Construction and Real Estate in Central Florida

FATTMERCHANT REBRANDS AS STAX

UP CLOSE WITH MCO's PHIL BROWN

WORLD CUP SOCCER: ORLANDO'S SPORTS LEGACY

PARRAMORE’S R L BURNS: BUILDING COMMUNITY

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MAY/JUNE 2021

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COAST to COAST

UNIVERSAL ENGINEERING SCIENCES

Expands From Southern Roots

LAKE NONA

SPECIAL SECTION

'Crazy Busy'

White-Hot Housing Market

UNICORP'S CHUCK WHITTALL

Central Florida Visionary

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QUALITY COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT ORLANDO HOME. WITH MORE LIFE BUILT IN ®

Oviedo

Winter Garden Dr. Phillips Orlando Clermont 192

Lake Nona

Kissimmee

192

LUXURY LIVING WHERE YOU WANT TO BE Lake Nona - Dr. Phillips - Oviedo - Winter Garden - Clermont - Kissimmee

Pulte.com/Orlando Prices may not include lot premiums, upgrades and options. Community Association fees may be required. Prices, promotions, incentives, features, options, amenities, floor plans, elevations, designs, materials, and dimensions are subject to change without notice. Square footage and dimensions are estimated and may vary in actual construction. Community improvements and recreational features and amenities described are based upon current development plans which are subject to change and which are under no obligation to be completed. Actual position of house on lot will be determined by the site plan and plot plan. Floor plans, interiors and elevations are artist’s conception or model renderings and are not intended to show specific detailing. Floor plans are the property of PulteGroup, Inc. and its affiliates and are protected by U.S. copyright laws. For further information, see our terms of use. This is not an offering to residents of NY, NJ, CA or CT or where otherwise prohibited by law. Pulte Homes of California, Inc. is a licensed California real estate broker (lic. #2023929). ©2021 Pulte Home Company, LLC. All rights reserved. [5/3/21] CGC1519936

CONTENTS FEATURES

12

Coast to Coast

18

Real Estate Powerhouse

20

Career Coach

Mergers Launch Universal Engineering Sciences Into Explosive Growth Beyond Commercial Undaunted in Eye of Storm

Commercial Real Estate Leader John Crossman Mentors Peers and Next Generation

INSIDEFF MAY/JUNE 2021

COMPANY SPOTLIGHTS

32

The Collage Companies Passing the Leadership Baton

50

ObservantIQ

52

From Fattmerchant to Stax

Preventing Problems With Remote Monitoring Solutions The Evolution of an Orlando-Born Fintech Giant

56

R L Burns

Up Close with

24

Building Community

26

Chuck Whittall and Unicorp

30

‘Crazy Busy’

FATTMERCHANT REBRANDS AS STAX

Parramore Construction Firm R L Burns Touts New Generation of Leadership Building a More Sophisticated Central Florida

Hot Housing Market Keeps Regional Realtors Hopping

UP CLOSE WITH MCO's PHIL BROWN

WORLD CUP SOCCER: ORLANDO'S SPORTS LEGACY

PARRAMORE’S R L BURNS: BUILDING COMMUNITY

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

MAY/JUNE 2021

$4.95

COAST to COAST

UNIVERSAL ENGINEERING SCIENCES

Expands From Southern Roots

LAKE NONA

SPECIAL SECTION

P hil Brown

Photography by Julie Fletcher 'Crazy Busy'

White-Hot Housing Market

UNICORP'S CHUCK WHITTALL

Central Florida Visionary

2 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

ON THE COVER (L) Mark Israel (R) James Walsh

Cover Concept Design by Tanya Mutton

FOLLOW US►►► #i4biz

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

BEST PRACTICE

Guest Expert Columns

60

LEADERSHIP

From Shock to Support: Dealing With a Life Crisis Romaine Seguin | UPS Global Freight Forwarding

SPECIAL SECTION: Lake Nona

35

Life in Lake Nona Developer Tavistock Creates City of the Future

62

MARKETING

Design Can Push Your Business Toward Success

39

Valencia College Lake Nona Campus A Laboratory for Growing Excellence

64

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY

40

Sonya Montgomery | The Desoto Group

42

Holland & Knight + Tavistock Meet the Legal Team Behind Some of Lake Nona’s Biggest Land Deals Shiny and New Homegrown Berman Corp. Keeps Lake Nona Sparkling

Meaghan Branham | i4 Business

Shout It From the Rooftops: Why Certifications Are So Important

“Unicorp has beenZoom willingEvent to takeMarks risks. I40th think they’re safe risks because I believe in everything we do, but those risks have allowed us to bring lots of great things here.”

44 46

— Chuck Whittall

Quiet Zone Suntek Cuts the Noise and Fumes From Residential Lawn Care Golden Spot PulteGroup Caters to 55-Plus in Del Webb Sunbridge

DEPARTMENTS

5

i4 Business Advisory Board

26

7

From the Editor and Publisher

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

8

Business Briefs

73

Signs of the Times

74

Business Seen

78

Downtime

80

Watercooler

66

THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS

World Cup Would Boost Orlando’s Sports Legacy Jason Siegel | Greater Orlando Sports Commission

70

THE BUSINESS OF RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE The Broken Business of Brokerages — An Editorial Jason Schmidt | Stockworth Realty Group

72

THE BUSINESS OF COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE The Post-Pandemic Office: A Place to Stimulate Ideas Mary Shanklin | Fifth Estate Media

T.G. Lee Boulevard

Unique Experiences for Your Day Off

Stuff You Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

3

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Orlando's Leadership Connection

SPOTLIGHTING ENTREPRENEURS

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Diane Sears MANAGING EDITOR Meaghan Branham COPY EDITORS Susan Howard, APR Terry Godbey DIRECTOR OF ENCOURAGEMENT Donna Duda PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Julie Fletcher JulieFletcherPhotography.com ART DIRECTOR Tanya Mutton SidekickCreations.com

Central Florida’s entrepreneurs inspire us all with their strength of vision and innovative ideas.

In our July/August issue, i4 Business will spotlight your stories:

WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU DO, AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Build your relationship with our audience and yours with this special section spotlight Each profile will be: • Published in our print and digital editions • Published on i4biz.com • Shared on our social media channels • Spotlighted in our Special Sections newsletter

Coming July/August 2021! i4biz.com Tel: 407.730.2961

4 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

CONTRIBUTORS Meaghan Branham, Terry Godbey, Key Howard, Sonya Montgomery, Davia Moss, Diane Sears, Jason Schmidt, Romaine Seguin, Mary Shanklin, Jason Siegel i4 Business is a participating member of:

i4 Business Advisory Board This Month's Featured Advisory Board Members

Thank You We’d like to thank our Advisory Board members for keeping their fingers on the pulse of our community and helping us bring you the best stories from around Central Florida.

Judi Awsumb, Awsumb Enterprises Jim Bowie, Consultant Jackie Brito, HR Asset Partners Cari Coats, Accendo Leadership Advisory Group Andrew Cole, East Orlando Chamber of Commerce Laura Dorsey, Florida Black Chamber and National Cultural Heritage Society Stina D'Uva, West Orange Chamber of Commerce Carol Ann Dykes Logue, University of Central Florida Business Incubator Program Susan Fernandez, Dignitas Technologies Lena Graham-Morris, HORUS Construction Mark Allen Hayes, Stockworth Realty Group Gwen Thompson Hewitt, United Negro College Fund Vicki Jaramillo, Orlando International Airport Chris Leggett, Central Florida International Trade Office Catherine Losey, Losey PLLC law firm Laureen Martinez, Orlando Economic Partnership Yog Melwani, Align Commercial Real Estate and Indian American Chamber of Commerce Davia Moss, Next Horizon Hope Edwards Newsome, Virtus LLP Rob Panepinto, Florentine Strategies Bill Reidy, LotLinx Inc. Jerry Ross, National Entrepreneur Center Romaine Seguin, UPS Global Freight Forwarding Jason Siegel, Greater Orlando Sports Commission Mary Shanklin, Fifth Estate Media Robert Utsey, Gilbane Building Company

Rob Panepinto Rob Panepinto is president of Florentine Strategies, which provides strategic consulting and investment capital for early-stage companies. He is also the CEO of Entrepreneurs in Action, managing a local social venture fund. Panepinto is a senior strategic advisor and director of the Downtown Innovation District for the University of Central Florida. Previously, he was part of the founding executive team for Connextions, helping it grow from a small manufacturing company to an innovative health care technology/services organization with more than 5,000 employees. Panepinto is chairman of the Rally Social Enterprise Accelerator and past chair of the Central Florida Foundation.

Stina D’Uva For nearly 30 years, Stina D’Uva has been an integral leader in the Orlando community. As the president/ CEO of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce for 18 years, she has helped grow the organization into a driving force of business that earned the coveted Chamber of the Year award from the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals in 2009, 2012 and 2015. D’Uva served as chair of the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, and in 2014 she was elected and continues to serve as vice president of the MetroWest Master Association.

Catherine Losey The founder of Losey PLLC, Catherine Losey represents companies from a diverse range of industries on workplace issues. In both her experience with Losey PLLC and previous work as counsel and a commercial litigator, Losey has worked to use her knowledge to help her clients understand and navigate policies and potential risks. Her knowledge of legal, compliance and technology issues lends itself to an invaluable skill set for businesses and their leadership.

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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SPOTLIGHTING

TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS

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The technology industry full of professionals whose work today is inventing our tomorrow.

In our September/October issue, i4 Business will spotlight your stories:

WHO YOU ARE, WHAT YOU DO, AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Build your relationship with our audience and yours with this special section spotlight Each profile will be: • Published in our print and digital editions • Published on i4biz.com • Shared on our social media channels • Spotlighted in our Special Sections newsletter

Coming Sept/Oct 2021! i4biz.com Tel: 407.730.2961

6 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

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i4 Business® is published eight times a year 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. ©2021. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited

without written permission from the publisher.

From the Editor and Publisher

We’re All on the Move in Our Booming Hometown Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

— Albert Einstein

Take a look at our i4 Business TV Channel

I

met a friend at a restaurant recently to catch up on business, and we sat at the bar and ordered two glasses of wine to take outside. The bartender happened to mention real estate. Fifteen minutes later, we were still talking with him about the craziness of the residential market.

The bartender and his wife had 10 offers on their house and were expecting to make a significant profit over what they had paid for it. They had already put in an offer on a new, larger home. My friend started playing 20 questions with him. “Where is the house?

Which subdivision? Is it at the end near the park, or the other end?” After a quizzical look from me, my friend explained that he and his wife were trying to find a house for their son’s young family. “We’re having a hard time finding anything,” he told me. “It’s tough out there.”

We’re all hearing stories about people competing for houses in this market, where the inventory is at a record low. Many are offering more than the asking price, along with other concessions. When I interviewed Orlando Regional Realtor Association President Natalie Arrowsmith for the article on Page 30, she told me she and her colleagues have been creating spreadsheets to compare the particulars of each offer to help clients sort through them.

Ironically, a couple of us on the i4 Business team have been touched by this phenomenon.

Our sales director, Keith Landry, caught the real estate fever and recently left the magazine to sell properties full time. As I write this, I’m going through the buyer-seller dance myself, with no idea how the story will end.

Another business that’s booming is construction. On a recent drive through Lake Nona, I was surprised to see how many new buildings had sprung up while the world was on COVID-19 lockdown. Our special section starting on Page 33 examines why Lake Nona is such a remarkable community.

Mark Israel is remarkable as well. I had the pleasure of interviewing him and some members of his team from Orlando-based Universal Engineering Sciences for the cover story, which starts on Page 12. We had been following this locally grown geotechnical engineering services firm, cheering it on as it expanded coast to coast. Israel has strategically focused on markets where commercial construction is as robust as it is in Central Florida, while staying true to the values his father established when he created the company.

This issue also features people and companies who are keeping real estate and commercial construction interesting. Read about pioneering developer Chuck Whittall (Page 26), CEO and founder of Unicorp National Developments, which is involved in $3 billion in local development projects. Read about the R L Burns construction management and general contracting firm (Page 24), where a second generation of leadership is helping the Orlando company create a sense of place and tackle the lack of affordable housing. Learn about John Crossman (Page 20), who is helping shape the next generation of Central Florida commercial real estate professionals.

Read about Amy Calandrino (Page 18), a commercial real estate broker who has deftly steered her company Beyond Commercial through the eye of the pandemic storm. Learn about The Collage Companies (Page 32), where founder Brian Walsh is passing the baton to his talented successors. And bone up on the future of Orlando International Airport’s latest expansion in an Up Close interview with CEO Phil Brown (Page 56).

Central Florida is indeed on the move.

Have a great month!

Editor and Publisher

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

7

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Realtor Association Breaks Ground on New Headquarters The Orlando Regional REALTOR Association (ORRA) has broken ground on a new headquarters expected to be completed next year near Interstate 4 and Lee Road. The 7.2-acre property will allow ORRA to expand its educational offerings and will provide the 19,000-member trade association with more meeting space. It will also contain space for members and the public to rent for events.

The headquarters will be home to the eighth-largest real estate trade association in the country. ORRA is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“We are at the start of an exciting new century for real estate,” said ORRA CEO Cliff Long. “Technology and community are intersecting hugely, and our new building will exemplify the latest trends.”

Brightline Trains Half-Finished With Rail Extension to Orlando Community leaders gathered May 19 for a tour of the future site of the Brightline trains vehicle maintenance facility just south of Orlando International Airport. The company announced it had hit the 50% completion milestone on construction of the 170-mile high-speed rail extension that will connect Orlando with its existing operation from West Palm Beach to Miami.

Attendees marked the occasion by signing a 12-foot yellow stick of steel rail, which will be incorporated into Brightline’s track between the airport station and the vehicle maintenance facility. Brightline expects the first riders on the extension by 2023.

Brightline has more than 1,000 construction workers on multiple sites for the project, which includes 48 bridges, 52,000 tons of steel rail (approximately the weight of the Empire State Building), 1.4 million square feet of retaining walls (more than triple the floor area of Camping World Stadium in Orlando) and six million cubic yards of earth embankment (more than enough to fill up the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center). In total, Brightline’s high-speed rail network will create more than 10,000 jobs and $6.4 billion in economic impact over eight years. Discussions are under way about adding routes to Walt Disney World and Tampa.

“This is an exciting time for our community and the entire state of Florida,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Brightline

is fulfilling a longtime vision to bring high-speed rail to Central Florida and providing additional transportation options for our residents and our visitors.”

Business

8 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

Innovation

Education

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Boy Scouts Honor Dr. Sandy Shugart of Valencia College

Jeff Jennings, Sandy Shugart, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Eric Magendantz

The Central Florida Council of Boy Scouts honored Dr. Sandy Shugart, president of Valencia College, with its annual Golden Eagle award during a virtual ceremony in May. Shugart had announced he was retiring in June after leading the college since 2000.

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Sandy Shugart as this year’s Golden Eagle award winner for all he has done for Valencia and the Central Florida community,” said Eric Magendantz, the Scout Executive/CEO for the council.

The virtual event was chaired this year by Jeff Jennings, president of Jack Jennings & Sons, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer presented the award. Typically held as a banquet, the event helps raise funds for the Central Florida Council, which serves more than 20,000 youths. This year’s effort raised more than $540,000.

Minnesota Vikings Owners Purchase Orlando City Soccer Holdings Flávio Augusto da Silva Orlando City Soccer Club owner Flávio Augusto da Silva announced in May a deal in the works to sell the men’s and women’s soccer teams, the Exploria Stadium where they play in downtown Orlando, and the youth soccer academy system to the family that owns the Minnesota Vikings National Football League franchise.

The deal with the Wilf family is reported to be worth more than $400 million and is expected to become final this summer.

Augusto da Silva became majority owner of Orlando City SC in 2013, and the club joined Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2015. The Wilf family reportedly had tried to buy the Minnesota MLS franchise in 2015, but it was sold to another group.

The family was drawn by the potential of both the Orlando City SC Lions men’s team and the Orlando Pride women’s team, a spokesman said. The Wilfs have owned the Vikings since 2005.

Massey Foundation Commits $2 Million to Rollins Crummer School The Harvey and Carol Massey Foundation has committed $2 million toward a new 44,000-square-foot building in downtown Winter Park that will house the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business. The building will be on Lyman Avenue next to the Alfond Inn and will be part of a project called the Innovation Triangle. Plans also call for a new home for the college’s Cornell Fine Arts Museum on New England Avenue.

Rollins President Grant Cornwell explained the significance of the project: “The School of Business’ placement within the Innovation Triangle will be a unique differentiator that enhances recruiting for Crummer’s portfolio of executive,

Tourism

professional and early career degree programs, drives increased participation in Crummer’s executive education programs, and builds direct connections between business and art.”

Harvey Massey, chairman and CEO of Massey Services, is the father of two Rollins graduates and community leaders: Andrea Massey-Farrell and Tony Massey. “Supporting education in our communities is extremely important to us,” Harvey Massey said. “Crummer has been recognized as one of the top MBA programs in our country, and many of our team members have graduated from Crummer and continue to be involved in the program.”

Growth

Inspiration i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

9

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Mr. Rogers Statue at Rollins Rollins College has announced it will unveil a statue this fall of famed alumnus the late Fred Rogers, who became a cultural icon with the PBS children’s TV series "Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood."

The bronze tribute stands 7 feet tall and weighs more than 3,000 pounds. Titled A Beautiful Day for a Neighbor, it was created by British sculptor Paul Day (pictured at right) in his studio near Dijon in Burgundy, France.

It was commissioned by donors including Rollins trustee Allan Keen.

Seminole State College Offers Classes for Enlisted Members of Air Force and Space Force Seminole State College has forged a partnership with the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) that allows Seminole State to offer a General Education Mobile (GEM) program.

Seminole State will offer 18 online general education classes to more than 300,000 U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force personnel pursuing a CCAF associate of applied science degree. The GEM program allows students to enroll in classes at partner academic institutions to fulfill general education course requirements needed for the degree.

CCAF was established in 1972 at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and is a federally chartered academic institution that serves Air Force and Space Force enlisted members. It has partnerships with 126 GEM partner schools serving Air Force students around the world.

Seminole State is one of five public colleges in the state of Florida and the only Central Florida institution offering the GEM program.

“It is an honor to partner with the Community College of the Air Force to offer our quality general education courses to active-duty military members," said Dr. Laura Ross, Seminole State vice president of academic affairs.

Sports

10 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

Autonomous Shuttle Company Beep Secures $20 Million in Funding Beep, which provides multipassenger electric autonomous shuttles in Lake Nona, where it is headquartered, recently closed a $20 million Series-A round of funding with Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital. The funding will enable Beep to continue expanding its autonomous fleet deployments across North America and leverage its learnings to advance passenger mobility service for cities, business districts and campuses.

