i4 Business _ April 2018

Jane Gregory Environmental Steward

Innovative Opportunities BRIDG and Siemens

Foodpreneur Dixie Dharma

One on One with Shawn Seipler

®

APRIL 2018

A Leader in Urban

Sustainability

The City of Orlando Director of Sustainability

Chris Castro

An Advocate for

Environmental Responsibility STETSON UNIVERSITY

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Giving to Goodwill is good for business.

Strengthening our community means Building Lives That Work. Through a wide array of career services and vocational programs, Goodwill provides tools that help people overcome barriers to employment and find a permanent path out of poverty.

When you shop at or donate to Goodwill, you’re funding services that help people find jobs and achieve economic self-sufficiency . . . right here in our community. In 2017, Goodwill Industries of Central Florida served 47,531 people and placed more than 8,100 individuals into jobs.

7531 SOUTH ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL | ORLANDO, FL 32809 | 407. 857. 0659 | GOODWILLCF L.ORG

GREEN YOUR BUSINESS WITH COMMUNITY SOLAR We know installing your own solar panels can be expensive or even impossible if you rent your business space. That’s why we’re excited to offer Community Solar – a way for you to embrace solar power without upfront costs or self-performed maintenance.

OUC’s Community Solar program allows you to subscribe a percentage of your electric usage – up to 100% – to be powered by the sun. On your monthly bill, you’ll see the traditional fuel rate replaced by a solar rate for the amount subscribed.

OUC’s solar calculator helps you determine the right amount of solar for your business.

OUC.com/communitysolar

Scissors beats paper so you can rock.

Cut through the HR and compliance clutter to focus more on your business.

Insperity provides HR solutions for your business challenges.

As your business grows, your challenges stack up. With Insperity, you don’t have to go it alone. We provide administrative relief, offer access to better benefits and help you reduce liabilities so you can focus on doing more business, instead of more paperwork. With our experienced service team and solutions, you have the freedom to spend more time doing what you love – growing your business. insperity.com | 800-465-3800

FROM IDEA TO INDUSTRY At UCF, we turn bold ideas into big solutions. Our researchers have a fast track from the lab to the market, resulting in new inventions, intellectual property and startup businesses that drive economic growth and improve lives across Central Florida and the world. That’s why UCF is ranked by the Milken Institute alongside MIT, Stanford and Columbia as one of the nation’s top 25 technology transfer universities and is named a top 25 patent-producing U.S. public university by the National Academy of Inventors.

Bright ideas brought to life create global impact.

Now that’s big.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT UCF.EDU/RESEARCH.

U NIV ER S IT Y

O F

C ENT RAL

F LO R I DA

© 2015 Southwest Airlines Co.

Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.

So in 1971, a little Heart built a different kind of airline—one that made sure everyone could fly.

Everyone has important places to go. So we invented low-fares to help them get there.

To us, you’re not 1A or 17B. You’re a person with a name, like Steve.

Here, we think everyone deserves to feel special, no matter where you sit or how much you fly.

And with all the places we’re going next, we’ll always put you first, because our love of People is still our most powerful fuel.

Some say we do things differently.

We say, why would we do things any other way?

Without a Heart, it’s just a machine.

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Home to BRIDG, one of world’s Home to the BRIDG, most advanced one of the world’ssensor development most advancedand sensor research labs development and With support from Osceola research labs County,

the University of Central Florida and With County, thesupport Floridafrom High Osceola Tech Corridor Council the among University of Central Florida others, BRIDG providesand statethe of-the-art Florida High Tech Corridor Council manufacturing research and among others, BRIDG provides statedevelopment capabilities and infrastrucof-the-art and ture formanufacturing semiconductor research manufacturing development and infrastrucprocesses capabilities geared toward enhancing turesmart for semiconductor manufacturing sensor technology innovation processes geared enhancing connected by thetoward Internet of Things.

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On March 7th, 2018, we proudly celebrated Central Florida’s outstanding women in business.

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FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

16 Sprouting Green

14 Publisher’s Highlight

33 Women in Business Profile

The City of Orlando

22 The Do’s and Don’ts of a Viable Recycling Program

Waste Management

26 An Advocate for Environmental Responsibility

Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience

30 Environmental Engineering and Florida’s Growth

The Maturing of the Ecological Conversation

38 Securing Our Future Through Technology

Orlando Tech Association

42 New Partnerships with BRIDG Bring Innovative Technological Opportunities

BRIDG and Siemens

44 Visit Orlando 46 Foodpreneur 48 Coach’s Corner with Jeff Piersall 58 Social Entrepreneur 60 One on One with Shawn Seipler 62 Business Seen 64 Wright Angle

16 COMPANY & EXECUTIVE PROFILES 34 Shelter Mortgage 36 Athena PowerLink I The City of Orlando

BEST PRACTICES GUEST EXPERT COLUMNS |

50 A Partnership With the Boy Scouts

Jane Gregory Environmental Steward

Innovative Opportunities BRIDG and Siemens

More than a decade ago, as Dyer made his transformation vow, he launched Green Works Orlando, centered on the concepts of promotion, education and encouragement around municipal sustainability. An appropriate title for the effort’s Q1 2018 report could be Tangible Results Are Widely Evident. ▸

Foodpreneur Dixie Dharma

i4Biz.com

One on One with Shawn Seipler

®

APRIL 2018

Sustainability

The City of Orlando Director of Sustainability

Chris Castro

Purpose Pioneers | Thomas Waterman

An Advocate for

Environmental Responsibility

Fidelity Bank of Florida | Joy Winslow

STETSON UNIVERSITY

WASTE MANAGEMENT’S

56 Getting The Most Out of Social Media Marketing

“I think Orlando is undoubtedly a leader in sustainability efforts,” Castro asserted in late January.

A Leader in Urban

54 Local Bank vs. Online Lender

As the calendar continues to move through 2018, their visions have become a reality. On the national landscape — perhaps even globally — Orlando has emerged as a leader.

Boy Scouts of America | Harvey Massey

52 To Win, Compete at the Top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

n 2007, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed to “transform Orlando into one of the most environmentally friendly, economically and socially vibrant communities in the nation.”

Less than five years ago, Chris Castro arrived as the city of Orlando director of sustainability. Castro was a proven performer in the field, self-described as part eco-entrepreneur, part urban farmer and part evangelist for “smart” ways of doing things. Mostly, Castro was a person deemed

by Dyer as particularly capable of elevating the city’s sustainability efforts.

SCB Marketing | Steven Hicks

APRIL 2018 8]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

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Cover Photo By Jason Hook

APRIL2018[17

22

Waste Management

26

Stetson University

30

Universal Engineering Sciences

38

BRIDG

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APRIL2018[9

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jeff Piersall PRESIDENT Eric Wright EDITORIAL & DESIGN PUBLISHER: Eric Wright MANAGING EDITOR: Jack Roth ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ryan Randall ART DIRECTOR: Nevin Flinchbaugh ART DESIGNER: Tanya Mutton PHOTO EDITOR: Jason Hook CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS:

Michael Candelaria, Alisha Crabtree, Shantel Hanna, Steven Hicks, Harvey Massey, Jeff Piersall, Ryan Randall, Jack Roth, Jim Thomas, Kristine Thomas, Thomas Waterman, Joy Winslow, Eric Wright PHOTOGRAPHERS:

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Ken Welsh

President and CEO

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Communication and delivery platforms continually change and evolve. The constant in that change is the power of story. Print or digital, whatever platform you use, we have a way for you to connect to that story.

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I

The city of Orlando is uniquely positioning itself to be a leader in a comprehensive approach to urban sustainability.

By Michael Candelaria

n 2007, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed to “transform Orlando into one of the most environmentally friendly, economically and socially vibrant communities in the nation.”

As the calendar continues to move through 2018, their visions have become a reality. On the national landscape — perhaps even globally — Orlando has emerged as a leader.

Less than five years ago, Chris Castro arrived as the city of Orlando director of sustainability. Castro was a proven performer in the field, self-described as part eco-entrepreneur, part urban farmer and part evangelist for “smart” ways of doing things. Mostly, Castro was a person deemed

by Dyer as particularly capable of elevating the city’s sustainability efforts.

“I think Orlando is undoubtedly a leader in sustainability efforts,” Castro asserted in late January.

More than a decade ago, as Dyer made his transformation vow, he launched Green Works Orlando, centered on the concepts of promotion, education and encouragement around municipal sustainability. An appropriate title for the effort’s Q1 2018 report could be Tangible Results Are Widely Evident. ▸ i4Biz.com

Jane Gregory Innovative Opportunities | YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Environmental Steward BRIDG and Siemens

Foodpreneur Dixie Dharma

APRIL2018[17

One on One with Shawn Seipler

NAME: Yari Fumero TITLE: Junior Loan Officer

®

COMPANY: Shelter Mortgage YEARS IN AREA: 12 YEARS AT COMPANY: 10

Jane Gregory Innovative Opportunities | YOUNG PROFESSIONALS Environmental Steward BRIDG and Siemens

Foodpreneur Dixie Dharma

TITLE: Junior Loan Officer

A Leader in Urban

®

COMPANY: Shelter Mortgage YEARS IN AREA: 12 YEARS AT COMPANY: 10

Sustainability

APRIL 2018

A

Brevard County resident since 2004, Yari Fumero is a native Floridian, born and raised. Working in the mortgage industry since she was very young, she started her career at Shelter Mortgage nearly a decade ago as a Loan Officer Assistant. After taking a break to start a family, she worked in the title industry where she expanded her knowledge to include the title and closing aspect of the home buying experience. Returning to Shelter Mortgage in early 2016, she arrived as a well-rounded and knowledgeable Junior Loan Officer.

A Leader in Urban

Yari truly enjoys what she does and it fuels her passion to help individuals and families get into their new homes. She also understands the importance of the huge financial decision of Sustainability that her clients are making,Director because as she Christhey’re Castro says, “They aren’t just buying houses; buying homes for themselves and their families to enjoy for a lifetime.”

The City of Orlando

Sustainability

Yari truly enjoys what she does and it fuels her passion to help individuals and families get into their new homes. She also understands the importance of the huge financial decision of Sustainability that her clients are making,Director because as she Christhey’re Castro says, “They aren’t just buying houses; buying homes for themselves and their families to enjoy for a lifetime.”

The City of Orlando

Over the years, Yari has worked closely with realtors and homebuilders all over the east coast of Florida and has built many long lasting relationships and partnerships that have served her well. Bilingual, she has used this to her advantage while working with both her English and Spanish speaking clients. Having grown up in a primarily Spanish speaking home and seeing her parents struggle to communicate helped her understand the need for bilingual loan officers. These skills combined with her extensive knowledge of many different mortgage loan programs has allowed her to help hundreds of families finance their dream homes with little to no money out of their pockets. Se STETSON Habla Español. ◆ UNIVERSITY

Over the years, Yari has worked closely with realtors and homebuilders all over the east coast of Florida and has built many long lasting relationships and partnerships that have served her well. Bilingual, she has used this to her advantage while working with both her English and Spanish speaking clients. Having grown up in a primarily Spanish speaking home and seeing her parents struggle to communicate helped her understand the need for bilingual loan officers. These skills combined with her extensive knowledge of many different mortgage loan programs has allowed her to help hundreds of families finance their dream homes with little to no money out of their pockets. Se STETSON Habla Español. ◆ UNIVERSITY

An Advocate for

Environmental Responsibility

An Advocate for

Environmental Responsibility

WASTE MANAGEMENT’S

Vinod Philip, Chief Technology Officer

Yari Fumero

APRIL 2018

A

Brevard County resident since 2004, Yari Fumero is a native Floridian, born and raised. Working in the mortgage industry since she was very young, she started her career at Shelter Mortgage nearly a decade ago as a Loan Officer Assistant. After taking a break to start a family, she worked in the title industry where she expanded her knowledge to include the title and closing aspect of the home buying experience. Returning to Shelter Mortgage in early 2016, she arrived as a well-rounded and knowledgeable Junior Loan Officer.

