too.” ◆ 36 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
As Trujillo grew up, his interests broadened to include technology, and he studied computer engineering at DeVry University before embarking on his current venture as co-founder and chief engineer of CTS Agency. As marketing has evolved and the economic landscape of Orlando has grown, CTS has kept up. “When we first started out, it was just the two of us trying to help small business owners while trying to survive in a downturned economy,” he said. “Luckily we met people who became clients and gave us a chance to prove ourselves. Those people connected us to influencers who wanted to use digital communication to get things done. Now we run a much more robust marketing agency. We have a growing local team and a client base that extends all over the United States. We are so grateful the Orlando community has helped us to thrive.” ◆
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Harry Ellis
yp
President | CIO
Next Horizon Information Technology
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While most of our work for our clients is behind the scenes, I love seeing how what we do helps move their business forward. — Harry Ellis
Embracing Technology One fact rings true in 2018, not only for every business but for every individual: Technology is now an integral part of our day-to-day lives. As we move forward, it’s safe to assume this won’t change, which means businesses must embrace technology as a vital part of their infrastructure. “Business owners may not take into consideration all the start-up costs,” said Harry Ellis, president and CIO of Next Horizon Information Technology. “They need to think of the tech infrastructure first, and work backward from there.”
After 20 years in his field, Ellis understands how crucial comprehensive IT services are for any business, as well as how overwhelming the tech world can seem to those not versed in the nuances of the industry. The Ellis family founded Next Horizon in 1998 after deciding to shut down their hardware-focused retail stores and focus exclusively on IT solutions. Since then, he has worked to bring his years of knowledge and expertise to all of his clients, assisting them in setting up systems that are up-todate and tailored to them.
Ellis’ extensive experience proves to be a valuable asset, and so does his ability to stay on top of new developments in hardware and software. He earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems technology and a master’s in computer forensics from the University of Central Florida, and his education continues as he keeps up with dramatic shifts in the field. “Technology changes every day, it’s constant,” he said, explaining that the fast pace and varied activity create a source of motivation for him. “It’s never the same day-to-day.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 37
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Lena Rivera, P.E., D.WRE
Director of Public Works and Utilities City of Winter Springs
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I’m a people person. I enjoy talking to the staff in the field, and I enjoy interacting with residents. I guess you could call me a passionate engineer. — Lena Rivera
Thrown into the Fire Lena Rivera was figuratively thrown into the fire on her first day as director of public works and utilities for the city of Winter Springs. Literally, however, Rivera was tossed into a deluge of wind and water as Hurricane Irma slammed into Central Florida. “I certainly had to hit the ground running,” the Cuban-born civil engineer recalled of the chaotic scene that greeted her. “That day and the days that followed were all about debris management. The hurricane saw the city at its finest, reacting to the challenges.” Rivera is no stranger to challenges. She was 7 years old when, in 1983, her family left Cuba and came to the U.S. to start a new life. Once in America, Rivera's father continued his career as an electrical engineer and her mother went to work with the 38 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
South Florida Water Management District, so young Rivera’s career path already had some natural momentum toward environmental and water management sciences. Rivera attended the University of Central Florida on a full academic scholarship from NASA, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering before earning another full scholarship to Duke University for a master’s in civil engineering. Her first post-college job was as an intern for consulting engineering giant CDM Smith, where she rose to principal engineer. After 16 years in the private arena, Rivera made the plunge into the public sector with the city of Winter Springs. “It was exciting and hectic at first (with the hurricane cleanup),” Rivera says, “but public
service and problem solving always resonated with me.” Rivera “engineers” a full private life outside of her work schedule. She and her husband, a fellow engineer, have two children, as well as a busy, proactive community service life that includes activities involving youth and engineering outreach. Rivera speaks emphatically about women succeeding in the sciences. “Being a civil engineer may be considered an unusual profession for a female to enter, but it’s a career path that is available and should be attractive to women and other minorities,” Rivera said, adding, “For me, I don’t even think too much anymore about being a woman in a male-dominated industry. I’m an engineer, period.” ◆
Spotlight
Roger Whiteman Founder and COO
Debra Ferwerda
CEO and General Counsel Kolter Solutions
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We are only as good as the people with whom we surround ourselves. And we never forget where we came from. I know what it is to struggle, and I also know the value of hard work and commitment and what great things can happen from that if you stay positive and persistent. — Roger Whiteman
A Cell Phone, a Laptop and a Dream “It was literally just me at my kitchen table with a cell phone, a laptop and a dream — or maybe a nightmare,” Roger Whiteman recalled. “I was struggling to pay the bills back then, coming off a layoff from a large international company and a divorce at the same time as the Great Recession.” That was eight years ago, when Whiteman, the founder and chief operating officer of Kolter Solutions, began laying the foundation on unsure ground for his information technology services firm. In the years since, his hard work and dedicated team have proved to be wise investments. Opening a new office in Lake Mary this year, Kolter has expanded its focus, maintaining its staffing services and adding managed services projects.