In Lake Nona, Beep operates the country’s largest and longestrunning autonomous shuttle service deployment in one location, with five routes, eight shuttles, more than 29,000 passengers and thousands of hours of operation.

To ensure safety, the company uses continuous human monitoring from a command center with proprietary technology.

Beep utilizes a combination of machine learning, contextual traffic data and the company’s existing centralized command center

Leadership

data to provide vital oversight in managing high-risk scenarios for autonomous vehicles.

“We are thrilled to welcome Intel Capital and Blue Lagoon Capital into the Beep family as we continue to bring the vision of autonomous mobility to life,” said Joe Moye, Beep’s CEO. “Our mission is to improve safety on the roads for everyone while positively impacting the environment and delivering mobility for all in our public and private communities. This latest round of funding will help us meet our goal of advancing the use of driverless platforms meant to enhance the quality of life in many areas of society.”

Technology

BUSINESS BRIEFS

TogetherHealth Insurance Tech Company to Open in Lake Mary

Insurance technology company TogetherHealth announced it is opening a new office this fall in Lake Mary, where it will hire 300 people over the next three years. The company chose the Orlando metro area from its shortlist of nine U.S. cities, citing a talent pipeline of young professionals and a large pool of customer-related skill sets as reasons.

TogetherHealth leverages existing platforms to offer a range of Medicare-related insurance plans. As the retiring population grows in the U.S., demand is increasing for solutions that help customers get connected with the right Medicare-related insurance coverage.

“TogetherHealth has seen incredible growth in the past 12 months,” said Gavin Southwell, CEO of parentcompany Benefytt Technologies. “The demand for health care insurance technology and services continues to surge, and TogetherHealth is in position to meet this increasing demand. It’s important for our company to hire hungry and motivated talent, which is why we chose to expand in Orlando.”

Many of the company’s immediate job opportunities will be for insurance sales agents. The company offers a twoweek training program for new agents to quickly become certified. Median compensation for an agent is between $65,000 and $100,000 a year.

Lake Mary Company AssuredPartners to Expand Headquarters in Orlando

AssuredPartners Inc., which started with five employees in Lake Mary and is now the 11th-largest and one of the fastestgrowing insurance brokers in the U.S., is opening a new headquarters in downtown Orlando. The company expects to create about 100 new jobs that pay about 160% of the average wage in Orange County.

AssuredPartners is a full-service insurance broker providing commercial insurance, risk management and employee benefits through consulting and services with more than 8,000 employees located in offices worldwide. The company will move into the CNL Center I building on South Orange Avenue next to Orlando City Hall.

The company is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year and will continue to operate an office in Lake Mary while it builds out its new headquarters in anticipation of opening in 2022.

“AssuredPartners is excited to share these significant milestones,” said CEO Jim Henderson. “We have a long history in the Central Florida region, from our small beginnings to status as one of the fast-growing insurance brokers in the U.S. Our company is in the business of building relationships, and our relationship with this community has supported our growth over the years.”

Children’s Miracle Network Recognizes Dr. Donald Plumley The Children’s Miracle Network recognized Dr. Donald Plumley from Orlando Health with its 2020 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Impact Award. Announced in April, the annual award recognizes a doctor, nurse or caregiver who provides exceptional care.

Plumley is a pediatric surgeon and the trauma medical director at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. “Given that Orlando is a destination city for families, he has cared for some of the most injured and ill patients from across the globe, but Dr. Plumley stands out as an outstanding caregiver for his commitment to not only caring for patients and families, but for all of the caregivers he crosses paths with as well,” the Children’s Miracle Network wrote in its announcement. “If you spoke with him, he believes the work he does outside of the Trauma Center is as vital in the prevention of accidents and injuries, and wellbeing for families, as the medical care he performs.”

Plumley has spent his 27-year medical career at Orlando Health and has been on the board of directors for Greater Orlando Children’s Miracle Network for 15 years, where he currently serves as chairman.

Finance

Community

Health i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

11

COVER STORY

COAST TO COAST

Mergers Launch Universal Engineering Sciences Into Explosive Growth

BY DIANE SEARS

Photography by Julie Fletcher

A

lot of little boys growing up in the 1960s ran around in cowboy boots. Not Mark Israel. He sported a pair of engineering boots. So did his father, Sy, and those were some big shoes to fill for a son who wanted to be just like his dad.

Today, Mark Israel serves as CEO of Universal Engineering Sciences (UES), an Orlando-based company his father founded in 1964 in Merritt Island. In the past two years, even through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel has forged a series of partnerships that have expanded the geotechnical engineering services firm from its Florida and Southeast roots into an operation with 48 offices and 2,150 employees coast to coast.

“It’s been an interesting evolution for me,” Israel said. “We

12 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

were a family-owned company and we were big, about 920 people.

Looking around in the engineering space in this country, there wasn’t another firm like us that had basically one owner. I would meet people and they’d look at me like I was crazy. They’d ask, ‘How do you do that without a board of directors or without partners?’ and my answer was, ‘I don’t know, but it’s the only thing I’ve ever done. That’s all I know.’”

In early 2020, UES teamed up with Palm Beach Capital, a private equity firm out of South Florida that has handled hundreds of acquisitions in the past two decades, many of them by familyowned companies looking to grow. The partners brought in GFA International (GFA), a Delray Beach geotechnical engineering firm founded in 1998, which had

six offices and 300 professionals offering similar services and some specialties not yet developed at UES. Since then, the UES family has expanded to include six other firms that all work in geotechnical engineering, a specialty branch of civil engineering that involves collecting and interpreting physical properties of the ground for use in building construction.

On June 4, UES was named the fastest-growing firm in the United States in the architecture, engineering, planning, environmental and construction (AEC) industry on the Zweig Group’s 2021 Hot Firm List.

Rankings are based on three years' growth in revenue, both percentage and dollar amounts. This marked the first time in four years a new company took the top spot on the list.

UES has worked on notable projects in Central Florida

COVER STORY

All I've ever wanted to do besides play football was work for my dad. If my dad was a florist, I would be a florist.

I would be a terrible florist, but I would be one.

Sy Israel (left) and son Mark that include the Amway Center and Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in downtown Orlando, the Orange County Convention Center, Sunrail and Brightline high-speed rail, the Daytona International Speedway redevelopment, and the NASA Headquarters Building Central Campus at Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County. Other projects include the Miami Beach Convention Center renovation and the Ziggurat Building in West Sacramento, California, a 10-story pyramidal office tower.

“Since we’ve partnered with Palm Beach Capital, we’ve doubled in size in one year through acquisitions,” Israel said. “This is a nuts-and-bolts, linear business.

Every time we want to grow, we’ve got to hire a person, buy a truck and all that. It’s not like an internet company, where a million people can buy your app from one little room. It’s incremental, slow growth, even through acquisition.”

New Phases, New Faces Israel expects the company to continue expanding and has welcomed the help. ►►

James Walsh (left) and Mark Israel

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

13

COVER STORY “Now I have partners, and we have a board of directors and it’s much more formalized,” he said. “We have a corporate staff, which has grown and needs to grow more. We’ve hired a new president to help me run that, and I have managing partners who help run their divisions around the country. I’ve had to delegate.”

In February, Israel appointed James Walsh president of the company. Walsh brings with him a wealth of experience in the work that goes into successful mergers and acquisitions. Formerly chief operating officer at Degree-One, which provides HVAC, refrigeration and food equipment services, he integrated several acquisitions and significantly improved the company’s earnings.

Among Walsh’s other positions, he served as senior vice president and chief technology officer at AECOM Technology Corp., where he was a member of the global mergers and acquisitions team.

“Jim is recognized for delivering results in complex, dynamic environments by steering strategy, promoting culture, driving change and creating consistent processes,” Israel said in a release announcing the appointment. “He will drive enterprise-level consistency and stability across our national organization, partnering with key stakeholders to achieve long-term and short-term objectives.”

In April, Palm Beach Capital announced a new chair of the UES board of directors: Michael Burke, the chair and CEO of AECOM. Burke, who invested in UES himself, plans to continue to grow the privately held company from about $300 million to $1 billion, partly by focusing on the Biden administration’s plan to address aging infrastructure such as roads and bridges throughout the United States.

Like Walsh, Burke brings extensive knowledge in mergers and acquisitions.

He was instrumental in leading AECOM through its transition from a midsize private engineering firm to a publicly traded company with revenues of more than $21 billion. AECOM’s initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2007 represented one of the largest engineering IPOs of all time.

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FOUNDED

1964

in Merritt Island

EMPLOYEES

2,150+

ABOUT THE COMPANY

BRANCHES

48

Nationwide

STATUS

Privately Held REVENUE Projected

$1 Billion by 2023

“UES is well-positioned to be the leading infrastructure company in the geotechnical engineering space,” Burke said in a release announcing his appointment. “I’m excited to join UES at this pivotal moment in its history and to seize the opportunity to address the nation’s current and anticipated infrastructure demands.”

Preserving the Culture Over the years, people have asked Israel if he would consider expanding by buying other companies with similar capabilities. His answer was always no.

He said he was “chicken” because he’d never done it before. Partnering with a team of experts including attorneys and Palm Beach Capital helped him become comfortable with the transactions.

“It’s funny,” he said, “I was talking to a competitor and they said, ‘Oh, it’s easy.

We’ve done 40.’ It’s easy because you’ve done 40. When you do one and it’s just you, it’s scary. It’s like parachuting for the first time — without an instructor.”

He calls the new partnerships mergers rather than acquisitions. “We have a soft touch,” he said. “Each of these people has built their business

and it’s their baby, just like it was mine and my dad’s baby. In the engineering space, this is how companies grow, through acquisition. Our company, legacy Universal, was the only company that got to our size without acquisitions.”

UES is looking for just the right companies to bring on as partners, he said.

“We have a very tight niche in this business. Engineering means a lot of things, even civil engineering means a lot of things. We’re a very small subset of civil engineering. So we want to stay in that lane. It’s a very fragmented market, and there are thousands of companies out there, but we want to find the right ones for us — ones that are successful already, ones that fit with our values and with our culture, and that are in good locations and well managed. We’re not partnering with turnaround firms, or those that are struggling and need us.

We’re partnering with firms that want us, and we want them.”

Each new partner has similar values, but each has its own culture, and Israel said UES is committed to honoring that.

Palm Beach Capital brought in Brian Kirkpatrick with engineering consulting

COVER STORY

Merger Partners Universal Engineering Sciences (UES) has merged with seven other firms to take the organization from East Coast to West Coast. The firms are:

GFA International (GFA) A Delray Beach geotechnical engineering firm founded in 1998, which had six offices and 300 professionals offering similar services and some specialties not yet developed at UES

NOVA Geotechnical & Inspection Services Based in Las Vegas

Contour Engineering With offices in Tampa as well as Georgia and Alabama

Wallace-Kuhl & Associates Based in Northern California, with offices in West Sacramento and Stockton

Construction Testing & Engineering

A California firm with offices in San Diego, Riverside, Pasadena and Ventura

GEOServices

Based in Tennessee, with offices in Knoxville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Sevierville and the Tri-Cities region of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol.

Summit Engineering, Laboratory & Testing Works out of Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina and Columbia, Greenville and Charleston in South Carolina

business Obsidian Group Holdings to help with the integration.

Kirkpatrick had worked with the investment firm before and could lend his experience with mergers and acquisitions.

“I help bring all the businesses together to act, feel and operate as one Universal,” he said. “That way we have a national brand, and we become more of an ‘easy button’ within the footprint or geography we invest in and operate in so we’re more relevant for the customer base that stretches across state, county and city lines.

“Putting seven businesses together with different cultures, different teams and different processes would make it virtually impossible for Mark to run if they were all standalone entities. I tie it all together so we can have a more cohesive and efficient operating system.”

It’s important to understand the brand equity each new partner has created through its own work before it became part of UES, Kirkpatrick said. That equity can be leveraged for the mutual benefit of all the partners.

“To tie them together from Day One, we add the tagline ‘A Universal Engineering Sciences Company,’ which is important. That can help them win some perhaps bigger business. It’s nice for people to know that a well-run business in that community is now part of something bigger. It’s financially sound and it’s backed with institutional investors

who are here to support the business, grow the business and invest in what’s required.”

Expanded Capabilities One of the things that most excites Israel about the expansion is the extension of the company’s capabilities. “All the firms have some different expertise, and we’re trying to marry those types of expertise across the companies,” he said. He points to a set of occupational health and safety services brought in through the GFA partnership — specialties that proved to be especially important to the company during the pandemic.

Michelle McIntyre heads that division as the corporate director of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) for all of UES. Shannon Palombo supports the division as its technical writer.

“I came aboard into GFA about four years ago, and GFA didn’t have these capabilities,” McIntyre said.

“The goal was for me to help bring the service line into the company. I worked out of the Fort Myers branch and brought in Shannon. I needed support and a technical writer. A lot of times in our work, the fieldwork is the easy part but nobody wants to write the report.”

The merger has been exciting, McIntyre said. “I’ve really embraced it because it gives us an opportunity to tap into more skills, to bring in more people and broaden the team.

We have more than 2,000 employees now instead of 300, so it’s fun to see what skill sets everybody has.”

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

15

COVER STORY

Outside of COVID-19, the division’s most popular service line is for indoor environmental testing for potential hazards such as asbestos, mold, leadbased paint and poor air quality, McIntyre said. As UES continues to grow, McIntyre and Palombo will continue to oversee cross-training to expand the company’s OHS capabilities internally.

“With a bigger footprint, it’s exciting,” McIntyre said. “I think it’s going to lead to much, much more opportunity.”

The Foundation

Michelle McIntyre McIntyre explained the difference between what her division does and how other firms in the expanded UES family have been operating.

“GFA and Universal both have always had an environmental department that handles things like soil testing, groundwater sampling and environmental outside air sampling. This service line is very different because we’re working with indoor air or drinking water. It’s environmental but it’s different. We also provide safety services. My role now is to help bring this service line into all of the branches across the company.”

The expanded capability has proved lucrative for UES. The OHS division’s services are easy to offer anywhere.

“We don’t use rigs or large pieces of equipment that tether us to a certain geographic area,” McIntyre said. “We are very mobile, and a lot of our projects require either just our knowledge or us being there, or some sampling pumps or small equipment. So we’re able to hop on flights and go wherever we need to go.”

The expanded capability also allowed the company to branch into new work during the past year when some businesses were stymied by COVID-19.

16 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

“When we first started dealing with the pandemic last year, Shannon and I and the team rushed to get a service line together for COVID,” McIntyre said.

“We put training programs together, we created an online learning management system, we wrote protocols for cleaning surfaces, and we brainstormed and worked to get everything up and running.

It allowed us an opportunity for a whole new service — something else to test for, something else to train on.

As unfortunate as it was that we were dealing with a new pandemic, it offered an opportunity for us.”

Some client companies that were allowed to continue working, such as in construction, had to quickly meet new governmental requirements or restrictions, Palombo said. “We actually created a ‘COVID-19 Competent Person’ course. For a few months, Michelle was teaching six or eight courses a week that were one hour to four hours long. We had a couple local municipalities that were allowing construction sites to stay open only if they had a COVID-19 competent person on-site, so we were training hundreds of people. It was stressful but very exciting.”

While the company moves into its future, Israel remembers what it was like when his father started UES — right down to the smell. As a new entrepreneur trying to save money, Sy Israel approached a developer friend who had an engineering office that was no longer being used in a subdivision’s packaged sewage treatment plant, which served as an alternative to a septic tank system.

“He rented it for $75 a month,” Israel said. “I remember hanging around that place from the time I was maybe 4 years old, and it smelled terrible.”

Nothing deterred him from wanting to grow up to follow in his father’s career footsteps, though. When he was cleaning out his mother’s possessions after her death about eight years ago, he found one of his fourth-grade homework assignments. He had written that he wanted to attend college at University of Southern California or Penn State, because those were schools that produced great running backs and he wanted to play college football.

“I was going to play in the NFL,” Israel said. “And I wrote that when I retired, I was going to go into ‘the testing business,’ which is what we called our business.

All I’ve ever wanted to do besides play football was work for my dad.”

He jokes around about the bond between father and son. “If my dad was a florist, I would be a florist.

I would be a terrible florist, but I would be one.”

Israel started working for his father’s company when he was 13. He remembers his first day well. “They sent me to a concrete pour at a construction site in Lake Mary where there were big hills of sugar sand, which is really soft. I had

COVER STORY

Crummer Graduate School of Business for an MBA. “That summer, I got what I call my first ‘air-conditioned’ job,” he said. Instead of being out in the field, he was working in an office.

After graduate school, Israel worked with another firm in New York for about a year and joined the family business in West Palm Beach briefly before returning to Orlando, where he worked as a “grunt engineer” at UES for five years. “My dad never spoke to me during business hours. I was really one of the grunts, and gradually worked myself up into business development and then went into management.”

By about 1997, he was running the company while his father started easing into retirement. “In 2001, we had a consultant helping us. My dad was on vacation, so while he was away they made me president. I didn’t tell him till he got back. I had new business cards for him already.”

Sy Israel, who turned 88 in May, still shows up at the office when he’s not on his boat. To this day, his son looks to his father for mentorship.

“He’s given me advice my whole life,” Israel said. “He told me how to go to engineering school and coached me through it. He said, ‘Just get through it, Son. The real world’s not as bad as that.’

Mark Israel (left) and James Walsh to fill a wheelbarrow full of concrete. In those days, we used these heavy metal wheelbarrows with big thick handles that were heavy.

“For a 13-year-old, I was already pretty big, almost the size I am now. Well, I picked this thing up full of concrete. I know now that they did this on purpose.

They had filled it right to the top, and they didn’t need to. I was walking through the sugar sand, and my muscles were shaking a bit, and suddenly the wheelbarrow tipped over. The concrete went everywhere, I went flying, and everyone at the construction site was laughing.”

Finding His Place Israel worked for his father’s company every summer until he got his driver’s

license, and then he began going there after school, too. He remembers how he first started working in the company’s laboratory.

“Today our lab in Fort Myers is a big operation, with people working seven days a week. In the old days, we were much smaller. Whoever happened to be walking by got thrown into the lab. So when I was 16, I would go down there to try to find a place for myself. I became the first permanent lab person. Now we probably have 100.”

After graduating from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he attended Rollins College

“And now, in the past year, we’ve become part of a much, much bigger operation. Before that we were very unusual as a company. With no partners and no board of directors, the only person I had who really was a true peer was my dad, so I’d go to him all the time.

“I’ve lectured a couple of times at the Crummer school, where there’s a class on family business. One of the things I’ve said is, ‘There is a playbook for how the kids are supposed to be in the family business, everyone knows it. You work harder and you just go the extra mile.’ There isn’t an obvious playbook for the dad or the mom.