One on One with Shawn Seipler

NAME: Yari Fumero

RECYCLING

DO'S & DON'TS

Yaresmi Fumero -- NMLS#552492 Shelter Mortgage Company LLC-- NMLS#431223 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

50]OCTOBER2016 SCBMarketing.com $4.95

WASTE MANAGEMENT’S

Yari Fumero

Vinod Philip, Chief Technology Officer

RECYCLING

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Yaresmi Fumero -- NMLS#552492 Shelter Mortgage Company LLC-- NMLS#431223 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

50]OCTOBER2016 SCBMarketing.com $4.95

The city of Orlando is uniquely positioning itself to be a leader in a comprehensive approach to urban sustainability.

By Michael Candelaria

I

n 2007, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed to “transform Orlando into one of the most environmentally friendly, economically and socially vibrant communities in the nation.”

As the calendar continues to move through 2018, their visions have become a reality. On the national landscape — perhaps even globally — Orlando has emerged as a leader.

Less than five years ago, Chris Castro arrived as the city of Orlando director of sustainability. Castro was a proven performer in the field, self-described as part eco-entrepreneur, part urban farmer and part evangelist for “smart” ways of doing things. Mostly, Castro was a person deemed

by Dyer as particularly capable of elevating the city’s sustainability efforts.

More than a decade ago, as Dyer made his transformation vow, he launched Green Works Orlando, centered on the concepts of promotion, education and encouragement around municipal sustainability. An appropriate title for the effort’s Q1 2018 report could be Tangible Results Are Widely Evident. ▸

“I think Orlando is undoubtedly a leader in sustainability efforts,” Castro asserted in late January.

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[17

Pick Your Platform You are busy. We know because

we are too. That is why we make sure this powerful content is easy for you to access. Our digital editions and exclusive updates keep you connected.

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SPECIAL SECTION

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS The June 2018 edition will focus on the area’s healthcare professionals that are dedicated to the wellbeing of our community.

In our June issue, i4 Business® will include a special marketing section spotlighting the achievements and breakthroughs of these dedicated healthcare professionals throughout the Central Florida region.

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CONTRIBUTE

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COMING June 2018!

Orlando Office: 407.917.3819 12]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

Send press releases, article submissions, announcements and images to news@ scbmarketing.com. Please provide 2-3 months advance notice for requests for event announcements and/or coverage.

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The UCF Life Sciences Incubator in Lake Nona — the first and only turnkey wet lab incubator in Central Florida — is proud to serve as the new home for life sciences researchers and pioneers.

• Fully-equipped Biosafety Level II wet lab facility • Private and shared labs and offices • Collaboration with growing list of partners in and around Lake Nona’s Medical City • UCF Business Incubation Program services and mentorship for growth • Access to UCF core facilities and expertise For more information or to schedule a tour, please call 407-882-0888 or visit incubator.ucf.edu/lifesciences.

U N I V E R S I T Y

O F

C E N T R A L

F L O R I D A

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

W What If… [Eric Wright]

hen it comes to the capacity the free market has to develop ideas that can transform our world, I am a certifiable optimist. In last month’s magazine we did a feature on Amy Yoder, the CEO of Anuvia Plant Nutrients, which has raised more than $100 million in private funding to build a state-of-the-art facility in Zellwood. When fully operational, the company will be able to take 200 tons of primarily agricultural waste a day that is headed for landfills and turn it into 200 tons of environmentally friendly fertilizer. The potential its growing portfolio of products has globally is astounding.

This is of course just one example. Another key element of a sustainable future is solving the Rubik’s Cube of mass transit. The problem that has plagued us historically is the costs of these systems are astronomical. However, who foresaw that driverless cars, which could be used on existing road infrastructure with much greater safety and efficiency, would be a part of our near future? Who foresaw that one of the primary test facilities for this revolutionary new technology would be right here in Central Florida?

In this month’s magazine, we cover some of the new developments and trends in making a brighter, more sustainable future. Unlike other areas we cover, this is not only something that impacts every one of us, it is something each of us individually can have an impact on. ◆

i4 Business Production Team Jack Roth (Managing Editor) Ryan Randall (Assistant Editor) Tracy Conner (Production Manager) Jason Hook (Photo Editor) Nevin Flinchbaugh (Art Director)

Favorite Quotes From This this Issue: Issue: “As a global tourist destination, we also hope to showcase a range of smart city solutions that can be a model for other cities around the world.”

— Chris Castro [Pg 16]

14]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

“We see ourselves in a convening role.

We want to conduct the research, bring people together to discuss these issues and ac t as advo cates for environmental responsibility.”

— Clay Henderson [Pg 26]

“One outstanding example of this shift in Florida’s national leadership is the Brownfields Program, which are sites whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by actual or perceived contamination.”

— Richard Carman [Pg 30]

Giving Giving Hope, Hope, Changing Changing Lives Lives 365365 days days of of thethe year. year.

Since Since 1920, 1920, TheThe Salvation Salvation Army Army Orlando Orlando Metropolitan Metropolitan AreaArea Command Command has has worked worked to improve to improve quality quality of life of life for men, for men, women women andand children. children.

TheThe Army Army offers offers an array an array of social of social services services thatthat range range from from providing providing shelter shelter for for the the homeless homeless to permanent to permanent housing housing for low-income for low-income seniors. seniors.

Collaboration Collaboration withwith local local agencies agencies helps helps the the Army Army to to combat combat homelessness, homelessness, food food insecurity insecurity andand lacklack of affordable of affordable housing. housing.

VisitVisit our our website website for aforlista of listprograms of programs andand services services offered offered in your in your community. community.

407.423.8581 407.423.8581 www.salvationarmyorlando.org www.salvationarmyorlando.org Follow Follow us on us social on social media. media.

Facebook: Facebook: @salvationarmyorlando @salvationarmyorlando Twitter: Twitter: @salarmyorlando @salarmyorlando 416416 West West Colonial Colonial Drive Drive Orlando, Orlando, FL 32804 FL 32804

The City of Orlando is uniquely positioning itself to be a leader in a comprehensive approach to urban sustainability.

By Michael Candelaria

I

n 2007, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed to “transform Orlando into one of the most environmentally friendly, economically and socially vibrant communities in the nation.”

As the calendar continues to move through 2018, their visions have become a reality. On the national landscape — perhaps even globally — Orlando has emerged as a leader.

Less than five years ago, Chris Castro arrived as the city of Orlando director of sustainability. Castro was a proven performer in the field, self-described as part eco-entrepreneur, part urban farmer and part evangelist for “smart” ways of doing things. Mostly, Castro was a person deemed

by Dyer as particularly capable of elevating the city’s sustainability efforts.

“I think Orlando is undoubtedly a leader in sustainability efforts,” Castro asserted in late January.

More than a decade ago, as Dyer made his transformation vow, he launched Green Works Orlando, centered on the concepts of promotion, education and encouragement around municipal sustainability. An appropriate title for the effort’s Q1 2018 report could be Tangible Results Are Widely Evident. ▸ i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[17

Going Solar

In December 2017, Orlando’s goals for renewable energy and fuels gained significant traction with the dedication of the Orlando Utilities Commission’s Kenneth P. Ksionek Community Solar Farm at the Stanton Energy Center in east Orange County.

More than 37,500 solar panels are located atop a byproduct landfill on land once designated for a future coal plant. Spread across 24 acres, the panels are capable of generating nearly 13-megawatts of energy — enough to power 2,100 homes.

Months earlier, Dyer had added his name to the Mayors for 100% Clean Energy Initiative and brought a resolution to City Council to secure our commitment. The effort, coordinated by the Sierra Club, represents a commitment by cities toward the use of renewable fuels, principally solar power.

Orlando has targeted that by 2030, municipal operations will be run entirely from renewable sources. At present, the City has procured 5.2 megawatts of solar energy that provides 100 percent of power at Orlando City Hall, the Orlando Police headquarters and 17 fire stations.

By virtue of a 2017 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Orlando’s Parramore community now has its first farmers market (every Saturday morning) along with a burgeoning new food system that encompasses local food production that utilizes community gardens and urban farms, even including homeowner lawn space.

“We’re creating a ‘food oasis,’” said Castro. “The idea is to grow the food, sell the food and teach the community how to cook the food into healthy meals.

This will hopefully solve some of the health and wellness challenges in that community.” Notably, among those 18]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

partners is Fleet Farming, an urban agriculture program of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit IDEAS For Us that Castro cofounded several years ago.

Zero-Waste City

Orlando has been selected as the pilot site for U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy. The project aims to increase the current national recycling rate of 34 percent. Orlando’s goal, according to Dyer, is to become a zero-waste city by 2040.

“We’re making significant strides toward that commitment by providing our residents and businesses with the tools and strategies necessary to divert more waste from our landfills, including offering weekly recycling collection, quarterly e-waste drives, free backyard composters to residents, and a commercial food waste collection program that is diverting millions of pounds of organic waste per year,” Dyer commented.

In terms of recycling, during 2017 more than 43,720 pounds of recyclables were diverted from Orlando landfills.

At present, solar energy provides 100 percent of power at Orlando City Hall, the Orlando Police headquarters and 17 fire stations.

Those efforts coincide with the work of Keep Orlando Beautiful, a program administered by the city of Orlando’s Streets and Stormwater Division of the Public Works Department (an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit organization). Chief components include education programs, public space and event recycling bin implementation, as well as community cleanup and beautification events.

“Our mission is to engage people, engage citizens and business owners to do their part — help keep Orlando clean, green and beautiful,” said Jody Buyas, coordinator of the Keep Orlando Beautiful program.

While Keep Orlando Beautiful has been part of the city’s efforts for approximately 30 years, activities have never been more focused than under Dyer’s direction and committed resources, Buyas added.

As an example, EnviroScape is an interactive, hands-on educational and communication tool used for stormwater education, incorporating a 3-D model landscape that illustrates possible sources of water pollution. Although effective for all ages, young students gain the chance to learn how their actions affect the water in a typical community.

“The idea is to grow the food, sell the food and teach the community how to cook the food into healthy meals. This will hopefully solve some of the health and wellness challenges in that community.”

Similarly, the Stop the Poo-llution Campaign is designed to educate about pet waste issues, mostly the effects on water of left-behind pet waste.

Orlando has more than 104 named bodies of water, and many neighborhoods are situated on or around our beautiful lakes.

Another example: Keep Orlando Beautiful’s Adopt-A-Street Program encompasses litter prevention through volunteer participation by residents and neighborhoods. Volunteer groups are responsible for cleaning their adopted street at least six times throughout an agreement year.

Proving Ground

Regarding transportation, Orlando (and Central Florida) has been designated an Automated Vehicle Proving Ground by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This makes the region one of the nation’s premier clusters for research and development of automated vehicle technology across all modes of travel. Regional partners span academic institutions, such as the University of Central Florida and Florida Polytechnic University, plus others like the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, the Central Florida Expressway, Lynx and NASA/Kennedy Space Center.

Along those same lines, Orlando sits in the middle of the massive I-4 Ultimate project, which has won the Envision Platinum

recognition from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure for its environmental, economic and social sustainability efforts.

The 21-mile project, a $2.3 billion publicprivate partnership that encompasses a multiyear makeover of Interstate 4 (south Orange County through downtown Orlando to Seminole County) is among the largest projects to receive such an ISI salute.

Orlando is seeking to be smart, too. A Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge grant afford Orlando and Orange County to develop a comprehensive smart city roadmap, essentially combining – Chris Castro sustainability initiatives with the technology industry to “continue positioning Orlando as an innovative and attractive place to live, work, play and raise a family in the 21st century,” said Castro.

The roadmap, he adds, will be directed toward enhancing the visitor experience while improving safety and reducing congestion, including the integration of sensors and advanced communications systems into public safety programs. “As a global tourist destination,” Castro noted, “we also hope to showcase a range of smart cities solutions that can be a model for other cities around the world.”

Not coincidentally, Castro touts a holistic approach for Orlando that differs from others.

