i4 Business September 2018 - Manufacturing Edition

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SEPTEMBER 2018 $4.95

EXPLOSIVE G R OW T H

FROM SCIENCE TO SALES THRIVING WITH TECHNOLOGY: Region's Future in Manufacturing Barnie's Coffee & Tea

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BRIDG is a not-for-profit, industry-led public-private partnership for advanced sensors, photonics and next-generation nanoscale electronic systems. BRIDG provides the research and development capabilities and 200mm microelectronics fabrication infrastructure for manufacturing processes and materials geared toward system miniaturization and smart sensor innovation.

Supported by Osceola County, University of Central Florida, Florida High Tech Corridor Council and others, BRIDG provides the physical infrastructure and collaborative process to connect challenges and opportunities with solutions, thus “Bridging the Innovation Development Gap” making commercialization possible.

Located at NeoCity—a 500acre master-planned intuitive community of innovation in Osceola County, Florida— BRIDG is centrally located less than 20 minutes from the Orlando International Airport and within a mile of the Florida Turnpike.

learn more at

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LEGACY H ONORE E S

Central Florida is a strong community because some key players took a stand to make our community a better place. Join United Way at the inaugural Change Maker Impact Awards as we honor the movers and shakers making our community a better place.

When:

Monday, September 24, 2018 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Where:

Ballroom at Church Street 225 S Garland Ave Orlando, FL 32801

www.HFUW.org/ChangeMaker Change Maker of the Year Mayor Teresa Jacobs Ground Breaker Shaquem Griffin

Impact Leader for Advocacy Nancy Alvarez

Ground Breaker BRIDG

Impact Leader for Volunteerism Ed Timberlake

Impact Leader for Philanthropy Harriett Lake

Impact Leader for Collaboration Steve Hogan

Impact Leader for Advocacy Dr. Antonia Novello

Unsung Hero Kathleen Bean

EVENT SP ONSORS Award Sponsor

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C IT R U S SP O RTS

For more sponsorship opportunities or questions, LiveUnited@HFUW.org.

Recent Commercial Lending Transactions with FAIRWINDS Credit Union $5,250,000

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Construction of Owner-Occupied Medical Office

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Stabilized Flag Hotel

Warehouse Redevelopment

Senior Revolving Credit Facility

Contact us today to learn how we can help you and your business.

Wayne Cox

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Robert Siebert

VP - Commercial Lending Manager

VP - Commercial Loan Officer

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Visit fairwinds.org/business or call 407.306.6042.

BUS-2607/080318

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Crop•Ex — because what’s in your mug matters.

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MAGICAL DINING MONTH IS EVEN BETTER WHEN SHARED.

3 COURSES | 35 DOLLARS | AUGUST 24TH–SEPTEMBER 30TH Plus, through Visit Orlando, one dollar from each meal supports Best Buddies and Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida.

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Visit athenaorlando.com/how-to-apply.

Learn more at athenaorlando.com

Features

ÂŽ

Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

SEPTEMBER 2018

16 Explosive Growth

Total Nutrition Technology: From Science to Sales

19

Thriving With Technology:

Region's Future in Manufacturing Looks Strong

22

Niche Market Demand Helps TAG Aero Soar in Aviation Supply Chain

24

Catrike Manufacturing Operation

So Smooth it Purrs

26

Something New is Brewing For Central Florida and Beyond

28 Helping Tech Innovators Flourish in Orlando

32 Growing Together

Dr. Phillips Center Brings 'Art for Every Life'

36 Growing a Global Reputation

Motive Learning's Software is Training the Aerospace Industry

6 | SEPTEMBER2018 | i4Biz.com

2018 SUBMIT

YOUR NOMINATION NOW! bit.ly/BLOY2018 Closes September 15th

Each year we recognize and honor business leaders in the Central Florida area who are making a positive impact in the region or have achieved superior growth in their company or organization over the past three years.

i4 Business invites you to celebrate your company’s success or that of your clients by submitting your nomination for the 2018 Business Leaders of the Year Awards.

December 5th, 2018

Learn More at I4BIZ.COM

Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

BEST PRACTICES

SPOTLIGHTS

52

39

GUEST EXPERT COLUMNS

Walk the Talk: Lead Your Team Members

By Example Romaine Seguin | UPS International

Helen Barnabei | Fidelity Bank of Florida

54

41

The Power of a Story to Position Your Brand Cherise Czaban | i4 Business

56

3 Tips to Help Guarantee Your Company is Approved for a Small Business Loan Ted Sheppe | Axiom Bank

DEPARTMENTS

14

Business Briefs - Georgia Lorenz Takes the Helm at Seminole State College - I-Drive Aquatic Center Renamed in Honor of Harris Rosen - KPMG Celebrates New Training Facility in Lake Nona - Tech Association Builds Momentum with Problem-Solving Initiative - SunRail Extends Commuter Service to Osceola County

40

Andrea Jernigan-Gwinn | ATHENA PowerLink Ken Chapman and Jessie Chapman The Salvation Army of Orange and Osceola Counties

42

UpClose with Lena Graham-Morris

SPECIAL SECTION

45

Shelter Mortgage | Is it Time to Buy a Home?

58

Social Entrepreneur Feeding Children Everywhere Works to Wipe Out World Hunger One Meal at a Time

61

Business Seen

64

Watercooler ®

SEPTEMBER 2018 $4.95

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Take 5 with Visit Orlando The Wild Ride of Theme Park Entertainment Design

EXPLOSIVE GR OW T H

FROM SCIENCE TO SALES

8 | SEPTEMBER2018 | i4Biz.com

THRIVING WITH TECHNOLOGY: Region's Future in Manufacturing Barnie's Coffee & Tea

Lourdes McAgy: Total Nutrition Technology Photograph by Julie Fletcher

49

TREP Talk

ON THE COVER

Dr. Phillips Center

FAIRWINDS and Starter Studio

UpClose with Lena Graham-Morris

Photo Editor: Tanya Mutton Sidekick Creations

i4 Business offers CEO | PUBLISHER

a direct line to the thriving community of innovators and influencers in Central Florida

Cherise Czaban

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Diane Sears

DIRECTOR OF ENCOURAGEMENT Donna Duda

Subscribe today to ensure that you’re part of the conversation

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Just $24.95/year

Meaghan Branham

DIGITAL BRAND MANAGER Elyssa Coultas

Medical

Bill Oakley

Harbor

UpClose with

Marijuana

44 Years

House

Edwin Hernandez

Tech Association Expansion

Orange Technical College

TREKT Adventures

Up Close Mayanne Downs

UpClose with Gaby Ortigani

Laura Kelley CFX

Eunice Choi FSBDC & UCF

Pamela Nabors CareerSource

AUGUST 2018

ART DIRECTOR

Tanya Mutton - Sidekick Creations

COPY EDITOR

MARCH 2018

JUNE 2018 MAY 2018

MedTech

2018

WOMEN

Nano Discovery

WENDY

IN BUSINESS

Innovations in Medical

Treatment and Technology

Bridging the Gap

Susan Howard, APR

CONTRIBUTORS

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Phone: 321.759.8977 www.i4Biz.com

Photographer Julie Fletcher

ADVERTISING Cherise Czaban 321. 848.3530 i4 Business is a participating member of:

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Promoting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship SPOTLIGHTING FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS The financial professionals throughout Central Florida work throughout every industry to ensure the continued economic growth in our region.

This November, a special section in i4 Business magazine will share their stories.

Visit i4biz.com or send $24.95 for a one-year (12 issues) or $39.95 for a two-year (24 issues) subscription to: i4 Business, 121 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 1500, Orlando, FL 32801. Please include name, mailing address, city, state, ZIP code, phone number and email.

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| FINANCIAL

PROFESSIONA

LS

Trisha Delatte TITLE: VP Treasur y Sales Manage r COMPANY: Axiom Bank YEARS IN AREA:

T

king.com

risha started at Axiom Bank in May 2016, responsibilities where her primary are growing and deposit relations maintaining commer hips. She has deposit cial tailored to the relationship experien individual needs ce of the business clients.

This includes deposito commercial and small to electronic treasury ry accounts in addition services. She began career as a teller her 24-year banking at a small bank on the Naval Air Pensacola, FL. Since then, she Station in has held several increasing responsi position s with bility at various banks and credit The best advice she ever received unions.

— you can be you want to be whomever — has influence d her entire professio Because her top priority is to be nal life. a difference maker, pride in demonst she takes rating a positive spirit and helping achieve their goals. people ◆

42]NOVEMBER

2017 i4Biz.com

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YEARS IN INDUST RY: 24 WEBSITE: www.Ax iomBan

The contents of i4 Business magazine, i4biz.com and any other media extensions related to the brand, including advertisements, articles, graphics, websites, web postings and all other information (“contents”) published, are for informational purposes only. i4 Business® and all other affiliated brands do not necessarily endorse, verify, or agree with the contents contained in i4 Business. i4 Business makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness, timeliness, or usefulness of any information contained or referenced. i4 Business shall not be held liable for any errors or omissions. © 2018. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Publisher's Perspective

SUCCESS FOCUSED ON THE 'WHY'

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

— Henry David Thoreau

I

n the early 1900s, Samuel Pierpont Langley was working on inventing the first airplane. He was an American astronomer, physicist, inventor and aviation pioneer. At the same time, the Wright Brothers were also working on creating a flying machine. As you know, they are credited with inventing and flying the world’s first successful airplane.

In Simon Sinek’s TED Talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” and his book Starting with Why, he discusses this race for flight. Langley seemed to have all the ingredients for success: He was well-connected, he was given a $50,000 grant from the U.S. War Department, and he hired a well-educated and talented team. The Wright Brothers, on the other hand, were unknown and unfunded, and they gained their mechanical knowledge from working in their bicycle shop. The Wrights faced failure after failure, and it was said they would take five sets of parts with them to every test.

The difference, Sinek said, was that the Wright Brothers were pursuing a dream with all their heart, overcoming obstacle after obstacle. They paid for their work from the proceeds of their retail store and were driven by the cause. They believed their invention would change the course of the world.

Langley’s motivation was fame and wealth, and he gave up on his work when he realized the Wright Brothers had beaten him to his goal. This proves he wasn’t in it for the right reason, Sinek said. Instead of quitting, he could have said, “That’s an amazing discovery, and I will improve upon it.” Just look at what’s happening with today’s private aerospace companies in Brevard County.

is clear, and you put forth the effort, you don’t get stuck figuring out all the details of each step along the way.

Those will work themselves out.

I took some time off with my husband last month to travel to Maine. Being a native Floridian, I always find the mountains awe-inspiring. We started in Acadia National Park and then headed north to Moosehead Lake. I fell in love with the rocky coastline and beautiful countryside.

I wandered into a bookstore one afternoon, and there were a number of books by and about American poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau. It had been years since I’d read his work, and I hadn’t thought about his travels through Maine. He described the area as a “continuousness of the forest” and uninterrupted. That still holds true today.

I remembered what he had written about following your dreams. In this issue, we share success stories of Central Florida business owners who are doing exactly that. They’re seeking to make a difference and improve on the ways things are done. Next month we’ll feature comp anies i n t he t e ch nolo g y industry who are doing the same thing. These ent repreneur s are an inspiration.

To your success.

The story of the Wright Brothers is an example of success focused on the “why.” Some call it passion, others call it vision — but the Wright Brothers were clear on what they set out to do, and they persevered.

Long ago, I was told to “Act ‘as if’ and you will become ‘as if.’” I didn’t understand this at first because it sounded as if you should pretend you’re something you’re not.

But over the years, I’ve come to perceive this to mean we should begin with the end in mind. When the vision

CEO and Publisher

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 11

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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From the Editor

Lean Manufacturing for Any Workplace

T

here’s something about a clean workspace that makes me feel like I can be more productive. I can’t sit down to write an article if my desk is too cluttered. I can’t focus on preparing a meal if my kitchen counters and sinks aren’t clear. When I work at home, that extends to my whole house. It’s hard to concentrate if the living room and dining room aren’t clean and tidy.

Sadly, my desk does not always stay uncluttered, but I really work at it. At the end of every day, before I turn off the lights, I make sure everything is in its place so I can come into my office the next day and start with a clean slate.

The 5S system stands for: • Sort – Decide what’s needed and discard what’s not.

• Set in order – Have a place for everything, and everything in its place.

• Shine – Make sure everything is clean.

• Standardize – Impose processes and rules, and enforce them.

• Sustain – Make these practices part of daily work habits.

It turns out that’s a thing. It’s called kaizen, which is the Japanese word for improvement. It was made popular by Toyota in its manufacturing processes and has become part of continuous improvement practices in all kinds of businesses, from banking to life coaching.

It’s esp e cially imp or tant in manufacturing, where every action on a factory f loor can affect every other action. I learned more about this when Elyssa Coultas and I were wrapping up our interview with Paulo Camasmie, who invented the Catrike recumbent cycle manufactured here in Central Florida and is featured in this issue of i4 Business.

Paulo’s company, Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles, had been recommended to us because of his passion for studying “lean manufacturing” and improving processes. He once loaded his wife and two kids into a car to head to Kentucky for a vacation so he could take a look inside the Toyota factory there.

We stepped onto an indoor wooden balcony from his upstairs office, and Paulo looked over the floor of the factory, which had closed for the evening. He seemed at peace and beamed his big trademark smile.

He mentioned the 5S system.

At Catrike, this 5S system involves stopping 15 minutes before the shift is over to clean every workspace. That way everyone starts with a clean shop the next day. “Customers are not going to pay for your inefficiencies,” Paulo told us. He must be doing something right, because the company’s revenues grew 23.7 percent in 2017 and are on track for at least 20 percent more growth this year.

As he spoke, I realized these are lessons for every entrepreneur and business professional. So the next time you’re trying to reach me and I’m running a vacuum under my desk, please do not judge.