“The truth is they have the harder job: knowing when to pull back and let you make a mistake,” Israel said. “They see it happening, and they know with their gray hair what’s going to happen. Or you do something they wouldn’t do and it turns out to be a success. They have to let you do it. My dad has been a great coach and a great guide.” b i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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FEATURE

Real Estate Powerhouse Beyond Commercial Undaunted in Eye of Storm

BY TERRY GODBEY

Photography by Julie Fletcher

G

rowing up in Central Florida, Amy Calandrino spent every hurricane season following storms and recording their paths on tracking charts. “I was really into the weather, heavy into math and science, and I’m pretty analytical,” she said. “I wanted to become a meteorologist and create better systems for hurricane prediction for the National Hurricane Center in Miami.”

A heady goal, to be sure. And although she veered from that path to work as a paralegal and earn an English degree at Rollins College in Winter Park before becoming a pacesetter in the commercial real estate field, the energetic Calandrino creates her own weather system, one in which the sun always shines.

“I’m very, very organized and driven, and I really thrive when a lot of things are going on,” she said. Even the COVID-19 pandemic, which arrived soon after she gave birth to her first child, has not slowed her down.

The founding principal and broker at Beyond Commercial in Maitland, Calandrino worked with her team of five to grow the company in 2020, and they have already closed more than 20 deals this year. Her company specializes in office and warehouse space, serving business owners, investors and investment groups, and regional, national and international companies.

Opportunity Ahead

In tough times, Calandrino said, “I might pause for a minute. Then I look

18 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

at the facts in front of me and pick a course. If I have to change the direction my sailboat’s going in, then I will.” Where others saw turbulence ahead with the pandemic, she saw opportunity.

“A lot of commercial real estate agents were talking about how they had nothing going on,” she said. “We had a lot of people on the other side not answering phones, so it was hard for us to conduct the deals we did. People seemed downtrodden and pessimistic.”

Her philosophy? “You can’t control what’s going on around you, but you can control what you do. I had the time, so I retooled my team and our processes a bit to make the business stronger, and I worked on the things we could control.

And we just pushed as hard as we could.”

Calandrino, 36, recalled how her husband, Phil, a business attorney and owner of the Forward Law Firm in Maitland, had made the same kind of business refinements when she worked with him 12 years earlier at the start of the Great Recession. “We retooled our operations, and 2008, 2009 and 2010 ended up being his strongest revenue years because he stepped back and thought to himself, ‘What do my clients need to get through these times?’”

She also became a resource for her business clients. She had just returned to work from maternity leave after giving birth to son Giovanni in November 2019, and she felt “ready to go full throttle,” pandemic or not. So she began to study everything related to COVID-19 and its effects on business. “By doing that, I’ve helped a lot of people, some of them on a pro bono basis, get through this

pandemic and economic downturn. I worked with them to come up with different strategies.”

She also joined a coaching program for commercial real estate boutique owners while virtually attending Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a top entrepreneurship school where she is earning an entrepreneurship certificate through a grant from Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program.

‘Jeffersonian’ Approach

Calandrino described herself as “very nerdy,” a lover of books and learning. “I like to call it Jeffersonian. I loved visiting Thomas Jefferson’s estate, Monticello, in Virginia and learning how he was into farming, into weather, into writing letters. I thought, ‘We could have been friends.’”

Her own life began in a pastoral vein.

She was born in the scenic Northeast Kingdom region of Vermont but moved to Winter Garden, Florida, in 1989 when she was 5. After high school, she continued on the meteorology track at Valencia College in Orlando while working in a law office. She became interested in law, then switched gears and went to Rollins College in 2005.

She also began to dabble in real estate, earning her license in 2007. She graduated from Rollins in 2008, put off law school because of the recession and turned her attention to learning about real estate.

“I decided to build a concierge real estate firm to help business owners with their residential and commercial needs,” she said. In 2010, she founded Silverleaf

FEATURE Real Estate. Six years later, she dropped residential to focus on commercial real estate and rebranded her business Beyond Commercial. “I could not be happier with how everything I envisioned has come together.”

Calandrino has earned the CCIM designation as a Certified Commercial Investment Member, and she served as president of the Florida CCIM Chapter’s Central District in 2020. The state chapter named the Central District the best in the state in terms of growth under her leadership.

Her business is certified as womanowned by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a woman-owned small business. “These certifications are important,” she said. “They show our strength, because there is an underwriting process, and it’s also great to inspire other women to follow

Amy Calandrino

suit.” She is active on social media and recently was named to the #CREi: LinkedIn Top Influencers in Social Media in Commercial Real Estate list.

Trends in Office Space

The pandemic has hit the commercial real estate industry hard, Calandrino said. The office space sector will continue to struggle in Central Florida, which has a huge workspace inventory, but she expects employees to keep trickling back to the office. “I am finding some rubber-banding back to the office because not everyone is meant to work from home. I know so many people who are just Zoomed out.”

Orlando has more than a million square feet of office space available for lease, which she said is the largest amount since 1999. “I think the values will continue to suffer until more vacant space is absorbed, since pricing is based on supply and demand.”

Another trend, thanks to social distancing, is more square feet of workspace for each employee, which Calandrino described as a reversal of the open-floor plan, collaborative areas and “densification” that had been popular during the last decade. “We’ll also continue to see more offices wanting to be in the suburbs, rather than downtown.”

On the other hand, the warehouse sector is going strong.

“There’s been an incredible need for warehouse space because of COVID. A lot of the supply chain has come back to the United States. You can get anything delivered to your door, and people seem to like that. I don’t see it going away.”

Family Time

The Calandrino family has grown, too — little Giovanni now has a baby sister, Giulietta, born April 4. “Her father named her after a really cool Italian car, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta,” Calandrino said.

“It was his turn because I named our son after the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano.”

She enjoys cooking, sharing recipes via her Amy’s Apron blog, golfing with her husband, and playing poker, which she admits not having much time for lately.

“I’m telling you what, as soon as my husband and I get a chance to go to Las Vegas, we will. I am a little granola, coming from Vermont, and I love the outdoors, but I also like going to concerts and shows.”

As busy as they are, she said they have a no-shop-talk rule at the dinner table. “We have a San Francisco trolley bell in our kitchen, and when dinner is served, we ring the trolley bell. From that moment on, all the talk is about our family and the babies.” b

Central Florida is a vibrant community with amazing sectors: agriculture, tourism and hospitality, medical, and innovative technology.

It’s like nowhere else.

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

19

FEATURE

BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM

Career Coach Photography by Julie Fletcher

Commercial Real Estate Leader John Crossman Mentors Peers and Next Generation

20 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

Counselor, politician, real estate executive and pastor. When John Crossman’s CEO career transition coach gave him his top four matches for the next stage of his career, it wasn’t a hard choice for the former chief executive at Orlando commercial real estate agency Crossman & Co. In fact, he didn’t have to narrow it down at all: “I decided to embrace all of that,” he said with a laugh.

FEATURE

John Crossman

Soon after, he founded two new companies: Crossman Career Builders and CrossMarc Services.

He tackles his new roles in stride by mentoring young professionals and college students at Crossman Career Builders and advising established CEOs at CrossMarc. During a time in history marked by turmoil and uncertainty, his skill for having the hard conversations — like those about racial inequality and mental health — has created a model for executives in every sector of business.

New Companies

In 2019, Crossman stepped down from his 14year leadership role at Crossman & Co., which was founded by his brother, Scott, in 1990. Leaving the successful firm that he helped grow into a top-ranked commercial property management organization was a tough decision, but there were more pressing matters at hand for Crossman. Both his wife and his mother had recently fallen ill, and with two teenage daughters at home, he decided his time would be best spent prioritizing the women in his life for as long as they needed him.

“Then, basically, two things happened that changed my course,” Crossman said. “After six months, both my wife and my mother made it clear they didn’t need me around all the time —which is a nice way of saying, ‘You’re hovering.’ That, and I found the end of Netflix.”

He decided to turn his attention from caregiving and watching TV to a new phase of his professional life: career coaching. After a conversation with his executive coach, his two new companies began to take shape.

He founded Crossman Career Builders first, to focus on coaching and mentoring college students and young professionals in the commercial real estate industry — a realm in which he had already gained plenty of experience by speaking at college commencements and programs across the country.

Soon after, as the COVID-19 pandemic left more and more business executives looking for guidance, he launched CrossMarc Services, where established CEOs could come to him for insight. CrossMarc has since been retained by several Fortune 500 companies, as well as owners of large real estate portfolios.

Diversity is not about lowering the bar, it’s about widening the net. When you increase diversity, you have all your best players on the field. — John Crossman i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

21

FEATURE Each of the two companies has expanded and evolved in the past year, now providing coaching and corporate consulting on topics like mental health, racial inequality and suicide awareness.

Shaking Up the Status Quo

At the beginning of his professional journey, Crossman recalls being one of the only 20-somethings in an industry dominated by his older peers. But for the son of a pastor and civil rights leader, the instinct to lead quickly propelled him toward a mentorship role. “I grew up in a household that was big on purpose and community involvement.”

His career would turn out to present plenty of opportunities to continue that trajectory.

Early on, he was invited to present at a Florida State University (FSU) program titled “If I Were 25,” which the college says “brings leading voices from across the nation and industry segments to the FSU Real Estate Center’s platform to talk to students about their work, their career path and how they’ve dealt with adversity and experienced success.” The problem? Crossman was only 24 at the time. Rather than lose out on his insights, FSU changed the program’s name to “If I Were 21” — a change that has stuck for more than two decades.

That was far from the last time Crossman would change the status quo in his industry. “I’ve had an interest in social issues pretty much my entire adult life. But now these new companies have allowed me the time and focus to give me a better platform to express my ideas.”

Constructing Healthy Careers

As he traveled the country, fine-tuning his speeches in front of many promising future professionals on college campuses, Crossman whittled down his advice in a guide he called The Top Five Ways to Get Fired and The Top Five Ways to Keep From Being Fired. His words of wisdom have since been turned into the book Career Killers, Career Builders: The Book Every Millennial Needs to Read! and it was upon closer examination of the teachings in the book that he realized something very interesting.

“I wasn’t talking about being late for work or dressing appropriately, I was talking about these things that could end people’s lives,” he said.

“This was not long after the Great Recession, during which five people I knew committed suicide. And think of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Many times, with really successful people, there is a deeper wounding. Sometimes they are even overcompensating for that deeper hurt they may not have dealt with.

“I personally have struggled with clinical depression. It was terrible, and I would not want anybody to go through that, but I’m glad for the

22 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

FEATURE

If we are on a highway full of other experienced drivers, we are all a lot safer on that highway. The more educated a population is, the more people have the means and financial literacy to navigate their world, the better off our whole society will be.”

— John Crossman

In February 2020, Crossman Career Builders was the largest fundraiser for the Central Florida Suicide Walk.

empathy it’s given me. The more I lean into understanding all of these things — loss and greatness and talent — I realize it’s all linked. I don’t know how to not address it. It’s part of my story and it’s part of a lot of people’s stories.”

Crossman incorporates these insights into his work with people he mentors. In February 2020, Crossman Career Builders was the largest fundraiser for the Central Florida Suicide Walk.

A Time for Empowerment

This year has also thrown another one of his passions into a harsher light.

The pandemic-related challenges of 2020 presented a kind of reboot for everyone, Crossman explained, forcing perspectives to change not just on career decisions, but on issues of a much grander scale.

With the death of George Floyd in May 2020 at the hands of Minneapolis police, Crossman found more and more of his peers compelled to turn their focus toward racial inequality and diversity.

For Crossman, the issue has always been deeply rooted and holds the key to a healthier, more equitable world.

“At the end of the Civil War, former slaves were told they could vote, but they had to own land to vote and it was illegal for them to own land,” Crossman said.

“Land ownership has been used to hold minorities and women down for so long.

Women couldn’t even own real estate in the state of Florida up until the 1970s. It’s all linked.”

What seems hardest for some to grasp, he said, is that it’s not the people in the real estate industry or their intentional actions who perpetuate these practices, “it’s an example of institutional racism. The whole system is set up this way.” He is determined to change that.

For his part, Crossman has made it a point to provide scholarships for students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), including the first endowed real estate scholarships at Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Bethune-Cookman University. Other scholarships include the first endowed real estate scholarship at Valencia College for Hispanic students and an endowed real estate scholarship at Florida State University for women and minority students.

Most recently, Crossman partnered with Kelley Bergstrom, chairman of Bergstrom Investment Management, to provide a full scholarship at the University of Florida master’s in real estate program for graduates of FAMU.

“I am currently working to get 10 downtown Orlando law firms to endow scholarships at the FAMU College of Law,” Crossman said, a goal he describes as an uphill climb. “A lot of law schools and real estate CEOs are not recruiting at HBCUs like FAMU and are missing out on this incredible talent. We need to make that effort at a collegiate level, and we still have a long way to go.”

Dismantling these barriers to access has the potential to create a ripple effect that makes the hard work and sacrifice more than worth it. “Diversity is not about lowering the bar, it’s about widening the net,” Crossman said. “When you increase diversity, you have all your best players on the field.”

Crossman also knows real estate is one of the most reliable means of accumulating and expanding personal wealth. “Look at it this way: If we are on a highway full of other experienced drivers, we are all a lot safer on that highway. The more educated a population is, the more people have the means and financial literacy to navigate their world, the better off our whole society will be.” b i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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FEATURE

April McIntosh, Jessica Burns and Bob Burns

Parramore Construction Firm R L Burns Touts New Generation of Leadership

BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM

J

Photography by Julie Fletcher

essica Burns, the new president of Orlando construction management and general contracting firm R L Burns, wasn’t always sure the family business would be in her future. Watching her father, Bob Burns, build the business from the ground up was inspiring, she remembers, but it was also harrowing.

“Seeing my dad develop his business from nothing made me value what it means to be an entrepreneur. But there were times when we really struggled,” Burns said, citing the uncertainty of times like the Great Recession, which hit in late 2007 right as their first corporate offices were opening. “Seeing how difficult it was, at first I shied away from it. But a lot

24 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

of that was because I didn’t understand what the challenges meant — that those obstacles were just problems waiting for a solution.”

Even before she was sure about taking on her current role at the Parramorebased firm, she was ready to lend a hand in those solutions. She came on board as marketing coordinator after earning a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications from the University of South Florida. That led to a role as business development coordinator, working with clients and sorting through compliance requirements and contracts.

She began to see and appreciate the connectivity between the parts of the whole, and how they work together to keep the business thriving. That eventually grew into a vice president role,

Seeing my dad develop his business from nothing made me value what it means to be an entrepreneur.

— Jessica Burns

FEATURE

BUILDING COM

MUNITY

where she stayed for three years. In 2016, she left to pursue her law degree at the University of Florida and became an associate attorney at Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial, a firm with multiple offices around the country.

When she returned to R L Burns this year, her newfound knowledge, construction background and spirit of entrepreneurship made her a perfect fit for her new role as president. Her return marked a brand-new leadership lineup as well. Her father now serves as CEO, and April McIntosh, a certified general contractor, serves as executive vice president.

In an industry where women represent only 10.9% of the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up 25% of the employees at R L Burns. The company is committed to the knowledge that gender equality in the workplace benefits everyone, Burns said.

Building Differently It isn’t just the gender gap where R L Burns is breaking new ground. Since its founding in 1994, the focus has never been on industry norms. Bob Burns himself was a carpenter by trade before his entrepreneurial venture, and his daughter described how that spirit of a “true builder” has always set them apart.

“We have a team full of people who truly understand how to build,” she said.

“So when there are challenges on the job site, or collaboration is needed with designers, we understand how to work

quickly, how to put things together and take them apart to make them work.”

And while that team is still a smaller one, it seems an advantage to Burns.

“Our size allows us to be really nimble and flexible. Sometimes larger entities might be caught up in red tape when you’re trying to work through solutions, but we can make decisions quickly. I and the rest of the team are heavily involved in the day to day.”

That spirit has gotten the firm a reputation that holds weight with current partners like Orange County and Hillsborough County public schools, Pasco County and the City of Ocala, along with some of the most recognizable landmarks of Orlando. “We were really excited to be a part of the Amway Center build in 2008,” Burns said. “That and our work with the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center gave us such a platform and allowed us to expand our business.”

The firm’s partnership with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, one of its longest-standing clients since 2003, has led to improvements everywhere in the airport, from security gates to terminals.

Affordable Housing Its latest project is one that has become more and more pressing in the past year: affordable housing projects for the City of Orlando, which include eight single-family homes expected to start construction in early summer.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Florida is one of 13 states with metropolitan areas,

including the Orlando-KissimmeeSanford region, that have severe housing shortages. R L Burns is taking steps to alleviate this burden for the community while expanding the firm’s business opportunities.

“We’re looking at expanding our housing division even more, both singleand multi-family units,” Burns said.

“We’re also looking at developing new lines of business to support economic and environmental concerns that are ongoing, and infrastructure concerns exposed by COVID-19. I want to evaluate what we’re doing currently, and how we can innovate, be more creative and provide competitive advantage.”

These steps mark an exciting new chapter, but it’s one that stays true to the heart of the company her father founded.

At R L Burns, uplifting community has always come first.

“It’s really important to us to have our office here,” Burns said of the firm’s location in the historically Black neighborhood of Parramore.

“We understand the importance of community in raising the next generation and having a successful Black-owned construction business right here, and in being a model for others to look to and say, ‘I can do that one day.’ The more you see people who look like you doing things you want to do, the more you realize those things are attainable. The challenges you face can be overcome.”

It all comes down to the first lesson Burns learned when she entered the business: Challenges do not mean the end of the road. “As I’ve grown, I’ve realized it’s our job to find the solutions,” she said. “And if we can’t, it’s our job to empower our team to find them.” b i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

25

FEATURE

CHUCK WHITTALL

AND

UNICORP

Building a More Sophisticated Central Florida

BY TERRY GODBEY

Photography by Julie Fletcher

A

s a boy, Chuck Whittall liked to build things — not with blocks or other toys but with real wood, a hammer and nails his mother brought home from the lumber store. “I had a little saw, and I was always outside building things,” he said. “I made a tree fort, a car and an airplane.”

Today, the developer and president of Unicorp National Developments in Orlando is still building things, still bringing ingenuity and daring to the work, and still deriving pleasure from it. “I love the creative parts and all the people I get to meet, being visionary and bringing new ideas to Central Florida, designing buildings and bringing ideas into fruition,” he said.

Several of those ideas are taking shape now at O-Town West, a $1 billion project not far from Walt Disney World where the largest White Castle restaurant in the nation opened May 3 and set a single-day sales record. The complex will include a boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues as well a grocery store, 1,300 luxury apartments and the Marriott Vacations Worldwide corporate headquarters.