While many cities are “doing amazing work” around specific aspects of sustainability, Orlando is “really looking at this challenge as an opportunity in a comprehensive way,” Castro said, adding that Orlando has “uniquely positioned itself to be a leader in a comprehensive approach to urban sustainability.”

“We’re not just targeting one initiative,” Castro concluded.

“We’re really simultaneously implementing things around energy, green building, local food, livability, transportation, solid waste and water resources. And we’re driving a green economy that will be everlasting into the 21st century.” ◆

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[19

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i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[21

THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF A VIABLE

RECYCLING PROGRAM

by Steven Hicks

B

y now, we are all used to recycling.

What was once an activity for the green family down the street has long since become commonplace to every household and every business.

We have also changed the method of recycling along the way, moving from individual bins for paper, glass and plastic, to single-stream recycling with one larger container. However, the move to modern single stream collection has come with a new set of problems, namely contaminated recyclables. When

22]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

a single piece of contaminated material is introduced to a truck collecting on a route, the entire load can be ruined.

disposal and recycling, but also personal counseling to help customers achieve their green goals, including zero waste.

This is important because recycling properly creates commodities, and Waste Management (WM), North America’s leading provider of integrated environmental solutions, sells these recycled, valuable resources to maximize environmental performance. The company, headquartered in Houston, Texas, has a municipal recycling facility in Brevard County. WM focuses on

“The buyers of paper, plastics and other recyclables have strict contamination guidelines that when not met relegate the material to garbage destined for the local landfill,” said Amy Boyson, WM’s community affairs manager. “To maintain the quality and thus saleability of the recyclables we collect, we’re constantly educating our client base, both residential and commercial.

The Good, the Bad and the Wishful Boyson separates recyclers into three groups.

“Let’s call them the Good, the Bad and the Wishful Recyclers,” she said. “The Good Recyclers give us the things we want: aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles and jugs, cardboard and paper. The Bad Recyclers just use their recycle container as another garbage can. Wishful Recyclers look for everything to be recycled because, in reality, most things can be recycled.

For example, Wishful Recyclers may think they can take something to Goodwill, therefore it’s recyclable, and that’s not necessarily true.” ▸

The Good Recycler knows that only certain kinds of these items are accepted by his or her local recycling service, and keeps everything else out of the container. The Bad Recycler considers the container with the yellow lid to be just another container for garbage. The Wishful Recycler puts all paper, glass, plastic, clothing and electronics into the yellow-lid recycle container because they believe all those items are recyclable.

So, do collect and recycle plastics, paper and glass, but learn more about what is recyclable locally, and do not just put all of these items in your container.

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[23

Xavier Watson manages Waste Management’s Brevard Municipal Recycling Facility and knows what can be recycled and what causes problems. “I can tell you I do not take stuff to Goodwill at the end of each day,” he said. “People think if we recycle plastic, all plastic goes in the bin, or all cardboard and metals.

But that causes issues with that entire container of recyclables.”

For example, he said, foam or cardboard egg trays are not recyclable, so put them in the trash. When it comes to plastics, plastic fruit trays are not recyclable, but people put them in their containers.

That entire container now becomes garbage, defeating the purpose of the program and the effort made from pick-up to pick-up.

Cardboard is particularly difficult and a widespread issue with both residential and commercial collection. “Of course it’s recyclable, but the cardboard that has been contaminated, like pizza boxes, is a non-recyclable material,” said Mike Lewis, WM’s district manager. “Or if it's wet, even if you dry it out, it's still not recyclable. If a commercial customer has a cardboard container, and they leave the lid open and it rains, all that cardboard is no longer recyclable.”

The Good Recycler knows to only add clean and dry materials to the container, and the Bad Recycler just throws it all in there and lets someone else worry about it. The Wishful Recycler puts all paper and cardboard in the container because it is recyclable.

The Good Recycler knows a garden hose is not the kind of plastic that is recyclable. The Bad Recycler sees some bit of plastic on an item and throws it in the container. The Wishful Recycler thinks if it’s plastic it must be recyclable, so it goes in the container.

So, do collect plastics, but check Waste Management’s website to learn how to identify the plastics that are locally recycled. Visit www.recycleoftenrecycleright.com.

Boyson does not place blame on the customers; it is more a matter of varying rules around the country and a large number of new residents in Brevard. Lewis adds, “Some of our customers come from areas with more stringent recycling rules or laws.

People moving here from the North don't realize we don't recycle the same way they could there. It's not a national ‘one size fits all’ program when it comes to recycling. You have to look at your area, county or city recycling program to see what's acceptable.”

How Big is the Problem?

So, do collect and recycle paper and cardboard, but do not put soiled or wet materials in with otherwise clean and dry materials. Doing so renders all the material non-recyclable. Also, keep the cardboard recycling container lid closed or covered to keep the recyclables dry.

Just from a residential standpoint, stressed Lewis, the average recycle route in a city of 1,200 to 1,500 homes would show a 75-80 percent contamination rate. That may be the worst case, but it is not uncommon. All those recyclables residents think they are collecting wind up getting landfilled as municipal solid waste because of contamination. Once a contaminated load comes in, it mixes with the clean stream of recyclables, so WM has to run all of it through processing. That slows its system down considerably, and it does not get a sellable result, consequently affecting program income.

As for plastics, Watson explained, “We recycle plastic bottles with a neck smaller than the base, a jug like a laundry detergent bottle with a handle or a tub like a yogurt or butter container.

But then the Wishfuls think a plastic cup that has the lid and the straw is acceptable, or plastic bags, or plastic clamshell-type containers. None of those are recyclable in a curbside program, and again they can contaminate the entire container of materials.”

“On the collection side, I’ll go back and determine which truck and route the contamination is coming from,” said Lewis. “If it’s plastic bags causing a specific contamination issue, we’ll run an education program to target plastic bags and remind people we can’t recycle them. But we have to identify the key contaminants on each specific route. It could be plastic bags on one route and wet cardboard on another. It is quite the ongoing challenge.”

24]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

The Good, the Bad, and the Wishful

Visit www.recycleoftenrecycleright.com for up-to-date details.

The company is starting to apply technology to making sure the loads are as clean as possible and the recycling program can survive. By doing this, issues can be pinpointed once a container is emptied. “We don't find out until after we've emptied a bin, but the next time there is a red flag for our drivers,” explained Boyson. “The resident or business would also be notified of the issue once flagged.”

The Good Recycler would not have normally faced this issue, but occasionally might. Unfortunately, the Bad Recycler still will not care. But after a commercial Bad Recycler is charged extra for including contaminated recyclables in the bin, compliance often follows. The Wishful Recycler

With a commercial recycling contamination rate of 60-70 percent and a residential rate around 30 percent, it is easy to see that education and improvement can bring substantial improvement and resulting gains to the program and its sustainability. With drivers equipped with tablets to hold real-time routes and messages, and to record images of issues each day, Waste Management is applying a healthy dose of technology to identifying the sources of contamination along with ongoing public outreach to educate both residents and business owners on proper recycling in Brevard.

“The end result of this is we educate those who are new to the area because it's different here … those who think they're doing a good job, who overstep and try too hard, and the Bad Recyclers who we charge into compliance until they slowly turn into a Good Recycler,” concluded Lewis. ◆

would then be informed and comply going forward.

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[25

Blue Spring State Park

An Advocate for

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience is promoting interdisciplinary learning and research, advancing policy development and demonstrating environmental stewardship that is benefiting the entire region.

By Jack Roth

H

urricane Irma recently reminded Central Floridians of the importance of our water resources and how we go about making changes to our fragile ecosystems as we continue to grow as a region. At the most recent Volusia County Water Summit, Jason Evans, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental science and geography at Stetson, spoke about the impact rising sea waters are having, including record high tides and tide levels since 2006. He said his work indicated that many times the rising sea levels have an adverse impact on aquifers, as well as sewage systems, through the introduction of seawater.

Kirsten Work, Ph.D., a professor in Stetson University’s Biology Department, also spoke about preserving and protecting our water resources. She has been studying Blue Spring for several years and said there are three things stressing the springs in Florida — water quality, quantity and the impact of exotic species.

The research being conducted by Evans and Work represents the kind of efforts being put forth at the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, whose purpose is to become a center for innovative approaches to tackling complex environmental challenges that will ultimately benefit the entire region. ▸ i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[27

The Institute has four main focus areas: the Indian River Lagoon, Central Florida springs, climate adaptation and sustainability.

All are critical to the future of not only Central Florida but to the entire state. Blue Spring is the largest spring in the St. Johns River system, and it has been impaired due to the factors Professor Work highlighted in her research. The state government has come up with a restoration plan, but what policy makers are recommending is not enough to reverse the damage.

“The restoration plan doesn’t include dealing with 26,000 septic tanks,” said Henderson. “This is part of the process; we give them the hard facts, and they reassess. It’s part of our overall strategy.”

Wendy Anderson, co-director of the Institute and professor and chair of Environmental Science and Studies, sees the Institute as a facilitator connecting science and policy. “We have a huge bank of scientists here who understand how the environment works, and that knowledge is critical to helping shape policy in Tallahassee,” she said. “We’ve also brought different stakeholders, including county officials, faculty, mayors and students, to the same table.”

Kirsten Work

A Leader in the Region and Beyond

The vision of the Institute is to have Stetson emerge as a leader in Central Florida and the southeast United States for education, research and policy development that will generate innovative technical, social and political solutions for the current and future challenges of strained freshwater resources and related environmental concerns. Students who are majoring in Environmental Science and Studies, or any other students with interests in the environment and sustainable solutions, have opportunities to work with faculty and community leaders from government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and businesses in the region to conduct research, develop policy or participate in public education efforts that identify environmental problems and help implement solutions.

“We see ourselves in a convening role,” said Clay Henderson, the Institute’s executive director. “We want to conduct the research, bring people together to discuss these issues and act as advocates for environmental responsibility.”

28]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

Anderson is also responsible for faculty engagement, and through a steering committee they are able to come together and set priorities based on important research focus areas. She also draws in students, whose research projects tie directly into the work of university professors. Anderson noted that because Stetson is a private university, it has more freedom to take on contentious issues.

“Nobody is telling us we can’t utter the phrase ‘climate change,’ so we have the independence to tackle the tough stuff,” she said. “This benefits the entire region because we’ve been able to emerge as a leader in these environmental conversations by presenting honest research to a variety of stakeholders and policy makers. The truth is, everyone is a stakeholder when it comes to the environment.”

The Institute has several goals, and one is educating the general public about freshwater and other environmental resource conservation and sustainability through special events, noncredit programming and online sources. By doing so, it can help shift the behaviors of millions of people to conserve valuable, clean freshwater resources and associated ecosystems.

Henderson also stressed the importance of getting students involved with these research projects. “We’ve tapped into student interest and in three years have grown from having less than 10 students involved to having more than 85,” he said. “We want to train students to become leaders and global citizens who can affect change in how people consume and impact environmental resources.”

“We want to train students to become leaders and global citizens who can affect change in how people consume and impact environmental resources.”

– Clay Henderson

Part of Evan’s research is mapping how vulnerable public facilities such as stormwater drainage systems, fire stations and wastewater treatment plants are to rising seas. The elevations of the structures Evans records give him insight into how exposed buildings can be adapted to future floods, and he hopes this data can help communities become more resilient to coastal hazards.

Critical Research

Last summer, as Professor Kirsten Work and Stetson student Jifu Jennings put on wetsuits and waded into the cool, clear water of Blue Spring, they understood the significance of their research efforts as an environmental imperative.

“Our springs are critical to the health of our overall ecosystem,” said Work. “Through my research, I’ve been able to make recommendations to policy makers on how to help the springs, so the information is valuable when trying to positively impact environmental policies.”

Assistant professor Jason Evans walks the same path as Work.

He is wholly committed to his research, which he feels is more important than ever. Increased flooding caused by sea-level rise is a growing threat to the homes and businesses in coastal cities around Florida. An increase in the strength and size of hurricanes (see Irma) has exacerbated this issue, as storm surges rise and become more deadly.