That growth really began just a couple of years after its founding, when the company and its team began to find their footing. “It took me a few years to assemble the right people to really grow into a viable company,” Whiteman said. The first addition was Whiteman’s then new wife, Debra Ferwerda. Already a successful attorney of more than 20 years with her own practice, she came on board as general counsel and chief executive officer. Whiteman said the new role was a perfect fit with her experience building a firm from scratch in a competitive landscape and her expertise not only as a trial lawyer, but in obtaining new clients, gaining their trust and delivering results. The firm went on to add Kim Carr, who brought more than
20 years of experience and community relationships, and later Tracy Dickerhoff, with a proven talent for building, mentoring and managing winning teams. This completed what would turn out to be the perfect team for the job. “That’s when things really took off,” Whiteman said. With a combined 75 years of experience, Kolter’s emphasis on creating and sustaining relationships within its community and those it serves is key to its steady growth. “It was important to me to be highly ethical, making our decisions based on strong morals and values,” Whiteman said. “Doing the right thing by people is our mantra, and it’s how we run the company.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 39
Spotlight
Kent Winkelseth Vice President, Orlando Branch
Shelter Mortgage
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Feeling like I, along with my team, have brought value to every interaction is the most rewarding part of the process. — Kent Winkelseth
The Right Instincts When Kent Winkelseth reached out 20 years ago to one of his mentors, a mortgage broker, he intended to spark her interest in a business opportunity he had been developing. “She agreed to meet only after a lot of persistence. I think she admired that trait,” Winkelseth explained. Instead of selling her on his idea, however, the tables were turned on him when she used the meeting to pitch a much different idea to him: that his combination of sales experience, talent for communication, and passion for helping others might
just make him a perfect fit for a career in her industry. That instinct was right, and now as vice president of Shelter Mortgage’s Orlando branch, Winkelseth retains those strengths, only now he reinforces them with two decades of experience in the ever-changing market. From the beginning of the homebuying experience, to the processing of the applications, to the closing, Winkelseth and his team work to bring their knowledge and assistance to homebuyers, whether it’s their first home or their fifth.
Maintaining relationships — whether with buyers, builder partners, REALTORS® or his own team — is Winkelseth’s top priority. He places a premium on delivering honest and transparent communication, all while maintaining top-quality work. Winkelseth draws his energy from his favorite part of his work. “Helping people is one of my biggest motivators,” he said. “I’m lucky I get to do that within this business. And that probably follows suit in my personal life as well.” ◆
© 2018 Shelter Mortgage Company, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. This communication does not constitute a commitment to lend or the guarantee of a specified interest rate. All loan programs and availability of cash proceeds are subject to credit, underwriting and property approval. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions apply. Shelter Mortgage Company, LLC |4000 W. Brown Deer Road, Brown Deer, WI 53209 | Corp NMLS#431223 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Equal Housing Lender. Kent Winkelseth, Vice President/Production Manager NMLS ID: 552527 |408 East Ridgewood Street |Orlando, FL 32803 | (407) 765-3810 | Kent.Winkelseth@sheltermortgage.com
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JIM MORAN INSTITUTE PITCH COMPETITION Five entrepreneurs pitched their businesses to a panel of experts at the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship's Small Business Leadership Conference, held August 1-3, 2018, at the JW Marriott in Orlando. The Jim Moran Institute is part of the Florida State University College of Business. The panelists were Jeff Piersall, founder and CEO of SCB Marketing; Kristal Caron, owner and managing partner of CN Sports Group; and Michelle Griffith, vice president of BoardroomPR. Profiles of the participating entrepreneurs are featured on these next four pages.
Navy Veteran
Finds Passion in Low-Sugar Ketchup Founder of True Made Foods Places First at Orlando Event By Diane Sears
A
braham Kamarck has traveled around the world as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, an MBA student at the London Business School, a turn-around manager for a plastics factory in Bulgaria, an innovation consultant in Qatar, and a U.S. coffee importer working with farmers in Eastern Uganda. So how is it that he found himself on a stage in Orlando one morning in August speaking to an audience of entrepreneurs about the sugar contents of ketchup, barbecue sauce and Sriracha?
Kamarck was pitching his company, True Made Foods, to three judges as part of a competition during an annual small business leadership conference held by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, which is part of the Florida State University College of Business. His was voted the winner of five pitches, which earned him a cash prize and bragging rights. “Ketchup has more sugar than ice cream, ounce for ounce,” he said in an interview later, explaining his pitch. “A tablespoon of ketchup, one serving, has four grams of sugar, whereas a chocolate chip cookie has three grams of sugar. You’re essentially putting a chocolate chip cookie on your hamburger.” True Made Foods, founded in 2015, manufactures condiments with ingredients that are unusual for American-made products, which rely on corn syrup for sweeteners. Instead, Kamarck’s company adds natural sweetness with carrots and butternut squash. The event came at a good time for Kamarck, who lives with his wife and four children in Washington, D.C. The company’s revenues increased from $350,000 in 2017 42 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
This was a pain point we had at home. We have four kids, and we try to eat very healthy, but ketchup was the one battle I just could not win as a parent. — Abraham Kamarck
to more than $500,000 so far this year, and he’s been traveling the country pitching his products to grocery chains while seeking investors to fund future growth. He’s also approaching theme parks, stadiums, arenas, restaurants and hotels — anywhere that serves large quantities of condiments.
A Scalable Business
The turning point came in 2014, when Kamarck was laid off from the coffee import business after a year. He was 38, and he realized it was time for him to start something of his own. “I wanted to build a product I could look at and be proud of that would eventually make money while I sleep,” he said. “I wanted to build a scalable business. To do that, you have to go all in.”
Kamarck was accepted to the Food-X Accelerator in New York City, a program that helped him with seed funding and allowed him to test and iterate the business idea. He found a co-packer to produce the ketchup. In 2015, he went to a specialty foods trade show, having never sold a bottle, and walked out with $10,000 in purchase orders. He eventually bought out a business partner, and today he has two employees: an operations officer in Ohio and a marketing manager in New York. Kamarck continues to test-market the products and spread the word organically. The company recently sent out 700 free samples along with a survey. About 88 percent of respondents said they would switch to True Made ketchup.