Whittall and Unicorp, which is knee-deep in $3 billion in development projects that will eventually include the redevelopment of Fashion Square Mall, have helped to polish Central Florida. “My vision for the area is to make it really, really cool,” he said. “We want to bring some concepts here that you see in markets like Miami or New York. We are a maturing market, so we want to keep bringing mature concepts here, not just the typical trend-driven restaurants.

“Central Florida is more sophisticated than it was a decade ago.

You didn’t used to see Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but now we have Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini dealerships. More interesting concepts are coming here that wouldn’t have before — like the Sixty Vines restaurant we built in Winter Park — because we’re blossoming and becoming a little bit more cosmopolitan.”

Whittall is proud of his company’s role in that transformation.

“Unicorp has been willing to take risks. I think they’re safe risks because I believe in everything we do, but those risks have allowed us to bring lots of great things here — from The Wheel and StarFlyer at ICON Park on International Drive to Trader Joe’s grocery stores to the new White Castle restaurant.”

He has remained bullish and confident throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. “Going strong was the right decision for my company,” he said. “I thought that, like with any recessive period, we would cycle through it. It’s paying off today because we’ve got 26 projects under construction,” most of them in Central Florida.

Last year, as chairman of the reopening committee that was part of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force formed by

26 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

Central Florida is more sophisticated than it was a decade ago. You didn’t used to see Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but now we have Ferrari, Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini dealerships. More interesting concepts are coming here that wouldn’t have before — like the Sixty Vines restaurant we built in Winter Park — because we’re blossoming and becoming a little bit more cosmopolitan.

— Chuck Whittall

FEATURE

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Whittall helped write the protocol that allowed businesses to reopen safely.

Whittall said he already sees an uptick in the local economy, including the hospitality sector, and he expects it to continue to strengthen. “Everyone is bouncing back. Our Wyndham Hotel is making a profit again. Our restaurant Slate on Sand Lake Road is very busy. I think there’s enough pent-up demand that everybody will do well, and come July Fourth, when we should reach herd immunity, the confidence level is going to skyrocket.

“This fall and winter are going to be strong, and next year is going to be even stronger. Homes are selling in one day. I’m 100% bullish on the market, as I always have been.”

Whittall shares his secrets to success on his podcast “Chuck Chat,” available on Apple, Google and Spotify. He also wrote a book, Perseverance: Broke to Billions: Barriers in Business and Strategies to Remove Them, which was released late last year and made the lists of top motivational and real estate books.

And yes, he really was broke. His parents divorced when he was 12, and his stepfather kicked him out of the house when he turned 18. “I moved out with only the clothes on my back and two bedsheets,” he said.

Whittall worked as a DJ for three or four years, and when he was 21 he started a stucco and drywall company. He began to buy properties in foreclosure, which he fixed up and sold, flipping houses way before it was cool.

That turned into a home construction business when he was 26, and six years later, he started Unicorp National Developments.

In the 23 years since, the company has created everything from luxury resorts and communities to retail centers and apartments, specializing in premier mixed-use and residential developments.

In April, Unicorp broke ground on Celebration Pointe, a grocery-anchored shopping center in Osceola County.

But shoppers will have to wait a while longer — until 2022 — for the redevelopment of the languishing Fashion Square Mall. First the project hit some pandemic snags. “Now we’re dealing with resolving issues from the previous foreclosure,” Whittall said.

Plans call for the mall to eventually include highrise apartments, a hotel, a grocery store, offices, stores, restaurants, a day care center, a fitness center and a resort for pets.

“I’m proud of the way I’ve built my business and the way it’s benefited many people’s lives,” he said.

As busy as he is, Whittall leaves himself plenty of time to play. He likes to relax on his boat in Longboat Key on the state’s west coast. He is a licensed pilot and owns two planes, although he chooses not to fly them. “They’re pretty big. And I like to sit in the back, drink cocktails, listen to music and work,” he said.

His favorite thing, though, is driving fast — he’s a racecar driver on the Ferrari Challenge North America team and placed third at the season opener at Virginia International Raceway on March 26. So when he says fast, he means fast.

He once drove 230 mph. Luckily for Central Florida, Chuck Whittall is not a man to slow down. b

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

27

DOWNTOWN ORLANDO RECORD BREAKING SALE

100 S Eola Drive PH219 SOLD AT $2,700,000

Who you hire matters...

Erin Wanner 407.595.5055 Erin@stockworth.com

@Stockworth

WINTER PARK RECORD BREAKING SALE

570 Seminole Drive SOLD AT $5,400,000

...it takes experience, solid relationships and good old-fashioned grit to get the big deals done.

Julie Bettosini 321.689.9594 Jbettosini@stockworth.com

FEATURE

‘CRAZY BUSY’

Hot Housing Market Keeps Regional Realtors Hopping

N

BY DIANE SEARS

atalie Arrowsmith recently helped a client move her plants and other belongings into an upscale apartment in the Lake Ivanhoe neighborhood of Orlando. It was an unusual task for a Realtor who is trying to help people buy and sell homes. But unusual is the name of the game these days in the Central Florida residential real estate market.

Her client wanted to take advantage of the equity she has in her home and sell right away instead of making the contract contingent on her family finding another house to buy. Renting an apartment for seven months was the solution — and it worked. “We were able to sell their home in 20 days for $30,000 over asking price, and they’re happy,” Arrowsmith said. “If you can find something that works for you and your family, it might be the time to sell.

But I always say to call a Realtor first and have that conversation and see what’s right for you.”

Arrowsmith, the broker/owner of NextHome Arrowsmith Realty in Apopka, has worked in real estate since 2004 and has never seen anything like today’s whitehot housing market. As 2021 president of the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, she speaks with real estate professionals all over Central Florida and other parts of the state and the nation, and the industry is abuzz with activity.

The biggest challenge is low inventory.

There aren’t enough houses to meet the demand of 1,000 new residents a day relocating to the Orlando area, let alone local people who are trying to move.

Records show there were fewer than 2,700 homes for sale in Central Florida in April.

30 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

That was about three weeks’ worth of inventory, down from 2,878 homes on the market the month before and down 65% from the same month in 2020.

“When you have six months’ worth of homes, that’s a healthy market,” Arrowsmith said. “Real estate is simple supply-and-demand economics. Three months’ supply is a seller’s market. We are just under three weeks of housing inventory, so that’s one of those ‘Oh my goodness!’ moments. It’s crazy busy.”

The situation presents a challenge for real estate professionals, who have to work harder to make each deal. “Being successful in this market is all about educating yourself, understanding the process, understanding contracts. You need to understand how contingencies work, you need to understand what questions to ask.

We’ve gotten to where there are multiple offers being provided, 10 to 15 at one time, and over asking price. You have to have the ability to write that offer for your buyer — or as a listing agent, you need to know how to have that conversation with your seller.”

For buyers and sellers, getting good advice and considering all options is key in this kind of market, Arrowsmith said.

“We’re actually designing spreadsheets for the sellers so they can look at all the pros and cons of each contract. A lot of people say, ‘Cash is king,’ but cash isn’t necessarily king if a cash offer is coming in under price or with contingencies attached.

You can have a very clean finance contract that might be better than a cash offer.”

Newly constructed homes are caught up in the same situation as resales, Arrowsmith said. Developers are building new homes as fast as they can, with added challenges because of difficulty in securing

Natalie Arrowsmith

Real estate is simple supply-and-demand economics. Three months’ supply is a seller’s market. We are just under three weeks of housing inventory, so that’s one of those ‘Oh my goodness!’ moments.

It’s crazy busy.

— Natalie Arrowsmith

FEATURE building materials such as lumber, which are priced higher because of low availability and increased demand.

Some buyers looking at new construction are on three-phase wait lists, she said. The first buyers on the list get first dibs on properties that become available. Then the second phase gets to choose, and the third phase can pick from whatever is left.

Arrowsmith calls the situation “the perfect storm” spurred in part by historically low interest rates and the work-at-home realities created by the COVID-19 pandemic. “People are finding they don’t have to necessarily work in the same town where they live, they can

live in other places, or maybe they want a house with an office in it or a gym, or a place to put their children because they’ve been home all the time now.

There’s such an influx of buyers that we just can’t keep up with it.”

Even when Central Florida was going through the housing bubble before the Great Recession hit in 2007-08, the area didn’t experience such a difference between supply and demand, Arrowsmith said. “I think at our lowest inventory during the bubble, we were at about 5,000 houses.”

Homes in all price ranges are selling quickly, Arrowsmith said. “They’re all pretty hot right now. We listed one for

$1.4 million, and in two hours had two cash offers at $1.5 million and $1.51 million. Then I listed one for $200,000 and had 15 offers. They’re lined up out the door to see them.”

Arrowsmith’s advice for buyers and sellers is to work with a Realtor. “So often we see people who say, ‘I can do this myself,’ but because of the market we’re in, and any other time really, a Realtor can help you navigate rough waters. A Realtor is there to help protect you and to help make sure you get the best for your investment. Our job is to guide you through these tough times and help you get the best deal you can get.” b

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

31

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

From left, Steve Pinyot, executive vice president; Rob Maphis, president; Brian Walsh, founder, CEO and chairman; and Tara Sanders, chief financial officer

The Collage Companies:

T

Passing the Leadership Baton

he Collage Companies has been the catalyst behind some of Florida’s most iconic structures for nearly 40 years, providing design build, general contracting and construction management services with an emphasis on community-centric projects in the hospitality, religious, transportation and park sectors. High-profile projects include Lynx Central Station, Aloft Lake Buena Vista, Luminary Green at Creative Village, and Tampa Union Station.

Since 1982, Collage projects have provided thousands of jobs in Central Florida, and in 2020 Collage completed nearly $100 million in construction

32 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

projects. Collage has been recognized among GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch and as one of Central Florida’s Top Workplaces for 2020 by the Orlando Sentinel.

Effective January 20, Brian Walsh, founder of The Collage Companies, assumed the title of chairman and CEO, and he will continue to guide the vision and strategic direction for Collage’s market expansion. He is succeeded by Rob Maphis, who assumed the role of president after serving as chief operating officer since 2016. Steve Pinyot moved from his role of vice president to fill the role of executive vice president.

Tara Sanders, who had been Collage’s controller since 2014, became chief financial officer.

Walsh received the industry’s highest distinction in 2018 as part of the Design Build Institute of America’s inaugural College of Fellows.

“This transition or growing of our leadership team has been planned for quite a while and is part of our

progression to become an employeeowned business,” Walsh said. “This is the time, and I have all the confidence in Rob and our team to continue our growth and impact in our industry and our community. We have a stronger team now to continue our mission to build projects that strengthen the foundation of our community, and I may take a little more time to pursue our family’s philanthropic and charitable interests.”

In 2018, Maphis was appointed by then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott to the Construction Industry Licensing Board, which regulates state-licensed contractors.

“I am honored to take the baton as president of this company, building upon the solid reputation Brian has cultivated over the past four decades,” Maphis said. “I truly love the business of building, the organization that I am part of, and the talented construction professionals I am blessed to work alongside. I look forward to continuing to carry out Collage’s mission.” b

Lake Nona

4BUSiNESS ®

Orlando's Leadership Connection

SPECIAL SECTION

Lake Nona

■■■TABLE OF CONTENTS■■■

35 LIFE IN LAKE NONA

Developer Tavistock Creates City of the Future

39 VALENCIA COLLEGE LAKE NONA CAMPUS A Laboratory for Growing Excellence

40 HOLLAND & KNIGHT + TAVISTOCK

Meet the Legal Team Behind Some of Lake Nona’s Biggest Land Deals

42 SHINY AND NEW

Homegrown Berman Corp. Keeps Lake Nona Sparkling

44 QUIET ZONE

Suntek Cuts the Noise and Fumes From Residential Lawn Care

46 A GOLDEN SPOT

PulteGroup Caters to 55-Plus in Del Webb Sunbridge

Whether real estate is your business, a part of your investment portfolio or an asset to be managed, Holland & Knight’s knowledgeable lawyers and professionals are ready to advise, guide and protect your interests.

PEST PREVENTION • TERMITE PROTECTION • LANDSCAPE SERVICES IRRIGATION MAINTENANCE • MOSQUITO SERVICES

Choose the Experts Your Lake Nona Neighbors Count On. Choose Massey.

www.hklaw.com Orlando, FL | 407.425.8500

With Service Centers in Lake Nona, our customers know we will provide quick response, appointments scheduled at their convenience and Total Customer Satisfaction.

MasseyServices.com 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739) Copyright © 2021 Holland & Knight LLP All Rights Reserved

34 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

LIFE IN

Lake Nona

LAKE NONA DEVELOPER TAVISTOCK CREATES CITY OF THE FUTURE ►BY DIANE SEARS

A

sk 10 people why they choose to live or work in Lake Nona, and they will give you 10 unique answers that offer insight into this special community.

Once sought after for its luxury golf and country club lifestyle, Lake Nona has become known for its expanding cluster of specialty health care operations, including the Orlando VA Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital and the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center. But in recent years, through the vision of Tavistock Development Company, the community has become known for other specialties not found anywhere else in Central Florida — and in some cases, anywhere else in the world.

“We see different kinds of people move in for different reasons,” said Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing director of Tavistock Group, the parent company of the community’s developer. One woman chose the community after hearing about residents volunteering for a life sciences study. Another wanted to be near medical professionals like herself in hopes of collaborating on projects. A man who bid on sports shoes in online auctions wanted to live in a place with lightning-fast internet.

“Lake Nona is an exciting city of the future to anybody who really likes and is passionate about any one of its elements,” Thakkar said. “The people who live in Lake Nona have a pioneering spirit. They’re a very participative, collaborative community.”

i4Biz.com | SPECIAL SECTION

35

Lake Nona

1 Unique Specialties SPORTS AND PERFORMANCE: Lake Nona is a hub for sports and performance. Several professional men and women golfers call the community home, and the United States Tennis Association chose the community for its 100-court National Campus. The Lake Nona Performance Club opens this summer, integrating sports, fitness and a health center that partnered with Deepak Chopra to set up a first-of-its-kind Chopra Mind-Body Zone & Spa. In fact, the author and alternative medicine guru recently purchased a home in Lake Nona.

EDUCATION: The community is a hub for education, with the University of Central Florida basing its medical school, health sciences education and biomedical research operations there along with the University of Florida Research & Academic Center and a Valencia College campus specializing in biotechnology. Lake Nona is becoming a hub for continuing education, too. Global audit, tax and advisory services firm KPMG opened a $450 million professional development center there designed to bring in 800 employees a week for learning retreats, and this year it announced a new Capability Center nearby with state-of-the-art technology for helping clients.

INNOVATION AND BUSINESS INCUBATION: Lake Nona is known for innovation and business incubation as home to a UCF life sciences business incubator. It’s also the location of the GuideWell Innovation Center, which houses wellness-related startup companies and hosts thought leadership events including the annual Lake Nona Impact Forum that brings in health and wellness experts from all over the world. Lake Nona is also home to the leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Accelerator, which recently graduated its first cohort of promising sports and health tech startups, in a shared co-working space with the Verizon 5G Innovation Lab, providing entrepreneurs with some of the fastest, most reliable technology in the country. The smart and responsive community has attracted the headquarters of several innovative companies.

TRAVEL AND MOBILITY: Most recently, Lake Nona has been labeled as an emerging “aerotropolis,” a business hub that benefits from direct access to an international airport. The community is contiguous to busy Orlando International Airport, where a new Brightline train that will connect with Miami by 2023 will be part of the first rail system in the country that can carry airline passengers directly to another city.

Additionally, Lake Nona has been chosen as the first U.S. vertiport hub for an all-electric flying taxi network operated by German company Lilium that by 2025 will be able to carry passengers distances of up to 186 miles within an hour on a single charge. Other Lilium vertiports are planned around the state.

36 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

2

3

4

Lake Nona

5

Quality of Life All of these specialties contribute to one thing: a quality of life that is hard to describe in a single breath.

But Tavistock gave it a try in its recently revised Lake Nona vision statement: Creating a lifestyle that enables people to thrive and believe the future is here. This is the Lake Nona mission statement: To create an extraordinary environment that inspires human potential through collaboration, innovation and customer devotion.

6

“We graduated from saying for 15 years that we wanted to create an ideal place,” Thakkar said. “The place has taken shape, and that has now graduated to creating a lifestyle. In the second component of the vision, allowing people to thrive, we had previously said ‘To inspire human potential.’ Taking it to the next level now is that in addition to just inspiring them, we need to have an environment that allows them to truly thrive.

“And then the final piece, the third element, is to believe the future is here. We’ve always said ‘through innovative collaboration.’ We feel that the ingredients of collaboration are embedded into the community and the ecosystem here now, so if we take that even further, with collaboration being a given, then ‘believing the future is here’ allows the imagination to dance.”

Still Growing Tavistock has big plans for the community’s 17 square miles, including a collection of hotels and new restaurants that will continue to add activity and character to the community’s Town Center. The cosmopolitan Wave Hotel that opens later this year will stand 17 stories tall — a rarity outside the Orlando downtown core.

7

Lake Nona also is home to a growing collection of public artwork including the Glass House outside the lakeside Canvas Restaurant & Market, a two-story mirrored statue of a Labrador retriever named Disco, and the Code Wall that decorates the side of a parking garage with 1’s and 0’s carved out of metal, spelling out Lake Nona’s community values in binary code.

“Normally what you will find is if a developer or a master planner builds a neighborhood, they cannot wait to sell out their final product,” Thakkar said. “We’re very different. We are here to stay. This is a legacy project. ►►

PHOTOS 1. USTA National Campus 2. UCF Lake Nona Medical Center 3. Beep Autonomous Shuttle 4. Lilium Flying Taxi Network

5. Deepak Chopra 6. The Glass House 7. KPMG Capability Center i4Biz.com | SPECIAL SECTION

37

Lake Nona “Large-scale community development is not for the faint of heart. It takes literally decades to do. You have to have incredibly well-resourced parties to be able to sustain different cycles that come and go. We had a big downturn in 2008-09, and who could have ever predicted COVID-19?”

Tavistock did not let the pandemic deter its projects, Thakkar said. “We did not slow down one iota in terms of our belief and faith in Lake Nona when COVID-19 hit. In fact, if anything, the things that we stand for resonate even stronger in trying times.

That’s when people need to be inspired even more, and inspiring human potential is how we feel we truly can make a difference in people’s lives.”

FROM NO PLANS TO BACKHANDS The sport that lets you keep social distance without being socially distant.