Have a great month!

Editor-in-Chief

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 13

Business Briefs

Georgia Lorenz Takes the Helm at Seminole State College Seminole State College welcomed the third president in its 53-year history when Georgia Lorenz started her new job on Aug. 1. The former vice president of academic affairs at Santa Monica College in California replaced Ann McGee, who retired from the post after 22 years.

“Together we can build on the college’s already strong foundation and take Seminole State College further,” Lorenz said as she prepared for the campus to open for fall classes on Aug. 21. “I plan to take part in a wide range of activities in the coming weeks and to listen to a broad range of perspectives from students, faculty, staff, alumni and industry and community partners. These conversations

and insights will transform into a strategic plan for the college for the next five years.”

Lorenz earned a Ph.D. in educational policy, planning and administration at the University of Southern California, where she received the Delta Epsilon Dissertation Award of Merit. She holds a master of science in education and social policy from Northwestern University and a bachelor of arts in English from Stanford University.

Seminole State, established in 1965, serves nearly 30,000 students across six sites in Central Florida. It has awarded more than 100,000 credentials, from bachelor's degrees to high school diplomas, and offers more than 200 degrees, certificates and academic programs.

I-Drive Aquatic Center Renamed in Honor of Harris Rosen A renowned aquat ic center on International Drive in the tourism corridor of Orlando has been named after the prominent hotelier who saved it from being shuttered more than 25 years ago. Now owned by the YMCA, the facility adopted a new name on July 26: the Rosen YMCA Aquatic Center, in honor of Harris Rosen.

The former Justus Aquatic Center was closed in 1992 by the mortgage holder.

Rosen, who visited the facility frequently to swim there, said it was a surprise to patrons. “I remember arriving to the center one day and finding some Special Olympians hovering about,” he said. “One of the youngsters recognized me as a swimmer there. They asked me if they’d done something wrong, to have it closed.

I knew I had to do something.”

Rosen rallied the community to join him in donating money to save the center, which ultimately was gifted to the YMCA of Central Florida. Revenue-generating programs were put in place to help offset operating costs. The state-of-theart facility features two Olympic-size swimming pools and new diving platforms.

Business 14 | SEPTEMBER2018 | i4Biz.com

Innovation

Education

Business Briefs

KPMG Celebrates New Training Facility in Lake Nona Audit, tax and advisory services firm KPMG held a ceremony Aug. 8 to celebrate the construction of its new training center in Lake Nona, set to open in early 2020. The $450 million facility will house a learning, development and innovation center that hosts 800 staffers a week in single-occupancy guest rooms.

“Our vision is that this will be the glue that keeps everything going,” said CFO David Turner, who flew from New York to attend the ceremony. “Years after people leave this place, they will still talk about, ‘Remember the Lake Nona facility?’”

Hundreds of construction workers who have been stationed at the 55-acre site gathered under a tent with local dignitaries and media for announcements from KPMG leaders and Mayors Buddy Dyer of Orlando and Teresa Jacobs of Orange County. The crowd signed a 50-foot stainless steel beam and then watched as a crane hoisted it to top off the building.

For the traditional good luck symbols, the beam carried an American flag, a young magnolia tree and a KPMG legacy banner that travels to different locations for significant company events.

Tech Association Builds Momentum with Problem-Solving Initiative As part of its expanded mission to engage the seven-county region of Central Florida, the Orlando Reg ional Tech Association recently began an initiative called Momentum 2018, a platform of civic problem-solving bringing together creative thinkers from Orlando’s nonprofit, business and tech communities. The objective was to use technology as a conduit to purposeful and powerful community engagement and advancement.

The organization invited tech executives, develop er s, desig ner s, marketer s, instructional designers, HR directors, accountants, sales leaders, customer serv ice representat ives and other professionals to join in the initiative. These local creative thinkers joined forces to

tackle real-world challenges and design breakthrough solutions for nonprofit organizations in Central Florida. Leaders asked the organizations to think big and describe the outcome they would want to see if they had the technical expertise already on staff.

Teams built customized solutions for the presented challenges, presenting them to a community audience at the end of the exercise. The participants were united by a shared interest in seeing the region thrive as a major destination both for tech-focused companies, from startup to enterprise, that are ready to grow and expand in Central Florida and for the skilled technology and creative teams driving their success, said Jim Thomas, the association’s CEO.

SunRail Extends Commuter Service to Osceola County The SunRail commuter train opened its southern expansion on July 30 to serve Osceola County, adding 17.2 miles and four new stations: Meadow Woods, Tupperware, Kissimmee and Poinciana.

A new schedule now in effect features more midday time slots as well as service later at night. The schedule, information about fares and station locations are posted at www.sunrail.com.

SunRail previously carried about 3,500 riders a day, and the new routes are expected to add almost 2,000, according to news reports. Before the addition, SunRail service ran 32 miles, stopping at 12 stations from DeBary in Volusia County to Sand Lake Road south of Orlando.

WANT TO SHARE YOUR NEWS? Do you have some news you’d like us to share with the community? Please be aware that we work two to three months in advance of our publication date. Submit press releases and announcements to press@i4biz.com.

Tourism

Growth

Inspiration i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 15

TOTAL NUTRITION TECHNOLOGY:

FROM SCIENCE TO SALES

By Elyssa Coultas

H

umbly displayed on an end table in the lobby of Total Nutrition Technology rests a piece of equipment that started it all: a cherry-red industrial planetary mixer.

When she launched the manufacturer of powered foods and supplements 14 years ago, Lourdes McAgy had that one tool and an idea. Today she’s the CEO of an entity that was listed on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for 2016 and 2017 and became certified this year as woman-owned by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Her company private-labels products for some of the largest brands in the nation, and it’s experiencing explosive growth that led her to purchase 19 acres next-door to her 33,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Construction has begun on two warehouses that will add 55,000 square feet to the operation, allowing TNT to expand production and add distribution operations.

It will also allow McAgy to create more jobs. The company already employs 80.

“It’s so awesome to know that I can do something and create this service and this place that enable someone to go home and pay their bills,” she says. “Almost 15 years later, I still can’t even believe it.”

"

We’re always finding ways to grow into something new, which is so exciting.

— Lourdes McAgy

Supplying Endless Demand

Regardless of whether a company would like to invest in an already developed product, or if it requires production of a new flavor, powder or concept, Total Nutrition Technology’s in-house research and development team, along with its stateof-the-art equipment, allows for the client to be in total control.

“We are a private-label manufacturer, which means we create and customize products,” McAgy says. “It begins with our research and development team on staff. They reverseengineer products or create them from scratch. Our R&D staff is constantly quoting new items. We’re always finding ways to grow into something new, which is so exciting.”

Though she spends much of her time managing her team, securing deals, or conducting business face-to-face with clients, McAgy still makes time to develop new products. “I love science,” she says. “I’m in the business side of it now, but I still dive in with the R&D team.”

McAgy has spent years developing several lines of business in case the company were to experience a decline within a certain market. “My goal with TNT was to slowly build a steady stream of income, no matter what the economy looks like,” she says. “We’ve established a broad range of who we sell to and who we make products for.”

The R&D team created a low-calorie peanut butter powder that has become one of the company’s most in-demand products. “There are several grocery stores that have us do their private-labeling, including non-dairy creamers and peanut butter powders,” she says. “That’s our first avenue of revenue.

Our second avenue caters to the demand of smoothie chains, both behind-the-bar and retail markets. … Our third and fourth avenues of business are pill and supplement manufacturing, along with various lines of protein and nutrient-rich powders we make for sports nutrition markets.”

McAgy sees every one of TNT's products and services as a reflection of herself and her team — and a testament to their resilience. “We’ve had our ups and downs,” she says, “but we’re grateful to be where we are right now.”

Intuition Meets Intellect

McAgy graduated from the University of Central Florida with a biological science degree. Her intuitive spirit led her to Chicago to look for work. She acquired a position with a company that private-labeled various nutraceuticals and health i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 17

Slow and Steady

McAgy decided it was time to invest further into the expansion of TNT. She relocated from her 1,000-square-foot warehouse in Orlando to a 33,000-square-foot facility in Leesburg, a place with rolling hills, a wholesome hometown feel, a burgeoning economy and affordable real estate. McAgy knew Leesburg would be the best place to cultivate her business.

At the same time, she has focused on her family, says her husband, David McAgy, who is an operations superintendent at Duke Energy. “Lourdes has also raised two boys ages 16 and 13 as she was learning on the fly how to be an entrepreneur while building the business,” he says. “There are many who can learn from Lourdes about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, but young women should especially take note.”

Although the corridors of the warehouse might seem bare or sterile, a familial bond resonates throughout the TNT property. Familiar greetings, hugs, fist bumps and contained squeals of joy resonate as McAgy walks through the facility and interacts with the employees.

“Even in the first few years, Lourdes' plan has always been to grow the company at the right pace for the company and the employees,” her husband says. “Yes, that still includes lip-sync battles in the hallways and dance-offs in the lobby.”

Remember Your Roots

supplements. Over the course of three years, she learned how to create and reverse-engineer nutrient-rich powdered food products. The procedural knowledge and growth potential sparked an explosive idea McAgy could not ignore.

While TNT caters to larger clients with orders that span to multimillion-unit quantities, McAgy makes it a point to continue production for those who helped lay the foundation for the company’s inception and success. A small modular room designated for quantities of 1,000 orders or less speaks to the gratitude and integrity of McAgy’s operation.

“I don’t ever want to leave smaller businesses behind because that’s where I started,” she says. “I started with nothing.”

In 2005, she moved back home to Orlando and thought, “Why don’t I start my own company? And I did.” McAgy invested in a single mixer, the red blender that sits in her company’s lobby today, and launched the beginnings of Total Nutrition Technology. For years, she tirelessly spent her time, energy and resources reverse-engineering various products.

She developed and perfected recipes for protein powders, energizers, fat burners, grains and peanut-butter powders.

Another way she supports small business is through the Diaz-McAgy TNT Women in Sciences Scholarship at UCF. “I’ll help anyone do what they need to succeed, if I can,” she says.

The scholarship creates opportunities for entrepreneurial women pursuing a science degree in the Central Florida area.

She encourages young women to find their voice, and to not be afraid to ask for help or to reach out and help others.

“Our aim is to find who’s the next entrepreneurial woman from Orlando.”

“At first, I thought I wanted to sell my own products,” she says, “but looking at how expensive it is to market your own and the liability behind it, I decided to expand out with the limited resources I had. My first main account was Tropical Smoothie Café.”

McAgy has always understood the need to pay it forward, and she has appreciated the people who’ve done that for her.

“You have to get people to want to work with you and to help you,” she says, “and to go along the journey with you.”

Her company remains a supplier for the smoothie chain that has franchises throughout the United States. “We still do all their supplements, all their nutrition — all the food powders that go behind the bar. When I started with them they had about 180 locations. Now they have nearly 700.”

18 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

TNT represents much more than a product or a brand, she says. She feels it embodies adversity, success and growth.

She often reflects on how she started with that first planetary mixer. “You really can do whatever you want in this country,” she says. “You just have to do it. Develop an idea. Find your resources and be patient.” ◆

THRIVING WITH TECHNOLOGY: Region’s Future in Manufacturing Looks Strong

By Diane Sears

O

rlando is not usually the first city that springs to mind when you think of manufacturing hubs in the United States. It’s not like Detroit, known for producing automobiles, or Pittsburgh, once known for steel, or Jacksonville, once known for paper. Yet research shows Central Florida is experiencing more job growth in manufacturing than any other major metropolitan area in the country.

A study released earlier this year shows the region has seen 23.6 percent growth in manufacturing jobs since 2012 — about 7.9 percent of that in 2017, according to California researchers Joel Kotkin and Michael Shires. Their work appears on Newgeography.com, and this latest research was featured in a Forbes magazine article in May titled, “Where U.S. Manufacturing is Thriving in 2018.”

“The vast majority of Americans are more likely to associate the Orlando metro area with Mickey Mouse than Rosie the Riveter, but Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford is tops

in manufacturing job growth among the 71 largest metros,” the article read. “Large companies including Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas and Siemens Energy have brought advanced manufacturing jobs to the Orlando area, as well as a host of smaller firms.”

That’s exactly what Sherry Reeves has observed. In her 12 years as executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida (MACF), she has watched small companies grow and new ones form — many of them to support larger operations like Lockheed Martin’s plant in Orlando that builds advanced combat systems for the military. Two-thirds of the region’s manufacturing companies have fewer than 20 employees, compared with about 75 percent nationally and 80 percent statewide.

“We have a lot of manufacturers that produce electronic and other advanced component parts which go into larger products and systems,” Reeves said. “Most of ours are small to midsize family-run manufacturers.” F

FAST FACTS Central Florida

Statewide

National

Manufacturers

1,700

20,000

252,000

Number of Jobs

59,000

375,500

12.5 Million

% of Total Employment

4.3%

4.3%

8.5%

% Advanced Manufacturing

63%

49.7%

46.8%

20 or fewer employees

2/3

4/5

3/4

Sources: 2016 Manufacturing Sector Profile for the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida by IHS Economics; National Association of Manufacturers; Florida Department of Economic Opportunity April 2018 Statistical Data; FloridaMakes.

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 19

Highest-Performing Sectors in Central Florida The region’s six highest-performing sectors account for 31.6 percent of total manufacturing employment in Central Florida. They include:

1 Navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments

2 Communications equipment

3 Commercial and service industry machinery

4 Computer and peripheral equipment

5 Other furniture-related products

6 Pesticide, fertilizer and other agricultural chemicals

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Manufacturing Clusters

Central Florida is home to more than 1,700 manufacturers out of 20,000 statewide. What’s being manufactured here?

Everything from electronic components to medical devices to foods and more.