“Resiliency is the idea that a community can bounce back from some kind of stressor, some kind of disaster,” he said. “With sea-level rise, the best thing we can do is acknowledge it and try to deal with it by planning ahead.”

The research he and his team recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change found that as many as 13.1 million Americans who live in low-lying coastal areas would be displaced due to sea-level rise by 2100.

“It’s basically a collision course when thinking about sea-level rise,” said Evans. “We’re starting to do studies that say, OK, how much is it going to cost to adapt?”

All of the research being conducted by Evans, Work and others engaged with the Institute speaks to the importance of our water resources and related environmental concerns. Henderson believes the Institute is making, and will continue to make, a difference.

“Water is everything in Florida, so having clean, healthy water is critical to our lifestyles,” he said. “Our goal is to conduct research that makes a difference in the health of our environment, and this all comes down to influencing political outcomes.” ◆ i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[29

Environmental Engineering

and Florida’s Growth The Maturing of the Ecological Conversation

by Eric Wright

A

s sustainability and environmental sensitivity become core values around the world, a growing attitude of collaboration has emerged between regulators and businesses.

“So often, there’s this muscle memory about avoiding regulators,” said Adrienne Harris, the former special assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House National Economic Council. “For institutions looking to innovate, the better course is to be proactive with regulators. Go to the regulators, talk about what you’re doing, and get guidance.

Before you file a single piece of paper, socialize the idea with them and understand their perspectives.”

Whether in banking or building, this is a far cry from the almost adversarial perspective that once existed. On the one side, regulators, particularly environmental regulators, were seen as development-killing ideologues, and, to some, businesses were pictured as being environmentally toxic. With Florida set to grow dramatically in the next decade, a balanced approach of partnership and cooperation is a course both sides are now pursuing. The outcome should be smarter growth, which achieves everyone’s objectives.

Universal Engineering Sciences (UES), one of the Southeast’s largest geotechnical and environmental engineering firms, is helping to lead this effort through its 18 offices located across Florida and Georgia. Corporate Director of Environmental Services, Richard Carman, has been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of the company’s environmental services offering, as well as the conversation between developers, construction companies and state regulators.

Real-World Solutions

“One outstanding example of this shift is Florida’s leadership in the Brownfields Program,” Carman observed. “Brownfields are sites whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by actual or perceived contamination. For example, in Florida, citrus groves that may have generations of pesticide or fertilizer treatment are being redeveloped for residential or commercial use.”

By working cooperatively with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, companies like UES can provide information, assistance and redevelopment strategies to private parties and communities in order to assist in the cleaning-up and reuse of contaminated properties. The State of Florida, which shares an incentive with the developer, can offer tax credits on site rehabilitation of up to 50 percent and even 75 percent of an environmental project spend for affordable housing and health care providers. In addition, there may be bonuses for job creation along with loan guarantees. Also, owners and developers can get relief from future liabilities by working within this program.

As Carman stated, Florida is at the forefront in Brownfields Program, which can also include sites such as abandoned gas stations, dry cleaning establishments or chemical plants. “This is an area where we can provide subject matter expertise to clients, not only in finding creative ways to solve contamination problems, but also in navigating the process that can be intimidating to clients who are unfamiliar with the state and federal agencies who manage the program,” Carman said. “It’s a win-win solution for the developer, the state and the environment.” ▸

“For institutions looking to innovate, the better course is to be proactive with regulators.

Go to the regulators, talk about what you’re doing, and get guidance.” – Adrienne Harris 30]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM A brownfield is a property where the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. It is estimated there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the United States.

Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off of undeveloped, open land, and both improves and protects the environment.

Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has grown into a proven, results-oriented program that has changed the way contaminated property is perceived, addressed and managed. epa.gov/brownfields/overview-brownfields-program | floridadep.gov/waste/waste-cleanup/content/brownfields-program

“We determine the exposure to people, how deep the contamination is, what we need to remove and what can remain without harm. With improved technologies and methodologies, these determinations can be made fairly easily.”

– Richard Carman

An Evolving Approach

Momentum for Progress

For Carman, geology offered a combination of science, technology and solving real-world problems, along with the opportunity to interface with clients, legal experts, contractors and regulators. Having worked in Ohio, Pennsylvania and across the South, along with conducting more than 1,000 comprehensive health, safety and environmental regulatory compliance audits over his consulting career, his experience in working with every type of client, along with local, state and federal regulators, is extensive.

“If you’re a retailer like a retail drug store, you want to deal with a potential problem at the earliest possible stage and not be faced with having to close your drive-through pharmacy,” said Carman. “No retailer wants to subject customers to the smell of gas from an excavation in the parking lot when they stop in to pick up a prescription.”

An industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience, Carman moved towards geology as an undergraduate and later in graduate school after he realized civil engineering did not really peak his interest. “I enjoyed the historical aspects of how the earth was formed and how our understanding has progressed,” he said.

In the view of experts like Carman, the approach that has evolved over the last 20 years is very innovative, and sustainable advances have been made in addressing environmental concerns, especially in terms of remediation of a contaminated site.

“Twenty years ago, we would go into an area like downtown Detroit to deal with a ground water contamination problem,” Carman explained. “At the time, the only solution was to pump all the water out and clean it, costing millions of dollars. Today, we assess the situation. If the area is covered with concrete, and the water that serves the area is supplied from other locations, we can manage the contamination in-place. Is that kind of effort justified from an environmental or fiscal standpoint?”

This more practical and environmentally responsible regulatory approach has progressed to where conditional closures are quite often the best options. “We determine the exposure to people, how deep the contamination is, what we need to remove and what can remain without harm,” Carman said. “With improved technologies and methodologies, these determinations can be made fairly easily.”

UES has representatives spread across offices that crisscross Florida and Georgia, and Carman encourages his team to understand the goals of the client and not just check the environmental box and move to the next project. There are proactive things that can be done to ensure a client’s exposure to litigation or to a future temporary closure of a business due to an environmental issue is avoided.

Looking at how UES’s environmental business has grown, Mark Israel, President and COO, said, “In our niche, as the economy booms and development booms, obstacles to development become less burdensome to overcome. In the fast-growing Florida economy, with ever-increasing competition for preferred locations, the willingness, the momentum and the margins to make the effort to clean up problem sites rise sharply.”

In addition, some see the regulatory environment becoming more entrepreneurial, less bureaucratic and more goaloriented. “Everyone wants the same thing; if there’s a problem, we want to remediate it quickly and effectively,” added Israel. “There’s a growing focus on substance and outcomes. Generally, people want to help.”

For Carman, who has worked to knit UES’s environmental departments across the state into a unified, cohesive and responsive aspect of their portfolio of services, the timing and the opportunities could not be better. ◆

Florida is at the forefront in the Brownfields Program, which can also include sites such as abandoned gas stations, dry cleaning establishments or chemical plants.

32]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

JANE GREGORY Company: Orange County Environmental

Protection Division Title: Environmental Program Supervisor Education: University of Florida Years in area: 18 Years at Company: 8

A

s a third-generation Floridian, Jane Gregory’s upbringing appears to have set the course for her career. Growing up in a small house with a big family, a lot of her time was spent in nature with her brothers and sisters. The idea was to keep the kids busy outside, but Gregory developed an affinity for the environment that has inspired her in both her personal and professional life ever since.

Hoping to work with farm animals, Gregory pursued her degree in agriculture and animal science at the University of Florida.

After graduating, however, she worked in the environmental sector in a different capacity than expected: as a chemist and later as a hazardous waste inspector. It was the experience gained in these roles that set her career in motion, fostering her passion for advocating for and protecting the health of Florida’s natural resources. After meeting her husband and moving to West Palm Beach, she eventually came back to Central Florida to take on the role of environmental protection supervisor with the Orange County Environmental Protection Division.

Today, Gregory also serves as public information officer for the organization, bringing her knowledge and experience to the forefront by teaching classes in sustainability. Working with people from every industry and sector, she empowers those who may not otherwise know how to make a difference by sharing resources and information necessary to get involved.

“I want to inspire people to think big and make small impacts where they can,” Gregory explained.

She also serves as a director on the board of the Metropolitan Environmental Training Alliance, and as Orange County’s committee representative for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Central Florida Energy Efficiency Alliance. She is an active proponent of Good Food Central Florida, working with them to achieve a healthy and sustainable food system in Central Florida. ◆ i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[33

| Executive Profile

ISMAEL ELKORCHI & KENT WINKELSETH COMPANY: Holiday Builders TITLE: New Home Consultant YEARS IN AREA: 16 YEARS IN INDUSTRY: 11 Ismael Elkorchi has been actively licensed as a real estate professional in Central Florida since 2006. Beginning with a position in new home sales with Bowen Family Homes, Ismael has worked throughout the region for more than a decade to help future home ow ners bui l d t hei r dre am homes. Now in his role as a new home consultant with Holiday Builders, he is able to leverage his knowledge and experience, along with the tools and partnerships made available through his company, to better meet the needs of every client.

He knows buying a new home can be stressful, whether you are a first34]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

time or experienced homebuyer, so his focus above all else is “making the experience very simple and enjoyable,” he explained.

Creating that seamless experience is made easier through his sevenyear-long partnership with Shelter Mortgage. “This is something you can’t achieve without the partnership of an experienced, professional mortgage company with a reputation of superior customer service, integrity, respect and hard work,” he said.

With nearly two decades of working together to help people achieve their dreams, Holiday Builders and Shelter Mortgage have set the bar for client service in the Central Florida area, fostering a relationship based on trust and shared values that instills confidence in every client they work with, and one they both believe will last for years to come. ◆

© 2017 Shelter Mortgage Company, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. This communication does not constitute a commitment to lend or the guarantee of a specified interest rate. All loan programs and availability of cash proceeds are subject to credit, underwriting and property approval.

Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions apply.

Shelter Mortgage Company, LLC |4000 W. Brown Deer Road, Brown Deer, WI 53209 | Corp NMLS#431223 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

Equal Housing Lender. Kent Kinkelseth, Vice President NMLS ID: 552527 |408 East Ridgewood Street |Orlando, FL 32803 | (407) 765-3810 | Kent.Winkelseth@sheltermortgage.com

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce presents

Celebrating Extraordinary Women An evening of cocktails and conversation

April 25 • ShowcaseWG

This is your opportunity to meet some of West Orange County’s leading women, with plenty of time for cocktails and conversation. Join us April 25 at ShowcaseWG in Winter Garden for the latest Celebrating Extraordinary Women event!

Attendees will enjoy getting to know each of our featured guests in this engaging, “round-robin” style event. Featured speakers include:

Julie Kleffel Executive Vice President & Head of Community Banking, Seacoast Bank; Orlando Business Journal 2017 Business Executive of the Year

Suneera Madhani Founder & CEO, Fattmerchant

Stacy Papp Creative Designer & Founder, Bay Hill Jewelers

Tiffany Moore Russell Orange County Clerk of Courts Tickets available at wochamber.com.

Chamber member advance rate: $36 Non-member & at the door rate: $46

ATHENA PowerLink COMPANY PROFILE to apply visit: athenaorlando.com

CHRISTINA HITE COMPANY: Dix.Hite + Partners TITLE: President FOUNDED: 1996 LOCATION: Longwood, FL

Atlanta, GA

Birmingham, AL PHONE NUMBER: (407) 667-1777 EMAIL: kmorphy@dixhite.com chite@dixhite.com WEBSITE: www.dixhite.com Dix.Hite + Partners, Inc. is a progressive, awardwinning landscape architecture and public-realm design firm founded in 1996 that has grown to 36 people in three offices, including in Longwood, Fla., Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, Ga. The firm helps private developers and public agencies throughout the southeastern United States and the world envision and build inspired shared spaces, amenities and streetscapes with a focus on sustainability and lowimpact development. Dix.Hite’s portfolio includes parks and trails, assisted living and senior housing, mixed-use urban developments, resorts, town centers, multi-family housing and civic buildings.

The firm’s president and co-founder, Chris Hite, engaged the ATHENAPowerLink program in 2017 as the company approached a critical juncture. Co-founder Jeff Dix, who had been leading projects for 21 years, would soon be stepping back from day-to-day operations.