Visit ustanationalcampus.com

The company has long touted Lake Nona as a destination within a destination in Orlando. Whether visitors are there to seek specialized medical treatment at Nemours, watch tennis matches at the USTA headquarters, enjoy a spa retreat at the Lake Nona Performance Club, or go through corporate training at the KPMG Lakehouse, they will leave with an impression of Central Florida.

Lake Nona wants to be sure it’s a good one.

The KPMG facility alone is expected to bring more than 50,000 professionals a year through Lake Nona as it ramps up its new building that shut down for the pandemic. “If we do just our part, I think Orlando will benefit, and all of these folks who sit in the boardrooms of so many eminent companies throughout the world will be exposed to this region,” Thakkar said. “Hopefully that will only lead to more and more quality of life for all of Central Florida.” P

©2021 USTA. All rights reserved.

©2021 USTA. All rights reserved.

38 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

Lake Nona

VALENCIA COLLEGE LAKE NONA CAMPUS A Laboratory for Growing Excellence

►BY TERRY GODBEY

V

alencia College Lake Nona Campus makes the most of its prime location in an area celebrated for its life sciences industry. Through its collaboration with Medical City institutions, public schools, universities and innovative businesses, the college creates robust educational and career opportunities, particularly in STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering and math.

Valencia College is part of the Lake Nona educational ecosystem, which is committed to expanding and diversifying the regional talent pipeline. Its partners include the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, Medical City’s hospitals, the United States Tennis Association and Tavistock Group, which created the Lake Nona community through Tavistock Development Company. Benefits of this synergy include internships and an education ambassador at Valencia who serves as a liaison between schools and industry partners to offer experiential learning.

The campus offers its students unprecedented access to higher education with nearby medical and pharmacy schools, which are coupled with dynamic partnerships that can lead to employment in Medical City.

“We are the access point for all the careers a student might want to pursue,” Executive Dean Mike Bosley said. “Students can receive the highest-quality education right here in our community, and that starts in pre-kindergarten and extends through graduate school.”

In addition to providing medicalprogram prerequisites such as anatomy, physiology, chemistry

Serves and biology, Valencia’s Lake Nona Campus is home to a cuttingedge, two-year biotechnology laboratory sciences program. It offers 60 programs of study and awards an associate in science degree that allows graduates to work as biotechnology technicians, assisting in laboratory experiments and gene-modification research, exciting careers that can lead to new medicines, advances in agriculture and alternative energy sources.

The campus, which opened in 2012 after being housed for a time in Lake Nona High School, also offers non-credit continuing education courses in English and Spanish, which are popular with businesses that encourage employees to brush up on a second language.

Bosley has worked for the college for almost 24 years and finds the work stimulating and gratifying.

“You get to change people’s lives every day by helping them learn, find their passions and change their families’ lives.” P

FOR MORE INFO: https://valenciacollege.edu

Orange and Osceola residents, high school students (via dual enrollment)

Student Enrollment

6,500

Degrees Offered

Location

Associate in arts, associate in science (in biotechnology laboratory sciences program)

Medical City, next to Lake Nona High School

Features

18 classrooms, 6 science labs, online courses, learning support services including tutoring, assessment services and computer access

Mike Bosley i4Biz.com | SPECIAL SECTION

39

Lake Nona

HOLLAND & KNIGHT + TAVISTOCK Meet the Legal Team Behind Some of Lake Nona’s Biggest Land Deals Sara Bernard and Michelle Rencoret are the legal minds behind a portfolio of nationally acclaimed properties, including the 17-square-mile “smart city” of Lake Nona in Orlando, which Fortune magazine profiled in “How to Build a Great American City,” and the 27,000-acre planned community of Sunbridge, which will span Orange and Osceola counties.

Bernard, a partner with Holland & Knight LLP, and Rencoret, vice president and general counsel with Tavistock Development Company, have a decade-plus partnership of working on real estate and corporate transactions in Lake Nona, including the University of Central Florida (UCF) College of Medicine and its newly opened teaching hospital, KPMG’s Lakehouse national training center, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus and the Laureate Park community. They have developed a relationship built on mutual respect, trust and hard work.

Sara Bernard and Michelle Rencoret

The most important thing lawyers must do is have an understanding of the client’s industry, as well as the client’s business model, company culture, risk tolerances and objectives.

— Sara Bernard

40 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

Bernard and Rencoret say the hallmark to their successful collaboration as in-house and outside legal counsel is that they have complementary strengths, always maintain an open line of communication, and share a common priority of achieving Tavistock’s strategic goals. This means being creative and challenging one another in solving complex legal issues while managing risk with predictable outcomes and without stifling innovation. Here they answer some questions about their partnership:

Lake Nona

Q:

Sara, describe your work for Tavistock as a partner with Holland & Knight.

I began working with Tavistock in 2004. Since then, I have worked on the vast majority of real estate transaction and development matters within Lake Nona, including UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, Nemours Children’s Hospital, the Veterans Affairs Hospital, Valencia College, KPMG, USTA, NorthLake Park and Laureate Park, to name a few.

A:

I have also assisted Tavistock in transactional and development matters in other projects, including Airport South planned development in Osceola County; Greeneway Park in Orange County; Education Village in Orange County; Sunbridge; Lakewood Ranch in Manatee and Sarasota counties; Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale; and Tavistock projects in Boston, Massachusetts, and Albany, Bahamas. Working with Tavistock on these exceptional projects has been an extraordinary privilege and undoubtedly some of my biggest professional achievements. When I think of Tavistock’s meteoric growth and success, I get an immense feeling of pride, and in so many ways it is the reason for my own meteoric rise and professional growth as a lawyer.

Today, this infrastructure is paving the way for more innovation at Lake Nona, which includes autonomous vehicles and the creation of the country’s first regional hub for high-speed, electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

Another exciting innovative project includes Holland & Knight’s representation of Tavistock in connection with its development of a number of routes for autonomous shuttle vehicles in Lake Nona. The work has included, among other things, negotiating the commercial development of the routes, financing for the transactions, licensing of the software operating the vehicles, insurance issues related to the shuttles, local approvals for the routes, mitigation of risk, and addressing U.S. laws limiting the importation of the shuttles. This includes bringing in specialist lawyers from our Washington, D.C., and New York offices to address regulatory, trade, technology and intellectual property issues. We are very proud to bring our talent to Lake Nona as the first community in the state of Florida to introduce autonomous shuttles.

Q:

Michelle, what challenges do you face in

representing a special project like Lake Nona?

The most exciting and equally challenging aspect of my role at Tavistock is that innovation is in our DNA and no project or deal is the same. Tavistock is always looking to the future of design, technology and human experience in its focus to create long-term value in projects that will inspire for generations to come. The delivery must be swift, the structure nimble and the process collaborative. My guidance is both on the business and legal side, and striking the perfect balance isn’t always straightforward, but getting it right is my passion.

A:

The delivery must be swift, the structure nimble and the process collaborative. My guidance is both on the business and legal side, and striking the perfect balance isn’t always straightforward, but getting it right is my passion.

— Michelle Rencoret

Q:

Sara, what challenges do you face when you advise on innovative projects like Lake Nona?

The most important thing lawyers must do is have an understanding of the client’s industry, as well as the client’s business model, company culture, risk tolerances and objectives. Additionally, lawyers must be genuinely concerned with safeguarding their client’s interests and provide practical legal solutions suitable for their business. With that said, the most challenging aspect of representing a client like Tavistock, which is always on the cutting edge of innovation and trailblazing new pathways for groundbreaking developments, is that you also have to be creative in your legal approach. It is not a one-size-fits-all approach to real estate transactions or land development. For me, that is what makes Tavistock so exciting to work with. I am not just a lawyer but also a strategic adviser and thought partner.

A:

As one example, when Tavistock had a vision of creating a “smart community,” the company determined that one key aspect to realizing this vision was to develop a cutting-edge telecommunications infrastructure within its 17-square-mile footprint. I assembled and led a legal team that guided Tavistock through a series of transactions and real estate development matters that helped to execute the company’s telecommunications initiative, all of which required a significant amount of legal and strategic planning, coordination, collaboration and partnership.

I am fortunate that for more than a decade I have witnessed visions being transformed into reality. These projects include residential, retail, office, industrial, hospitality, aviation and aerospace, which are partnered with cutting-edge architecture, a gigabit network and a focus on health and wellness.

Q:

Sara, how would you describe Holland & Knight’s partnership with Tavistock?

One of the things I am most proud of is the perfect match of Holland & Knight and Tavistock, which share common core values. Both organizations have a culture of collaboration, diversity and excellence. Also, the spirit of philanthropy in both of our organizations is thoughtful and intentional, such as our joint involvement in Best Buddies, which pairs volunteers with people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Lake Nona Institute, which incubates, activates and measures the impact of innovative technologies and programs.

A:

Q:

Michelle, how would you describe the partnership?

I am incredibly grateful for the partnership with Sara and Holland & Knight. They have created a team that not only understands our business but embraces the challenges of doing what we do and delivers the necessary expertise with unparalleled results. P

A:

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Lake Nona

SHINY AND NEW Homegrown Berman Corp.

Keeps Lake Nona Sparkling

M

►BY TERRY GODBEY arty Berman goes to the office every day determined to work harder than everyone else, and Lake Nona’s striking architecture, high-end landscaping and iconic public artwork reflect that conviction.

The founder, chairman and CEO of Berman Corp., the national facilities management company that cares for nearly every business within Lake Nona’s 17 square miles, formed his strong work ethic in his first job, as a firefighter in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

“I went to them as a 19-year-old who didn’t know how the real world worked,” he said. “The firefighters taught me to constantly try to be better, to train and to learn.”

Seven years later, he decided to try something new. “I wanted to learn how to build houses,” he said.

“And I thought, ‘If I fail, I’ll come back to firefighting.’”

In 2005, luxury home builder Toll Brothers hired him as a construction manager and moved him to Orlando to join Landstar Homes, which it had acquired. A year later, in the early days of the housing collapse that preceded the Great Recession in 2008, Berman was told he had to lay off his entire staff — and that he, too, would soon be out of a job because no one was buying houses.

But first, Toll Brothers asked him to find a landscaper, a cleaning company and a pool company. “We had to maintain all these empty houses,” he said. Berman sensed an opportunity, and he seized it. “I said, ‘Look, I can do this, and I’ll do it cheaper, better and faster.’” So he gathered the construction workers he had laid off, bought liability insurance and took over the building maintenance and landscaping tasks.

Autonomous Lawn Mower

42 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

“I was the cleaner and another guy cut the grass,” he said. “Then, about nine months into it, I started getting calls from other builders and began to realize that the model of providing more than one service really worked. I decided to go all in because it didn’t look like I was ever going back to work in the construction field.” So in 2006, he formed his company, then based in downtown Orlando, by maxing out his credit cards. “I had no money.”

Lake Nona

But he had something equally valuable: diligence and a desire to excel. “We were cleaning to survive, and we outperformed everybody.”

With the recession kicking in, commercial construction in Orlando had nearly ground to a halt, he said, with one notable exception: the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute, which opened in Lake Nona’s burgeoning Medical City in 2009. Berman Corp. won the contract to clean the building, which is now the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center.

“That gave us instant credibility when we really shouldn’t have had any,” Berman said with a laugh. “We were the only facilities management company working out here. There were mostly cows and farms and agriculture, but we knew that in 10 years, Lake Nona would be a city within a city, so we staked our claim.”

The properties Berman Corp. maintained “looked better than everyone else’s,” he said, so Lake Nona’s developer, Tavistock Development Co., approached him with its vision. “They told me they wanted a uniform, high-quality appearance throughout their model city, and they wanted only the best.”

Berman Corp. got the job and started by cleaning Tavistock properties.

Eventually the company became the overall property manager, handling all the property and maintenance needs of nearly every commercial building and many common areas throughout the community.

In addition to property and landscape maintenance and janitorial services, the full-service company has grown to handle 24-hour repairs and disaster response, pressure washing and events staffing.

Everything about Lake Nona, including the community’s emphasis on wellness and excellence, appeals to Berman. “We had clients around the nation, but most simply wanted to maintain their property, not to be great. We

want to be a world-class company, so Lake Nona is a perfect fit.”

The community’s dedication to innovation and technology is another huge plus. Tavistock challenged Berman to be innovative, so the company has introduced autonomous floor cleaners and lawn mowers.

“While Laureate Park residents sleep, the lawn mowers, which are silent, are cutting the grass without them knowing it,” he said.

His employees also maintain the autonomous vehicles that transport residents to shops, restaurants, and recreational and medical destinations.

His company installed the community’s public art and maintains it, too. Each piece is cleaned by hand every day, including the Glass House, an installation that resembles stained glass near Canvas Restaurant & Market, and Disco, a 35-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture of a Labrador retriever near Lake Nona Town Center.

Berman admires the community and its “smart growth” so much that in 2015 he moved the company there, along with his wife, Nicole, and their three kids. “Children here can go to elementary school all the way through medical school without leaving the area,” he said, referring to the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. “We wanted to be in a place where we could live, work and play without driving 45 minutes.” P

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Lake Nona

QUIET ZONE

SUNTEK CUTS THE NOISE AND FUMES FROM RESIDENTIAL LAWN CARE ►BY DIANE SEARS

I

n a YouTube video, a job applicant in a button-down shirt and tie sits in front of a computer at his home. As he opens his mouth to answer the interviewer’s first question, his voice is drowned out by the landscapers outside his window.

He eventually puts his head in his hands. This scene has played out in real life in countless homes over the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to work remotely. But a Lake Nona company has been changing the story line.

The video is part of a marketing campaign by Suntek Zero Emission Lawn Care, which uses sustainable technology powered by solar energy.

Besides cutting down on noise, the

44 SPECIAL SECTION | i4Biz.com

company’s quiet electric tools are safer for the environment and the lawn care experts using them.

“Our message is that we cut the grass without the noise because that’s the No. 1 villain for our customers.

The noise drives people crazy,” said Christopher Regis, the company’s CEO. Homeowners have used electric tools for years for small projects, Regis said. “But when you’re talking about commercial use, we might do 50 homes in one day, and we need to have power on the go. We can’t be plugging into people’s homes every time.”

Regis came up with an answer: Vans equipped with rooftop solar panels connected to a power wall inside where energy is stored for recharging

batteries for the lawn equipment. The cordless tools are similar to those used by traditional lawn care companies except they don’t use gasoline. They include mowers, edgers, blowers and hedge trimmers.

Regis bought the company about two years ago after meeting the founder at a business networking event and being impressed with the concept. As a consultant who operates a franchise brokerage, Regis saw the possibilities of a brand that could be replicated all over the world.

He chose Lake Nona for the company’s headquarters for several reasons. “First, I live here,” he said.

“Second, Lake Nona embraces technology and innovation, so it just made sense to launch this here. Third

Lake Nona is growth. Over the next 20 years, there will still be plenty of growth in Lake Nona. Every day, we have customers buying homes and calling us, so business is booming.”

Regis had offers from investors looking to help him fulfill his initial vision of operating 1,000 vans worldwide, but he rethought his plans. As a husband and a father, quality of life is important to him, which is one reason he chose to live in Lake Nona. He is now planning to grow the company organically.

“I want to help the best employees, the ones who really, really want an opportunity,” he said.

“They will be the ideal candidates to become franchisees. They know the work and they’re not afraid of it.

OUR MESSAGE IS THAT WE CUT THE GRASS WITHOUT THE NOISE BECAUSE THAT’S THE NUMBER ONE VILLAIN FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. THE NOISE DRIVES PEOPLE CRAZY. — Christopher Regis

“In selling other franchises, I see a lot of people with money who don’t understand that when you’re launching a business, you’ve got to jump in headfirst at 110%. On the other hand, when you have somebody who’s never had an opportunity, and then all of a sudden they have one, they tend to grab it with both hands. How can I get these folks who are in the industry to see landscaping and lawn care as a career? I’m creating a path of ownership. I’m creating a sharing structure so they can get compensated based on their efforts. That’s the vision for our growth.”

Quality of life is important for not only Regis and the company’s customers but also for its employees, he said.

“I didn’t realize before I got involved with Suntek how detrimental landscaping equipment can be for the people working with it,” he said. “We’ve all

been disturbed by the noise when we’re sitting in our houses. It’s really frustrating for us, and we’re behind walls and windows. Can you imagine the people working with those machines? You’re hearing it for 10 minutes, but they’re forced to be next to that noise all day every day.”

Besides potential hearing loss, traditional equipment can cause other issues for workers who are subjected to gasoline fumes, heavy vibration of the equipment, and heat from combustion engines that can cause burns. “At the end of the day, they’re fatigued,” Regis said.

The Suntek website quotes one of the company’s lawn care specialists, Anthony Adorno, who had worked with gas-powered tools for 12 years: “I now come home to hugs and kisses from my daughters, completely free from the stench of gas. This is life-changing.”

Regis and the corporate office of Suntek handle the Laureate Park and Eagle Creek areas of Lake Nona. A new franchisee team of Alex Adam and Christian DeBerail handle neighborhoods north of those through their business called Suntek Nona. “They broke even in 90 days and bought a second vehicle,” Regis said. Another team has started a Suntek operation near Malibu in California, operated by partners Rodrigo Silva and Fausto Mok.

“When folks think of lawn care and landscaping, I want them to think of Suntek,” Regis said. The company’s goal for Lake Nona and the surrounding areas is to build the business to 100 vans and be known as the premier provider for residences there.

“In the communities we’re serving, folks had been working from home because of COVID-19,” Regis said. “They didn’t used to hear their landscapers when they were at their offices. It’s been crazy for them, and that’s why our phones haven’t stopped ringing.” P i4Biz.com | SPECIAL SECTION

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Lake Nona

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Lake Nona

A GOLDEN SPOT PulteGroup Caters to 55-Plus in Del Webb Sunbridge ► BY TERRY GODBEY

P

ulteGroup does much more than promise homebuyers their dream homes. It regularly asks them about how they live in their homes and what they’re looking for in their next one.

The builder listens, and then acts, incorporating those insights into its homes going forward.

The new Del Webb Sunbridge community in St. Cloud, only five miles from Lake Nona, is a perfect example of Pulte’s attentiveness and follow-through. Smart home innovations and health and wellness are cornerstones of the gated 55-plus neighborhood, the first to open in the massive Sunbridge development that will span Orange and Osceola counties. The community also features resort-style amenities and supports the active lifestyles for which Del Webb is known.

Based in Atlanta and one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, PulteGroup is offering single-family homes and villas starting at about $300,000 in Del Webb Sunbridge. When the community is completed, it will include 1,373 homes on 700 acres. About 100 residents have already moved in.

“Our ‘GenYou’ floor plans were exclusively created for the 55-plus buyers at this stage of their lives, whether they need extra flex space for a hobby room or a loft space for when the grandchildren visit,” said Clint Ball, North Florida division president of PulteGroup, Del Webb’s parent company. The builder’s strong presence in Central Florida is growing — it plans to add about 20 communities to the area by the end of 2022.