There are clusters of types of manufacturing throughout the region, including one Reeves has been tracking closely: recreation and entertainment. She points to several makers of boats, theme park rides and video games. That sector is growing along with Orlando’s reputation as the most popular tourist destination in the U.S. The area is seeing growth in “advanced manufacturing,” which uses innovative technologies to create existing as well as new products. Last year, the public-private partnership BRIDG opened an advanced manufacturing facility in Osceola County that will be the cornerstone of a hub called NeoCity.

“With more than 37,000 people employed in advanced manufacturing, or 63 percent of the manufacturing workforce,” the report read, “this sector represents a much higher share of manufacturing employment than it does in the national or state economies and is more likely to contribute to regional innovation and provide higher-wage jobs.”

Charting the Growth

Central Florida and the rest of the state are expected to see continued growth in manufacturing, experts say. “Florida is well positioned due to its lack of income taxes, reasonable housing prices and generally pro-development policies,” the Forbes article read. “Manufacturing employment in the state had risen for 86 straight months through February.”

MACF has promoted the industry in Central Florida for 27 years through workshops, grant opportunities, networking and plant tours. In 2016, MACF became part of a larger network of Florida’s manufacturing associations to form FloridaMakes, whose mission is to strengthen and advance manufacturing on a statewide level.

In July, FloridaMakes produced a first-of-its-kind summit in Orlando that gathered manufacturers, government, academia and other organizations that all share a stake in advancing Florida’s manufacturing economy. “The basic idea was to bring together Florida’s manufacturing ecosystem to begin a dialogue and formulate strategies on how together we can collectively leverage each other’s assets, expertise and resources to further advance the competitiveness of our manufacturing sector,” said Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes.

“While we’re doing well in manufacturing, we have a long way to go,” Carr said. “A real measure of manufacturing performance is productivity, or how much output we get from each employee.

We look at gross domestic product per employee. In Florida, we’re a little bit below the national average.”

If Florida can get to the national average of about $176,886 of value-added output per employee, instead of closer to $141,616 where it sits now, that will equal growth of about $12.6 billion to the state economy, he said, referring to 2016 figures.

“We’re almost near full employment, so how do you get more out of the people you have? You get that by integrating technology into that mix, and by stronger participation in our supply chains,” Carr said. “It’s great to have large anchor companies like a SpaceX or a Lockheed Martin in our state, yet a great deal of the value-added going into their products and systems is produced

outside of the state. We need to capture a larger share of the value produced in those and many other supply chains within the state, nationally, as well as internationally.”

Carr points to a company in Central Florida where workers took four hours to weld a part. The company automated part of the process, installing a robotic welding system that reduced that task to 40 minutes per part. “That’s a significant enhancement for the output from that one company,” Carr said. “If you’re producing the same amount in one-tenth of the time, you’re enhancing productivity.”

Turning Jobs into Careers

The key is to continue developing the workforce for the higherpaying jobs that come with incorporating the latest technology into manufacturing, Reeves said. She and her organization are working with local manufacturers to educate them about what’s happening in manufacturing so they can adapt to this new era.

MACF also is working to educate young people about the benefits of pursuing manufacturing as a career. In this industry, she says, people can learn the skills required as long as they bring one key trait to the job.

“Attitude takes you everywhere,” she says. People with no experience can start in manufacturing at $12 an hour. Employers often pay for continued education for people who show up for work and do a good job.

“A lot of these manufacturers will help these young people get retooled,” she says. “You’re going to move faster up the ladder and make more money than you would if you started off at a theme park or a fast-food restaurant. It’s not a job, it’s a career path.” ◆ i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 21

Niche Market Demand Helps TAG Aero Soar in Aviation Supply Chain

By Elyssa Coultas

"

What we do now is good, but there is room to grow significantly.

— Myles Thomas

L

ocated off a quiet street in Winter Garden, a modern facility stands apart from its neighbors, with a sleek gray metal exterior and the bright green logo of TAG Aero. The 15,000-square-foot warehouse was built just two years ago, and it’s already too small to house the demand for its services and product.

With a team of 15 employees, Founder and CEO Myles Thomas has led the company to create a name for itself in a specific market within the aviation industry for buying, selling and repairing aerospace auxiliary power units. An APU contributes to a variety of functions including providing backup power, initiating the main engine and running the air conditioning system.

Thomas learned the ins and outs of the industry while working for an APU repair company. During his time there, he pinpointed and improved on various aspects of the technology. He saw the need for a specialized organization like TAG Aero and took off with the idea.

22 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

Growing Pains

Within the first year, Tag Aero was recognized by the Inc. 500 as the 126thfastest-growing company in the U.S. “We’ve been growing consistently now for about five years,” he says. “Initially we hit $1 million; now we’re hitting $20 million.”

Thomas remembers when he first set his thoughts in motion. “I was 27 years old when I quit my job repairing APUs to start my own operation. I started up with a few dollars in my bank account and a U-Haul truck where I stored inventory.

That was my warehouse for the first few months.”

Thomas continued to refine his brand and capabilities. He sought investors and eventually decided to pull from every resource. “Full disclosure, I knocked on my stepdad’s door and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a really good idea.’ He knew I had been in the industry, so he was confident in the investment. I was able to pay back that investment within the first year.”

This year TAG Aero acquired another business — the repair company where Thomas used to work. “When I left my job in 2011, they told me to run off and try my venture and that they’d see me back in a couple of years,” he says.

With the purchase, TAG Aero acquired his former employer’s capabilities for working on APU repairs approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, uncapping a new revenue stream. These repairs now account for 20 percent of his company’s revenue.

Expansion at an accelerated pace remains a familiar concept for Thomas.

“We’re aiming for a $100 million-per-year goal in the years ahead,” he says.

Thomas understands that the most essential aspect of accelerated growth is funding. “In order to continue growing, it comes down to capital,” he says. “With any business, capital is such a makeor-break, and fortunately as we’ve been growing, our banking partners have been a huge help for us. Growing pains are such a frustrating part of business, but

TAG Team

Myles Thomas

you buy an APU, you get a massive amount of paperwork — and there’s absolutely no organization to it.”

To simplify the process for clients and airlines, TAG Aero employs a small team of APU experts who know exactly what to look for — and, just as important, what to steer away from. “As a buyer, this process can easily become a thousand-piece puzzle. The great thing we do is we put the puzzle together for you. We know how APUs work. We know what we’re looking for. It’s all we do.”

you need them to understand why you’re taking the next step, the next journey, the next path.”

Part of the Supply Chain

A chain is only as strong as the individual links. TAG Aero proves itself to be a fundamental link in the aerospace aftermarket supply chain.

“There are so many layers to the aviation industry,” Thomas says. “From the manufacturers themselves, to the leasing companies that own them, to the operators, to the repair stations, to all the people who support the airline.

We’re part of that network.” Companies that sign contracts with airlines look at TAG and see a support network.

A single APU contains hundreds of parts. As a gas turbine engine that aids in the control and function of a vessel, this integral part of an aircraft must constantly perform at peak capacity.

TAG Aero is able to offer expert care at a reduced price, Thomas says, because of the company’s efficiency.

TAG Aero navigates each deal equipped with knowledge and experience. “We understand the product so well that it allows us to make educated and experienced purchases, which allows us to make the sale much easier,” Thomas says. “Clients rely on and ultimately benefit from our expertise.”

Unpacking the Mini-Pack

With the client in mind, TAG Aero sets out to trim the edges from the lengthy and complicated APU inspection and repair processes. In the documentation system Thomas and his team developed, all of the APU data and historical details a company might need to make an informed decision from a technical, commercial point of view are neatly compiled into a single package named a “Mini-Pack.”

“If you can imagine, you are working with APUs that are 10, 20, 30 years old,” Thomas says. Each APU comes with its history documented on hundreds of pages — all of the maintenance records, performance data and other information that has been logged over the years. “When

Thomas spent the past five years refining his sales and acquisition team. “Because we specialize in only APUs, it’s really allowed us to creep in, fly under the radar — no pun intended — and focus on our product and process. At the end of the day, people come to us because we sell APUs more efficiently than someone else. It makes the buyers’ job a lot easier.”

The Sky is the Limit

All business owners have their own chain of events regarding their trials and triumphs.

Thomas reflects on his. “The success story, I think, is a combination of a number of things. First is knowing your product, of course. Second is the ability to be in a small watering hole, a small niche. There aren’t that many people who specialize in just APUs. We’ve found a niche market, and we’re good at servicing and standing out within that market.”

Thomas looks to the future and anticipates expansion. “What we do now is good, but there is room to grow significantly,” he says.

“Only four or five different chapters within APUs have been touched yet. The sky is the limit.” ◆ i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 23

Paulo Camasmie and Mark Egeland

Catrike Manufacturing Operation is So Smooth It Purrs

By Diane Sears and Elyssa Coultas

"

It’s a work of love.

Manufacturing is not for everyone.

– Paulo Camasmie

24 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

P

aulo Camasmie remembers when he had to assemble each wheel by hand and “true” it to be sure there was no wobble. That was in 2000, when he first moved to the United States from Brazil and started a company to manufacture recumbent tricycles. He made 67 trikes in his first two years in a 1,000-square-foot warehouse.

Today his company, Big Cat Human Powered Vehicles LLC, cranks out as many as 3,500 cycles a year under the brand Catrike. Recumbent cycles allow the rider to pedal from a reclining position. The trike’s three-wheel tadpole design, with two wheels in front and one in the rear, alleviates damaging pressure on joints and allows the rider to rest comfortably without sacrificing speed or precision.

Catrike’s 30,000-square-foot factory in the College Park section of Orlando is a study in “lean manufacturing” processes that eliminate wasted time and actions to boost productivity. Each step in building a trike is mapped out, measured and posted in writing at the stations where the work takes place.

“We are focused on product design, engineering and manufacturing,” Camasmie says. “We’re a small ‘big company.’ We think big, we act big. … We

spend hours talking about engineering, product design, stress analysis and manufacturing efficiencies.”

The wheel building and trueing procedure, like some other steps in the trike’s production, is handled mostly by robotic machinery, with wheel builder Christopher Miller feeding the hub, spokes and rim into a machine that assembles and aligns the wheel. A process that used to take Camasmie 45 minutes per wheel now takes Miller about three minutes.

“A lot of big companies come here to study and benchmark our company,” Camasmie says. “We are so efficient, because we’re small and so streamlined.

We’ve done this for 18 years, and we’re always improving and always perfecting things.”

Pet Projects

Camasmie’s business partner of 11 years and the operation’s general manager, Mark Egeland, is charged with overseeing the company’s 21 employees, from product design to manufacturing to marketing, sales and accounting.

That leaves Camasmie time to continue streamlining the operations and studying the craft. He earned a certificate in artificial intelligence this year by studying remotely

with Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

This fall, he and his wife are headed to Pittsburgh, where he has been accepted into Carnegie Mellon University for a two-year master’s program in robotics.

Meanwhile, Egeland has his own pet projects. One is working with an organization called Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, which advocates for people with the neuromuscular degenerative disease ataxia.

In 2007, a cycling enthusiast named Kyle Bryant from Sacramento contacted the company to say he was going to be competing in the Race Across America, which takes riders from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Bryant rode a Catrike, which is more comfortable for him because of the effects of the disease, and he completed the race in under nine days. He was looking for the company to donate spare parts like wheels, tires and tubes. Egeland and Bryant became instant friends and have worked together ever since.

“We started a relationship because he rode a Catrike,” Egeland said. “He’s in a wheelchair and he can’t walk, but he can ride a Catrike like the wind.”

Lean, Mean Machines

The company is constantly studying the way riders use Catrikes so it can tweak the design, Camasmie says. His first model, which hangs in a makeshift museum in one of the facility’s lobbies, looks far less complicated than the trikes that come out of the factory today and retail for anywhere from about $2,100 to $4,100.

In an office just off the factory floor, company engineer Justin Calla produces CAD designs of each of the company’s Catrike models. A 3-D rendering on his computer screen rotates the frame so he can see it from all angles.

Thanks to modern technology, every tweak is aligned with the manufacturing equipment through the use of the 3-D CAD software and a coordinate-measuring machine. They no longer have to align the equipment with a tape measure.

Each piece of equipment on the factory floor was built by the company. “We’re not only designing trikes, but we’re designing the fixtures and machines to make the trikes,” Calla says.

Camasmie nods. “We transform pieces of aluminum into finished products. The whole building is a trike-making machine.”

Autonomy in Production

The factory is organized on the premise of “autonomous manufacturing,” Camasmie says. That means there is no foreman position.

Instead, each employee is responsible for his or her own area.

Each frame is built one at a time all the way through, traveling from station to station for cutting, bending, welding, washing, painting and assembly. Instead of a line where parts are batched in large quantities, the company implements a “just-in-time” process. Raw materials such as aluminum tubing for the frames arrive at the receiving dock in just enough quantities to meet that week’s production schedule and a small amount of safety stock.

Wheels, handlebars and other parts are assembled only as they are needed in the process. All parts are loaded in racks in a “FIFO” order — first in, first out — so the oldest ones get used first. That way, components don’t have a chance to sit around and become outdated.

Each production team member uses a tablet with a program that outlines steps of that person’s production process and measures “takt time,” the time allowed for work on a particular model. This keeps the line moving.

The company also measures how many inches and feet each operator walks to complete the work and eliminates wasted movement that does not add value to the product.

“Quality control is built into the process at each step. There is very little handling,” Camasmie says. “I think we’ve been successful because I didn’t come into it as a cyclist. I came as an engineer.” ◆

SOMETHING NEW IS for central florida and beyond

I

n 1999, the National Coffee Association found that only 9 percent of adults were drinking specialty coffee. Today that number has grown to 41 percent. In fact, in 2017, of all cups of coffee consumed in the United States, 59 percent were specialty coffee. It’s clear consumers are demanding better coffee, and Orlando-based Barnie's Coffee & Tea has been committed to meeting that demand.