Knowing start-ups lose money during the His goal is to disrupt the condiments development phase, he was hesitant about relying on his wife’s salary as a government market and contribute to healthier eating. public policy researcher while he launched “You look around at the amount of obesity a company. But an acquaintance told him and the amount of illness out there that’s about a recipe online that used vegetables diet-based, and it’s scary,” he said. “The in ketchup, and that struck a chord. “I thought that was a brilliant idea,” Kamarck said. “I had always made pasta sauces and chili that way, naturally sweetening them using vegetables instead of sugar to bring out the flavor. This was a pain point we had at home. We have four kids, and we try to eat very healthy, but ketchup was the one battle I just could not win as a parent.”
U.S. uses a lot of corn syrup because we produce a lot of corn, and it’s a by-product. “Our vegetable purees are made from ‘ugly’ and underweight vegetables that would usually rot because the farmers can’t sell them. So instead, they puree them, and we use the purees in our sauces. So we are adding an extra revenue stream for the traditional farmers.”
The Pitch
Kamarck’s pitch in Orlando was one of numerous he’s made for contests, investments or sales opportunities. He offers this advice for other entrepreneurs:
“You need to know your business inside and out. Know what you’re going to say, having said it over and over, so you have the same talking points and it comes out naturally without thinking. You have to be able to get into a flow state. It’s kind of like when you’re playing basketball, you don’t want to be thinking about shooting, you just want to be able to shoot because you’ve done it so many times. “Always try to have a 15- or 30-second spiel, and focus on speaking slowly because that gives you more time to be sure you’re getting all your points across. “Also, remember it’s OK to be nervous. The best I’ve ever done is when I’ve been really nervous and I get into a zone when I get up on stage.” ◆
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 43
JIM MORAN INSTITUTE PITCH COMPETITION By Meaghan Branham and Elyssa Coultas
Runners-up
RED EYE FILM PRODUCTIONS
B
ased out of Savannah, Ga., Red Eye Film Productions LLC is a team of young professionals who craft both narrative and visual marketing cinema. In 2015, Red Eye was founded by brothers Kewaan Drayton and John Taylor Timmons and has since worked with clients such as Sonny’s BBQ and IDignity. Red Eye prides itself not only on stunning visuals and client-centered attention to detail, but on its efforts to build a family-like relationship with its customers. “At Red Eye, there are no ‘clients,’ but Red Eye family members,” Drayton says. “Our main goal is to establish a sense of support one can only achieve from being part of a family.” Anticipating rapid growth in the coming years, Red Eye plans to expand its reach and to provide affordable, high-quality graphics, video and other visual media to businesses and individuals across America.
Kewaan Drayton | CEO John Taylor Timmons | President and Artistic Director
Michelle Poitier | Founder
HEALING WOMEN HEALING NATIONS
M
ichelle Poitier established Healing Women Healing Nations of Northeast Florida to create a space where women and women veterans could be free to remove the armor they so often steel themselves with to camouflage inner pain and trauma.
Since its founding in 2015, its empowerment sessions and events have expanded to include three other initiatives: “Michelle Speakz,” a podcast where Poitier answers real and sometimes uncomfortable questions women face; “Unmasking the Hurt,” an online program for healing; and “Redefined Life Path,” an eight-week or 16-week course that provides tools and resources for those dealing with trauma and abuse. Poitier is hoping to establish a transitional shelter for female veterans facing post-traumatic stress from military sexual trauma. With two books already published, Poitier is using her podcast as a launching pad toward more media and pursuing opportunities to strengthen the support system she is building through her work as both a speaker and an author.
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1. Justin Zhou | President 2. Miles Clark| Chief Strategy Officer 3. Kenneth Cherisol | Chief Technology Officer
1 2
BLUEWAVE
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hen BLUEWAVE Technologies Inc. was first established in 2015, it was with the vision of offering “a rapid deodorization device to treat household items that are inconvenient or impossible to wash,” said Justin Zhou, co-founder and president.
However, an investor with experience in the world of orthotics and prosthetics saw potential for using the technology to clean artificial limbs. “Items that are porous are really hard to treat with liquid disinfectants, and often saturating them with liquids damages them or requires hours of drying after treatment,” Zhou explained. His co-founder, Miles Clark, who is the company's chief strategy officer, explained further: “Even devices that use dry methods like UV light or ozone gas have trouble penetrating deep into pores. The BLUEWAVE’s patent pending technology uses vacuum and physical compression to force ozone deep into items’ pores — so odor and germs have no place to hide.”
3
The device is now used to clean helmets, back braces, knee and foot braces, shoe inserts and other kinds of medical equipment. “We want to make the BLUEWAVE an industry standard for on-demand disinfection in healthcare,” Zhou said.
Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship Small Business Leadership Conference held August 1-3, 2018
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ssential Validation Services is a third-party independent laboratory that specializes in affordable quality assurance testing of essential and absolute oils. EVS creates transparency throughout the supply chain and gives its clients the knowledge and peace of mind that the oils they are buying and selling are authentic.