The houses in Del Webb Sunbridge include such smart home features as additional USB ports and wireless access. With natural gas, which is loved by cooks everywhere, and quartz countertops to reduce the spread of germs, innovation has been incorporated into the design of each home. Additional options are touchless faucets, whole-house water filtration and PureAir filter systems, remote climate

control, and prewires for any voice-controlled devices residents might purchase.

Every Del Webb community is centered around an active, healthy lifestyle, so it won’t be hard to find outdoor, wellness and group activities at Del Webb Sunbridge. The community will have a large clubhouse with a tavern and grill with indoor and outdoor seating, an outdoor amphitheater and event lawn, a resort-style pool with poolside hammocks, a resistance pool for exercise that’s easy on the joints, a fitness center with movement rooms for yoga and Pilates classes, and a ballroom with a performance stage for events.

As groups form around certain interests, Ball said, the residents can start their own clubs.

“We don’t dictate what those clubs should be; the residents decide. So if there are enough people interested in a card game or a hobby, they can form a club.” With an arts and crafts room, billiards and breakout rooms in the clubhouse, there will be plenty of opportunities to make new friends or create a group around a shared interest. A full-time lifestyle director will help plan events and activities.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership in Central Florida, Del Webb Sunbridge will team up with AdventHealth to provide residents with fitness classes, spa services and virtual health tools.

Plans also call for an on-site health center with a wellness ambassador to help with referrals to health care professionals.

Sunbridge is being developed by Tavistock Development Co., the creator of Lake Nona, in partnership with Deseret Ranches, so naturally Sunbridge will mirror Lake Nona’s innovative live/work/play community design.

The development will feature nature trails, wide paths for walking and biking, and a community farm. Eventually, the Sunbridge development — at 24,000 acres — will be larger than Winter Park, Maitland, Longwood and Altamonte Springs combined. P i4Biz.com | SPECIAL SECTION

47

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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

Obser va ntIQ Preventing Problems With Remote Monitoring Solutions

BY DAVIA MOSS

Photography by Julie Fletcher When Brian Horine was growing up, his father would take him to job sites to work on construction projects. His early glimpse into the industry laid a solid foundation for an ongoing passion for construction — and the complex processes at work behind the scenes.

“I geek out about the electronics side of construction,” said Horine, founder and CEO of Sanford-based ObservantIQ. “Schematics, circuitry, electrical: It’s always come easy to me, and I’ve always been so intrigued by it.”

He fused his love of technology with nearly 20 years of construction experience and came up with an idea that reconstructed the way people manage their projects and properties.

Work Smarter

“While working in construction, I saw that there was a huge need for surveillance as a way for construction companies to remotely manage their sites. This was the early 2000s, so the concept was way more cutting-edge,” Horine said with a laugh as he recalled the first iterations of what is now an advanced network of high-tech tools and sophisticated sensors.

He spent years developing and perfecting ObservantIQ, a remote monitoring solution that leverages smart sensor technology and an advanced analytics dashboard to revolutionize how organizations manage both facility operations and on-site workflow. It empowers owners and managers to have round-the-clock and around-theworld access to any project or property on demand.

“I wanted to give people the ability to log into a dashboard so they could see their team at work, help with customer service or manage the project on-site,” he said. “So we started to prototype the concept on our own construction sites.”

ObservantIQ began as remoteaccess construction monitoring

52 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT surveillance, but Horine didn’t stop there. He continued to build upon his idea, developing what is now a powerful system of digital and physical tools that work in tandem to improve security, safety and efficiency in facilities operations and on construction sites.

Hands Off, Eyes On

Once ObservantIQ proved to be a product that would reduce overhead, increase efficiency and support better decision-making, Horine officially launched it in late 2020. “The evolution of technology has made sensors supersmall and easy to deploy — and we can monitor just about anything,” Horine said. “We partner with Eagle Eye Networks to provide dynamic cameras that can do temperature checks and keep real-time counts of everyone who walks into a building.” This feature can be useful to mitigate operational and biological hazards, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Along with surveillance and managing real-time occupancy, ObservantIQ sensors can provide data on refrigeration systems, opening and closing of doors, presence of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide levels, temperature monitoring, asset monitoring, remote monitoring of water pressure and water levels, vibration, AC/DC voltage, HVAC systems and many other capabilities. All of these sensors can be installed in a building during or after its construction.

“There’s no need to pre-wire a building for these sensors,” Horine said. “Our team figures out how many gateways are needed, and we strategically place sensors that communicate back to the main hub. This is where our team really shines. We can deploy so many sensors to get different types of readings.”

The ObservantIQ sensors leverage data to pick up on, and sometimes even anticipate, a system failure or malfunction. The analytics dashboard takes the information from the sensor and sends a notification with a health trend about that system. The owner or facility manager can use the information to anticipate needs or fix minor issues before they become major problems.

“Take the owner of a commercial strip mall — or really any building,” Horine said. “If a facility manager or owner is able to deploy help before a tenant even knows there’s an issue, the preventive maintenance measures not only save on costs, but now they have happier tenants.”

I geek out about the electronics side of construction.

Schematics, circuitry, electrical: It’s always come easy to me, and I’ve always been so intrigued by it.

— Brian Horine

No Tenants, No Problem

The nature of this technology is particularly useful in an uncertain world of maintaining a building during a pandemic. “Especially now since so many places have shifted to digital or are out of business, many commercial building

owners lost their tenants and don’t have anyone in the building,” Horine said.

“They’ll go days or months without anyone going into their space, which can be problematic. I’ve actually seen this happen: A building sprung a leak, but since no one was around, it wound up flooding the building and costing the owner thousands of dollars to repair.”

By leveraging modern technology to increase efficiencies in maintenance and construction monitoring, ObservantIQ transforms the way real estate owners and construction managers spend their time — and their money.

“It’s a massive jump-start into the newest fusion of maintenance, remote monitoring and technology trends,” Horine said. “You can rest easy at night knowing that your coolers and freezers are at temperature, your HVAC systems are working or your construction project is on track.” b i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT

From

Fattmerchant

to

Stax What’s in a Name?

The Evolution of an Orlando-Born Fintech Giant

Fattmerchant was based on an acronym for “fast affordable transaction technology,” which spoke to Suneera Madhani’s innovative vision and what she knew businesses needed. The rebrand to Stax represents the company’s expansion beyond merchant payment transactions into technology that serves larger enterprises worldwide. The term “stacks” refers to a combination of technologies used to run an application or project.

BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM

S

uneera Madhani believes in intuition. “Pair fact plus gut,” she said. “Data will tell you a lot, but so will that gut feeling.

When the two are working together to tell you something, double down.”

When it was announced in April of this year that Central Florida-based payment technology giant Fattmerchant would change its name and rebrand to become Stax, the news came as a surprise to some. After all, Fattmerchant has been an increasingly recognizable name in financial technology for the past

54 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

few years. Since its founding in 2014, the company has grown rapidly from two to more than 200 employees serving some 22,000 businesses. It has collected accolades including a spot on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies, as well as the Forbes Fintech 50 and Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500.

So why the change? Fact plus gut.

“A pivot was taking place in our expanding customer model, and it started to become clear that we needed to reflect that,” Madhani said. “This change has been a year and a half in the making.

We had to adjust the speed at which we innovate. We had to ask ourselves ‘Who are we?’ and ‘Who do we serve?’ and ‘Who do we want to be?’ We did a lot of reflecting on what needs to go and what needs to stay.”

What Needs to Stay

“Payments are truly the heart of a business, and there hadn’t been a platform before that sits at that payment hub,” Madhani explained. “You have amazing marketing platforms, email platforms, all of this stuff on the front

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT and back end of a transaction, but no one was really owning the business experience from a platform perspective with the payment in mind first.”

Every business has one basic need in common that has to be met in order to be successful: to smoothly process payments. Stax was founded on this thesis.

With its impressive track record, it seems clear that the company was right. But if it needed any more proof, 2020 offered it in spades.

“We have exceeded our targets since the pandemic, and it was really because of our technology,” Madhani said. “We saw how hard businesses were hit, and we were able to offer the solution to help those we serve make the transition to completely contactless. We doubled down on our thesis that every business will need to take payments in a digital way, and that helped our customers get back to business much faster.”

With all that in mind, the company’s core mission and beliefs will stay the same, Madhani said. So will one other crucial element, one that inspired that ‘x’ on the end of the company’s new name: “The people. The way we approach our service and our culture. That X factor.”

Moving Forward

While the success of Fattmerchant and the events of 2020 proved the company’s thesis right, it also proved that something would have to change in order to fit the skyrocketing trajectory of the company. An evolution needed to occur, and it needed to happen in a way that would feel both organic and exciting.

Stax’s new logo and branding are bolder and sleeker.

But that new design is just the finishing touch on top of the bigger changes the company has made. A new website boasts an easier-to-navigate interface with more comprehensive information about the company’s products and services, and desktop and mobile apps have been redesigned for a more intuitive and advanced user experience. The company’s product catalog also got a revamp.

“Software as a service (SaaS) platforms, large businesses and small businesses are all going to have different needs,” Madhani said. “We split our services to be reflective of that.

Fattmerchant was so threaded onto small business, but our API had evolved.” The API, or application programming interface, is the functionality that allows applications to connect with one another to access data and features, such as connecting an online store with a bank account.

That evolution has given way to three distinct options for the company’s clients:

analytics, and integrating Google reviews, all with payments at the hub to allow businesses to process transactions and refunds, invoice customers and send receipts. Ɏ

Stax Enterprise. For larger businesses, Stax Enterprise is designed with the chief financial officer in mind, Madhani said. For those operating multiple locations across multiple channels, this customizable platform can take into account everything from more sophisticated security measures to specific tokenizations, all with a Stax expert on hand every step of the way to tailor and scale the platform to the needs of the client.

Ɏ Stax Connect. Stax Connect, the offering for SaaS platforms, is the newest addition to the Stax suite of products. “Our software, our API, is embedded into more than 50 Stax Connect software partners,” Madhani said. “These companies need payments embedded to provide an easy user experience, and to be able to help their own customers accept payments. With Stax Connect, they get our fully white-labeled API on the back end, so they don’t have to worry about becoming a payments company themselves.”

While Madhani is more than proud of what the company has created as Fattmerchant, she knows the next steps as Stax will open more doors that push the company forward and allow it to better serve its customers.

“I know we’re going to continue to grow. We have ‘unicorn status’ in mind,” she said, referring to privately owned startups that reach $1 billion in revenue, “and we’re going to do it.”

Ɏ Stax Pay. As the company’s small business platform, Stax Pay is designed to streamline all aspects of payment processing to make it easier for business owners to use. The all-in-one platform includes tools for tracking online foot traffic, monitoring sales and i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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56 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

UP CLOSE With

P hil Brown

By Terry Godbey

As CEO, Phil Brown leads the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and Orlando International Airport (MCO), which serves 50.6 million passengers annually as the busiest airport in Florida and the 10th-busiest in the United States. Brown has been guiding the airport through the decline of passenger traffic wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of a resurgence in travel. He is also leading a $3.8 billion capital improvement project at the airport that features the $2.7 billion South Terminal Complex, which will add 15 gates for domestic and international flights. When Brightline begins its rail service at Orlando International by 2023, the airport will become the first in the nation served by intercity rail, providing seamless integration of air, ground and rail transportation. On April 21, during a GOAA meeting, Brown announced his intention to retire soon. His contract expires at the end of September, but he said he is willing to stay longer if needed to allow for the search, hiring and transition of his successor. He has been with the airport since 2008, when he was hired as the authority’s deputy executive director for administration.

What did you want to be growing up, and why?

I wanted to be a cowboy from age 5 until about 9. My favorite cowboy star was Roy Rogers. Then my father moved our family from the Memphis area to the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., where no one cared about cowboys, so I lost interest in the notion.

How old were you when you took your first plane ride?

Where did you go, with whom, and what did you think of air travel? How has it changed?

My first airplane flight was in the summer of 1959, when I was 9, and my family moved to the Washington, D.C., area. We flew from Nashville to the old National Airport terminal in Washington. We were all dressed up in our Sunday clothes, and my eyes were bugged out the whole time.

We were served a meal on china with cloth napkins. I have always considered that a privilege. The trip was part of my father’s relocation benefits or we never could have afforded to fly.

Since then, air travel has transformed from a regulated industry with rates and routes determined by a Civil Aeronautics Board to a market-driven, competitive service that many consider a right instead of a privilege.

How is the work going at the airport’s new South Terminal Complex, when is it expected to open and why was it needed?

Construction of the new South Terminal Complex is progressing on schedule and is more than 70% completed. Work on the facility’s exterior is nearly done, with most of the focus now on the interior.

We expect construction to be substantially completed by early 2022.

Following our development philosophy of building to meet demand, the decision to begin construction of the South Terminal was made by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Board in 2016.

Projections at the time showed that continual increases in passenger activity in the coming years would eventually max out the capacity in the North Terminal and affect our ability to deliver optimal customer service. This was borne out when we set a record with more than 50 million annual passengers in 2019.

Although the return to that volume of traffic will be slow postpandemic, we know that as one of the community’s key economic drivers, Orlando International Airport will need to be prepared to support the region’s tourism and business sectors when traffic rebounds.

The South Terminal Complex and its associated apron/taxiways will

encompass about 300 acres, with the total building program comprising 2.7 million square feet. The new facility is designed to accommodate up to 10 million passengers a year.

How will the new terminal be different from the current North Terminal Complex?

Where the North Terminal uses an automated people mover system to transport travelers from the landside terminal to the remote airside terminals where the gates are located, the South Terminal will feature a more traditional design of a landside and airside linked by walkways.

Another difference will be the experience for arriving passengers.

At the South Terminal, passengers will arrive and retrieve their bags on the top (third) level of the terminal.

Its extensive windows and skylights will immediately connect visitors to the natural light, foliage and beauty of Central Florida. Departures, ticketing and security will be on the second level, with ground transportation on the first level.

The South Terminal also will feature a bag storage system allowing early arriving passengers to store their bags before they depart.

The terminal will employ a robotic retrieval system and have capacity for more than 1,800 bags.

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UP CLOSE ●

An imaginative multimedia experience — Interactive video displays of Central Florida will be featured in the ticket hall, concessions hub and ground transportation facility.

What innovative technological and customer convenience features will the new terminal include?

To meet today’s travel demands, the South Terminal will feature increased technology to provide safety, security and efficient, contactless processing.

Innovations include:

Innovative contactless technology will be used throughout the terminal, giving passengers the ability to print their own travel documents and check their own bags. Also, to facilitate smooth and efficient flight operations, all gates can be used by multiple airlines and can handle domestic and international arrivals.

How will the South Terminal’s architecture and interior reflect the “Orlando Experience” and why is that important?

Primary design architect Curt Fentress is renowned for integrating elements of the community and surrounding environment into his airport projects. His design for the South Terminal Complex reinforces a campus vision by capturing the essence of Central Florida. It is designed to provide an intuitive experience, drawing passengers from one element to the next with features that include: ●

The Boulevard — A corridor (and “gateway to Orlando”) that runs the length of the terminal and connects the major areas of the ground transportation facility, the ticket hall and the concessions hub.

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Dynamic concessions — More concessions will be located beyond security, along with some club/lounge opportunities.

58 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

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100% automated screening lanes at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint.

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100% facial recognition for international arrivals and departures.

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“Bags First” design to expedite U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing so arriving international passengers only have to handle their bags once.

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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage handling system to provide efficient tracking and expedited function.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the South Terminal’s construction, timetable and budget?

Although the pandemic posed a number of challenges to the South Terminal construction project, they were not insurmountable. Crews continued to wear masks and practice social distancing where possible. The timetable was relatively unaffected, with crews working 24/7 to keep the project on track. The budget, however, was revised downward to reflect a shortfall in revenue due to the drop in passenger traffic. With an eye on customer safety, the restrooms in the new terminal will have touchless sinks and towel dispensers and odorresistant terrazzo flooring with no grout lines to attract contaminants.

How has the airport coped with the sharp decrease in travel brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and are you optimistic about better days ahead?

I am proud of the response by the airport community to rally its efforts to maintain the highest level of terminal maintenance, cleanliness and efficiency, along with a positive attitude, through the inevitable ups and downs. When traffic was at its lowest, our airport maintenance and construction teams took advantage of the down time to clean, paint, repair and upgrade many MCO systems. With the increases in passenger activity during the Christmas holiday season and spring break, we are optimistic that a recovery is in progress.

It will likely be a slow recovery, but we remain confident that Orlando International Airport will return to pre-pandemic levels within the next few years. We believe this destination will continue to be attractive for leisure and business travelers, and that Orlando International will continue to be a gateway to the region and the state of Florida.

Can you update us on the plans for the Intermodal Terminal Facility (ITF), part of the South Terminal Complex, which houses a rail station for future Brightline passengers to and from South Florida? Are there other plans for rail transportation at the ITF? Will it connect visitors to Walt Disney World Resort?

Although the facility was completed in late 2017, it was, and still is, primarily used as a station for the South Airport Automated People Mover that links the South Terminal Complex’s Parking Garage C with the Main Terminal to the north. Since then, much work has been done by Brightline to prepare for its projected start of service to South Florida by 2023. Ticket offices and passenger areas have been built and rail platforms have been completed.

Currently, work is progressing on preparing the land from the airport to Cocoa for the laying of rail lines.

Brightline continues to explore extensions beyond the airport to Disney and Tampa, but no official decisions have been made. X

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

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BEST PRACTICE

Romaine Seguin

is president of UPS Global Freight Forwarding, where she oversees air, ocean and rail freight forwarding, as well as brokerage and supplier management, for the 220 countries and territories UPS serves around the world. She can be reached at rseguin@ups.com.

Leadership FROM SHOCK TO SUPPORT: DEALING WITH A LIFE CRISIS

I

As leaders, we need to understand what our employees and peers may be going through when they are struggling.

— Romaine Seguin

60 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

t was April 23 and I was excited to get my second vaccination against COVID-19. I’d had to wait awhile until my age group became qualified to get vaccinated in Naples, Florida, and it was important for me to follow the process. I’d chosen to get my shots at the local fire station, and I was glad I did.

I took my UPS ID with me because I wanted a picture taken so I could be an advocate for the vaccine. That’s what I told the firefighter who was preparing to give me my shot, and he was happy to take the photo. It’s a very small world: He told me he used to work for UPS before becoming a firefighter.

I received my vaccination and was officially in the club. I was also given a sticker saying #TonyStrong. Tony Christensen was a firefighter of 22 years who

lost his life to COVID-19 in August 2020. The mission of everyone at the Naples Fire Department was to administer as many vaccines as they could in honor of their friend and colleague. They had found a way to turn their sadness into something that would help others.