Over the past 40 years, Barnie’s transitioned from roasting for local and regional coffee shops to national distribution and global impact. Widely known for its popular lines of everyday coffee and unique seasonal flavors, the iconic Barnie’s brand recently expanded locally through licensing opportunities in EA Sports Tiburon Studio and the Orlando Science Center. To widen its reach even further, Barnie’s implemented a global initiative by offering Crop•Ex, a premium line of smallbatch coffee that is roasted in Central Florida and supports the coffee industry globally.

With its manufacturing, distribution and roasting facility located in southwest Orlando, Barnie’s is committed to keeping its production local to its home while revolutionizing the industry around the world.

“While we have this incredible global initiative, we also know that our roots are here in Orlando,” said Sonya Hardy, chief operating officer. Being part of the Barnie’s family for more than 20 years, Hardy knows the importance of growing locally. “As a company, we are committed to staying close to our coffee-roasting process, which is why we have our headquarters and a roasting facility here.”

From roasting and flavoring to quality control and distribution, the 16,000-square-foot facility produces up to 250 pounds of coffee per week to support a growing demand.

The Crop•Ex collection is carried in The Fresh Market stores nationwide. Roasted in small batches that produce eight to nine bags at a time, Crop•Ex features single-origin, traceable coffees from around the world, so customers can track each flavor of Crop•Ex to its literal roots from the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia, Indonesia, Costa Rica and family farms across the globe.

With flavors ranging from light to dark roasts, the coffee is roasted to bring out the bean’s best natural qualities and flavors. Every bag of Crop•Ex is signed and dated by the roaster to display its freshness.

"

While we have this incredible global initiative, we also know that our roots are here in Orlando.

—Sonya Hardy

“We wanted Crop•Ex to be about the coffee, not about Barnie’s,” said Scott Uguccioni, chief sales and marketing officer of Barnie’s.

“The quality, the community, the future of coffee as an industry, that’s what Crop•Ex is about.”

A portion of the proceeds from each bag of Crop•Ex goes to Coffee Kids International, a nonprofit organization that enriches the lives of young growers in coffee-farming regions of the world. Coffee Kids helps these young coffee farmers, who are inheriting the role from their retiring parents, through education and implementation of modernized processing techniques. This is vital to sustaining an efficient harvesting process. Since 1988, Coffee Kids has assisted 200,000 coffee-farming families in more than 400 communities.

Barnie’s quality assurance process starts from the moment the coffee lands on the dock, where the bags are analyzed to ensure they are all sealed and in good condition. Throughout the processing, the coffee is tested and sampled periodically to keep a consistent roast profile and to ensure the quality is maintained.

While Barnie’s has devoted its mission to making a difference in Orlando and in the coffee industry, it also aims to be as environmentally responsible as possible in processing. The Crop•Ex coffees are processed on a 5K roaster, which enables the company to maximize efficiency while minimizing its overall carbon footprint. Instead of fuel jet roasters other brands use, Barnie’s operates with two ceramic infrared burners that produce less greenhouse gases overall.

With its strong commitments to local growth, global impact, environmental responsibility and giving back to the coffee industry as a whole, Barnie’s has been making a name for itself in Central Florida and beyond. ◆ i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 27

HELPING

Te c h I n n o v a t o r s Flourish in Orlando

C

By Garry Capton

entral Florida has all the ingredients for a vibrant technology hub: a welcoming culture, a growing technology corridor, a thriving commercial real estate market and a robust talent pool springing from institutions such as the University of Central Florida, Full Sail, Valencia, and Seminole State.

To further support and invest in our region’s technology ecosystem, FAIRWINDS Credit Union has partnered with StarterStudio, committing three years of financial support to the nonprofit at its highest level of sponsorship, as well as education for its member companies.

StarterStudio provides resources and education that help technology entrepreneurs and innovators begin and grow their businesses in Florida. Under the guidance of its leadership, including Executive Director Donna Mackenzie, the organization and its affiliates have helped more than 500 businesses connect with mentors and resources that would have otherwise been beyond reach. It currently

Garry Capton

supports more than 125 companies at three co-working spaces and through its lauded business accelerator programs.

As a financial institution, FAIRWINDS is committed to the growth of burgeoning sectors, and in partnership with StarterStudio we can help innovators cultivate viable businesses and keep them in Central Florida.

Too often, tech innovators and startups take an unbalanced approach to finances, making decisions that hinder future growth and render them “unbankable,� unable to secure the financing and means to maintain their business. That is why organizations such as StarterStudio are so important to our community, providing everything from a space to work to accelerator programs that guide companies on creating business plans, securing customers and becoming investor-ready.

This summer, FAIRWINDS hosted its first in a series of lunch-and-learn sessions at StarterStudio, educating companies on the various types of business

solutions and financing, as well as common small business mistakes. Advising companies through their earliest and most vulnerable stages speaks to the core of our vision and mission at FAIRWINDS – financial literacy and security that leads to economic success and well-being.

Carlos Carbonell, CEO of Echo Interaction Group — an Orlando-based app development and technology consulting firm — sat on the founding board of Canvs and Firespring Fund, which would later become StarterStudio and StarterStudio Fund. A longtime FAIRWINDS member and entrepreneur himself, Carbonell brought us and StarterStudio together because he understands better than anyone what young businesses need from a banking institution: a partner that can listen, react and be as nimble and dynamic as the companies it serves, and ready to respond to ever-changing industry landscapes.

At the core of this partnership, we want to do more than teach the ins and outs of business finance — we want to help prepare the startups that will one day become the companies that define Orlando. With this goal in mind, we now have a FAIRWINDS representative with weekly office hours at StarterStudio’s downtown Orlando location, providing financial advice that will empower these businesses and their leaders to grow. From questions about becoming “bankable” to simple quandaries about payroll or even tax forms, FAIRWINDS is there to help.

Over time, we also plan to host networking mixers, bringing these small businesses together to potentially forge their own partnerships and learn from their unique experiences.

At FAIRWINDS Credit Union, we understand that relationships are about supporting the whole individual, not just the company. Whether it means helping small business owners navigate the process of becoming eligible for a commercial loan or working with them to develop a savings plan for their first home, our team strives to be a source of financial guidance and counsel for the incredible minds at StarterStudio. Together, we will continue to drive the development of Central Florida’s high-tech economy. ◆ Garry Capton is the vice president of community relations and government affairs at FAIRWINDS Credit Union.

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 29

TAKE

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

Q&A with Steve Alkhoja, ITEC Entertainment

The Wild Ride of Theme Park Entertainment Design

O

rlando has long been considered the Theme Park Capital of the World™ and a leader in innovative attractions, making us an ideal location for advanced manufacturing companies in the entertainment design sector. One such company is ITEC Entertainment, a global leader of entertainment solutions since 1985. Steve Alkhoja, vice president of entertainment technologies, speaks with Visit Orlando about the company’s technology initiatives and explains what makes our region so attractive to the industry.

30 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

GEORGE AGUEL President and CEO of Visit Orlando Tell us about ITEC and how you have made your mark here in Orlando.

ITEC Entertainment designs and develops many types of properties, but our professional roots and unique expertise come from theme park development in Orlando and around the world. The equipment we design for attractions — mostly integrated control systems for rides, shows, special effects and animation — is manufactured at our fabrication shop in Orlando. We have a team of very talented engineers and technicians who work together to ensure that the equipment we design and manufacture is held to a high-quality standard, pushing entertainment to new heights.

Why is it important to be headquartered in the Theme Park Capital of the World™?

The setting of our home base is great for brand identity, new business development, recruiting and maintaining business relationships. Our location is attractive to candidates when relocation is necessary, and we also work with Central Florida universities to build the pipeline of local talent.

What does your industry need from a location?

We are fortunate to have our headquarters in Orlando (at the corner of Sand Lake Road and John Young Parkway).

In addition to Orlando being home to the world’s top theme parks, the housing here is affordable, there is a sizable local university base for talent recruitment, and the entertainment scene is vibrant. Being just minutes away from the outstanding Orlando International Airport ensures our staff has ample flight destination options, as our work regularly expands our portfolio to new markets around the world.

Tell us about some of the unique challenges you face.

We are in the business of igniting the dreams of hundreds of millions of people all over the world. In our industry, we must take a client’s abstract vision of a property, such as a theme park attraction, and bring it to life while preserving the client’s vision throughout the entire development process. This involves a unique collaboration of both creative and technical elements, including the concept design, architecture, engineering and production.

It’s a comprehensive process, where each step must be perfectly executed.

How is Visit Orlando an asset to your industry?

Visit Orlando supports our industry by keeping visitors and businesses informed and helping to sustain Orlando’s reputation as the Theme Park Capital of the World™. Orlando is widely known as an epicenter of the most advanced and popular themed attractions. We benefit from that identity and the ability to show our work to a broad international clientele during industry events that happen in Orlando, such as the annual expo of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), which is a very important event for us.

STRENGTHENING OUR CORE

Orlando is at the epicenter of entertainment innovation

R

ide innovators from around the globe — and right here in Central Florida — create seamless experiences to expand our imagination, suspend our disbelief and forge priceless family memories.

Many of these high-tech companies call Orlando home because of the proximity to our theme parks and other amenities that come with doing business in America’s most-visited destination.

Thanks to our world-class tourism industry, Orlando is truly at the intersection of local and global innovation, especially when rolling out the latest and greatest in attraction design. And it’s only getting better, as more than a dozen new rides and attractions will open through the early part of 2019, with several additional unveilings planned over the next five years.

Outside the parks, perhaps nowhere is the energy more evident than at the annual IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, which recently moved its headquarters to Orlando, will celebrate the event’s 100th anniversary in November — and Visit Orlando is proud to extend a big welcome to our hometown.

As the hub of the creative process that fuels entertainment innovation, Orlando makes for the perfect host. Here, in addition to displaying and discovering the latest technological advancements, company leaders worldwide get to become leisure visitors and enjoy many experiences exclusive to our destination.

Our economy’s familiarity and connection with the attractions industry — unrivaled by any other destination — is a major asset that creates positive impact across every corner of our community. And it all starts with tourism.

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 31

GROWING TOGETHER Dr. Phillips Center Brings 'Arts for Every Life'

By Meaghan Branham

32 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

T

he relationship between form and function has long been at the heart of groundbreaking design, and when it came to the concept for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, design architect Barton Meyers had a very specific goal in mind for both.

He drew a sketch on a napkin. The idea was to make the facility open, inviting and inclusive to reflect the Central Florida community. His clients were thrilled.

“We wanted to create a place where people would be able to check their differences at the door and just come in and enjoy an experience together,” said Kathy Ramsberger, president and CEO of the downtown Orlando venue.

From that initial sketch sprung a performing arts center that is still driven by the goal of excellence through diversity and inclusion — a goal that has led to unpredicted levels of growth. In the past year alone, the Dr. Phillips Center has hosted more than 430 performances and more than 650,000 guests, blowing out of the water its initial agreement with the city of Orlando to have 150 curtains each year for the first few years.

Since 2014, the growth has been remarkable not only in attendance numbers, but also in the community’s response to the center’s educational initiatives and other programs. The center has been able to provide an estimated $8 million in value in community support so far for education and outreach programs, scholarships, rental off-set support to community arts groups, student and veteran discounted tickets and other offerings.

The arts center’s vision has been named “Arts for Every Life” and has guided the Dr. Phillips Center as it continues to surpass even the loftiest expectations.

Wellness for Every Life

Bringing Arts for Every Life has also meant connecting with individuals and groups in enriching ways. The Dr. Phillips Center has been working with at-risk youth, children with autism and the aging population to instill artistic, movement and expression-filled classes and programs into their lives to enhance their well-being.

“We believe that if people have an outlet for expression in their lives, their quality of life will be improved,” Ramsberger explained of the curriculum, which emphasizes performing arts training. “We encourage movement and exercise, exposure to culture, and just doing things that are emotional and connecting and celebratory.”

The classes and programs, led by expert instructors, integrate aspects of performing arts to encourage engagement, interaction, connection, information retention and overall quality of life.

In a move that transcends its vision of Arts for Every Life, the Dr. Phillips Center is also working on a Wellness for Every Life program. The arts center and partner Florida Hospital are engaging in research and clinical studies with dementia patients and their caregivers to determine the impacts of the arts on their wellness.

Growing a New Generation

Since its founding, the Dr. Phillips Center has allocated significant resources to its expanding education programs. From its own curriculum, to initiatives and camps with scholarships available, these programs seek to embrace the mission of bringing the fundamentals, history and value of the performing arts to everyone, regardless of age or background.

Diversity and Opportunity

Even before the arts center was built, there were numerous conversations in the community about what would entice people to use it. Those conversations that happened years ago are still influencing the operation’s choices, Ramsberger said. Those choices include not only the quality of the programming, but also the breadth of it, with 14 genres ranging from comedy shows to a speaker series to Broadway performances.

Partnerships within the community have been invaluable in creating opportunity for more representation.

Since opening, the center has hosted performances in 16 different languages other than English — a fact that represents the true diversity of the community. This year, working with 60 community arts groups, the center has been able to host 140 productions showcasing local community performances from groups including Opera Orlando, Cultural Fusion, Encore and Unity Players. i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 33

The arts center’s own programs include classes that range from musical theater to ballet to piano. Offered all year long and at varying levels of experience, these classes are taught by experts in their fields, often including residencies by visiting artists who can bring unique and new insights to students and the arts center itself.

One of the most recent self-created programs, 6th & Jazz, gathered all sixth-graders from Orange and Osceola counties to the arts center over the course of a week to learn about the history of jazz and its impact during the civil rights era, with live performances from the Dr. Phillips Center’s own jazz orchestra serving as stand-ins for textbooks. It proved so successful that the program will be expanding to 7th & Jazz this year.