Much of the transitional structure already was in place, but the firm’s leadership knew that input from a well-rounded board such as PowerLink would help.

The resulting transition plan included not only how to transfer actual ownership to whom and when, but also how to ensure time was made for Dix to mentor and transfer knowledge to other team members.

ATHENAPowerLink guides women business owners in defining and achieving tangible goals to accelerate growth and profitability.

36]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

Further, the team adopted a new corporate philosophy: Growth will come from doing the things the practitioners love and excel at without the distraction of competing for market share. Team members pursue impactful projects, the type that inspired them to study landscape architecture in the first place, such as the new Oviedo Center Lake Park and Town Center. ◆

Securing Our Future Through Technology

By Jim Thomas, CEO, Orlando Tech Association

Jim Thomas is the CEO of the Orlando Tech Association. He can be contacted on social @JimThomasORL or at www.OrlandoTech.org.

T

here is a concern today that automation and artificial intelligence will eliminate millions of jobs in the United States and around the world. If robots take too many jobs, will that destroy livelihoods, reduce our earning capacity and eventually lead to a downturn in the overall economy?

First, let us think for a moment what our income is spent on. Basic needs consume the vast majority of society’s earned wages. It is estimated that more than 75 percent of American incomes are spent on housing, transportation, energy, food and healthcare.

Now consider that technology either can or will soon transform how we build homes, move people around, collect energy, grow food and remain healthy. Products and services that were previously expensive will become significantly cheaper and, in some cases, practically free.

Today’s smartphone is a great example of this. Yes, the smartphone can still cost hundreds of dollars, but think of the vast array of once-expensive products that all fit inside your phone. A high definition video camera, calculator, GPS mapping, access to worldwide information, word processor, an infinitive amount of apps and the list goes on. If each item contained in your phone was purchased at its top original value, it would literally cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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That is why it is important everyone understands these trends and their implications on society. Imagine the solutions for many of these challenges facing us today can be found right here in Central Florida. Now imagine the impact that would have on our community and how our community could, in turn, impact the world. These are not long-distant dreams, but instead realities beginning to happen right here, right now.

We are working with some amazing people on some amazing programs to help us make our region the world's future model for housing, transportation, energy, health and well-being.

Join us on this journey.

Here are the four top areas where people spend their cash and how these things are likely to decrease in cost over the next five to 10 years:

Housing

Roughly only 5 percent of the earth is actually inhabited by humans. We do not have a land issue; we have an access to land and construction cost issue. With the adoption of autonomous transportation, people will be able to live in more affordable locations and travel greater distances. In addition to ease of travel, home construction costs will also decrease. Numerous companies around the world are developing technology to 3D print homes and apartment buildings. This will dramatically reduce construction and labor costs, as well as reduce the amount of time it takes for projects to be completed.

It is estimated that more than 75 percent of American incomes are spent on housing, transportation, energy, food and healthcare, and these things are likely to decrease in cost over the next five to 10 years.

Transportation

The coming revolution in autonomous transportation stands to drastically reduce the cost of moving from point A to point B while at the same time make the trip tremendously safer.

Today in the United States, more than 30,000 people a year die in auto accidents. General Motors plans to introduce an autonomous fleet in late 2019. Simply by removing the driver from a platform like Uber or Lyft, it is estimated the cost of a ride will be reduced by a factor of 10. Also imagine not having to pay car insurance, auto maintenance, parking fees or fuel because the cars of the future will be powered by renewable abundant energy.

Energy

More energy hits the earth from the Sun in a single day than all of humanity uses in an entire year. Our challenge has been effectively collecting and storing that energy. With increased efficiencies in the collection process, the cost of energy drops dramatically. Tesla is starting to install entire roofs made out of photovoltaic material at a cost equivalent to a new traditional roof. With the ability to store that energy in “power walls,� you will be able to power your entire home and charge your electric vehicle. Future advancements in solar alone, much less other renewables such as wind, will eventually eliminate energy costs.

Health and Wellbeing

With abundant energy comes the ability to more easily plant and grow food, and with affordable energy comes the ability to more easily distribute technologies such as water desalination. Estimates show the cost of food has dropped thirteen-fold over the past century. Healthier and more abundant food will increase as costs continue to decrease through automation. Additionally, advancements in sensors and diagnostics will move us from an age of reactive healthcare to proactive treatment. Dying from a stroke or heart attack will become a thing of the past because sensors, potentially in our phones, will tell us months, if not years, in advance that a potentially life-threatening illness is starting to develop. â—†

Want To Learn More?

For more information on the Orlando Tech Association, please visit

OrlandoTech.org.

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[39

Contact us to learn more about how FloridaMakes can help your business unlock growth opportunities and cost savings.

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Or Does It Control You? Managing today’s IT requires many skillsets — networking, security, compliance, cloud, email, mobile and on and on.

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New Partnerships with BRIDG

Bring Innovative Technological Opportunities

By Alisha Crabtree

L

ocated at NeoCity in Osceola County, BRIDG is a not-forprofit, industry-led public-private partnership. It strives to establish itself as a major hub for companies de dic ate d to advance d s ens ors, semiconductors and photonics. Designed as one of the world’s most flexible and adaptable fabrication facilities, BRIDG provides research, development and infrastructure capabilities for manufacturing processes and materials geared toward enhancing innovation.

Establishing Digital Twin Solutions

As digital technology transforms and traverses diverse industries, it is appropriate these capabilities facilitate the digitalization of semiconductor manufacturing. With an in-kind grant valued at more than $30 million to drive the development of digital twins, BRIDG and Siemens are partnering to create the first Semiconductor Digital Enterprise Solution.

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“Partners like Siemens help us develop and provide commercialization infrastructure, as well as capabilities for proof of concept, custom development and pilot production.”

– Chester Kennedy

“ The opportunity for BRIDG to team with Siemens and lead the semiconductor industry in digital mapping of the device building blocks associated with manufacturing advanced microelectronics is tremendous,” said Chester Kennedy, chief executive officer of BRIDG. “Partners like Siemens help us develop and provide commercialization infrastructure, as well as capabilities for proof of concept, custom development and pilot production. This program lays the foundation for semiconductor design for manufacturing by establishing digital duplicates for model-based systems.”

Product simulation with digital twins eliminates process errors and improves fabrication outputs. The combination of expertise establishes and revolutionizes Digital Twin technologies by providing Siemens’ software portfolio to enable BRIDG’s research and development activities. The result allows manufacturing companies to streamline and digitalize business processes, seamlessly integrating suppliers into the mix to help improve manufacturing throughput, increase product quality and reduce costs across the lifecycle of products from ideation to realization and utilization.

“BRIDG is in a unique position to advance innovation in the semiconductor industry with its smart manufacturing wafer fabrication facility dedicated to new product launch in the Internet of Things,” said Rob Rudder, vice president, Siemens PLM Software. “Siemens is proud to partner with BRIDG and provide its Digital Enterprise Solution to help accelerate innovation in the manufacturing development of advanced technologies in smart sensors.”

Integrating the Power Cell

BRIDG and Face International Corporation, a technology company with 60-plus patents, are collaborating on the development and integration of the Evercell power cell, a patented energy-harvesting technology powering wireless IoT sensors without batteries. With the goal to commercialize and achieve mass production by 2019, BRIDG and Face International are cooperatively undertaking technology validation for product integration development and prototype manufacturing.

Evercell power cells utilize distinct materials to harvest thermal energy in environments where ambient temperatures reach above absolute zero, generating electrical power essential to conduct wireless IoT sensors without batteries. These power cells are inexpensive to produce, consume no fuel, acquire no moving parts and contain no toxic products.

“In driving the continued expansion of the IoT, the Evercell technology can potentially be to batteries what light bulbs were to candles,” said Dan Holladay, director of Strategic Partnerships at BRIDG. “The cost, inconvenience and inaccessibility associated with battery replacement make them impractical as a power source for many of the IoT sensor applications. The promise of Evercell technology could address an unmet demand for IoT devices relying on batteries.”

Leveraging Partnerships

Harvey L. Massey, chairman and CEO of Massey Services, the fifth largest pest management company in the United States, has been heavily involved with the evolution of BRIDG since its inception. His visionary role and unwavering support have been essential pieces bringing BRIDG to fruition.

“I believe BRIDG will be one of the most successful technology projects this community has ever seen,” said Massey. “The best-in-class research and development facility continues to drive forward innovative products that will have significant impact on how companies can influence their customer’s daily lives.”

Massey Services will help develop and leverage cutting-edge sensor technology at BRIDG’s microelectronics facility.

“We’re ecstatic to reach the stage where we can partner with Massey Services on the continued evolution of smart sensors technology,” said Kennedy. “This partnership is instrumental in our forward momentum, and we look forward to this collaboration.”

As companies advance products through the development cycle, BRIDG provides the infrastructure needed to test ideas and serve as the bridge to product commercialization.

“By leveraging our growing list of industry partners and the existing strengths of academic partners, such as UCF, we strengthen Florida as a global leader of innovation,” said Kennedy. ◆

“Siemens is proud to partner with BRIDG and provide its Digital Enterprise Solution to help accelerate innovation in the manufacturing development of advanced technologies in smart sensors.”

–Rob Rudder

TAKE

with Official tourism association for America’s most visited destination.

Food Facts: Last year at the Orange County Convention Center, Centerplate served more than:

900,000 bottles of water

127,800

pounds of chicken

86,000

pounds of potatoes

48,000

plants harvested from the Center-to-Table Gardens

The largest group was served:

42,000

pounds of deli lunch meats

153,000 cups of coffee

72,000

bottles of juice

Q&A with Executive Chef James Katurakes

Sustainable Agriculture at the Convention Center

T

he towering plants that greet visitors in the Westwood Lobby of the Orange County Convention Center are not merely for aesthetics. They also supply fresh, locally sourced ingredients for Executive Chef James Katurakes and his team at Centerplate, the Convention Center’s exclusive food and beverage provider. To mark the second anniversary of the Center-to-Table Gardens program, “Chef K” discusses how Centerplate and the nation’s second-largest convention facility are leading the way in sustainable agriculture.

How is the Convention Center a leader in innovative urban agriculture?

Centerplate, in partnership with the OCCC, is a proud leader in the innovative aeroponic urban agriculture trend. We grow the freshest lettuces, greens, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in the Center-to-Table Gardens. Aeroponic growing is considered more economically sustainable than traditional farming because it utilizes up to 95 percent less water. The vertical tower design also reduces overall land use by taking up to 90 percent less land space while growing plants three times faster.

The Center-to-Table Gardens program is nearing its two-year anniversary. What have you learned during that time?

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GEORGE AGUEL The Gardens continue to provide learning lessons and opportunities for improvement as time goes by. Typical plant growth, from seedling to mature plant, is about six weeks in most aeroponic growing applications. The onsite Gardens produce fully grown plants in about four weeks because they’re grown in a climate- and element-controlled environment. We’ve also discovered that some varieties of herbs and edible flowers produce healthier plants if merely trimmed versus being replanted after every harvest.

In addition to supplying healthy, locally sourced fruits and vegetables, how else do the Gardens engage and educate visitors?

Both Centerplate and the OCCC host numerous garden tours for clients, visitors, students, restauranteurs, chefs and local businesses, educating each about sustainable methods of cultivating nutritious food through modern growing techniques. The Center-to-Table Gardens are a tangible and effective example to all visitors of the goal to improve access to healthy food choices, to connect individuals with nature and to educate everyone on the value of the environment.

What are some of the most popular meals the Convention Center makes with ingredients sourced on site?

Centerplate has created several retail concepts offering healthy and sustainable menus at our Center Garden and Florida Fresh Market concepts. These offer selections utilizing harvests from the Center-to-Table Gardens for fresh salads, wraps and soups. The Florida Fresh Market concept changes side salads quarterly to include fresh, seasonal Central Florida offerings.

In what other ways is the Convention Center’s food operation a model for sustainability?