Adam Christensen| CEO
ESSENTIAL VALIDATION SERVICES
CEO and Founder Adam Christensen said he loves the work of holding people and businesses accountable as he and his team search for truth. “It’s basically like being a detective. For me, truth and integrity are huge in life and in business, so what we try to do is bring both of those into a market that is fraught with misinformation, fraud and half-truths.” Many of the company’s customers are smaller businesses. “We work with smaller companies that are competing against billiondollar firms,” Christensen said. “The small guys rely on us to give them an advantage in the market to find the best products possible. The incorporation of the scientific testing aspect gives tremendous weight to what we say.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 45
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UP CLOSE
Carol Ann Dykes Logue With
By Diane Sears
Carol Ann Dykes Logue is the site manager for the University of Central Florida business incubator in the Central Florida Research Park in east Orlando. UCF’s nine incubators throughout the region house emerging or growing companies and help them “be smarter, grow faster and stay alive,” she says. Research from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows only about 50 percent of all new businesses survive past the five-year point. Clients at the UCF incubator program, which started about 20 years ago and is led by Dr. Tom O’Neal as executive director, have a 90 percent survival rate including the nearly 300 graduates. Today, about 140 companies are clients of the UCF incubator program, which provides support that includes mentoring, coaching and networking along with office and lab space. What did you want to be when you were a kid, and why? I wanted to be a doctor. That was my passion. I graduated from a small school system in Arkansas, and I’d sometimes be the only girl in math and technologyrelated science classes. I went to the University of Arkansas and was majoring in biology. My last year at the university, I was working in the library part time and was fascinated at what I was seeing happen in innovation in information management, knowledge organization and information retrieval. That was in the early days of online databases before the word “internet” was really known. I was confused. I thought, “I really love healthcare and medicine, but this is a fascinating area, too.” After a little research, I realized I could combine the two. I discovered there was such a thing as information and library science with a specialization in healthcare. So I looked around to see where I could pursue that, and it was in either Tennessee or Louisiana. I applied to Louisiana State University and ended up getting a master’s from there. My first job after college was at the medical school at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock for four years. I went into that position with what, at the time, were somewhat unique skills in online information research and retrieval. Eventually, I ended up at the University of Florida.
Most of my career has been in academia, although I was with a start-up for a few years in between stints at UF. That got me exposed to and interested in the entrepreneurial world. It made me realize I don’t really want to be an entrepreneur, but I love this environment. I love the chaos and the dynamics and the possibilities, and I’m really good at functioning in this environment. I have a lot of skills that are useful in supporting entrepreneurs.
What kind of start-up did you work with? Most of my time on the faculty at UF was with a center in the College of Engineering. One of the prime contracts we had was with the Defense Intelligence Agency supporting a program started out of the White House. The objective of the program, called Project Socrates, was to assess the impact on the U.S. defense industry whenever a non-U.S. company wanted to buy part of, or all of, or do a joint venture with any company that had militarily critical technologies. We were the only unclassified information source for this program. Our responsibility was to do an assessment of the impact on U.S. capabilities of the foreign company’s engagement with the U.S. company and provide that assessment to the Pentagon or the White House or whoever was asking for it. This program was closed down by the administration that came in afterward. The director of the program decided to take it private. He moved to Florida, got some investors, set up the company in South Florida and recruited me as vice president of information services. I had been doing all of
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 47
UP CLOSE the unclassified research for the program at the center at UF, so we knew each other well and I knew what the objectives were. The company did similar work for companies in the defense industry. When they had a technology they wanted to pursue, we would assess the state of that technology capability globally. We would provide in-depth detailed assessments for the client. It was fascinating work.
What led you to your position at the UCF incubator? After a few years, I was approached by the same center I had worked for at UF to come back. The center focused on technology transfer and commercialization support primarily for NASA, but we also worked with the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies. We looked at some of the technologies coming out of their labs and helped find commercial companies to license and develop them into products the government could buy or for the commercial market. They had asked me to come back to manage a regional network of subcontractors. We were responsible, on NASA’s behalf, for covering nine Southeastern states and had 14 subcontracted organizations. Some of them were in universities in Florida including UCF. At UCF, we had an office at the College of Engineering that I would come down and visit to meet with our director and spend time in the community. Through all of that, I got to know Dr. Tom O’Neal. I watched the incubator get started and even worked with some of the early clients. After a couple of years, Tom approached me about joining the team because the incubator was growing a lot faster than he’d anticipated. I’ve rarely actually looked for a job. So many times in my career, I’ve been just going about having fun and focusing on what I’m doing, and God has given someone else a vision for me. They see a place where I could add value or be helpful in some way or make a contribution. That’s happened to me multiple times in my professional journey. Most of us don’t end up where we think we’re going to.
What are the top three qualities someone should possess to be an entrepreneur? If you’re going to go down this road on this journey, you need to have a certain level of humility about who you are, what you’re good at and what you’re not, and be OK with asking for help and admitting you don’t know something or how to do something. That is so, so critical. 48 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
You also need to balance that with a strength of conviction about your ability to persevere and push through the tough times and maintain that vision you have for your company because it’s going to get really hard. There are going to be days when you wonder, “Why do I continue to do this?” The ability to be observant would be the third one I’d put on the list. Being observant means really listening. They need to listen to their employees and customers and advisors. There’s just listening and there’s really hearing, and those are two different things.
What qualities do you look for in a company that would make a good fit for the incubator program? The top thing we look for, aside from the business aspects, goes back to those three qualities I just talked about, and that’s coachability. If entrepreneurs are not willing to ask for help and take advantage of opportunities to get input, then this is not the partnership for us or them. We look for a company that is solving a problem that really exists, and a problem that is pretty big or getting bigger. That means there is a lot of potential for growth in the marketplace. We want to see in the solution they’re offering to solve that problem — whether it’s a product, a service or both — that there’s some kind of competitive advantage that can be identified that will make it possible for the solution to stand out above others that are already out there. We want to see they have some relevant experience in the industry they’re going into. That doesn’t mean they need to have run a company before, but they’ve had some exposure to what they’re doing. Also, they need to have enough financial resources to sustain them for several months. We don’t have the ability to bring them into the program and help them get money next week. Very critical is the potential for job creation and a vision and desire to grow a substantial company. We are funded to nurture and support those companies that can make a significant impact on the local economy. One of the less-tangible things I ask about is their support system. Is their partner or spouse supportive of this? Do they have young kids, and if so, how is the life of an entrepreneur going to affect their ability to be part of their kids’ lives? We want them to understand what they’re getting into. I don’t think enough entrepreneurs consider that. This will be a difficult and harrowing ride. It will take a toll on them and their family and friends. But it will likely be the most rewarding thing they ever do. ◆
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Best Practice
Leadership What Legacy Will You Leave Behind When Your Career Comes to a Close?