Partnerships have led to even more opportunities. A collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center — the only program of its kind —allows the Dr. Phillips Center a chance to infuse those original programs into the local community.

One of those programs is the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Regional Festival. The annual event, which is open to the public, offers high school bands the opportunity to play a song, followed by a workshop and an awards ceremony for the musicians.

A partnership with the Disney Theatrical Group culminates in a program called Disney Musicals in Schools, which offers assistance to elementary school theater programs, especially those with higher numbers of children from low-income families that otherwise might not experience theater. The center sends expert theater representatives into as many as five area schools to spend four months working with the students to put on a production and grow their theater and arts program. Then the students are invited to perform their production at the Dr. Phillips Center, where they see their hard work come alive.

Sustainable Growth

While much of the growth for the Dr. Phillips Center is in the realm of outreach and initiatives, some of it is quite literal. In 2020, the arts center plans to unveil its newest addition, which 34 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

"

We wanted to create a place where people would be able to check their differences at the door and just come in and enjoy an experience together.

— Kathy Ramsberger is under construction: Steinmetz Hall and The Green Room.

Steinmetz Hall is described as “one of the most acoustically perfect performance halls in the world.”

The momentum the arts center has gained is likely to keep building along with the venue itself, which has recently been recognized with the prestigious 2018 international venue excellence award. The Dr. Phillips Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) that operates and manages the city-owned venue.

The center has raised nearly $176 million in private philanthropy that funds its mission and programs. That fact is a source of pride for the people behind the center’s operations. “Great communities are led by philanthropy, and philanthropy leads us,” Ramsberger said.

While operations and programs are funded by private contributions, funding for capital and construction comes from both private and public support from the governments of Orlando, Orange County, Winter Park and Florida. Through the arts center’s fundraising, it has been able to contribute more than $150 million back to the project, as well as contribute annually to the facility’s maintenance and capital improvements.

As the Dr. Phillips Center moves forward, most likely to places that can’t even be imagined yet, it will continue to operate by its vision of Arts for Every Life. The team at the Dr. Phillips Center and the community that supports the mission share an understanding that with increased exposure to the arts, people are more likely to feel those connections, sometimes found in unexpected places, that make art so transcendent — as well as a firm belief that everyone deserves the chance to feel that spark of creativity. In a city so vibrant, there seems to be no better place for the Dr. Phillips Center to thrive. ◆

© 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.

GROWING A GLOBAL

REPUTATION Motive Learning's Software is Training the Aerospace Industry

By Geo A. Ropert, APR

W

hen companies must train their workforce and prove it is qualified to perform roles critical to operational or mission success, they rely on Motive Learning.

Companies like United Launch Alliance, Menzies Aviation and Satcom Direct have thousands of employees, c o n t r a c t o r s a n d c u s t o m e r s, a n d each person requires specialized training that must be administered and tracked. It takes a robust Learning Management System (LMS), like that developed by Motive Learning, to accommodate the aerospace industry’s heavily regulated requirements.

The Space Coast-based learning technology company has proven its ability to deliver an LMS that allows its clients to confirm employees meet qualification requirements and report their status to customers and regulatory authorities in real time.

Motive LMS Helps ULA Meet U.S. Air Force Facility Access Requirements

United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security, provides launch services to a diverse group of customers. It must ensure the employees of all its external contractors who require access to launch sites at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California meet facility access requirements of the U.S. Air Force. This includes annual completion of U.S. Government Facility Access Training. Motive Learning provides the LMS platform that manages the external distribution of this learning

36 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

content, as well as tracks and logs each person’s required training.

Using one system outside the ULA network to deliver electronic courses provides customers and suppliers with access to required training anytime, anywhere. The Motive Learning LMS also simplifies training management and reporting by placing the data at the system administrator’s fingertips, which expedites the resolution of audit requests.

A Small Business Exceeding Big Business Expectations

“Being a ‘boutique’ firm and focusing our attention on a defined industry sector, we’re able to develop integrated solutions that many of the larger LMS software companies can’t or won’t,” said Motive Learning’s co-founder Karla Roberts. “We provide personal, one-on-one service to each client and customize the Motive LMS to integrate into their unique work flow.

It’s where we prove our value.”

That’s evident in their work with UKbased Menzies Aviation, which recently acquired Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG). Menzies provides aircraft refueling and fuel farm management, cargo transfers, baggage handling and other services on the tarmac and at passenger gates.

With its purchase of ASIG in early 2017, Menzies Aviation’s reach into the Americas greatly expanded and it immediately grew from 5,000 to over 11,000 employees. They live and work from Canada to Colombia— including at Orlando International, Orlando Sanford International and Orlando Melbourne International airports — speak different languages, have their own payroll

and benefits systems, and must abide by varying regulatory compliance standards.

The newly formed Menzies Aviation Americas division needed an LMS that could address its many employee training requirements and interface with its human resources information system platform to accurately track compliance of everyone on its payroll. Prior to the acquisition, it was using a more primitive database in which they had to manually enter and track employee training. The system was limited in capability and didn’t have the capacity to manage the additional workforce. Fortunately, the purchase of ASIG came with a bonus: a contract with Motive Learning and the demonstrated success of its Motive LMS platform.

“We have an LMS system that we use in the UK and Europe, but it didn’t meet our unique needs here in the Americas and it would have taken a great deal of time to bring it up to the level of what Motive Learning was already providing,” said Jane Bernier-Tran, training and regulatory director at Menzies Aviation Americas.

“Motive Learning’s LMS had been used successfully by ASIG and their platform was able to adapt to our specifications.

After comparing the systems we had available, it was clear that we would go with Motive Learning.”

Going Global, Serving Local

With a growing client list in the U.S., UK, Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America, Motive Learning is quickly gaining a worldwide reputation as the “go-to” LMS in the aviation industry.

Motive Learning founders Don and Karla Roberts (L and R) with Senior Program Developer Sean Friese at Orlando Melbourne International Airport

“We provide personal, one-on-one service to each client and customize the Motive LMS to integrate into their unique work flow.

It’s where we prove our value.”

— Karla Roberts, Motive Learning co-founder

This includes Brevard County-based Satcom Direct, a leader in global communications services, support and technology for airlines and executive aircraft. Satcom Direct needed a platform and software to train and certify its employees and those of the customers to which it sold its technology and services in 14 different countries. “We found many of the companies that build LMS platforms had little flexibility when it came to adapting their products for our needs,” said Mark Mata, Satcom Direct director of training. “Motive Learning’s ability to design custom programs allowed us to expand our course offerings, and we’ve been able to monetize our platforms by providing training that leads to certifications throughout the aviation industry.”

Motive LMS 5.0 — The Next Generation of Learning Management Systems

This summer, Motive Learning debuted Motive LMS 5.0. The platform offers

even more flexibility and customization.

Roberts says Motive LMS 5.0 is designed with the customer’s customer in mind.

Along with its advanced course content development and tracking capabilities, its intuitive, predictive analytics can spot potential problems or conflicts in compliance or qualifications. “Our clients and their customers want to know the people they employ are qualified to do the work for which they’ve been hired and can prove it. Our job at Motive Learning is to ensure they have exactly what they need to conduct their business and adhere to the stringent regulations these industries have for performance and safety.”

Want to Learn More?

For more information, visit online at

MotiveLearning.com or call (321) 453-8133

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 37

Spotlight

Helen Barnabei Vice President, Retail ManagerSecurity Officer Fidelity Bank of Florida

Keeping Up With Change

"

I love that our bank is able to provide modernday electronic services, yet maintain the personalized community bank feel.

— Helen Barnabei

Helen Barnabei has worked in banking for 19 years, and her experience in both commercial and community institutions has allowed her to watch the industry evolve. Her career journey has taken her through numerous positions: teller, customer service representative, operations manager, branch manager, and now vice president and retail manager-security officer at Fidelity Bank of Florida.

“The banking industry, like most industries these days, is becoming more electronic,” she says. “It used to be you would see lines out the door on days Social Security was being deposited. Now those checks are electronically deposited, and other types of deposits can be made by a mobile phone or other types of remote deposit machines.”

Barnabei’s ability to adapt to these changing roles and systems is a credit to her commitment to continued education and growth — the same commitment that has inspired her to pursue further schooling at Seminole State College. She’s

working toward a Human Resources Administrator Technical Certificate.

She’s been inspired by the connection she feels with people she helps. Community banks allow the time and focus to connect on a more personal level, so she is able to cater to each client’s unique needs.

“It’s amazing to see small businesses begin their journey when they first open an account,” she says. “Then to see their accomplishments, their growth, and how the bank can assist in the growth is very exciting.”

This connection doesn’t just extend to her clients. She emphasizes the importance of hands-on training with her retail team and enjoys watching employees learn and grow just as she did. And when she’s not at the bank, she’s watching her two sons grow, spending time with them and her husband swimming, camping, or visiting the beach.

“For me,” she says, “it’s important to commit to continued education, self-growth and learning or trying something new daily.” i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 39

ATHENA PowerLink Spotlight

Andrea Jernigan-Gwinn President

Civil/Site Engineering Inc.

S

ince 2004, Civil/Site Engineering Inc. has collaborated with developers and public agencies throughout Florida to create solutions to their infrastructure needs that deliver lasting benefits to the communities they serve. The firm has two specialties: civil engineering and construction engineering inspection.

CSEI’s civil engineering design portfolio includes water parks, miniature golf courses, retail and medical facilities, mixed-use developments, and multifamily and singlefamily developments. Its construction engineering inspection portfolio includes streetscapes, urban infrastructure improvements, interchanges and toll facilities.

Key to the firm’s success is the senior leadership of CSEI, which brings extensive experience gained through previous work for larger consulting firms. This allows the firm to offer clients the attentiveness and responsiveness of a small company with the expertise of a bigger operation.

Andrea Jernigan-Gwinn, P.E., the firm’s president, has practiced civil engineering in Central Florida for more than 30 years. She sought out the ATHENA PowerLink program in 2017 to help her grow the business to the next level and position it for hiring the next generation of leadership and guiding these new leaders through the changing field.

“During the recession, many firms chose to decrease staff hours or staff pay in lieu of laying people off,” Jernigan-Gwinn said. “The result has been a new flexibility never before seen in the engineering consultant community.

“Employees found they liked working parttime, and employers discovered it could be viable. I’m hopeful this trend toward flexibility will encourage more women to enter our industry and create the opportunity for a better life-work balance for all consulting engineers.”

40 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

"

Our industry designs and oversees the construction of solutions to highly complex problems on a daily basis. Getting to know the people and their work leaves me routinely awestruck.

— Andrea Jernigan-Gwinn

ATHENA PowerLink guides women business owners in defining and achieving tangible goals to accelerate growth and profitability. To apply, visit www.athenaorlando.com.

Spotlight

Ken Chapman and Jessie Chapman Area Commanders

The Salvation Army of Orange and Osceola Counties

A Positive Choice

"

When you find the reason for which you were created, every day becomes the best day ever!

— Ken Chapman

So, what do you do after you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Armstrong Atlantic University and master’s degrees in music education and conducting from Georgia State University, taught high school band for 10 years, won more than 300 competition awards and twice been named teacher of the year?

You answer God’s calling and join The Salvation Army. That’s what Ken Chapman did nine years ago along with his wife, Jessie, and they haven’t looked back since. Both Chapmans have earned the rank of captain.

Ken is still very involved with music — in fact, you will most likely see him playing his cornet around a red kettle during the holiday season. After his teaching years, he was the music producer for the Atlanta Olympics, and he’s won an impressive 22 industry awards for various projects.

Jessie is a true Florida native, born and raised in the Florida Panhandle. She has a

bachelor’s degree in human resources from DeVry University and was an HR executive for the largest school system in Georgia before joining The Salvation Army.

The couple then served in Tulsa, Okla., where Jessie led two women’s service groups that raised more than $300,000 annually for The Salvation Army. Ken, meanwhile, raised $66,000 by walking 66 miles in 66 hours along Route 66, spending the night in a cardboard box in nine-degree temperatures to raise awareness of the problems homeless people experience.

Prior to serving in Tulsa, both captains served in Jackson, Miss. Under their leadership, the budget for The Salvation Army tripled.

Today they call Central Florida home, which is exciting for their three children and two grandchildren. With the Orlando area Salvation Army getting ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020, the organization’s leadership feels this is the perfect place for a couple with the talent of the Chapmans. i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 41

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UP CLOSE

Lena Graham-Morris With

By Meaghan Branham

It’s hard to say whether Lena Graham-Morris’s entrepreneurial savvy is a matter of nature or nurture.

With four generations of entrepreneurs behind her, it might just be in her DNA. Growing up, while the other girls were playing with dolls, she was at her grandmother’s office playing secretary. “We later found out we were doing payroll,” she laughs. No matter the source of her drive and talent, there is no question she has put them to good use.

After coming to Central Florida 15 years ago, Graham-Morris worked in television production and as a host, as well as in fashion as both a stylist and a make-up artist. After coming to Orlando to work for WMFE and 90.7, she eventually went on to work for the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, first as events coordinator, and finally as director of operations. All the while she has continued to foster her entrepreneurial goals, eventually founding her latest company, The Entreprenista. She is currently the vice president of marketing and business development for HORUS Construction Services Inc. and she sits on the board of the Orlando chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Your family has a long history of entrepreneurship. What have you learned from family members, and how did that prepare you for your career?

people who are close to me that that I admire. They’re driven. They’ve been successful. Even when they’ve made mistakes, they’ve recovered. I admire that.

I've always been involved, so I think what I’ve learned from them is persistence, endurance and the ability to take the good and the bad. A lot of folks just thought we had it easy because we worked for ourselves, but they didn’t see that in the construction industry, things go up and down. It was because of my grandmother being such a savvy businesswoman that the business sustained for years just based on the fact that she could run everything. Whether it’s in my DNA or whether it’s learned, I took away the ethics and the work standards.