Centerplate contributes to the Center’s overall waste diversion through its own comprehensive organic recycling program. Organic (food) waste is collected and taken to Harvest Power, a local waste-to-energy facility, where it’s converted into clean energy. Centerplate also works directly with a variety of local organizations to fulfill the needs of those seeking assistance by helping to facilitate the donation process for clients, ensuring viable food and beverage products are donated to the most suitable recipients. Since 2008, Centerplate has donated food products to Second Harvest Food Bank and other food pantries, expanding their ability to help tens of thousands of Central Florida residents in need. ◆

President & CEO of Visit Orlando

ADVANCES IN SUSTAINABILITY

Our destination has a history of moving the needle In recent years, Orlando’s tourism industry has been at the forefront of sustainable practices that further enhance the visitor experience, while also benefitting area residents and the Central Florida environment as a whole.

Here are just a few examples of our destination taking the lead on sustainability: • Harris Rosen’s three convention hotels were the first in Florida to receive the state’s “Three Palm” designation for remarkable conservation practices.

Today, more than 100 area hotels have earned a spot on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Lodging list.

• The Amway Center, which uses 20 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than similarly sized arenas, was the NBA’s first facility to be awarded LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

• Orlando International Airport, as its sustainability management plan points out, “incorporated sustainable concepts into its original design at a time when environmental awareness was still in its infancy.” The airport has also cut energy use by 20.5 percent per passenger since 2010.

• Finally, the Orange County Convention Center — the world’s largest LEED Gold-certified convention facility — was the first building of its kind to receive ISO certification for its recycling program.

A 6,000-panel rooftop solar array helps keep the Convention Center 87 percent more energy efficient than similar buildings, and 100 percent reclaimed water irrigates its 400-acre campus. Working with clients and contractors, OCCC has reduced event waste by 53 percent since 2004.

Across Orlando’s tourism landscape, being “green” not only makes business sense but also is the right thing to do. As our destination’s commitment to sustainability increases, so, too, will its appeal.

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Foodpreneurs

KRISTINE THOMAS Kristine Thomas is the executive director of the ORL Food Lab. The Lab is dedicated to celebrating Central Florida’s extraordinary culinary community; learn more at www.ORLFoodLab.org.

O

rlando-based chef Shaun No onan is a l l ab out t he experience, not the destination.

“A foodpreneur of any sort should gain years of experience before even entertaining the idea of starting something on their own,” he said. “If you truly love food, don't do yourself or your customer the disservice of skipping the part where you pay your dues.”

Noonan will tell you that it is while gaining this experience a foodpreneur has the opportunity to find mentors, train, practice knife skills, wash dishes, scrub floors and essentially fall in and out of love with the industry many times over.

“It’s not all Instagram followers and camera angles,” he stressed. “You want to know why there’s so much turnover in the hospitality industry? Want to know why it’s such a risky endeavor? It’s because everyone wants to skip the hard part.”

46]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

For Noonan, food is not a second career or hobby; it is his life, and he knows to respect it as such and thus has a laundry list of experience to his name. Noonan grew up cooking and accepted his first job in a professional kitchen at the age of 14. He worked as an international dishwasher and a bhakti prep cook for various temples spanning from Los Angeles to Haridwar, India. He also cooked in Chicago and Atlanta, added Appalachian mushroom forager to his resume, and was the executive chef for the Opera Sofia in Bulgaria.

Before making Orlando his homebase, Noonan rounded out his experience and drove an 18-wheeler across the country for two years to self fund his dream of bringing plant-based food to the South.

Through hardwork and experience, his dream was made a reality when he opened Dixie Dharma in 2013.

Dixie Dharma is a southern-inspired, vegan restaurant located inside the Market On South in the Milk District of Orlando. Market On South, a shared restaurant space or food hub, was the brainchild of Noonan and Celine Duvoisin of Valhalla Bakery.

“We were working all the same farmers markets and realized we could work together and really make a statement,” said Noonan. “Our different skills in the sweet and savory world complemented one another, so why not share a roof?”

Chefs like Noonan are starting to use the same creativity they bring to each of their recipes to their business models and overall operations. Because of Dixie Dharma and other restaurants challenging the status quo, it is no surprise Orlando was recently named one of the top 10 “Foodie Cities in America” by Wallet Hub.

“Beneath the shadow of the mouse, we've had time to cultivate our identity,” Noonan said. “It turns out it’s wild and exceptional and anything we want. You want to eat some real-deal Vietnamese in an inner tube floating over an alligator at the springs, we got you. You want to get into a little bit of trouble with your liver and top it off at The Vegan Hot Dog Cart at 3 a.m. on Orange Ave? Sure! Being surrounded by so much creativity makes Orlando a wonderful place to work.”

Noonan’s restaurant has been so well received by the Central Florida community that Dixie Dharma is set to open five new locations throughout the region over the next three years. “We're taking this show to the rural communities of our region,” he said. “The first location is slated for the Sanford area in a food hall called Henry's Depot.”

Noonan, 36, has accomplished a great deal in his young life, but what inspires him the most is other people. “I derive all my inspiration through struggle and the success that comes on the other side of that,” he admitted. “I pay close attention to the world we live in, and I thrive off the determination of others in the face of adversity.”

Fortunately for Central Florida patrons, he has turned this inspiration into a great dining experience at Dixie Dharma. ◆

Market On South Home of Dixie Dharma 2603 E South St. Orlando, FL 32803 For more information, visit online at www.dixiedharma.com | www.marketonsouth.com

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JEFF PIERSALL

Featuring Wisdo m fro m

DOGS DON’T PARKED CARS

[LEADERSHIP CRISIS] “If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” –John Quincy Adams

Change is inevitable, and it will occur exponentially in the next two decades at a rate we have never seen before. By 2025, millennials will comprise 75 percent of the workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And as amazing as our smartphones and computers are today, technologists believe we currently have only 10 percent of the technology that will exist in the near future.

Do upcoming leaders have the wisdom required to navigate through this generational shift of employment and technology progression in the workplace? It is either a prescription for a great amount of hope or disaster.

The Chinese definition for “crisis” is the combination of two things: danger and opportunity. It is in our nature to fear change, to see it as danger. But what if we instead use change to our advantage and make it a driving force — an opportunity — for ethical leadership?

We are living in an era of hyper change, and with change, ethical leadership is needed the most.

NOW AVAILABLE!

As we approach singularity, the place where artificial intelligence intersects and equals human intelligence, the need for ethical leadership becomes paramount.

TIMES CHANGE BUT VALUES REMAIN

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop rapidly, we must simultaneously develop our authenticity, investing in our character rather than our reputation.

In my experience, working with countless businesses across Central Florida, I have identified common traits displayed by successful entrepreneurs: personal responsibility, optimism and, above all, value-based decision making. Entrepreneurs must root their leadership in things that do not change, such as timeless values that will outlive social and technological advancements.

In our signature philosophy Dogs Don’t Bark at Parked Cars, Eric Wright and I provide you with 10 unchanging principles that establish a foundation for ethical leadership. Wisdom comes from experience, so we are passing the wisdom of value-driven leaders to the upcoming generation through this timeless mentoring tool.

The Foundation of Trust • Relational Priority Diversity of Expression • Influence, not Imposition The Significance of Synergy • Prevailing Vision Process Orientation • Validating Desire Life is both Natural and Spiritual • Building a Legacy If you have leaders operating inside these 10 virtues, using them as a guidance system to make decisions and interact with others, results will be positive.

LEAD ONE, AND YOU CAN LEAD MANY

Leadership starts at the individual level. A person does not have to be responsible for a company to be called a leader.

The foundation of leadership does not change as you climb up the ladder; the responsibility is just greater because it impacts more people. With great power comes greater responsibility.

Leaders, as defined by Richard Barrett, are individuals who courageously pursue a vision in a manner that resonates with the souls of others. There are three important aspects of this definition: Courageously — We can provide you with the 10 fundamentals to value-based leadership; however, if you do not have courage to act, it is meaningless because you will never take action.

Vision — You must have a vision that releases aspirations and establishes your “why.”

Resonating — Connect with the souls of others, not with their heads. Unfortunately, we do not have a lot of leadership that resonates with souls.

Compare the messages of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Adolf Hitler. Both were leaders with millions of followers, but the results of the consequences of their messages could not have been more different.

As we approach singularity, the place where artificial intelligence intersects and equals human intelligence, the need for ethical leadership becomes paramount. We cannot assume that because of the vast amount of advanced technology associated with Artificial Intelligence that the result will be good. This intersection presents the ultimate battle of good vs. evil. ◆ Jeff Piersall, a former award-winning collegiate basketball coach, is the CEO & founder of SCB Marketing, an innovative content marketing company that inspires brands to higher levels of success by elevating trust and connecting brands with key people of influence. Jeff is a successful entrepreneur, business consultant, speaker and co-author of “Dogs Don’t Bark at Parked Cars.”

TO CONTACT OR FOLLOW JEFF

please call 321-622-5986 or email: jeff@scbmarketing.com

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| BEST PRACTICES

PARTNERSHIPS

A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BOY SCOUTS Harvey L. MASSEY Harvey L. Massey is an industry leader with more than 54 years of experience in the service business in public and privately owned companies. He will be honored at the 2018 Boy Scouts of America Metro Orlando Golden Eagle Dinner.

As a company, we are aligned with the organization’s values of honesty, mutual respect for others and consistency, and are in full agreement with an entity whose oath and laws are founded on trustworthiness, loyalty, bravery and values that put community and family first.

50]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

The Boy Scouts of America’s purpose is simple: Build the character and integrity of America’s youth and prepare them to become responsible adults. Or as better defined in the Scout Oath and Law, “responsible adults who are leaders and who participate in society.”

As a young man, I was a boy scout and can say with great pride I support the Boy Scouts of America, as does our company, Massey Services. As a company, we are aligned with the organization’s values of honesty, mutual respect for others and consistency, and are in full agreement with an entity whose oath and laws are founded on trustworthiness, loyalty, bravery and values that put community and family first.

Creating Heroes

As stated earlier, the mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. The organization is committed to giving young Americans the tools, experiences, knowledge and faith to make the world a better place. This mission may be lofty, but with our help, it is attainable.

There are many reasons scouting is such a worthy movement and critically important for the times in which we live. These include the benefits of volunteering, youth who are engaged, the importance of tradition and, in particular, the tradition of scouting and the impact it has made on our country, and ultimately in creating heroes.

I understand

As we look at history, we find many of our national heroes are boy scouts. Many scouts have gone on to become champions and astronauts, and five have become U.S. presidents. All of these key points are important to the scouting movement, but I want to focus on the question of why heroes are important.

SBA loans

Scouting and heroism go hand in hand. Scouts have always looked up to role models they consider heroes, and they have been heroes as well. That is no accident. Having heroes is an important step on the road to becoming one. Since the space program began, more than half of all American astronauts had scouting backgrounds. In fact, 11 of the 12 men who walked on the moon were scouts. Every scout promises to be brave, and these men showed us what bravery really is.

Whatever kind of life inspires you, you can find a hero who was a boy scout. Do you like sports? So did scouts like Hank Aaron, Michael Jordan, Bill Bradley and Nolan Ryan. Do you feel the power of words? So did a scout named Walter Cronkite. Entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates, Sam Walton and J.W. Marriott built campfires with us before they built empires in the business world. Scouting gives you the confidence to perform in the spotlight, as Harrison Ford, Jimmy Stewart and Steven Spielberg learned first-hand.

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But not all heroes become famous.

In the February 2018 edition of Scouts in Action, three young men — Gregg Wilcox, Nathan Crisco and Grant Wuensch — were featured after rescuing a fellow scout who fell 70 feet onto jagged rocks while hiking.

We spend our lives wondering what we would do if faced with a moment like this. I believe a scout knows the answer a little better than the rest of us. Some of us never face that defining crisis. Is there a chance to be a hero without it? There is.