A Romaine Seguin is president of UPS International, Americas Region, based out of Miami.
s I approach the finishing line on a fruitful career that started 35 years ago, I stop for a minute, take a deep breath and reflect on what kind of legacy I will leave behind to the people whose paths I’ve had the fortune to cross. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about this for the first two decades of my career. During my reflection, I think about who had the most impact on what
"
Leadership is about taking responsibility for lives, not numbers. Managers look after our numbers and our results, and leaders look after us. — Simon Sinek
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I’ve achieved, and two people come immediately to mind. I find it curious that one of those two important people and I have never actually met, and the other one doesn’t know how much her words shifted the career I reflect on today. The first person is Patsy Mink. She was one of the principal authors of Title IX, a civil rights law that was passed in the U.S. as part of the Education Amendments
of 1972. Title IX states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” I was 15 when Title IX came into effect, and high school and college athletics programs across the country changed
overnight. Going to college was not in my parents’ minds or possibilities. I was the oldest of five children, and my parents had no money to help with my education after high school. If I wanted to go to college, I would have to figure it out on my own. I was a gifted athlete who could pitch a softball very fast, and I was able to get a four-year athletic scholarship to attend William Woods University in Fulton, Mo. It was at Williams Woods where I met the second person who would impact my career, Dr. Florence Krause. When I was a sophomore, she attended one of my games. We didn’t know each other well, but I did know she was a very good American literature professor. After the game, she approached me and asked why I never took any English or literature classes. I told her I was majoring in business, since math and numbers came very easy to me. I also confessed that I really struggled with English, spelling and writing, and that’s when she provided the pearl of wisdom that has shaped my career. She said my struggling was more reason for me to take these classes. That would be the only way for me to discover skills I didn’t know I had. And it was because of Dr. Krause’s words that I found a passion for writing from the heart, to the point that I ended up minoring in English. So in addition to English and literature, I learned from Dr. Krause the importance of challenging yourself. I didn’t get my best grades in English classes, but I certainly enjoyed them the most. When I look back at my career, I cannot help but smile and feel humbly satisfied. I wish I had the opportunity to thank Patsy Mink and Dr. Florence Krause today to tell them that because of their words and actions, one ambitious athlete from Missouri has gotten to see the world, climb the corporate ladder and be a part of the leadership team of one of the most important companies in the world. It was in part because Patsy fought to get Title IX passed, which gave me the entry into the academic world. And in part because Dr. Krause taught me something I still tell people from younger generations today: Never say no to an opportunity! Throughout my career, I’ve worked with many wonderful people, whether I’ve reported to them, they’ve reported to me or we’ve worked side by side. I still have at least three more years before thinking about retirement, but I have not wavered from what I want to leave as a legacy. I want to leave behind a solid company, robust profit numbers and a healthy operation, of course. But I also want people to remember me because I cared more about the people and their families than achieving the profit numbers.
DID YOU KNOW 92%
of U.S. adults read magazines
Americans of all ages, read magazines - especially younger adults
91% of adults 94% of those under 30 95% of those under 25
What do you want to leave as a legacy? ◆
Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media
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Best Practice
Human Resources The Challenges of Managing Multiple Generations in the Workplace
W Greg Denaro
is the manager of HR services for Insperity, a provider of HR and business solutions, with presence in the Orlando area since 1989.
ith advances in healthcare and an increased focus on wellness, not only are people living longer, but they are delaying retirement further. This shift in the modern workplace may be creating more age diversity than ever before. A 2017 Gallup poll found that 74 percent of Americans expect to work past the average retirement age, with most anticipating retirement after age 65. This may create a range of adjustment for organizations because many workforces could soon contain five generations of employees, if they do not already. While this diversity can benefit an organization by providing a variety of skills, diverse opinions and intergenerational mentoring opportunities, it can also present challenges. Generational differences may create conflict due to opposing views, updated communication techniques or workplace evolution, and could increase office tension.
Jeff Holder
is a certified business performance advisor for Insperity, a position he has held for seven years. He has been helping businesses grow since 1993.
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Below are a few ways managers can help reduce these difficulties.
Know the workforce
Managers should familiarize themselves with key differences between the varying generations of those they manage, and how those differences affect the individual. For instance, they will want to recognize and understand how millennials like to communicate or the way baby boomers prefer to receive feedback. However, it also remains important to take time to learn employees’ specific preferences to avoid adhering only to generational stereotypes.
Make the most of mentoring
One common characteristic generally identified among younger generations is a desire for learning and development. Consider identifying mentorship opportunities between veteran employees and younger professionals to provide the chance to learn and build knowledge firsthand. This may also increase employee engagement, enhance teamwork levels and present junior employees
with growth opportunities. Satisfying the desire of younger employees to mature professionally, and sharing a plan to further their career path, can diffuse tensions while strengthening the whole team.
Be adaptable
Adaptability is a skill managers should strive to develop and improve upon when leading a diverse team. Their communication style and delivery may vary depending on generational preference. Seasoned employees may favor a more traditional form of communication, like email, whereas new professionals may opt for instant messaging platforms. By taking into account these preferences and acclimating accordingly, leaders can better serve employees.
Address issues head-on
Transparency is a reputable attribute in any leader, but the importance of being open is heightened when someone is managing multiple personality types. If an issue presents itself, leaders should respond quickly and communicate clear and direct expectations to those involved. Avoiding or delaying action can worsen the situation at hand and cause a divide between colleagues. A mutual respect between employees and leaders should remain the goal. However, while differences in the workplace are appreciated, and often welcome, any negative conflict that occurs should be addressed appropriately.