My family works very hard. They strive for excellence and they are very determined, and even if things do not go well, they always look to recoup and just keep going with it. They band together, and that’s something that has really stuck with me.

When you got started with your own business, was there anything that surprised you?

My No. 1 role model is actually my uncle. He is the hardest-working entrepreneur I know. When I was younger, I would look up to him, and I watched him grow our family business from being one truck to six offices, with general contractors working on multimillion-dollar projects. It’s so exciting to be able to work with him closer now on a lot of different projects. I was even able to facilitate a strategic partnership that kind of revived some of our business, and already that partnership is equivalent to $155 million in just 14 months. I feel fortunate to have

Some folks think being an entrepreneur is glamorous because you can have a flexible schedule. They think I get up and I do what I want to do and I go to bed when I want to go to bed, not understanding that it’s not for the faint of heart. It is a grind all day. It is 15-hour days. It is sometimes being the accountant, receptionist, assistant, business development manager, all the way across the board. And if you’re not committed to that, then it can definitely take you by surprise.

How would you describe your journey to your current role, and what excites you most about it?

I had a studio and I got very, very sick. I was sick for six months, and I was actually in the hospital for two months, and that’s when I came to help John at the African American Chamber. As I was getting back into those roots, I was talking with my mentor at that time, and I said, “I feel something else is coming on in my life.”

I was throwing some things out to her. And she was like, “No, you need to push more, Lena.” One day, I just woke up and realized that with my background in makeup and fashion, my own show at the time, and my business savvy in being an entrepreneur, I feel like I’m The Entreprenista.

So I went through a process to get that trademarked.

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 43

UP CLOSE What I love the most about being an entrepreneur is baring my soul and sharing my experiences with people, even the mistakes I’ve made and how they shaped me to be better; how I have evolved to be the Entreprenista and how I can help them.

just recently was appointed to the board of directors for the Orlando chapter of NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and that’s a great opportunity because it’s another group that supports within. It’s a safe place.

I am just very committed to helping local, small, minority-, women- and veteran-owned businesses increase their bottom line through partnerships and strategic alliances. I saw it change my life. I saw it change my family’s life, and I’m committed to diversity and inclusion and supporting these businesses.

Access to capital is a major factor when it comes to small businesses. What advice would you give to those seeking guidance on this? What resources are there, and what changes might need to be made to improve access?

What we want to get to, and what is important to me, is that we develop quality businesses. Not that people are using the business because it’s a woman-owned business, or it’s a veteranowned business, or it’s a minority-owned business, or it’s a small business, but we’re developing businesses that can compete just like the Fortune 500 companies. And so the perk is that, on top of that, they happen to fall into those other categories.

When you’re working with these companies, what questions do you get the most often from business owners?

A lot of people ask “How do I get started? What do I need to do?” Some file with the state, and get an EIN [employer identification number], and they think they're in business, but there are so many more steps to it than that. Another question I get a lot is about a business plan, so we refer them to vendors we work with. But those startup questions are big. The second set of questions is when someone is moving into that next phase, they’ll ask, “How do I get different types of contracts and get into procurements?” because that is a world that’s not so easy to navigate through even when you talk about minority certifications, whether it’s women-, minority- or veteran-owned business enterprises. If it’s public work they’re looking to do, such as in a school system, those types of things, how do they prepare their business to get into government contracting?

In any sector, including business, it may be hard for minorities and women to enter the conversation simply because they have not had access to it before. What kinds of programs or opportunities can help ensure business owners are equipped with access to the tools and conversations they need?

One of the most important things across the board that you ' ' can ever have is the opportunity to have a mentor-protege program. Whether it’s in an official sense, following the U.S. Small Business Administration guidelines, or if it’s in a more informal sense, it is so important to find that safe place where you can have someone who’s been through those experiences and is open to sharing them with you. The other thing is a coach — and people get mentor and coach confused. You should definitely have both if you’re looking to grow. A coach will be the person who holds you accountable for what you’re trying to do. And then, finding other support in the form of groups — a place where you can ask questions and be pushed to grow. I 44 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

You have to start your business thinking long-term. A lot of folks start their business and they don’t put the correct paperwork in place. They don’t set up their bank account. They don't create a track record. When you’re looking to gain access to capital, you have to be able to show that track record. I've worked with so many entrepreneurs who don't pay themselves.

That's not a good thing because when you’re going back to try to get support, the funders, whether it is traditional or nontraditional, or investors, whatever it is, they want to look at this track record.

There are alternative ways to gain access to capital. In this area, there’s the Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF), which has programs, technical assistance and capital that is available.

There’s also ACCION, which is, again, nontraditional lending, so they have different criteria. You have to think out of the box.

Angel investors, venture capitalists, and pitch competitions are nontraditional ways to gather some capital to get started.

What would you describe as the greatest lesson you’ve learned along the way, or the best piece of advice you would give?

One of the big things for me is celebrating your successes and your failures. Being an entrepreneur, I have lost everything — and I’ve lost everything more than once because of believing in what I wanted to do, even when no one else did. And so when I got to the point where I could celebrate my failures and my successes, that’s kind of where the Entreprenista was born. I really believe, and I share this with everyone, that the absolute test of one’s character is the ability to lose as gracefully as you win. Then you will truly just master not even the art of being an entrepreneur, but the art of being a great person.

What keeps you motivated when you have a hard day?

I am a nerd. Love to read. I read about everything I’m interested in, especially productivity books. I actually designed my own productivity planner, and that was fun for me. And spending time with my husband and my family. I draw off of him. He is so supportive of anything I do. Being in the world of entrepreneurship, you have to have somebody who supports you. Even if they don't understand your drive, they have to support you or it’s not going to work.

Is It Time to Buy a Home

?

Before you look for the home of your dreams, there are some big questions you may find yourself asking. Most of us aren’t inclined to make a big purchase without doing some research first. We read reviews, ask our friends and weigh the pros and cons. Nowadays, many first-time and repeat buyers are starting by asking themselves one question: Should I rent or buy?

The choice and all of its contributing factors are different for everyone. The right answer ultimately depends on your unique circumstances. The first step is arming yourself with some simple and sometimes surprising truths about buying a home.

The Benefits of Buying Most individuals looking to buy a home are transitioning to a new stage of life, often settling down or relocating.

Typically, those considering entering the housing market are already weighing long-term factors over short-term benefits. Life events such as graduating from college, starting a family, or changing location have people reconsidering the value of renting when looking to put down roots. Some of the greatest benefits of investing in a home may even be more emotional than financial and can have significant impact on your choice. Below are some of the pros of making the big purchase: •

Tax benefits*: While many are worried a monthly mortgage payment may be higher than the average rent, which is often not the case, there are a few tax benefits that might make the decision to buy more financially sound than renting, because homeowners may be able to deduct mortgage interest and property taxes.

•

First-time homebuyer incentives: Those looking into buying a home for the first time may be more hesitant than others in the market. Tax credit programs like the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program and other deductions for new property owners are specifically targeted to this segment of buyers.

•

An investment in your own future: Beyond those more immediate benefits, there is a substantial long-term advantage to buying. When you make the choice to own a home, you invest in your future not only emotionally but financially, and both build up over time. Unlike rent checks, your monthly payments are an investment in equity and value, making your home an asset that helps to build your wealth as well as your security.

Having a place that is yours to shape and grow as you do, and that suits your exact lifestyle and needs, is often a draw. Although buying obviously doesn’t allow the same flexibility of location as renting, many feel the autonomy and independence of putting down roots is just as exciting.

When to Buy Deciding to buy a home requires an understanding of the factors that may affect both the market at the time and your own buying power. As it stands in the current market, the time to buy seems to be now.

A look at market trends and prices can help homebuyers get a better idea of the landscape. Although no one can be sure of the exact direction of the market, it seems that home prices may be on the rise in the near future.

In addition to market factors, there are several numbers you will need to consider to be sure of your own buying power: •

Credit score: This number is created by an analysis of credit history and used to predict the likelihood of loans being paid back. It is usually calculated based on amounts owed, payment history, credit types and length of history.

•

Debt-to-income ratio: This is determined by the ratio of your monthly debt payments to your gross monthly income.

•

Down payment: This is the amount you will be able to put down up front when purchasing a home.

A loan officer can help you analyze these numbers to determine your options for borrowing money for a mortgage and for pricing potential homes in your search.

Clearing Things Up Even people who are absolutely sure buying a home is right for them may be intimidated by the processes and red tape, as well as potential financial strain.

Often, those looking to buy are concerned they won’t have enough to invest in a down payment, or that their credit history may interfere with the options available to them.

Luckily, a mortgage loan officer can help connect you with loan programs that require smaller down payments, and assistance programs can help first-time buyers.

loan officer can also provide guidance once your application is completed. Previous credit events such as bankruptcy, foreclosure and short sale, which might make some people worry about their buying power, often have shorter waiting periods than many think.

If you believe buying a home is the right choice for you, a lender can walk you through a financial review to determine which loan options and plans are the right fit for you and get you on track to purchasing your perfect home.

If you’re concerned your credit history may be more of a hindrance than a help when looking to buy, a mortgage

*This communication is intended to convey general information only and not to provide any legal or accounting advice or opinions. An attorney or accountant should be consulted for specific information. © 2018 Shelter Mortgage Company, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. This communication does not constitute a commitment to lend or the guarantee of a specified interest rate. All loan programs and availability of cash proceeds are subject to credit, underwriting and property approval. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions apply. Shelter Mortgage Company, LLC |4000 W. Brown Deer Road, Brown Deer, WI 53209 | Corp NMLS#431223 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Equal Housing Lender.

Shelter Mortgage Company LLC | 408 East Ridgewood Street | Orlando, FL 32803 | 407.897.6656 | Kent Winkelseth, NMLS ID: #552527 | 407.765.3810 | Kent.Winkelseth@sheltermortgage.com Rolando Garcia, NMLS ID: #476625 | 407.897.6656 x16910 | Rolando.Garcia@sheltermortgage.com | Yaresmi Fumero, NMLS ID: #552492 | 407.897.6656 x16908 | Yaresmi.Fumero@sheltemortgage.com Tony Duke, NMLS ID: #1673181 | 407.897.6656 x16906 | Tony.Duke@sheltermortgage.com | Terri Friel, NMLS ID: #1283087 | 407.897.6656 x16905 | Terri.Friel@sheltermortgage.com

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TREP SUMMIT

AN ETHICAL CAPITALISM REVOLUTION A BETTER WAY

C

hange happens when people begin to ask themselves, “Is there a better way?” Edison asked, “Is there a better, safer way to light a home?” Mark Zuckerberg wondered if there was a better way for people to connect. Steve Jobs will always be remembered for thinking outside the box about a better way to use computers and phones.

when they do, it almost always has a negative connotation. The failures of capitalism and capitalists are in the media continually. Yet, most people don’t even know what capitalism really means, nor do they realize it is providing us with our public schools, interstate highways, cell phones and countless philanthropic organizations.

These remarkable individuals, and the teams they led, brought us disruptive innovations and remarkable companies.

But what if we imagined, not changing a product or market, but a global economic system? This is what the upcoming TREP Summit is all about, an ethical capitalism revolution.

Changing the Future

The Power and the Problem

C a p i t a l i s m h a s p rov i d e d m o re opportunity for job creation, for people to move out of poverty, for individuals to write their own definition of freedom than any economic system humankind has ever experimented with. Even the casual observer is aware of China’s successful transformation from pure communism toward capitalism, as it has now become the second largest economy in the world.

Yet, we also know there is a dark side. In fact, most people avoid using the term capitalist as a description or

Transformation on the level we are describing will not happen by passing more legislation to control greed and indifference. It will only happen one entrepreneur at a time, building their character and the culture of their business around the mindset of ethical capitalism. TREP Summit empowers those seeking that kind of freedom and who celebrate doing business right.

This conference is about a set of entrepreneurs who, like an aircraft taking off, have reached the PNR (Point of No Return) in terms of moving toward ethical capitalism. Perhaps in your business, you are all in, having crossed that event horizon of commitment, and are looking for direction on how to win at business, doing it the right way, and looking for others who are in the same pursuit. Join the revolution.

HOSTED BY GUIDEWELL INNOVATION CENTER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 HALF-DAY EVENT 1PM TO 6PM GO TO TREPFREEDOM.COM TO REGISTER i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 49

Jeff Piersall

Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author & Chaos Coach Jeff Piersall, CEO and founder of SCB Marketing, is a proven leader who has positively affected thousands of people throughout his career. A former award-winning college basketball coach, Jeff inspires, motivates and celebrates entrepreneurs and leaders by connecting business communities through the numerous business and lifestyle publications his company has produced and by helping entrepreneurs lead their companies from chaos to clarity.

Recognized as the leader of an Inc. 500 Fast Growing Companies, Grow FL Top 50 Companies to Watch and Best Companies In America

by Entrepreneur 360, he has also received the Golden Eagle Award by the Boy Scouts and the Atlanta Tip-Off Coach of the Year. www.linkedin.com/in/jeffpiersall F▶

Tom O’Neal Ph.D.

Executive Director, UCF Business Incubation Program Nationally and internationally recognized as an "entrepreneur in the business of helping entrepreneurs," Dr. Tom O'Neal is dedicated to creating and supporting successful and sustainable innovation ecosystems in Florida. Tom's efforts focus on building strong research programs at UCF and then transferring and commercializing research results into the marketplace. He has been a key player in building an innovation based economy for Central Florida.

