From the Editor and Publisher

Stay on the Lookout for Signs of Progress

Step by step. I can’t think of any other way of accomplishing anything.

— Michael Jordan It felt so good to wear a lanyard again. I never realized how much I would miss hanging a name badge around my neck.

I was at a conference for airport and airline leaders, listening to panel discussions about what’s happening in travel right now and what’s predicted for the near future, when I looked down and realized the significance of the name tag dangling from the cord.

A week earlier, I had been meeting a colleague at Walt Disney World when I saw people wearing badges for a business conference. It was jarring because I hadn’t seen this since March 2020. I broke into a grin. I was coveting one of those badges to add to the extensive collection in my office, which had been looking a little dated with no new ones in 18 months. But that was beside the point. It just felt good to see this clear symbol of business life getting back to normal.

Since then, I have hosted a nonprofit conference, attended two expos, and sat through a few business luncheons, complete with the chicken dishes we’ve all missed. Sure, the audiences are smaller than they were preCOVID-19, and the room layouts look different because of social distancing. People are wearing masks and elbow-bumping instead of shaking hands. But the events business is rebounding. My name tag collection is starting to grow again.

Experiencing this made me realize some businesses never shut down for the pandemic. Manufacturing facilities couldn’t just tell their employees to stay home and work from their kitchen counters or guest bedrooms. These businesses were deemed essential, and they kept their doors open.

In this issue, we’ve spoken with some of the manufacturers and technology companies that managed to excel even during the pandemic. Our cover story is about Red 6 (Page 12), an exciting tech company that has chosen to relocate to Florida from California, partly because of the modeling, simulation and training ecosystem in Orlando. We’ve also written about longtime Central Florida manufacturer Custom Metal Designs (Page 18), which adjusted its mission and helped package hand sanitizers at the beginning of the pandemic.

We spoke with tech company WizUp (Page 28), which created a solution for parents whose children have spent much more time than usual on electronic devices because of the pandemic. We’ve written about the PORTL device (Page 25), which is taking telehealth to a whole new level with 3D holograms. We’ve brought you a story about CareerSource Central Florida and one of its clients (Page 34), which both have stayed busy placing people into jobs in a year when many employers are desperate for help.

It’s hard to tell what business will look like this time next year, when we celebrate Manufacturing Month in 2022. For now, we will continue to savor the little victories: a change in location, an updated mission, a technological innovation, a different perspective, a new employee … and yes, even a fresh lanyard.

Have a great month!

Diane Sears

P.S. – Be sure to check out our article on 26Health (Page 38), an innovative health care company here in Central Florida that played a pivotal role in helping the community cope after the Pulse nightclub shootings five years ago. You can watch my in-depth interview with the founders on our i4 Business TV channel on YouTube.

Editor and Publisher