I share the benefits of scouting so you can encourage others to explore the many opportunities offered by the Boy Scouts of America. Helping youth make the most of themselves is a high calling. For more than 100 years, parents, friends and community leaders in towns across this country have answered that call, and they have made scouting what it is today. When you give your time and money to help preserve and enrich the scouting experience for youth here in Central Florida, you are a hero, too. ◆

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(407) 588-3218 All financing is subject to credit approval.

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| BEST PRACTICES

PURPOSE ECONOMY

ThomasWATERMAN Thomas Waterman is the co-founder of Purpose Pioneers.

He believes that when we find meaning in our work, we experience real-time fulfillment.

He can be contacted at thomas@ purposepioneers.com and @ purposepioneers on the socials.

Contributors: Angela Minerva

TO WIN, COMPETE AT THE TOP OF MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS Throughout the history of human evolution, the progress of our species aligns almost perfectly with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The same can be said for what is considered valuable in the business marketplace. Let us take a quick journey through the last three major economies and see how they line up.

Consumers in the Purpose Economy want you to help them find meaning in their lives. We are entering a world where meaning is the most valuable currency.

Level 1: Physiological Needs and the Agrarian Economy

Homo sapiens began as hunters and gatherers surviving on the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: physiological needs. Each day’s purpose was to obtain enough calories to sustain life for another day. Mental and physical energy were devoted to maintaining consistent physiological operation. Our species evolved, learning to systematize the cultivation of food through innovative farming practices.

This drove the agrarian economy, which empowered us to trade and maintain for thousands of years.

Level 2: Safety Needs and the Industrial Economy 52]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

As the creation and consumption of food became systematized, we moved up to the next level of the hierarchy: safety needs. The new focus of our ancestors drew to systematizing safe shelter. They channeled their energy to create law, order, stability and protection from the elements. Enter governmental structures, religious communities and a focus on land ownership. This value exchange evolved into the creation of metro areas and cities. The trading of land, building resources and human labor became the most valuable currencies, which all drove the Industrial Economy.

Level 3: Love and Belonging Needs

As our physiological and safety needs were met, we sought the next level on the hierarchy of needs: love and belonging. The systemization of these physiological and safety needs allowed people to begin seeking deep connection with others through friendship, intimacy, family, community and love. This led to the development of the nuclear family and the widespread embrace of values-based communities.

®

Level 4: Esteem Needs

The solidification of community and belonging became the foundation for people to focus on the next level on the hierarchy: self-esteem. Since we felt physiologically stable, safe and loved, we now sought mastery, independence, achievement and status. Within the confines of current societal structures and cultural norms now established, people achieved self-growth and developed self-esteem.

The First Four Levels of Needs and The Information Economy

Now able to sustain life, live safely, connect deeply with each other and build self-esteem, the question arose once more: What’s next? The answer became scalability. Enter the Information Economy, driven by the increasing efficiency of scaling the systems created to satisfy the first four levels of the hierarchy.

This age has given us a hyper-connected society, democratized the cost of everything except space travel and created an environment where people can do just about anything they want. The question remains: Is this the final economy or is there something more?

Compete Here: Self-Actualization and The Purpose Economy

The scalable innovations created in the Information Economy serve people with access to everything they need to survive, connect with each other and feel confident. This network of instant and abundant information exchange laid the foundation for the rise to the highest level of the hierarchy of needs: self-actualization. Here, people seek to fulfill their highest potential and create a positive impact on the world. With food production, housing creation, communities and self-esteem all systematized, it has become more difficult for companies to compete only on product functionality, cost or convenience.

Because of the technological progress made in the Information Economy, anyone can create a product that is better, cheaper or easier to access.

Now, the only place left to compete is at the level of selfactualization. This means, to win, you must compete on purpose.

The existence of this untapped value is evidence of the new and emerging Purpose Economy, where the desire for self-growth and a yearning for creating impact in the world are consumer priorities. Those are the value propositions customers of today are waiting for you to give them.

Consumers in the Purpose Economy have too many options in every marketplace and want you to give them a reason to buy your product. Simply, they want you to help them find meaning in their lives. We are entering a world where meaning is the most valuable currency. What a time to be alive. ◆

SPECIAL SECTION LEGAL PROFESSIONALS The July 2018 edition will include a special marketing section spotlighting the achievements and offerings of legal professionals throughout the Central Florida region.

JE NN IF ER EN

Legal Profile |

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COMPANY: The Orlando Law Grou p TITLE: Managing Partner/Owner EDUCATION: University of Florid a Levin School of Law with a B.A. from Stetson Univ ersity YEARS IN AREA : 18 YEARS AT FIRM : 8

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Drawing from experience and personal passion, Englert and her fellow Orlan Group attorneys do Law find giving back to the community and emotional a valuable ly worthwhile ventu re.

When forming The Orlando Law Group, Englert diverse and know gathered a ledgeable team of legal profession skills are forge als whose d from many different fires, array of specializat forming a vast ions and uniqu e backgrounds. team stands unite This strong d in service to The Orlando Law clients, prepared Group’s to assist in an assorted variety encompassing of services, all facets of perso nal and business are covered for law. All bases its incredibly varie d clientele.

Englert earned her law degree as a graduate of of Florida Levin the University Scho ol of Law, with a B.A. from University. She Stetson helps to improve the lives of her matters pertaining clients in to business dispu tes, business law, civil litigation, general special needs and educa personal injury tion law, famil y law, and real estate. ◆

www.theorlandolaw group.com

Dr. Phillips 7625 W. Sand Lake Road Suite #202 Orlando, FL 32819 (407) 512-4394

Lake Nona 9161 Narcoossee Road Suite #210 Orlando, FL 32827 (407) 982-7261

Waterford Lakes 12301 Lake Under hill Road Suite #213 Orlando, FL 32828 (407) 512-4394

i4Biz.com

JULY2017[33

COMING July 2018!

Orlando Office: 407.917.3819

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[53

| BEST PRACTICES

LOCAL BANKING

LOCAL BANK VS ONLINE LENDER JoyWINSLOW Joy Winslow is vice president of Residential Mortgage Lending at Fidelity Bank of Florida’s Merritt Island office. Winslow has more than 30 years of lending experience.

One of the top benefits of using a community bank is personal, faceto-face contact.

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Today there are many options when applying for a mortgage loan. As Central Florida has expanded, so have the options of lenders in the area. In addition to local lenders, some applicants have started obtaining loan approvals without getting off their couch. However, this ease of access does not necessarily provide the best options for consumers. A local mortgage professional can guide buyers through the entire loan process and often help them avoid timely pitfalls that could delay the closing or even cost them the opportunity of getting the home of their dreams.

One of the top benefits of using a community bank is personal, face-to-face contact. Most realtors advise their clients to work with a local lender because they are available to the client almost any time to give detailed information throughout the entire process. Local lenders will sit down and explain in clear terms the conditions in the contract, scan documents to realtors, and keep the realtor updated on the status of the application. This allows buyer, realtor, and lender to work together as a team.

Stop Getting Overlooked!

Consumers seek brands that they connect with and making that connection is the key to elevating your brand.

This accessible communication between the realtor, borrower, mortgage lender, title company, home inspector, appraiser, insurance agent and surveyor is crucial to having all components lined up and in harmony to complete the transaction.

By having a local lender, you can walk into his or her office and request any document or address any issues that might delay the loan. The lender is your advocate, working closely and coordinating with the network of professionals that will help get the loan closed.

Know Before You Owe

Next, use caution when shopping online for anything, especially for a home mortgage. “Buyer Beware” is just as relevant when looking for mortgages as it is when buying cars. While online lenders may appear to provide a fast, automatic approval, it does not mean the borrower can afford the home. The potential homebuyers may even receive a preapproval letter, but when they begin to complete the online application, they discover the terms are not what they initially thought they would be.

The information local lenders can give clients at prequalification will include estimated rate, payment and a good approximation of what their closing costs and out-of-pocket money could be.

From my experiences working with clients who have searched online, most of them had no idea what their final costs would be. Consumers applying online should also be aware of application fees that cover credit checks, appraisals and other expenses. Understand that consumers should never have to pay any fees or deposits upfront to obtain a prequalification. Any legitimate mortgage expenses will not come until further along in the process, after a borrower has submitted an application and received a loan estimate.

The biggest thing local lenders can provide over online lenders is peace of mind during the home buying process. Buying a home is one of the largest purchases a person will make in his or her life, and it should be done with a local expert who can provide the knowledge and experience needed to ensure a successful closing occurs. Utilizing the trusted relationships local professionals have developed with each other ensures the borrower has the best experience possible. ◆

Don’t Let Customers Pass You By! At SCB Marketing, we tell your story in a way that provides differentiation and identification, yielding the best results for your business.

Contact your SCB Marketing Representative before more customers get away.

Melbourne Office: 321.622.5986 Orlando Office: 407.917.3819

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[55

| BEST PRACTICES

MARKETING STRATEGIES

INBOUND V. OUTBOUND MARKETING StevenHICKS Steven Hicks is the director of business development for SCB Marketing, which includes i4 Business, SpaceCoast Business and SpaceCoast Living.

He can be contacted at steve@scbmarketing.com, or (321) 626-1366. You can also message him through our Facebook pages.

As you may have guessed, the terms “inbound marketing” and “outbound marketing” represent two opposite approaches to creating and dispersing your message. Outbound marketing describes a strategy mainly driven by pushing that message out, with less emphasis on how it is said or who it is reaching. You might also refer to it as traditional marketing, and it includes print advertisements, e-newsletter blasts and online advertisements such as banner ads.

Inbound strategies, on the other hand, rely on drawing the audience in. The focus when creating an inbound marketing strategy is largely on who

Gone are the days of door-todoor sales and cold calling, and it comes as no surprise when you think about how easy it is to block, scroll by or ignore advertisements.

56]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com

your audience is and what they really want. This knowledge is then used to inform your campaign, from what you are saying to where you are saying it.

Typically, inbound marketing utilizes content that offers the audience something they find valuable.

Out with the Old, In with the New The sun seems to be setting on many of the traditional outbound tools, at least when used without any inbound strategy to back them up.

Gone are the days of door-to-door sales and cold calling, and it comes as no surprise when you think

about how easy it is to block, scroll by or ignore advertisements.

Today, the idea of someone coming directly to our front door to peddle a product seems antiquated and even invasive.

As advertisers realized the old methods were beginning to fade into the background as white noise in our media-savvy and saturated world, they began to shift their focus toward understanding their audience. What were they looking for? What questions were they asking? Where were they spending their time?

Inbound marketing keeps these questions at the center of the strategy with results that speak to their effectiveness. And while it can seem like inbound marketing is relatively young compared to its counterpart, the truth is people have been creating innovative content to gain leads for centuries. From Tiffany’s Blue Book, first published in the 19th century, to the Michelin guide, many companies have known that providing valuable information only helps to increase reputation, as well as audience trust and loyalty.

It is the integration of social media sharing, SEO and e-newsletters in recent years that have made inbound marketing with content more accessible than ever, and made it necessary for us to give it a name. Outbound marketing is still being used, but typically in conjunction with its inbound counterpart.

Inbound, Outbound, and You

Through articles in industry publications, blogs with SEO optimization, and everything from videos to webinars to infographics all shared on social media, you can use content to advertise while also building your brand. This can then lead to a potential client subscribing to a newsletter or mailing list, or actively following your accounts. Suddenly you do not have to worry about finding that customer among the crowd anymore: they are already listening, and they are happy to hear from you.

Many companies utilize both strategies, with outbound marketing to reach wider audiences and inbound marketing to reinforce their marketing funnel and create stronger relationships. It may be that finding the right combination of both is the secret to an effective campaign. Of course you want to be seen, but it requires more than that, especially for smaller businesses and startups. It is about being actually listened to and actively sought out, so when they do see you, your audience keeps looking long enough to understand what makes you stand apart. â—†

Premier Photographer Call for a consultation or to book an appointment today!