Currently, Tom is the associate vice president of Research & Commercialization at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

He also serves as the executive director of the UCF Business Incubation Program (UCFBIP) and the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (FEGI), also known as GrowFL. ⊳ www.oneal.research.ucf.edu

50 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

Susan Amat

Eric Wright

James Reid

Susan Amat was recognized as a “Champion of Change” for entrepreneurial mentoring by the White House in 2012; as the Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal in 2015; and with the Governor’s Business Ambassador Medal in 2015. She is the creator and founder/CEO of Venture Hive and director at 3Cinteractive, an entrepreneurship education company providing content and tools to support corporate innovation and to help accelerators, incubators and universities build better entrepreneurs and solutions.

Eric Wright is an innovative leader, dynamic speaker and published author.

He turns complex principles into simple and practical life applications.

For over 25 years, Eric has taught leadership and management seminars on four continents, served on various economic development and visioning councils, and authored hundreds of published articles and three books.

James Reid is on a mission to empower high performers to live joyfully, lead intentionally, and win frequently — at home, with their teams, in business and in life! Every day, he leverages his roles as an athlete, entrepreneur and family man, as well as nearly 25 years of coaching high performers across Major League Baseball, the National Football League and a host of companies, to help people realize their full potential.

Founder/CEO of Venture Hive, Director at 3Cinteractive

She is also the creator and executive director of The Launch Pad, which was considered the national model in entrepreneurship education.

Funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, TLP created a national network of collegiate entrepreneurs through the replication of the program at 14 schools including University of Southern California; University of California, Los Angeles; and Case Western Reserve University.

Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author

As president of publishing at SCB Marketing, Eric oversees the production of three business and lifestyle journals, along with numerous specialty publications.

Through these platforms, Eric offers entrepreneurs and business leaders valuable insights and strategic knowledge about how to drive their companies along with what is driving the Central Florida economy. www.linkedin.com/in/ericwright-

Performance and EOS Coach, Creator of Championship Families

For years, despite being at the top of his professional game, he said, “Any success I had came at the expense of my faith, health and my most cherished relationships.”

Turning around his own life and career, he brings that transformative understanding and passion to those in sports and business. www.jamesreid.com

www.linkedin.com/in/susanamat

Special Appearances By...

Harvey Massey Massey Services

Suneera Madhani Fattmerchant

Jim Thomas Orlando Tech

Waymon Armstrong

Engineering & Computer Simulations i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 51

Best Practice

Leadership Walk the Talk: Lead Your Team Members By Example

W Romaine Seguin

is president of UPS International, Americas Region, based out of Miami.

"

They all giggled when I said I would “brown up,” meaning I would be in full uniform instead of a business suit, and would join them on their route.

52 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

ould you ever ask your children to do something you wouldn’t do? Would you ask any of your employees to do something you would not be willing to do?

As we gain more responsibility by expanding our company’s staff or climbing the corporate ladder and taking on leadership roles directing teams, we often find ourselves in situations that make it very easy for us to delegate to our employees.

We know what needs to be done and we manage the team accordingly. But the question is, would you be willing to do what you are asking your people to do?

Earlier this year, I was having an operation review in Montreal. The task at hand was the operational plan for Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian

province of Quebec. From an operations perspective, it’s a challenging day for UPS because it is not a nationwide holiday — only the province of Quebec observes it. To add to the matter, the holiday fell on a Sunday this year.

That meant some companies were not open the previous Friday, while other companies decided to observe the holiday on the following Monday. So to serve all our customers adequately, we had to make a tough decision, and it was to ask some of our drivers to work on Saturday, June 23. To properly serve the market, we needed 200 drivers. Since it was a scheduled day off for them, we asked some of our drivers to volunteer.

Once the operations team had made the decision to work on the Saturday before the

holiday, I asked to address our drivers in person.

At UPS, we start our day with a brief three-minute pre-work communication meeting or PCM, where we review what the workload is expected to be that day, what should be improved, and what general announcements need to be made. To make the meeting more dynamic, fun and engaging, we use a “safety football.” The person conducting the meeting throws the football to someone, and that person must provide a safety tip.

So on June 8, I stood before our drivers in Quebec and thanked them for their safety and committed service to UPS — or, as we like to call it, “Big Brown.” I announced the decision to work on the Saturday prior to Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. I also clarified that we

were looking for drivers to volunteer for this shift.

To end the meeting, I announced a slight change to the traditional throw of the “safety football.” I proposed that I would throw the ball to a group, and whoever caught it would have me as their delivery partner for the Saturday we were asking them to volunteer.

They all giggled when I said I would “brown up,” meaning I would be in full uniform instead of a business suit, and would join them on their route. This came as news to members of my management team because I had not shared this twist with them. Surprise!

The driver who caught the ball was named Enzo.

He looked a bit conflicted, and he finally said he already had something planned for Saturday and wouldn’t be able to work. I reaffirmed that there was no problem at all since we were just asking for volunteers, and that I would ride with someone else.

Later that afternoon, the center’s management team came to find me.

Everyone looked so excited and was beaming with smiles — which of course got me intrigued. I was so happy when they showed me a message Enzo had sent stating that he had reorganized his Saturday and wanted to know if I would be still willing to drive with him.

My response: “Absolutely!”

On that Saturday, I addressed 201 drivers at our morning PCM. I thanked them for volunteering and helping the company meet our customers’ needs and deliver the quality of service people expect from UPS. I

also announced that I would once again change up the traditional “safety football” toss. I threw it without saying anything else, and this time a longtime driver named Anthony caught it.

The surprise I had in store for him was that Christoph, the UPS Canada president, who works directly for me, would be driving with him. When Christoph saw I was leading by example and willing to 'brown up,' roll up my sleeves and go out to work side by side with our volunteer drivers, he followed suit.

My day out delivering packages with Enzo was great! It reminded me of my beginnings at UPS more than 30 years ago, when driving was my day-to-day job. Enzo and I delivered 80 stops to very pleasant and satisfied customers. Our deliveries included air conditioning units, carpet rolls and multiple pairs of shoes.

It always makes me proud when we meet our customers’ expectations and see them happy about receiving their packages.

But this time, the best part of my day was spending it with Enzo, a proud father of a 13-year-old son. He has been a driver for UPS for 20 years and is truly a UPSer! After I boarded the plane back home on Sunday, I reflected on my delivery day with Enzo. I couldn’t erase the smile on my face, and that’s when I thought, never ask your employees for something you are not willing to do yourself. Lead by example and walk the talk. ◆

DID YOU KNOW

Consumers immerse themselves in magazine content both in print and digital editions

51.5 minutes

48.3 minutes

*primary print readers

*digital edition readers

*Subscribers/newstand buyers and other members of their households.

Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 53

Best Practice

Marketing Strategy The Power of a Story to Position Your Brand

W Cherise Czaban

is the publisher of i4 Business magazine and the CEO of i4 Business LLC. She formerly served as vice president of business development for SCB Marketing, the previous publishers of i4 Business.

hat is your favorite movie?

Favorite book? Favorite song?

These questions seem to crop up over and over. While the answer may change, the odds are good that we haven’t tired of talking about our favorite stories, no matter the medium.

We adopt them as our own, and they seem to become a part of our identity.

They speak both to us and about us, and they have no small part in shaping how we see ourselves and the world.

Storytelling has always been the most interesting and effective vehicle for getting your message across. It makes perfect sense, then, that even before the rise of content marketing, storytelling was being used as a tool to capture an audience’s attention and build a recognizable brand. Just as the stories we love and tell create something of a personal brand for each of us, the stories associated with your business can cultivate your business brand, with the power to change people’s perspectives, appeal to their emotions and create a lasting connection.

Whether the narrative is about your brand, your customers or your product, you have a chance to capture the audience’s imagination and interest.

Telling Your Own Story

Companies like Disney and Apple have created hugely successful brands by associating their product with a

Steve Jobs

54 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

certain journey or hero. The story of Walt Disney, who started with a dream of a place where families could go to have fun together, eventually led to an empire synonymous with granting wishes and dreaming big. A rags-toriches story that began in a garage with co-founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne led to Apple becoming the largest IT company in the world by revenue and speaks to values of innovation and hard work.

As these companies share their own journey, they are able to build off of already existing archetypes, while adding a necessary component of personality and authenticity. They capture an audience’s interest, while creating a brand that attracts people. Your own story and how you tell it are unique to you.

Whatever your story is, be vulnerable and honest, and people in the audience you are reaching out to will feel they better understand you. Remember, audiences don’t connect with brands, they connect with the people behind them.

There are all kinds of ways to reach out to your audience with a personal touch: •

Share your experiences in person through speaking engagements.

•

Craft a social media bio, or an “About Us” write-up, that reads more like a story than just a list of facts.

•

Use video and imagery. Show where you started out and where you are now, and give audiences a glimpse into your growth. You might also create an infographic or timeline to visually represent your journey.

Help Them Tell Their Story

Many companies have also taken to telling the stories of their clients or customers. While the most traditional version of this involves testimonials, shared either in print or through video, there are a few other options that can be tailored to your particular product.

Airbnb, for example, showcases its audience’s stories of adventure and exploration, often without the product itself at the forefront. These stories are told by the audience, for the audience, designed to promote the Airbnb service as a lifestyle, not just a transaction.

DID YOU KNOW

Farmers Insurance Group set itself apart with its “Farmers Hall of Claims” campaign, where the firm asked members to share their most unbelievable circumstances the insurance has helped to cover. These were then shared on the Farmers website and through re-enactments on TV commercials.

Your approach will depend on your brand. A car manufacturer, for instance, might ask its audience members to tell their best road trip story. If your service is based on customer interaction, you share stories about times when employees went above and beyond to assist.

Here are some ways to share stories from your customers: •

Have your audience members tell their own story. This is especially easy on social media, where comments and posts can easily be tagged and tracked. Instagram offers a fun and creative outlet for users to submit photos of them with your product or at your location.

•

If you choose to go a more traditional route, you can create video or commercial campaigns with testimonials.

•

Share the stories across multiple platforms to increase engagement and audience interaction.

Get Creative

If you don’t feel that telling the stories of your brand or your audience members is the path for you, then you can still construct a story that puts your product or service front and center, all while showcasing your brand’s personality. Businesses have been using this tool to cultivate a brand as far back as anyone can remember.

Using traditional narrative techniques, this usually involves designating a protagonist (your customer), having that person or company face a problem or conflict, and showing how your services can offer a happy ending.

In recent years, creativity has come to the forefront, with campaigns created around characters or even an ongoing series that captures the long-term interest of the audience. This is your opportunity to let your brand personality shine. Whether you want to capture your audience with humor, sentimentality or action, writing your story and positioning your brand as the hero allows you to showcase what sets you apart. ◆

The audience for print and digital magazines increased by 3.3 million adults from 2016 to 2017

65% of readers take action after seeing a print magazine ad

Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 55

Best Practice

Finance 3 Tips to Help Guarantee Your Company is Approved for a Small Business Loan

Ted Sheppe

is the executive vice president for commercial banking at Axiom Bank, a Maitland-based bank that specializes in commercial loans for real estate and business purposes. As Central Florida’s second-largest community bank by assets, Axiom Bank, N.A., receives a lot of questions from customers, especially those who may be seeking their first business loan. Axiom Bank’s goal is to remove uncertainty from the equation and empower customers to confidently take the steps they need to grow their businesses.

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B

eing your own boss is great — until it’s time to pay the rent and cut the paychecks.

The fact is, running your own business is filled with financial stressors.

About 64 percent of small business owners admit to facing financial challenges, according to the 2017 Small Business Credit Survey: Report on Employer Firms, with 67 percent saying they have used their own personal money to

cover shortages instead of taking out a loan.

These struggles are even more pronounced for “smaller” small businesses, those with less than $1 million in revenue. Making matters worse, these businesses can have a tougher time securing a bank loan to help them thrive.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Smaller firms find more success obtaining loans

at community banks than at large mega banks, according to the survey.

If you’re in the market for money for your small business, here are some tips to help you navigate the process and come out on the other side with a check: 1. Make sure SBA is the right fit.

If you’re aiming for a U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loan, your net worth must not

BUSINESS Money Market exceed $15 million, and you can’t have earned more than $5 million in two years.

Additionally, your business has to be considered “small” for your industry — and, as a business owner, you’re required to have tried everything you can, including using your own assets, before applying.

has the authority to decide independently. This option should be considered first because the preferred designation means the bank has earned expert status and the process is faster.

Axiom Bank has earned this designation, allowing us to expedite the loan-approval process for our customers.

You also must be eligible to do business in the United States, operate at a profit and have equity to invest.

Banks with “certified” status must get SBA approval on a loan, but the application process is streamlined to minimize the amount of required paperwork.

Programs exist for businesses in underserved communities, for businesspeople who have served in the military and for those just trying to meet short-term capital needs.

The loan allows up to $5 million to be borrowed.

You can use the money to buy and build on new land, purchase a new business or expand your existing operation. You can also repair existing capital, refinance debt or buy equipment.

The SBA doesn’t directly fund these loans. Instead, the government offers guarantees to lenders that it will cover some of the funds should the borrower default.

3. Pick the right lender.

Bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to lenders. An estimated 98 percent of smaller banks — those with less than $10 billion in assets — offer small business loans, meaning this type of lending is a key part of their business plans, according to the 2017 Community Banking in the 21st Century report prepared by the Federal Reserve and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.

2. Check the lender’s status with the SBA. Seek out an authority on SBA loans. There are two classifications to consider in your search for the right SBA lender: preferred or certified.

Community banks have a highly personalized approach to working with you. They are adept at understanding the nuances of your specific situation — and your good entrepreneurial sense and the relationship you form with the lender could play a role in the process.

Banks with a “preferred” designation do not need the SBA’s approval to sign off on a loan; the lender

And there’s a bonus: Turnaround time tends to be quicker at smaller banks, so you’ll see the money faster.◆

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AxiomBanking.com *Annual Percentage Yield. Rates and APY are subject to change without notice. The APY is as of 07/02/2018. These accounts require a minimum opening deposit of $500.