Back to April 23. I received my second jab at 10:30 a.m. and felt great all day. But that evening, I received a call from my brother-in-law Chris, who said my youngest sister, Robin, had learned she had a lump in her breast and two more cancerous spots, one on her neck and the other on her spine. I was the first one he told, and I called my other sisters and brother a bit later.

Robin and Chris shared the news with my mom in person the next day. These were calls and visits you don’t ever want to receive and certainly don’t ever want to make.

Unfortunately, we are all likely to go through extremely

RAPIDPS.COM RAPIDPS.COM RAPIDPS.COM RAPIDPS.COM RAPIDS.COM tough situations involving our loved ones. As leaders, we need to understand what our employees and peers may be going through when they are struggling. How do you transition from shock to support? Here are some ways my family is handling the situation that could be helpful to others.

Reach out for assistance. Point one is to ask, ask and ask again for help and support. My family reached out to all resources in the greater St. Louis area, where my mother and siblings live. Within 72 hours, Robin was registered in the prestigious Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center and had an appointment with a renowned oncologist. We also have a former Siteman nurse on speed-dial as part of our support system.

The Siteman Center is part of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine and is one of 30 members of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Be patient. This is by far the toughest part. We all want answers in a New York minute. There are many tests, one after another, before a plan can be formulated and communicated.

Each day, something changes after the last test, and then there is another test. For us, this went on for about three weeks. The first stage of the plan was laid out by the oncologist: Radiation would be administered in three places on my sister’s body to slow down the cancer in her bones. She will be in a fight for her life.

Understand your role. I began to realize immediately that family members’ roles will fall into place. Everyone will have a core team. Robin’s team is her husband, three children, three sisters, mother-in-law and friends. There are driving duties for hospital trips. Someone will need to take Robin’s youngest child, who is 13, to her school and extracurricular activities because Robin wants her daughter’s life to remain as normal as possible.

There are caring roles, because radiation makes the patient very sick on certain days. There are organizational roles for keeping track of medicines and paperwork. There are spiritual roles to support the patient and family members. We are in the early days, but the roles are starting to form. It is important to respect each person’s role.

Keep focused on the present and future. Look through the windshield, not the rearview mirror. Everyone thinks: “What if I had done this or that? Could I have been more supportive somehow ahead of time?” But once there is a diagnosis, you have to move forward. We are all human beings, and we all have a tendency to play the “should have, could have” game. It will only wear you out, so move on because no good comes from looking back.

We have found tremendous support through family friend Teri Griege, who battled Stage 4 colon cancer and still managed to complete the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in 2011.

She wrote the book Powered by Hope, created a foundation by the same name and is a national keynote speaker.

I want to close by asking for prayers. I am a strong believer in the power of prayer. My mother refused to say the C word, as if not uttering it will help expel the illness. Instead, our mom said, “Who let that uninvited guest into Robin’s house?” She has taught us well about how to deal with adversity. b

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BEST PRACTICE

Meaghan Branham

is the managing editor for i4 Business, where she oversees the company’s digital media strategy, handles client relationship marketing for the print and digital magazines, and serves as one of the publication’s lead writers.

A native of Brevard County, she splits her time between Central Florida and Nashville, Tennessee.

Marketing

DESIGN CAN PUSH YOUR BUSINESS TOWARD SUCCESS

When it comes to design, consistency is absolutely vital to your brand. It makes your brand more memorable, increases loyalty and creates the impression of a strong identity.

A

s a species, we are visual creatures. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text, according to a report from 3M Company. What does this mean for your business? That design in marketing is not something you can afford to skimp on. From your advertising to websites to the product itself, design plays an invaluable role in how audiences feel when they think of you, and how they feel about coming back to you. Consider these points: •

— Meaghan Branham

A Design Council study of 63 companies showed organizations that put an emphasis on design outperformed the Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 index by 200% over the course of a decade. www.harvestmedia.com/blog/howdesign-impacts-your-business-success

•

According to Tyton Media, 94% of people cited web design as the reason they mistrusted or rejected a website. www.tytonmedia.com/blog/6-thingswebsite-needs-get-more-clients

62 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

•

Sixty percent of marketers agreed that visuals played a huge role in creating an impact. https://line25.com/ui-uxdesign/visual-design

Still, many CEOs take for granted just how important good design is in a marketing campaign. Here, we’ll take a look at a few aspects of design that make a huge difference, and how you can leverage them for maximum benefit.

The Psychology of Color

The right color choice has the power to evoke certain feelings in your audience, to direct their eye, and to create a cohesive and memorable piece of content. There is an entire school of thought around how colors can influence consumer behavior: color psychology. Here are some of the most commonly used colors and the feelings they can create in consumers: • •

Red. Often associated with high energy, urgency and appetite, this color is commonly used by fast-food chains.

Green. Symbolizes health, tranquility and nature. You might notice that

•

grocery stores and outdoor brands use this color most often.

Blue. Stands for reliability, trust and wisdom, and is often used by financial institutions and tech companies.

Besides color choice in marketing materials, there are many other ways to use color to influence behavior. For instance, high contrast in colors can direct the eye to a certain part of the page and is perfect for calls to action.

Congruous colors can lend your content a relaxing tone.

There are many more ways to leverage color psychology.

Learn more at https://coschedule.com/blog/colorpsychology-marketing/.

Typography

Typography, according to MO Agency, is the perception generated by the way in which the text is arranged or stylized on a page. It can refer to “typefaces, point size, line length, line spacing (leading), letter spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between letter pairs.” The font you choose can affect the impact of the words themselves, making copy and design complementary to and indivisible from each other. Keep in mind: ● ●

●

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Readability. Your font should be easy to read. That means taking into account the lettering itself as well as the spacing between the words, letters and lines.

Simplicity. This is key for legibility and visual appeal in typography. Keep it clean by sticking to only two or three complementary fonts in one marketing piece. Try to pick fonts that are simple and clear.

Feeling. Typefaces can also affirm or undermine the tone of the copy itself. For instance, a sentence or title meant to evoke stability or command would be better suited to a bold, straightforward font.

User Experience

UX design, or user experience design, has become an absolutely necessary part of creating a website or product.

According to a report by usertesting.com, the Oxford academic journal Interacting with Computers defines UX design as design meant to “improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through the utility, ease of use and pleasure provided in the interaction with a product.”

UX design means prioritizing all the ways a user interacts with the product itself, taking into account the best interests of both the user and the business.

It incorporates aspects like interface, accessibility and ergonomics. Prioritizing this in your design, even independent of your marketing campaigns, is an exercise in generating leads and brand loyalty. If people love interacting with your products, they will be more likely to return.

When it comes to design, consistency is absolutely vital to your brand. It makes your brand more memorable, increases loyalty and creates the impression of a strong identity. Hiring a designer, taking the time to learn a bit more about it yourself, and cultivating your design guide are investments that are likely to come back to you tenfold. X

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i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

63

BEST PRACTICE

Sonya Montgomery is president and CEO of The Desoto Group, an Orlando construction support services company for large-scale utilities. The Clermont native is on the board of Enterprise Florida and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Supplier Diversity SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS: WHY CERTIFICATIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT

It’s important to stay ready. By bringing differentiators to the forefront, certifications set businesses up for success.

— Sonya Montgomery

64 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

T

he old saying goes, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” That is the case for businesses of all sizes fighting for a chance at brand recognition, contracts and market share. From startups to family-owned stores, it’s no longer enough to have dedicated employees and a good product.

It’s critical to assess what makes our businesses stand out from others and use that to our advantage.

One of the best ways to do this is by seeking certifications. My business, The Desoto Group, holds 100% minority-owned, womenowned, service-disabled veteran-owned small business and veteran-owned certifications.

These designations reflect what sets us apart.

According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, 39% of small businesses are majority female-owned. Per the Census Bureau, only 18% of small businesses are minority-owned and only 9% are veteranowned. Based on those numbers, most companies are not like mine. I learned early on that these certifications can earn you a seat at the table, especially as larger companies seek

out diversity. While we are able to prove our work is high quality once performed, as a small business we need that foot in the door in order to sign contracts in the first place.

Certifications can be sought at the state and federal level as well as through organizations like Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC) and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). Through the Department of Veterans Affairs, my company is also certified as a 100% Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

These certifications require some research and work on the company’s part.

Each application requires numerous materials to prove the certification is a fit and has been earned. For example, to be certified minority-owned in Florida, you are required to submit your birth certificate, naturalization card or passport and proof of ownership of the business. Certifications typically require a lengthy application, a site visit

and approval by the certifying organization or agency. For some government certifications, there are limits on years of operation and revenue. Understanding the materials necessary for each application goes a long way since it can take time to gather them.

Ultimately, it is worthwhile to seek out those certifications to showcase why your business is different and how that can be advantageous. Every person brings something different to the table, as does a business, but by highlighting that your company is minority-owned or veteran-owned, certifications allow others to understand that you bring life experience different from theirs.

Many companies want to work with businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans, but they don’t know where to look. In my industry, utilities regulators have the power to set minority participation criteria for large-scale capital projects.

When this occurs, utility companies are incentivized to use certified diverse companies, and most encourage their prime suppliers to use diverse vendors as well.

It’s important to stay ready. By bringing differentiators to the forefront, certifications set businesses up for success.

While certifications are a tool, they do not secure contracts entirely on their own. For businesses to set themselves apart, owners must network. Whether that’s through membership in an organization like Orlando Economic Partnership or the local chamber of commerce, meeting other entrepreneurs can open the door in unexpected ways.

I started to build my own business after learning about the need for a construction team. I hired friends and family to carry out the labor for that initial project. Now my firm engineers and manages multimillion-dollar projects.

Preparation is also a must, and Google is a business owner’s best friend. Before seeking a contract, research the company’s history and all the information available on the key decision-makers. This homework can make or break a business deal.

It is also important for small business owners to have an online presence, even if there is only one employee. Social media channels like LinkedIn establish businesses and their owners as authorities in their fields.

Understanding target audiences and ensuring there are channels to reach them is key. Websites must not only look good but contain enough direction to help visitors understand key products and services offered and allow them to contact the company. Building brands takes time, but it is well worth the investment.

All small business owners are focused on what makes their products and services different from those of their competitors. To truly stand out, it’s critical to shout these advantages from the rooftops through certifications that can open doors and lead to new networking opportunities.

Having an established online presence helps reinforce branding and leverage those certifications.

Sometimes it can be tough to be different, but for business owners, it can be an effective way to capture the spotlight — and the contract. b

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

SPORTS

By Jason Siegel

FIFA World Cup Would Boost Orlando’s Sports Legacy JASON SIEGEL is president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. Longtime Orlando sportswriter George Diaz contributed to this article.

A version of this article first appeared in UK-based iSportconnect, which was launched in 2010 and has since developed into the world’s largest private community for sports business executives. In March 2021, the editors of iSportconnect gave Orlando the opportunity to share its vision for hosting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and festivities. In December 2021, it is expected that FIFA will select 10 host cities from a portfolio of 17 U.S. cities that have bid to welcome competing nations participating in the world’s largest sports tournament.

I’m often asked why.

Why does Orlando want to host matches of the FIFA 2026 World Cup? This question takes the conversation toward the “L” word: legacy. For every great American city seeking to play its part in 2026, legacy is not simply one of the questions it faces. It’s the only question.

It’s the why.

The “legacy potential” of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in North America is huge and timely. As we anticipate the 2026 event, we can evaluate what 1994 delivered — and dream of an even more ambitious soccer-inspired agenda beyond 2026.

Orlando, as one of 17 hopeful U.S. candidate host cities for 2026 and a favorite venue back in 1994, has had a ringside seat to watch the growing relevance and popularity of the game. The USA is now a soccer nation, home to 100 million soccer fans. Orlando is now a soccer city.

The change has been immense. And in counting the benefits in purely soccer terms, you Crowds get hyped for an cannot divorce North America from the rest of the Orlando City soccer match world. For FIFA and for the game, it is potentially the most lucrative region on Earth — the biggest sponsorship, licensed merchandise and media marketplace in the world.

America has always been soccer’s great growth opportunity, and 2026 is surely the moment the dream becomes real.

Major League Soccer (MLS) is the greatest legacy of 1994. Creating a successful league was the USA’s promise to FIFA when it was awarded the event back then.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

MLS was founded in 1996, and 25 years on, there is a good story to tell.

MLS has doubled in size since 2009, when there were only 15 teams. There will be 30 franchises by 2022, including in Canada — an increase of 300%. The average MLS club has surged 400% in value since 2008. Forbes put the average value of an MLS franchise in 2019 at $312 million.

This picture has been mirrored and even amplified in Orlando. March 8, 2015, was a day we will remember forever. That’s the day 62,510 fans flooded the Citrus Bowl for Orlando City’s inaugural MLS match against fellow expansion club New York City FC. The match was the largest ever for a soccer game at the Orlando Citrus Bowl and the second-largest opening weekend for an MLS franchise.

Orlando has never been as organized around soccer as it is now. This is across government, the private sector and the grass roots. The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is working seamlessly with a huge network of local organizations to promote soccer tourism. Even during the pandemic, we have done much to keep the dream alive.

We have helped nurse MLS through a desperate year, creating the environment for a safe resumption of play in the COVID-free Orlando bubble at Walt Disney World, thus enabling the league to save revenues through preserving many of its commercial contracts.

At the national level, too, the U.S. men’s and women’s teams have maintained their strong connection with the city. The men’s team has played seven matches in Orlando to date, winning the last five in a row, including all four held at Orlando City’s home base, Exploria Stadium. The women’s national team has had a clean sweep, winning every one of its 17 matches in Orlando. There are more to come.

Everything that has happened in the last few years confirms the upward trend for soccer in our area — from the advent of Orlando City to the opening of Exploria Stadium in 2017 to the Orlando bubble to the staging of the Concacaf Tournament in Orlando and many national team matches. It’s all part of the legacy of 1994. It’s been a great run.

Fans from England celebrate during Round 16 of the 2018 World Cup game between Colombia and England in Russia

England team member Harry Kane in action during the FIFA World Cup game against Colombia in 2018

The legendary Nick Rimando, now retired from the Real Salt Lake team in Utah, has begun coaching youth soccer

Helping Our Youth

The future lies with the young. Every sport needs strong grass roots, particularly soccer.

The FIFA World Cup USA 1994 drove a doubling of youth football participation in America. In Orlando, we believe we are on course to double down again.

As Alex Leitão, CEO of Orlando City Soccer Club, points out: “Our organization has invested significantly in the Greater Orlando community — Orlando City, Orlando Pride, Orlando City’s Development Academy, Orlando City Youth Soccer, Exploria Stadium, the men’s and women’s training grounds (in Osceola and Seminole counties, respectively), and our new Youth Soccer Network. i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

67

INDUSTRY INSIGHT “Over the same timeline that Orlando City SC has been growing, we believe the youth soccer participation for both boys and girls in Orlando has likely quadrupled.”

Orlando has been developing into a major soccer center for young players. However, this growth came to a screeching halt in 2020, a disastrous year for kids’ sports.

Orlando has a raft of urgent plans to resume this growth as we work toward 2026. First and foremost, we need to define the size of the problem. We are developing vital Orlando-specific statistics to guide the creation of mechanisms to push back against the decline in sports participation.

GO Sports has been joined by more than 30 regional leaders to participate in a newly formed youth sports task force. The Greater Orlando Youth Sports Survey, supported

by AdventHealth, will be distributed via members of our task force, and the results should give us a real picture of what we face at the youth level.

We believe soccer, which is inexpensive and universal, is the right remedy. Our recent launch of the Orlando City Youth Soccer Network will expand the pool of talented young players in the Orlando area and accelerate the uptake of this sport.

We are bringing soccer to underserved communities by providing free soccer programming and investing in safe places to play. To date, Orlando City Youth Foundation has installed nine mini-pitches in underserved areas of Greater Orlando. This will help all kids and might even nurture some of the homegrown stars of tomorrow.

Orlando City Youth Soccer Network is Florida’s leading program for developing players from ages 8 to 18 and the only organization in Florida to offer both the U.S. Soccer Development Academy program and the Elite Clubs National League youth soccer program. Orlando’s involvement in World Cup in 2026 should bring thousands of young people not currently affiliated with soccer — including those from underserved and immigrant communities — into the ranks as registered players.

‘The Second Half’

Looking forward, what will be the soccer legacy of 2026? Like a huge, slow-gathering wave, it is already having an effect, long in advance of the opening ceremony.

It will be “the second half” for soccer in the USA. It will enable us to fulfill our soccer agenda. It will provide the momentum to bring the sport into underserved communities as we work with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to inspire participation and teach life skills. It will create a sense of community through sport.

And hopefully, the excitement and energized atmosphere of the approaching 2026 event will introduce new people, young and old, to soccer and enable us all to develop that springboard for homegrown talent that will fulfill America’s ambitions as a great soccer nation.

Meanwhile, Orlando will help deliver the framework for success — as the best host, with the best facilities to stage all levels of soccer competition. Legacy is not just a question — it is the question. b

68 MAY/JUNE 2021 | i4Biz.com

Orlando City Youth Soccer Network is Florida’s leading program for developing players from ages 8 to 18 and the only organization in Florida to offer both the U.S. Soccer Development Academy program and the Elite Clubs National League youth soccer program.

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JulieFletcherPhotography.com i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

69

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

RESIDENTIAL

REAL ESTATE

By Jason Schmidt

The Broken Business of Brokerages

— An Editorial

JASON SCHMIDT is the president of Stockworth Realty Group, a broker and the author of “The Schmidt Report,” a comprehensive, consistently updated 300-page guide to national, state and regional macroeconomic and financial market conditions, Central Florida real estate market conditions, and local submarket real estate activity.

T

oday, the business of real estate has little to do with actual real estate. Real estate is the single most valuable asset in the world, more than global gross domestic product (GDP), any market index, business sector, or commodity. According to a 2018 study by Savills World Research, the total usable real estate across the globe was valued at more than $280 trillion. Almost 80% of that falls within residential real estate, with more than 20% in North America alone.

Why is this important? The number of industries that rely on residential real estate as the basis for area economies is staggering.

There is a saying within commercial real estate development: “The big box follows the rooftop.” According to the Congressional Research Service, residential construction and housing services account for nearly 15% of annual GDP in the United States. Business saturation within any given region relies upon sufficient and stable housing markets for overall economic prosperity.

Enter the real estate brokerage.

In 2020, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), real estate brokers and practitioners represented 90% of residential real estate transactions across the United States. As a real estate broker, my fiduciary duty is to the practitioners within our

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firm and the hundreds of clients we serve each year. The quality of our services and skill of our practitioners measure how we are judged within the market.