Encourage collaboration
Inspiring a collaborative culture can serve as a
fundamental component of developing strong teamwork. When addressing an issue, managers should solicit facts and views from everyone affected. Allowing the opportunity for employees to voice their concerns can unveil specific details managers and colleagues did not previously know. By treating the process as a partnership, management can demonstrate to workers the power of teamwork. This will encourage employees to speak up as an issue surfaces, which can turn potentially challenging situations into positive outcomes.
DID YOU KNOW
Unearth common ground
Successful conflict resolution often starts with identifying a common ground and building upon it. Despite generational differences, individuals frequently share key common goals, such as project-based, sales-driven or personal objectives. A good tactic for leaders is to remain aware of these varying, yet constant, objectives and use them to lay the foundation toward resolution. Establishing mutual purposes can help the involved parties build a connection and, in turn, return to their roles, individually and together, with a renewed focus. Managing multiple generations can present a range of challenges for organizations. But with the right preparation, managers can harness the power of these situations and discover positive resolutions. â—†
Consumers immerse themselves in magazine content both in print and digital editions
51.5 minutes
48.3 minutes
*primary print readers
*digital edition readers
*Subscribers/newstand buyers and other members of their households. Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 53
Best Practice
Marketing Strategy The Best of Marketing Trends and What You Can Learn from Them
I Cherise Czaban
is the publisher and CEO of i4 Business.
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In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. — Seth Godin
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t’s often been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. It’s how great trends are born, in everything from fashion to literature to — of course — marketing. Below are three of the most popular trends in marketing and advertising that are rapidly gaining traction, as well as some innovative and influential campaigns that have executed them perfectly. These ideas can serve as inspiration in your campaigns.
Storytelling
In the age of content marketing and brand loyalty, your brand’s personality is best conveyed through stories — it may be your own, it may be your customer’s, it may be a new narrative simply meant to entertain your audience and convey your message creatively. One campaign that stands out both in popularity and originality
is that of Dove, a personal care brand that began its “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” mission more than a decade ago. While the content has evolved over the years, the brand has continued to champion a message of embracing the natural and authentic. Setting itself apart from its competitors by dissecting the strategies and beliefs that many beauty brands embrace, Dove’s efforts have resulted in several viral videos, including one that includes testimonials from women revealing their insecurities. By telling the relatable and accessible stories of its customers, Dove has managed to establish itself as just that: relatable and accessible. If you have a message or story that moves and motivates you, take a page from Dove’s book and let it drive your storytelling.
Social Media
The user- and budgetfriendly nature of social media marketing, as well as the sheer number of people who are active on social media each day, have made the internet a prime target for brands looking to connect with their audience. The diversity in platforms and often built-in analytics tools make it easier than ever to understand how to find your audience, as well as what that audience is seeking and how it is responding. One of the most impressive stories of social media marketing comes from eyewear brand Warby Parker. With more than 700,000 Facebook followers, 400,000 Instagram followers, and 4 million views on Pinterest, the company has steadily gained a following over the past few years.
On Facebook, its posts include everything from video interviews, to a look at the company’s manufacturing process, to images of new products, all designed to encourage audience feedback. On Snapchat, the company has tailored campaigns to be exclusive, even offering a pair of glasses available only through that particular app. Warby Parker is just as active on Instagram, posting weekly “stories” that showcase the company’s favorite photos submitted by fans. One of its services — a home try-on, which allows customers to order five pairs of glasses to keep for a few days and choose their favorites — has gained even more popularity through the company’s app. Here, customers post photos of themselves with each pair, and their friends can interact with the post by liking or commenting. Ideas like these perfectly integrate the product and the platform, and ultimately lead to a boost in audience engagement, user-generated content and brand awareness.
Experiential
Often associated with event marketing, experiential marketing campaigns are those that immerse your audience in an experience. This might come in the form of a convention, pop-up locations or other temporary installations. Much like campaigns on social media, these allow you to interact immediately
with your audience, but are more personal, immersive and creative. Experiential marketing's effects last long after the actual event is over, with the ability to share video and testimonials received, create content from feedback, and continue the conversation online. Netflix has proved to be an innovator in the world of experiential marketing. In 2016, the company announced it would be premiering a new season of “Gilmore Girls,” a beloved show that ran from 2000 to 2007. Shortly before its premiere, the already hotly anticipated show got even more buzz when Netflix announced a series of “Luke’s Diner” pop-up coffee shops, modeled after the main characters’ signature meeting spot. Audiences got a chance to experience a part of their favorite show for themselves, and news of the locations spread quickly across traditional and social media alike. A similar campaign for sci-fi show “Altered Carbon” generated a boost in interest from audiences in 2018 when they surprised attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a fake booth to promote the show’s fictional product. While Netflix’s broad range of content gives the company a bit more room for creativity than other entities, businesses can still learn from its initiatives when it comes to creating an engaging campaign that excites audiences. ◆
DID YOU KNOW More than 180 print magazines have thrived for more than 50 years. (Only 11 TV programs can say the same.)
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print magazines have flourished for more than 100 years Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 55
EXALTING FREEDOM
THROUGH ETHICAL CAPITALISM
IT’S THE REAL THING The Force of Authenticity By Jeff Piersall and Eric Wright
E
in those designer purses we see women carrying. But like the Coke ad, those are a somewhat superficial manifestation of a much deeper need.
The iconic commercial opened with young, flower-children types from around the world, smiling while holding their Coke and singing: “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company. That’s the real thing, what the world wants today, it’s the real thing.”
Authenticity is what makes us laugh at the most talented comedians. They peel off our cultural or social masks and expose the idiosyncrasies of human nature that we all know, but don’t always want to acknowledge. Authenticity is what gives a leader or advisor the authority to guide and direct us: “I have been there, I understand your struggles, but I have made it to the other side.”
veryone alive at the time remembers the campaign and it still inspires a flood of nostalgia. It blanketed the television networks and, as expected, people were whistling the inspirational jingle all the way to the nearest Coke machine.