Substantial penalty for early withdrawal. Offer not valid on brokered or institutional deposits. You will be paid the disclosed rate until maturity. Your 13-, 17- and 29-month accounts will automatically renew into the 12-, 18- and 24-month fixed rate certificates, respectively. You will have a grace period of 10 calendar days after the maturity date to withdraw the funds in the account without being charged an early withdrawal penalty. The CD products are limited to $250,000 per product per household. This offer cannot be combined with any other offer. Fees could reduce earnings. Contact an Axiom Bank Banker for further information about applicable fees and terms. **Annual Percentage Yield. Rates and APY are subject to change without notice. The APY is as of 01/01/18. In order to obtain the indicated APY, these accounts require a minimum opening deposit of $100,000. Federal regulations impose transaction limitations. Fees could reduce earnings. Contact an Axiom Bank Banker for further information about applicable fees and terms.

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i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 57

Social Entrepreneur

FEEDING CHILDREN EVERYWHERE Works to Wipe Out World Hunger One Meal at a Time

By Elyssa Coultas

"

Our dream goal would be that there would be no hunger, that there would be no countries with children dying of starvation, or there would be no kids right here in the U.S. who are going to school without having eaten a meal since lunch the day before.

— David Green

A

palatable symphony of protein- U.S. Hunger Project: Hunger at Home packed lentils, savory rice, nutrientForty-two million Americans live below rich vegetables and a dash of the poverty level. Nearly 450,000 of those Himalayan salt — with just a sprig individuals are homeless. That leaves roughly of parsley presented on a crisp white 41.5 million Americans who are working, disabled plate, the dish could easily be mistaken for a or underemployed — and struggling. meal at a fine-dining restaurant. Feeding Children A mission that started abroad was quickly Everywhere devised this Red Lentil Jambalaya recipe that doesn’t just cater to taste buds; it brought back home in 2012 with the launch fights world hunger and seeks to put an end to it. of the U.S. Hunger Project. The new program was established in response to a 60 Minutes Established in 2010, Feeding Children story that showcased hunger in Central Florida.

Everywhere has since evolved into a robust David Green, CEO of FCE, vividly remembers a mosaic of philanthropic endeavors that includes Fed40, FedConnect and the U.S. Hunger Project. segment that featured a father and his daughter living in their van. “As they were filming, we Since it was founded, FCE has distributed noticed that right behind them was the post over 100 million meals all over the world. office where our P.O. box was, where our

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Social Entrepreneur donation checks come in. We were really challenged by that.

The work we were doing internationally was very important, but there are also families right here that need help.”

Since then, nearly 70 percent of the meals the organization produces have stayed in the U.S. A Hunger Project enables people to package healthy meals for hungry people in a collaborative group setting. Hunger Projects are often hosted by corporate partners, religious institutions, schools, or the FCE itself at the organization’s headquarters in Longwood. With music blasting, boxes stacking and a sea of happy faces, volunteers work together to package meals for children and families.

Green understands that the mission is bold, but attainable. “Our dream goal would be that there would be no hunger, that there would be no countries with children dying of starvation, or there would be no kids right here in the U.S. who are going to school without having eaten a meal since lunch the day before.”

Fed40: Altruism and Innovation

Uniting technology with charity, Feeding Children Everywhere recently developed a doorstep delivery food assistance program. Aptly deemed the “food pantry of the future,” families the organization calls “food insecure” can request that healthy meals be delivered right to their doorstep, at no cost to them.

The Fed40 program extends a helping hand during times of need for people in all kinds of situations that cause them to end up unable to afford food. These include single parents who won’t sacrifice quality of education or living and would rather suffer for the sake of their children’s wellbeing; individuals who work multiple jobs, yet still struggle financially and don’t have the time to go to a food pantry; and formerly dual-income homes that can no longer make ends meet because one partner has lost a job.

Just like other popular meal kit services, Fed40 enables those in need to log onto the website or mobile app, request food and receive it on their doorstep the very next day.

“We max out on our number of requests every single day,” Green said. “We’ve shipped between 300,000 and 400,000 meals in just the last few months alone.”

The FCE team considered the impact that receiving food assistance can have on a family. In a thoughtful display of compassion, the team decided not to label any of its products.

“We wanted to eliminate any potential instance of shame from the process,” Green said. “We made it a point to not place our Feeding Children Everywhere label on the packaging.”

The user receives one nondescript box per month that contains 40 servings. The food includes Red Lentil Jambalaya, Veggie Pasta Bites, Apple Crisp Breakfast Bites and other products. FCE sources all of the ingredients from local farms or companies within the United States.

Green constantly searches for methods to achieve the group’s objectives. “Our vision as an organization is to see a hunger-free world. That sounds like an audacious thing

to say, but for us we believe that one of the most fundamental elements in solving world hunger is creating stable self-sufficiency.”

Every four months, a designated case manager reaches out to evaluate the progress of recipients. “We really want to understand why these people need food assistance, because it helps us create programs that better serve them,” Green said. “As a result, one of the things we’ve done is that on the app, people have the ability now to click for additional services within the Fed40 program. Whether they’d like help or training with job skills or computer skills, or help starting and growing a small business, we can offer that.”

FedConnect: Training for Success

A comprehensive extension of Fed40, FedConnect puts interested recipients in contact with relevant training programs or certification courses. Through FedConnect, users enroll in job skills programs, computer skills training, English-as-asecond-language courses, and other services that address the root causes of poverty.

“What we’ve realized is the way we can best serve these people is to try to help them out of the situation they’re in,” Green said, “to bring them to a level of self-sufficiency with job skills and additional training services.”

FCE has even developed its own entrepreneurship incubator and certification course to propel people toward financial independence. i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 59

Social Entrepreneur “The one I’m most excited about is our entrepreneurship program,” Green said. “We have local in-person courses and we offer virtual classes. The last group we had, six people graduated and five of those six had legitimate running businesses with customers and income by the end of the course.”

Green fondly remembers one of his students who had fallen on hard times when a natural disaster destroyed her home, leaving her homeless. She was not making enough money to invest in repairs, so she stayed with friends and family members until she learned of FCE’s FedConnect small business courses. She enrolled in the program, and after graduation she revived her business with passion. She was eventually able to invest in the necessary repairs and return to her home.

A beacon of success and triumph, this former student now is a facilitator for the class that teaches others how to start and grow small businesses, Green said — an accomplishment that makes him proud of the organization. “Being a part of people’s lives like that is one of the most rewarding things in my entire life.”

Green hopes to expand the reach of the small business courses and equip more entrepreneurs around the world. “Within the next couple of years, we hope to create hundreds, and eventually thousands of business owners around the country.”

Beauty from Tragedy

In response to the devastation brought about by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Don and Kristen Campbell gathered food and supplies to send to survivors. They developed a non-perishable, nutrient-packed recipe that was filling and low-cost to create.

It consisted of four ingredients: red lentils, rice, dehydrated vegetables and Himalayan salt. This simple recipe would eventually become part of FCE history.

At the end of 2011, Green met the Campbells. They had just started FCE and were recruiting passionate, like-minded people to help it grow.

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“Before I was involved with Feeding Children Everywhere, I had gotten to this point where I wasn’t feeling happy about my life,” Green said. “Things were fine on the surface, but I felt like there was more to life than what I was experiencing.

“I made this radical decision to quit my job and give away everything I owned. In 2008, I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. The thing I learned the most while I was out there was that if I was ever really going to be happy with my life, my life needed to be about serving others.”

Green immediately knew when he met the Campbells and learned of Feeding Children Everywhere that he needed to be involved.

Fighting for a Hunger-Free World

Since 2010, Feeding Children Everywhere has positively affected millions of lives. In 2017, the organization took a pledge of sustainability to ensure a positive long-term environmental impact. FCE committed to a goal of 50 percent reduction of long-haul shipping and 50 percent reduction in miles and air travel. The organization also switched its meal packaging to biodegradable bags.

“If we’re not responsible with how we take care of the environment now, we could eventually alter a country’s crop yield,” Green said. “When we end up in situations like that, no nonprofit can produce enough results to outdo Mother Nature.”

Not surprisingly, Feeding Children Everywhere has a comprehensive approach to philanthropy. Green believes that with enough passion and drive, anyone has the power to make a difference.

“The reality is one person can make a difference,” he said. “Whether that’s making a difference for a next-door neighbor in a time of need or volunteering on a project or even sharing a social media post. Anybody can make a difference.” ◆

| BUSINESS SEEN

CEO LEADERSHIP FORUMS BREAKFAST The CEO Leadership Forums partnered with Valencia College on July 19 for a breakfast where area business leaders could learn about current and future workforce development programs at the educational institution’s campuses throughout Central Florida.

Forums co-founders Geoffrey Gallo and Russell Slappey spoke about why the programs will make a difference in the community, especially to entrepreneurial ventures that will need to fill jobs as they grow. Gallo shared some of his experience growing up in a family business that manufactured fashion merchandise, and how what he calls “The Warehouse Experience” of having students learn real-world skills on the job can be key in making sure today’s students are prepared to step into tomorrow’s leadership roles. John Andersen, owner of Merchant Consulting Services, acted as emcee for the event.

The CEO Leadership Forums presents a check for $100,000 to Dr. Falecia Williams, president of Valencia’s West Campus and the Downtown Orlando Campus under construction. Pictured left to right, Russell Slappey, Dr. Falecia Williams, Geoffrey Gallo, Jed Grennan and Terry Allcorn, Valencia dean of business and hospitality.

CEO Alvaro Pesce of software development firm MasterBase presents a check for $50,000 to Michelle Foster, dean of academic affairs for Valencia’s East Campus, and law professor Carin Gordon.

Julia Richmond speaks about her experience as a student in Valencia’s growing cybersecurity educational programs.

The breakfast drew participants from two Central Florida Forum groups and multiple Valencia campuses.

Nicole McMurray, regional manager at AppleOne Employment Services, and Dr. Kathleen Plinkske, president of Valencia’s Osceola campus.

Panel on industry perspectives: Tony Carvajal, Florida Chamber Foundation; Roy Sweatman, Southern Manufacturing Technologies; Joe Regan, Cardinal Health; Dale Ketchum, Space Florida; Art Hoelke, Knight’s Armament.

i4Biz.com | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 61

BUSINESS SEEN |

MAKE MORE MANUFACTURING SUMMIT FloridaMakes, Florida Chamber Foundation, CareerSource Florida and Enterprise Florida co-hosted the MAKE MORE Manufacturing Summit on July 26 in Orlando. With representation from ecosystem stakeholders from across the state, 28 presenters addressed the needs and realities of industry leaders from the manufacturing sector. The summit intends to serve as an annual platform to exchange ideas around how state resources in Florida are addressing the impact of market dynamics, economic trends and policies, and new technologies in this sector. The organizers are committed to building a roadmap to strengthen and advance Florida’s economy through innovation, talent development and leverage of resources to accelerate the productivity and technological performance of Florida’s manufacturing sector.

Valerie Fairchild of FloridaMakes; Christian Davidson, Manufacturing Association of Central Florida; Rovena Pando of FloridaMakes; and Sherry Reeves of Manufacturing Association of Central Florida.

Valerie Fairchild, Amy Lee, Rovena Pando, Maria Alfano, Amanda Marcusky, Kevin Carr, Phil Centonze, Kaitlin Centonze and Paul Szablowski.

Panel on Florida’s manufacturing business environment: moderator Robert Weissert, Florida TaxWatch; Lake Ray, First Coast Manufacturers Association; Ned Hill, Ohio State University; and Tom Feeney, Associated Industries of Florida.

Keynote address on Industry 5.0 by Dr. Edward “Ned” Hill, Ohio State University.

Conference attendees at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.

John C. Morgan, an author who has been known for 15 years as a professional comedian and George W. Bush impersonator, speaks with Rick Asta, CEO of Elro Holdings.

62 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

Kevin Carr, CEO of FloridaMakes.

Panel on manufacturing growth opportunities: Frank DiBello, Space Florida; Joel Gunter, Enterprise Florida; Chester Kennedy, BRIDG; Marc Hoenstine, Duke Energy; and Nancy Bryan, BioFlorida.

Bob Provitola of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas.

Cissy Proctor of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas.

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Watercooler

Stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know

1,087

Number of people a week who move to Central Florida (Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties)

2.3%

Population growth for the metro area — the fastest rate among the 30 largest U.S. cities, and more than double the growth rate of the United States. Central Florida’s population reached 2.5 million in 2017.

Source: Orlando Economic Partnership

29%

Small businesses in Florida that cite workforce quality as their top business issue.

45%

Small businesses in Florida that plan to hire in the next 6 months.

64 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | i4Biz.com

The gross domestic product (GDP) milestone Florida reached July 13, becoming what would equate to the 17th largest economy in the world — surpassing the national GDPs of Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Argentina

$1 trillion The milestone Apple reached on August 2, becoming the first U.S. company in history to reach that value … and making it the largest company in the world.

Amazon is predicted to reach the same milestone this year.

The Orlando area is “the nation’s foremost hub for optics technology and advanced manufacturing.

— Chief Executive magazine

1.3 million The amount of money the Orange County Commission has dedicated to the arts in its upcoming budget — an increase of more than $570,000 over the current funding of $730,000. This equates to $1 for each of the county’s 1.3 million residents and helps offset a recent 94 percent reduction in arts funding by the state.

56

The number of times Miami Dade College student John Porto, 19, rode the E.T. Adventure at Universal Orlando Resort on one day, July 20. He was trying to establish a record — and to promote one of his favorite rides. It took him eight hours, even though the employees let him skip the queue.

"

All those things that used to only be available to us in a clinical setting, now through advanced smart sensors they are a part of our lives and part of everything that we do — Chester Kennedy, CEO of BRIDG, in an interview with the Florida Chamber Foundation about the future of Florida manufacturing

Make a

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