TEL: 407.917.3819 i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[57

Social Entrepreneur

Juice Bike

M

By Shantel Hanna

ore and more people across the nation are turning to two wheels rather than four. Bike sharing is increasingly and expansively growing in its popularity across the United States, even outside of trendsetter urban cities like New York City and Portland, Oregon. Historically, on a global scale, China is noted as the bicycle capital of the world to many, adopting bicycles as a means of travel since the 20th century. Bike sharing is being seen as a more sensible means of transportation in urban cities where traffic congestion is inevitable.

Database expert Russell Meddin tallied 1.27 million total two wheelers in nearly 1,000 cities worldwide in January 2016; roughly double the numbers in 2011.

That is a 12 percent year-over-year increase in the total number of bikes inventoried through bike sharing programs. Today’s growth of bike sharing is a result of many factors made possible largely through advances in information technology, including credit card payments, GPS tracking of bicycles and smartphone apps to show real-time availability.

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Who is Juice Bike?

Following this bicycle sharing trend, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and program sponsors Orlando Utilities Commission and Florida Hospital launched Juice Bike, a bike sharing program in Downtown Orlando. CycleHop also joined the team as a service organization driven to plan, launch and operate world-class bike programs. They work with system owners and cities to create innovative products such as the Juice Bike mobile application.

The Juice Bike share program is designed to provide citizens, tourists and commuters with an additional transportation option that is affordable and ecologically friendly, operating as a short-term bicycle rental program to its registered members. The City of Orlando collaborates with transit systems LYMMO and SunRail as an additional service that will help accomplish the “last mile” connection to users’ destinations.

How Does it Work?

Users find and reserve a bike using the Juice Bike share mobile app, website or by using the keypad on the bike at one of

the 20 conveniently located stations. The three-step process starts with reserving a bike, then using the given 4-digit PIN code on the keypad to unlock the bike. To complete a trip, the bike is locked at any of the stations using the keypad on the bicycle. The program utilizes GPS, smart phone capability and website technology for membership access and rentals.

Two hundred bicycles will be provided at 20 stations for Phase I of the program (See map of the station locations). Bike share locations are located throughout Orlando including Amtrak stations, College Park, Orlando Utilities Commission, Metropolitan, Orlando Public Library and more.

Flexibility in Riding Green Program memberships can be purchased online or at any station kiosk. Members can rent a bicycle at any time during the membership period, from any station, and return the bicycle to any station within the network. Members must be 18 years of age or older.

For Orlando city visitors, pay-asyou-go options are available as well.

View the full size Downtown Orlando Cycling Map at: www.cityoforlando.net/transportation-planning/wpcontent/uploads/sites/30/2014/11/NETrail-Map.pdf

Cool Trends Advanced technology and innovative designs by frame and wheel manufacturers have brought more customized bikes for cyclists to include their families and enjoy a more satisfying ride. Take, for example, the parent friendly, sleigh-like addition, enabling two small children to enjoy a ride in the outdoors with mom or dad. Or, exclusively designed road bikes with disc brakes for better stopping in wet conditions, alleviated rim heat on long descents and more frame clearance for larger-sized tires. No matter if you are a local professional who rides downtown Orlando for work daily or you are just visiting the area for the weekend, Juice Bike has the inventory to fit your needs and hopes to earn your business. ◆

Want To Learn More?

For more information about membership registration or Bike Share, please visit

juicebikeshare.com For more information regarding bicycling in the City of Orlando, please visit

cityoforlando.net

Photography by City of Orlando

In efforts to make Orlando the “City Bike-able,” Mayor Dyer hosted the 17th Annual Bike to Work Day in May of last year. Over 250 participants accompanied Mayor Dyer for the ride from Orlando Festival Park and rode west on Robinson Street past Lake Eola to Orange Avenue. The trip ended traveling south to Orlando City Hall.

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[59

| ONE ON ONE A veteran journalist and author, Jack Roth is Managing Editor of i4 Business Magazine.

jackROTH

Shawn Seipler

of Clean the World

S

hawn Seipler’s commitment to corporate social responsibility led to the creation of Clean the World in 2009. The global benefit organization, headquartered in Orlando, collects and recycles soap products discarded by the hospitality industry and distributes these products to the impoverished, preventing millions of hygiene-related deaths each year. In this month’s One on One, Seipler talks about his professional journey and why “doing good” is good business.

JR: Tell us about that “aha” moment that led you to where you are today.

SS: Nine years ago, I was a vice president for a global technology company and traveled a lot. One night in a hotel room in Minneapolis, I wondered what happened to the soap and shampoo I used because I never took it with me. I asked the front desk and was told it was thrown away. I did some research and learned there

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were 4.6 million hotel rooms in the United States. I did some quick math with the occupancy rate and figured out if every hotel room was doing that, we were throwing away about a million bars of soap every day. Over the next days and weeks, I read studies that showed there were 9,000 children under the age of 5 who were dying every single day due to pneumonia and diarrheal disease.

The studies also indicated if we gave them soap and taught them how and when to wash their hands, we could cut those deaths in half. That became the moment of obligation for me. I figured out how we could save millions of children's lives and had to act on that.

JR: What happened next?

SS: I left my job immediately and turned up in a single car garage with my family members. We all sat around on upside down pickle buckets with potato peelers scraping bars of used soap. We used a meat grinder to grind up the shavings and used four Kenmore cookers to cook

ONE ON ONE | the soap down to a paste. We used big wood soap molds to create the new soap. And we went completely broke. We put every bit of my 401(k) and our children's college funds into this. I went from a significant salary to not getting paid at all for a couple of years. We were at the point of disaster many times, but we kept going because we knew this soap would save lives. If we could just get it to the right people and keep persevering, we could make it happen. Thankfully we were able to do that, but it was touch and go early on.

JR: How important is education and outreach to the success of what you're trying to accomplish?

SS: Specifically with respect to the reduction of diarrheal disease and pneumonia, there are two critical things that have to happen: access to soap and education.

You have to have the soap, but you also have to know how to properly wash your hands. We have a Soap in Schools program and go out to community centers and schools all across Central Florida and teach children the importance of washing their hands. We teach them how germs spread quickly. Globally our program is called Wash in Schools, and last year we went to Nairobi. We were with 4,000 school children whose families live on an average of $2 a day. We told them, “The first thing you need to do is learn how to wash your hands. Once you properly demonstrate you can wash your hands, we're going to give you soap you can take home for your entire family."

The kids were eager to learn how to wash their hands so they could take this gift of soap home. We provided soap for them over the course of the year, and we measured it at 90 days, six months and a year. A year later, there was a 55 percent reduction in hygiene-related illnesses. There was also a 51 percent increase in school attendance.

Kids were going to school more consistently simply because they were healthier. And that was just the kids.

How many days did dad not miss work or mom not miss work because they had soap at home? We did the same program in Tanzania and had similar results. We're doing a program in Haiti right now with 20,000 kids and also have one going on in India.

JR: Why is corporate social responsibility so important?

SS: Millennials make up more than 50 percent of the global workforce, and they’re the most socially conscious generation in the history of the world. As consumers, they want to buy products that help others. As soon as you start to value something, especially in a capitalistic economy, businesses are going to figure out how to sell that to you and make it part of their selling point. Also, employees

aren’t simply motivated by how much money they earn.

They're motivated by what their company is doing to help others. As a result, more and more companies, not just from a consumer and shareholder perspective, but from an internal employee perspective, have to engage and emotionally connect with their employees.

JR: Why do you think corporate social responsibility has caught on?

SS: When I speak to college students and younger kids, I tell them we used to have to make a choice between living a life of sacrifice and helping others or focusing on making money, but today there has been a convergence. You can create a business that does well, hires the best and brightest, offers great packages, provides a great work environment, and is also solely in the business of helping others and doing good. You can create the next great technology, innovation or product, and it can completely or in some way help others and make a positive difference. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive anymore because brands on the S&P 500 that tout their corporate social responsibility actually outperform their competitors. Today, companies are trying to one up their competition by doing more good, and that's an awesome place to be.

JR: From a personal standpoint, what does all this mean to you?

SS: There's a fulfillment piece to this because we almost didn’t make it. So the fact we have 90 local employees, additional offices in Asia, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe, and 5,000 hotel partners in 20 different countries is incredible. We serve children, families and mothers in 127 countries across the globe. The single biggest result since the day we started is that the death rate for children under the age of 5 when it comes to hygiene-related illnesses has decreased by 35 percent. We’ve literally saved millions of children's lives. That’s just awesome.

JR: For that young entrepreneur out there who really wants to do something socially responsible, what advice do you have?

SS: Don’t give up. Keep going. If you're doing something that's trying to help people, I believe the breaks will come. I believe something's going to fall your way. Tell your story and find those people who are going to help and be those “angels” for you. And once you've made it and are in that position, you have to pay it forward.

Someone's going to come find you, and when that person does, you have to help them get to the next level because that's how we continue to progress. ◆

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[61

| BUSINESS SEEN

GROWFL COMPANIES TO WATCH On Saturday, February 10, 2018 the seventh annual Florida Companies to Watch awards program celebrated 50 of the top secondstage companies headquartered in Florida. Held at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, FL, Companies to Watch was developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation as a unique way to recognize companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace with innovative strategies and processes, making them “worth watching.�

Jackie Schons, Ed Schons and Valerie McDevitt

Jennifer and Kyle Evans

Dr. Chris Morton and Chris White

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Chris Sorensen and Scott Sorensen

Jason Petro and Richard Maxwell

Bruce Wang and Henry Wang

Marnie Forestieri and Fabrizio Spinelli

BUSINESS SEEN |

Roxie Reeve, Tom O'Neal and Alberta Hanna

Kenneth Johnson, Dan Wyant and Kathy Bouchard-Wyant

Aymie Emanis, Jeff Piersall and Pamelia Gunthorpe

Jorge Cardoso and Amelia Anton

Jennifer Raney and Paula Raney

Michelle Crawford and Jessica Kane

Pamela and Paul Nabors

GrowFL Companies to Watch Winners

i4Biz.com

APRIL2018[63

The Wright Angle

by Eric Wright

Personal

Sustainability

As I drift through middle age, the meaning of “sustainability” takes on a very personal connotation. Middle age is that stage in life when you keep telling yourself, “you look pretty good,” while others are thinking, “man, he is showing his age.” It is when your son wants to teach you to kite surf on vacation and you are totally content just watching him from the beach.

The problem with this arrangement was that Raynald had what we could describe as an eating disorder. His nickname was “Crassus,” which is Latin for obese, and he could not fit through the openings in the room.

Raynald simply needed to lose weight to leave. Edward however, knowing his older brother’s weakness, laid out a sumptuous buffet for him every day. As you may imagine, Raynald’s weight went up, not down.

Personal sustainability, like every other form of sustainability, is all about that rather maligned word “prudence.” It simply means to make decisions in the present based on what the reasonable outcomes of those decisions will be in the future. When I was 19, jumping off a 50-foot cliff into the sea or surfing in pre-hurricane conditions did not require the kind of prudent consideration it does for me today; though at every age, wisdom and prudence are keys to long-term health and prosperity.

Anytime someone accused Edward of ill treatment of his brother he said, “My brother is not a prisoner. He may leave when he so wills.”

In Thomas Costain’s history, The Three Edwards, the author describes this principle graphically. During the 14th century, Raynald III was a duke in what is now Belgium.

As the result of a violent quarrel, Raynald’s younger brother Edward mounted a successful coup d’etat against him.

When Edward captured Raynald, he built a room around him featuring windows and a door in Nieuwkerk castle.

Edward promised him that the day he left the room his title and property would be returned to him.

Sustaining our personal wellness, our interpersonal relationships and this shared environment we enjoy in such a way that it is better than how we found it is a sacred trust. That trust is only realized when we prudently look at how our actions in the present will impact ourselves and others in the future. ◆

“

Without prudence, sustainability slips away from us, and we can forge individual and collective prisons of our own making.

“

Unfortunately, without prudence, sustainability slips away from us, and we can forge individual and collective prisons of our own making.

Raynald stayed in that room for 10 years and only gained his release after Edward was killed in battle.

Regrettably by then his health was so deteriorated he died within a year.

inspiring the TREP in you 64]APRIL2018 i4Biz.com