Jeff Piersall
Eric Wright
It is true that people were looking for the “real thing” in 1971. The Vietnam War was a national humiliation, the Watergate scandal spawned a new level of cynicism and everyone pined for something harmonious and real. The campaign was so effective it was included 44 years later in the final episode of the advertising drama “Mad Men.” Brilliant campaign, but hardly “The Real Thing.”
Who Is that Masked Man?
Great advertising always seeks to address our deepest needs, aspirations or problems. In this case it is the universal longing for authenticity. We demand it in jewelry, in sports memorabilia, and even
Like bad breath, a lack of authenticity is something everyone else can immediately detect, though the source of it may be blissfully ignorant. Our word “hypocrite” comes from a Greek term meaning “behind the mask,” a reference to the masks worn by actors on the ancient stage. When ability or integrity is a thin facade, the relational or professional halitosis can’t be covered with a mint.
Keys to Authenticity 1. Trust is rooted in demonstrating in two qualities: ability (doing) and
integrity (being) or to put it simply, “I can do what I say I can” and “I will
be who I say I am” period. When we are clear about our abilities and are willing to honestly identify our weaknesses, that speaks to our integrity and authenticity, so avoid the temptation to oversell.
2. Vulnerability is a risky scheme, so leaders often
want to keep people at a distance or relate to them only through digital or highly controlled platforms. However, this can reduce our ability to actually influence; seeing a person’s humanity and their struggles attracts those seeking the authentic.
3. Know when you need to suppress your feelings
or fears for the sake of those you are leading. All heroes have fears, they just don’t allow themselves to be driven by those fears. This isn’t hypocrisy, it is emotional maturity, like children not throwing a temper tantrum when their will is crossed. America needed Franklin D. Roosevelt to say “You have nothing to fear, but fear itself” after Pearl Harbor was attacked, not “I’m freaking out and I’m not sure what to do!”
4. Understand what it means to be interested versus being interesting. One focuses on us, the other on someone else. Asking questions is something authentic
leaders do, because they want to learn and they value the perspectives others have. Authentic leaders know what they don’t know, so they seek input from others.
5. Avoid the pull of the dark side, which is abandoning
who you are to be something your environment is trying to shape you into. This isn’t external conformity that still frees us to be who we are on the inside. It is when we allow our true self to be suppressed or morphed into someone we don’t recognize. Then the most important form of authenticity is lost, our authentic self.
Like the medieval “hallmark,” which was usually a stylized crown stamped into either silver or gold at a royal metallurgical hall to authenticate its purity, people look for the hallmark on our life as well. That little 14K or 18K on our life and work is something people expect, and is a sign of an ethical capitalist. ◆
Trep Talks is the educational platform of Jeff Piersall and Eric Wright. For more information visit www.JeffPiersall.com
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 57
Social Entrepreneur
S AT E L L I T E
STEM
58 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
Social Entrepreneur
Program Launches Aerospace Lessons to Children’s Hospital Rooms By Elyssa Coultas
A
symbol of healing and help, or of burden and sorrow, a hospital bed can arouse a spectrum of emotions, including being seen as a barrier to socialization and proper education for children with chronic illnesses. A NASA-funded pilot program in Orlando helps children who must endure long-term hospitalization continue learning and socializing by bringing interactive aerospace activities straight to their hospital beds. The program focuses on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, and is the result of a partnership between the Orlando Science Center and a team at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Together these organizations developed this outreach based on the work of Megan Nickels, professor of STEM education at UCF, who took STEM lessons to hospital-bound children.
Heather Norton, vice president of education at the Orlando Science Center, chuckled as she recited the program’s full title. “It’s got a very fancy grant name, like most do. The official title is ‘STEM Satellite: A Mobile Mathematics and Science Initiative for Orlando Metropolitan Area Children’s Hospitals’; although, we refer to it adoringly as just ‘STEM Satellite’ when we talk about it.” NASA has donated $1.2 million to the science center to make the idea a reality. The first phase of the program will be implemented at Nemour’s Children’s Hospital this fall. It will later be launched at Florida Hospital for Children and at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. “Partnering with the three children’s hospitals was critical to this work because we needed their expertise and their experience with how to have something like this live in their environment,” Norton said. The partners believe building a
conceptual understanding of science through the use of real-world applications and innovative research interventions will keep children’s interest in STEM alive. “B y being able to create these experiences that really have a great story and a very real-world application, it makes the mathematical learning so much more relevant,” Norton said. “When you have a reason to learn that formula, or to understand how and why to think in a certain way, it makes the learning more valuable and more memorable.”
The Junior Astronauts
The program is designed to break down advanced concepts from actual NASA missions into digestible bites for kids who are 10 to 18 years old. “In those middleto-high-school years, if you are missing a significant amount of schooling, that’s where you really start to see a disparity with learning,” Norton said. Many of these children experience extended hospitalization when they’re going through treatments. To keep their curiosities in STEM alive, Norton understands the children need to remain actively engaged in their education. “These children often spend large quantities of hours being very bored. They often don’t have access to high-quality enrichment, so we feel this program can also give them something valuable and meaningful they can engage in during their free time.”
The Missions
The planetary scientists at UCF are key in building a rich, yet relatable curriculum. They take information from actual NASA missions to build content-rich modules, or missions, for the kids. “We have three different missions that have activities in STEM and robotics,” Norton said. “Our first mission being rolled out is called Mission to Mars. The various activities use LEGO robotics and different tools and equipment to help them move through these tasks that are tied to specific NASA content and actual NASA missions.” i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 59
Social Entrepreneur
Mission to Mars covers how they might launch a rocket to get to Mars, along with how they should collect information from planets by programming actual robots and rovers. “So, they’re each going to be building robotic rovers and launching rockets. It’s very hands-on,” Norton said. “These activities are designed to reinforce math concepts while they’re engaged in these highly interactive missions that are tied to NASA content and data sets.”