Over the past several years, however, I have witnessed a striking degradation of professional standards held by practitioners, specifically brokers. From 2006 to 2012, leading up to and following the 2008 financial crisis, the number of real estate practitioners in the U.S. dropped by 26% from 1.36 million to 999,000. From 2012 to today, the practitioner count has rebounded by 45% to 1.45 million.

During that same time, other professional fields including law, medicine and financial services saw no decline in practitioner count and have experienced stable and consistent single-digit-percentage growth. Why? In short, there is almost no barrier to entry into the residential real estate field.

The incentive system in real estate is upside down. In Florida, to become a broker, the individual licensed to supervise real estate practitioners, all that is required is two years’ licensure plus a maximum of 260 classroom hours. By comparison, a cosmetologist seeking a license in Florida must put in 1,200 hours of class time.

For almost all homeowners, their property represents the largest and most valuable asset they possess. The intricacies of a real estate transaction are considerable. A lot

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

can go wrong if practitioners do not know what they’re doing or if they lack sufficient support. Considering the potential ramifications of a failed real estate transaction, shouldn’t the shepherds of those transactions be held to the same standards as, say, a physician or an attorney?

NAR, the governing practitioner association, generates more than $217 million in revenue through membership dues, according to 2021 estimates.

Many local real estate associations throughout the country mandate membership in order to participate within a multiple listing service, the predominant source of all residential listing data. In effect, if you are not a member, you cannot gain access to listing services and are out of business.

This structure benefits NAR directly. The maintenance of low industry standards fuels the massive volume of real estate practitioners, thus filling its coffers with membership dues. There are no professional standards for business skill, real estate and market knowledge, experience or apprenticeship. If you have a license, you’re in.

Rather than emphasize quality of service, skill of practitioner and differentiation within the market, there seems to be a focus on creating profit centers around real estate practitioners. The emphasis is placed on fees for franchises, closings, desk space, office supplies, technology, compliance systems and so on.

Many models today pay a practitioner between 90% and 100% of total fees generated. You may then ask: How is the company able to afford and provide any degree of support, supervision, service or meaningful training to the practitioner? In short, it cannot. Commission structures within the organizations racing to win the practitioner game are disincentivized to support any individual practitioner, only to increase the total number of practitioners.

Another common commission and recruiting tool, the “capping” system, limits total revenue realized by the company. Once a practitioner “caps,” the company has no further use for the practitioner and has no incentive to invest. This leaves the practitioner having to be all things

to all people, including the marketer, administrator, negotiator, and valuation and market expert. How well do people perform when they are required to do everything with no support? Will that allow them to reach their full potential?

Most certainly not.

So, how is this solved? It is remedied through responsible brokers and the consumer. A real estate firm should have proper infrastructure and tools to support its practitioners, a sufficient physical location, and marketing, sales and business staff. The consumer should ask to speak personally with the firm’s broker, who should identify what systems are in place to provide the practitioner and the consumer an advantage within the market.

Most importantly, though, consumers should not be shy about holding the firm to account. They should demand accountability, establish a plan, set proper expectations and measure real outcomes.

Brokers, on the other hand, should push for professional standards in our industry. Our future is in our own hands. b i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

COMMERCIAL

REAL ESTATE

By Mary Shanklin

The Post-Pandemic Office:

A Place to Stimulate Ideas

W

hen the SunTrust Center first capped Orlando’s skyline in 1988, shoulder-high cubicles filled offices with an attempt at privacy and hints at collaboration.

Cue up the early 2000s, when low-profile cubicles ushered in a cacophony of office chatter and keyboard percussion. Next, in the 2010s, downtown companies like commercial real estate firm CBRE and others went to “benching.” Not to be confused with workouts at the YMCA, the concept marshaled worker mobility: Take your laptop and that framed family photo to the desk du jour.

Work-sharing then became the cool thing, with startups in The Plaza downtown and Church Street Station intermingling and, theoretically, trading ideas.

Today, the pandemic is likely to drive the next evolution of office space: experiential design. Often mentioned in connection with the way customers experience brands, experiential design also applies to a space that enables employees to feel connected, facilitates workflow and puts an emphasis on emotional and physical well-being. In an office tower, that might look like larger private work areas where people can maintain social distance and a new awareness of hygiene, along with gathering areas that are spread out but configured to encourage brainstorming and other social interaction without an enclosed conference room.

Organizations will emerge from the pandemic in varied ways, but those that hope to progress understand there’s no going back to the rigid work situations employees experienced before the pandemic. Their talent pool will be quick to jump at job opportunities that offer them a different type of workspace — along with flexible office hours, of course.

As the Orlando region grapples with empty offices and “business casual” refers to jammie bottoms, what will Orlando’s office sector look like moving ahead?

“Coming into the office will be all about collaboration,” said Yvonne Baker, a longtime commercial real estate executive in Orlando and executive director of the Florida State University Real Estate Center. “Before, you could come to do work at the office and go outside to socialize. Now the model is: People do their work at home and come into the office to be social and collaborate.”

Any square footage that isn’t being used for actual work will

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MARY SHANKLIN is a University of Central Florida journalism instructor, a freelance journalist and the founder and publisher of Fifth Estate Media.

be dedicated to space that inspires collaboration, which could be anything from whiteboard walls to game rooms.

The elixir of business, it seems, lies in workers brainstorming new ways to get clients, produce more products, navigate regulations, beat competitors and sometimes even find money.

Work still gets done, but it’s the brilliance of new ideas that determines the future.

If nothing else, the last year has taught us that Zoom, Teams and Skype are the lifeblood of remote workers. But those platforms are a poor substitute for the kind of hangout space where workers sketch concepts on a napkin or build on each other’s ideas over empty lunch plates.

People work at their desks. They conspire on new ideas just about anywhere other than their desks — at least that’s the prevailing thought of commercial office brokers.

Lake Nona’s early architects understood this as they sought stakeholders for today’s Medical City, designed to attract the best minds in health and wellness with hospitals, a medical school, research institutions, sports facilities and mind-body performance businesses. They believed public spaces, eateries and events would draw together brain trusts who would collaborate after meeting each other coincidentally.

Downtown Orlando and its emerging Creative Village have some of that same je ne sais quoi with a commons area, a University of Central Florida library, and classes within walking distance of jobs and entertainment. Developers hope a new park with interactive light decorations will add to the intellectual mix.

Beyond parks, pingpong tables and workplace kitchens, offices are also likely to see a reversal of the long-declining average amount of space allocated to workers. It has averaged about 130 square feet but could expand due to social distancing demands, Baker said.

How much experiential design, or collaboration design, translates into a more creative culture can be hard to measure.

Nobody tracks “lightbulb” moments. But when you’re stuck on a Zoom call while the kids watch cartoons and chase the dog, the coffee bar at the office might sound like a pretty bright idea. b

Signs I can honestly say he believed in Orlando and its people, and his life is a legacy to that belief.

— Former Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick on the 50th anniversary of T.G. Lee Dairy, 1975

HISTORY

Times of the

T.G. Lee Boulevard

A

FBy Key HowardH

ccolades go on and on for a pioneering entrepreneur who rose from obscurity to become extremely successful, admired and loved by all who came in contact with him.

Thomas Gilbert Lee, known to everyone as simply T.G. Lee, was born in Orlando in 1894, the year that two of the most destructive and deadly freezes devastated buildings, citrus groves, raw acreage and his father’s farm.

From an early age, Lee was fascinated with farming and, in particular, the intricacies of dairy farming. When he turned 16, his father gave him 20 acres and his first cow, which he named Hopper. In 1925, at age 31, he purchased another cow and her calf, which would become the original source of the T.G. Lee dairy empire.

Early in his dairy farm endeavor, there were about 70 other milk farmers in the region all vying for business. But over the next several years, he managed to buy them all out and reign supreme.

A couple of his early clients were Morrison’s Cafeteria and Rollins College. He attributed his success to a work schedule of 16- to 20-hour days working alongside his wife, Elizabeth. She would sanitize the milk bottles and then put the T.G. Lee Dairy label on each one before tackling the bookkeeping work for the day. Lee was famous for saying, “Hard work is like drinking milk. … It does the body good!”

Yet despite this heavy work schedule, through the years he managed to find time to be a founder and charter member of the Florida

Agriculture Hall of Fame, a member of the Florida Dairy Association, and director of the Orange County Farm Bureau for close to 30 years. As a World War I veteran, he was a life member of the American Legion and a supporter of the Shriners Temple and its work with disabled children. His dedication to the community and its needs was legendary, and at his passing in 1986 at age 92, former President Gerald Ford sent a personal telegram recognizing his monumental achievements.

Dairy and other beverage and food products from T.G. Lee Foods Inc. still bear its founder’s name and are sold in supermarkets and restaurants and to food service distributors throughout Florida — a testament, perhaps, to his favorite expression: “a little hard work and a cold glass of milk.”

The original T.G. Lee dairy farm was near Bumby Avenue, where the T.G. Lee Dairy plant is still located off Robinson Street in what is known as the “Milk District” neighborhood of Orlando.

However, Lee’s purchase of area dairy farms included a tract of land off South Semoran Boulevard. The entrance to this property, which is being developed by his son, Richard, for hotels as well as multifamily homes and other commercial space, is named T.G. Lee Boulevard in recognition of all he achieved and his legacy in Central Florida. X i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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BUSINESS SEEN

FOUR CORNERS SUMMIT Photography: Keith Ronan of Positively Osceola and Christina Pilkington of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce Osceola County Manager Don Fisher, Polk County Manager Bill Beasley, Lake County Manager Alan Rosen and Orange County Administrator Byron Brooks

Four Corners Area Council 2021 Chairman Steve Silcock (Bardell Real Estate), 2019-2020 Chairman Allison Beeman (CEMEX), Osceola County Manager Don Fisher, Polk County Manager Bill Beasley, Lake County Manager Alan Rosen, Orange County Administrator Byron Brooks, 2020-2021 Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber Board Chair Adrianna Sekula (Walt Disney Parks & Resorts) and Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet

Polk County presentation by County Manager Bill Beasley

Florida State Representative (District 41) Sam Killebrew, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Florida State Representative (District 43) Kristen Arrington, Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington, Polk County Commissioner Martha Santiago, Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry, Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson and Lake County Commissioner Doug Shields

Lake County presentation by County Manager Alan Rosen

Lake County Manager Alan Rosen and Elevate Lake Executive Director Brandon Matulka

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Orange County Administrator Byron Brooks and Orange County Director of Government Relations Chris Testerman

BUSINESS SEEN

About 120 people gathered at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate on May 6 for a Four Corners Summit, where representatives from the four counties that make up a fast-growing part of Central Florida reported on the progress of the Four Corners, One Vision initiative aimed at creating a cohesive look and a sense of place for the region. Four Corners is named for the intersection of Lake, Polk, Osceola and Orange counties. The event was hosted by the Four Corners Area Council Board of Directors.

Osceola County Manager Don Fisher

Tom Kohler of GAI Consultants moderates a panel of experts, left to right: Osceola County Manager Don Fisher, Assistant Polk County Manager Chandra Frederick, Polk County Manager Bill Beasley, Orange County Administrator Byron Brooks, Orange County Director of Government Relations Chris Testerman, Lake County Manager Alan Rosen and Elevate Lake Executive Director Brandon Matulka

Assistant Polk County Manager Chandra Frederick and Polk County Manager Bill Beasley

Four Corners, One Vision Presentation by Rafael Montalvo with the University of Central Florida Consensus Center

Tables at the event are set up for social distancing

Guests network at their tables

i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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BUSINESS SEEN

WEST ORANGE CHAMBER ECONOMIC UPDATE LUNCHEON Photography: Cannonfire Photography Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the UCF Institute for Economic Forecasting, entertains attendees with economic forecasting mixed with humor

Left to right: Former District 1 Orange County Commissioner Betsy VanderLey of OHL Building; Jemma Emerson of CEMEX; and Oakland Commissioner Sal Ramos with Empire Finish Systems

Left to right: Dawn Willis, Brian Wetzel, Amy DeYoung and Tonja Mosley, all with Orlando Health; West Orange Chamber of Commerce Chair Camille Evans with Virtus LLP; Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson; West Orange Chamber of Commerce President Stina D’Uva; Dr. Alexander Cartwright, president of the University of Central Florida; Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the UCF Institute for Economic Forecasting; and Heather Easterling with Boyd Development and the community of Hamlin

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BUSINESS SEEN

Members and guests of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce gathered at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center on May 4 for the chamber’s Economic Update and Forecast Luncheon.

Keynote speaker Dr. Sean Snaith, a nationally acclaimed economist and the director of the University of Central Florida Institute for Economic Forecasting, discussed the effects of the pandemic on the U.S. and global economies and what they mean for Florida and the Greater Orlando area.

Camille Evans, chair of the West Orange Chamber board of directors

Left to right: West Orange Healthcare District board members Rod Talbot, Tracy Swanson (president), Mark Griffith and Ken Harker; and Foundation for a Healthier West Orange Director Lesa Boettcher and Controller Pat Brown

Dr. Alexander Cartwright, president of UCF

Left to right: Krista Carter, West Orange Chamber vice president; Amy DeYoung, COO and assistant vice president of Orlando Health’s Health Central Hospital; Tonja Mosley, CFO of Health Central Hospital; and Brian Wetzel, COO and assistant vice president of Orlando Health’s Horizon West Hospital

Stina D’Uva, president and CEO of the West Orange Chamber, emcees the organization’s in-person event, which asked attendees to wear masks when they were not eating i4Biz.com | MAY/JUNE 2021

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DOWNTIME

UNIQUE EXPERIENCES

By Meaghan Branham

for your day off

LAKE BUENA VISTA Gideon’s Bakehouse at The Landing

The original location of Gideon’s Bakehouse at East End Market in the Audubon Park neighborhood of Orlando quickly became a hit with any local who had a taste of its cookies, cakes and coffee.

Now the company has notched up its menu for its second location, in Disney Springs, where you can grab one of its “almost halfpound” cookies and take in the on-theme gothic decor. Gideon’s still offers other rich desserts like its double-frosted cakes and decadent iced drinks, too, but the cookies alone are attraction enough. Flavors include original chocolate chip, pistachio toffee chocolate chip and the coffee cake cookie. Try to get there for “hot cookie hour” so you can enjoy a warm, gooey version of the treats. But no matter when you go, be sure to get there early or take advantage of the virtual queue because wait times can be up to five hours on busy days.

gideonsbakehouse.com

OCALA

Silver Glen Springs

The weather is perfect for a day at any of Florida’s beautiful springs, but if you haven’t yet been to Silver Glen Springs Recreation Area in the Ocala National Forest, it’s time to push this experience to the top of your to-do list.

With waters so clear that many cite the “rainbows” created along the bottom of the basin as the sun shines overhead, Silver Glen Springs feels like paradise just miles from home. Connected to a stream that leads to Lake George, Silver Glen Springs is one of the most popular outdoor recreation spots and one-of-a-kind archaeological sites in the Southeast. Snorkel in the waters, picnic with family or rent a canoe and soak up the sun.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ocala/ recarea/?recid=37199

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Nearly 1/2 pound cookie

DOWNTIME

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS Chicago Dog & Co

Since its grand opening April 1, Chicago Dog & Co has already garnered a following of loyal customers. The owners are two sisters who were born in Chicago and raised in Central Florida, and their new venture is the perfect way to bring one of the signature dishes of their hometown to their Florida friends. Working your way through the menu, try the classic Chicago dog, a Maxwell Street-style Polish dog, Italian sausage dog and four other favorites.

The quick-serve restaurant also offers burgers, sliders and chili fries — all perfect for an afternoon pit stop.

SARASOTA The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

As the renowned Ringlings traveled throughout Europe performing shows in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they developed a taste for art and culture that they wanted to cultivate in their new home. In 1925, John Ringling hired an architect to build a museum on his property in Sarasota for his personal collection, resulting in the Renaissanceinspired, 21-gallery building now known as the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, home to pieces from masters like Velazquez and Rubens. Most recently, the museum opened the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art, as well as The Keith D. and Linda L. Monda Gallery for Contemporary Art to highlight artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

www.ringling.org

To scan the QR Codes, point the camera app on your smartphone toward the page and follow the instructions on your smartphone screen.

www.chicagodogandco.com

POLK COUNTY Westgate River Ranch

A weekend getaway just an hour outside Orlando, the Westgate River Ranch is made up of 1,700 acres of beautiful Florida wilderness. Described as an “authentic Florida dude ranch,” it offers horseback riding, airboat rides, a trap and skeet range, and ziplining. Of course, no dude ranch is complete without a rodeo, and you can find one there on Saturday nights. Guests can choose to stay in one of the resort rooms or cabins, a Conestoga wagon cottage, a teepee or a temperature-controlled “glamping” tent.

Those who want to really “rough it” can also set up camp at one of the resort’s tent camping sites.

https://www.westgateresorts.com/hotels/ florida/river-ranch/westgate-river-ranchresort/

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WATERCOOLER

Stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know

3.1 million

Staff hours worked so far on Brightline trains construction project at 55% completion

155

RAILROAD CROSSINGS UPDATED IN THE PROJECT

THE HEAVY CLOUDS OF COVID-19 THAT HUNG OVER OUR REGION ARE DISSIPATING, AND OUR ECONOMY IS GROWING AGAIN.

BY MID-SUMMER, I BELIEVE WE WILL BE OVER THE ACUTE PHASE OF THE VIRUS AND OUR ECONOMIC ENGINES WILL BE IN FULL THROTTLE. WE ARE BACK ON COURSE FOR DESTINATION GREATNESS! — Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings in his third annual State of the County address June 4 as he lifted the state of emergency he had set in March 2020

$6.4 billion $610 million

Projected direct impact of Brightline trains on Florida’s economy over the next 8 years

The price Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. paid for the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World, the equivalent of $1.4 million per room key — well over the average per-room cost for luxury hotels of $675,000 Source: Orlando Business Journal

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100

Number of the upcoming Leadership Orlando graduating class, which kicked off its nine months of programming in May. This class commemorates the milestone with a record 100 members and also 10 VIP class chairs

34786

Wealthiest ZIP code in Central Florida, representing Windermere, which had been ranked #2 in 2010 behind 32836 (Dr. Phillips/Bay Vista), which is now ranked #2.

Rounding out the top 5: 32814 (Lake Baldwin), 32832 (Moss Park/Lake Mary Jane) and 32827 (Airport/Alafaya/Lake Nona) Source: Orlando Business Journal

The housing market “ in Florida has been TP’d

— and by that, I mean housing inventory and building materials are missing from the shelves right now much the way toilet paper was early in the pandemic.

”

— Sean Snaith, national economist and director of University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Forecasting

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