The Final Frontier
By weaving together so many experts and institutions who are interested in STEM, the developers have been able to build a comprehensive educational experience for children, Norton said. “This is truly a collaborative initiative that could not be done without the expertise of all of the parties involved,” she said. “It takes UCF, Dr. Nickels and her team, and the planetary scientists at UCF to provide the content we need. The planetary scientists were able to tie in not only the NASA missions, which were so important, but they also connected it to the research being done at UCF.”
Stars and Beyond, the program’s next component, will be based on several missions, including OSIRIS-REx, which is a NASA asteroid study and sample-return mission. Children will be tasked with analyzing and mapping samples of the surfaces of various asteroids, documenting sample sizes, measuring their orbit deviation This is truly a caused by non-gravitational forces and collaborative initiative comparing each other’s observations.
"
that could not be done without the expertise of all of the parties involved.
The third mission will be based around the James Webb Space Telescope, which focuses on the stars and the creation of the universe. The telescope currently serves in observing every phase in the history of our universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our Solar System.
— Megan Nickels
Finding the Space to Explore
One of the most significant learning aspects for the developers was the partnership with the hospitals, as they learned that desk space within a child’s hospital room is a commodity. “We had to be very thoughtful and practical about how to create these experiences so a child can complete the mission bedside,” Norton said. “Sometimes the only surface a child has is a small hospital tray. We really had to be mindful and think about how to create these experiences so children could do them no matter what the space in their room, or their situation, allows.”
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Orlando Science Center’s goal is to be able to establish this program in hospitals all over the country. “Eventually, we will be training a child life team at various hospitals, so they feel equipped to maintain these kids, and the program will be self-sufficient — so this could live on without us.” ◆
| BUSINESS SEEN
EMPOWERMENT LUNCHEON The African American Chamber of Commerce’s Empowerment Luncheon is designed to engage, enlighten and empower attendees. The luncheon was held Aug. 22 at the Citrus Club. This year’s keynote speaker was Troy Taylor, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. Taylor shared how Coca-Cola Beverages Florida is empowering a legacy, one bottle at a time. Photography by Tara Dorsey: Tara-Dorsey.com
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 61
BUSINESS SEEN |
HISPANIC BUSINESS CONFERENCE The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special reception at Mango's Tropical CafĂŠ and hosted its eighth annual Hispanic Business Conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek Orlando. Ismael Cala, life and business strategist, author and international speaker, gave a keynote presentation on Mindful Exponential Leadership that empowered the nearly 400 attendees. Photography by Jorge Suria: Hooah Interactive
HCCMO Conference Chair Pamela Rogan (center left), Board Chair Paul Roldan (center), and President Gaby Ortigoni (center right).
62 | OCTOBER 2018 | i4Biz.com
How do you become president of a $75 million geotechnical engineering company founded by your father more than a half century ago? Did you just hang around until Dad gave you the keys? Mark Israel didn’t. He tackled every tough job at Universal Engineering Sciences, learning the business from below the ground up, just like his dad, Sy Israel. It’s why Mark and Universal’s nearly 800 employees
EARNING IT
have a “whatever it takes” reputation for hard work, integrity and customer service. They earned it. OFFICES IN ORLANDO, TAMPA, SOUTH FLORIDA, JACKSONVILLE AND 14 OTHER BRANCHES IN FLORIDA AND GEORGIA UNIVERSAL ENGINEERING SCIENCES IS HEADQUARTERED AT 3532 MAGGIE BOULEVARD, ORLANDO, FL, 32811 UNIVERSALENGINEERING.COM 407-423-0504
i4Biz.com | OCTOBER 2018 | 63
Watercooler
Stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know
11,000
The number of jobs added since 2010 in the Orlando metro area in 89 occupations in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math. Orlando is surpassing major cities like Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Austin and San Jose in STEM job growth. Source: Orlando Economic Partnership
13.2 tons The amount of e-waste collected during the City of Orlando’s Electronic Waste & Textile Recycling Event in August, which also brought in 2,169 pounds of clothing and other textiles.
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That was the best damn peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. Orlando firefighter Felix Marquez, recalling what he said when a stranger handed him food after he was rescued. He and other first responders had been trapped 20 hours in a building across from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Source: Orlando Sentinel
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1 in every 55
#1+
The University of Central Florida football team’s ranking in the NCAA record book for the 2017 season, alongside the officially crowned winner, the University of Alabama. UCF was the only team in the nation to finish the season with a perfect 13-0 record, but its standing as a non-ranked team prevented the school from being considered for the national championship game.
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Our 50 percent wage increase will have a real, meaningful impact on our cast and their families. Increasing wages for cast members represents a significant investment in Central Florida, and will provide a powerful boost to the local economy. — George Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort, after Central Florida’s largest employer agreed with a workers union to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by late 2021 and give $1,000 bonuses.
$
Residents who moved within the past year to Central Florida (Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties)
1 in every 9 Residents who moved to Central Florida since 2010 — half from an international location Source: Orlando Economic Partnership
32814
The ZIP code for Baldwin Park, the wealthiest neighborhood in Central Florida. Others in the top five: 2) 34786 – Windermere 3) 32789 – Winter Park 4) 32836 – Lake Buena Vista 5) 32779 – Longwood Source: Orlando Business Journal
50/50
The amount of private wealth women and men will each control by 2020, according to statistics Peg Cornwell of Rollins College shared as a speaker at a recent Women’s Executive Council meeting in Orlando. Source: Harvard Business Review
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