The New Normal

THE BUSINESS OF: Art, Sports, Nonprofit & Real Estate

INNOVATION IN ACTION: Girl Scouts of Citrus

THE SCHMIDT REPORT: Real Estate Trends

UP CLOSE WITH Chris Leggett

4BUSiNESS ®

Orlando's Leadership Connection

JULY/AUGUST 2020

READY

TO RESET HOW MAXINE'S HAS KEPT ITS SHINE

ADAPTING TO THRIVE

McCarthy Fabrication

Chief Crisis Manager M AY O R J E R R Y D E M I N G S

$4.95

Learn More at

DoYourPartORL.com

As a business, we promise to: Have hand sanitizer available Wear face coverings Practice good hygiene Follow social distancing and capacity guidelines Follow CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting Train employees on COVID-19 safety procedures

As customers, we promise to: Wash or sanitize hands before entering Wear face coverings Follow social distancing guidelines Not enter a business if I am sick, have a fever or other symptoms Avoid physical contact with staff and other guests Use a credit or debit card whenever possible

CONTENTS FEATURES

INSIDE⊲⊲ JULY/AUGUST 2020

EDITORIAL

Chief Crisis Manager

34

Turning Data into Action

18

Creating a New Economy for a New Orlando

Walking the Walk

An Inside Look from Tim Giuliani, Orlando Economic Partnership

36

22

Telehealth to the Rescue

ANY STRONG BUSINESS

14

Mayor Jerry Demings Balances COVID-19, Racial Protests and Real Life

Virtual Visits Transform Medical Care During COVID-19

The Schmidt Report is a Secret Weapon in Residential Real Estate

CEO Leadership Forums Model How to Adapt in Uncertain Times

IS ALWAYS LOOKING AT WHAT IS EMERGING AND MAKING INVESTMENTS IN THE FUTURE. SIMILARLY, OUR REGION MUST FIND NEW WAYS TO ADVANCE WHAT IS EMERGING

26

Ready to Reset

28

Adapting to Thrive

30

Innovation in Action

How Maxine’s Has Kept Its Shine

McCarthy Fabrication Manufactures a New Opportunity — and a Partnership

Girl Scouts of Citrus Leaps Outside the Familiar During COVID-19 Crisis

THROUGH INVESTMENTS AND COLLABORATION. Tim Giuliani, President and CEO Orlando Economic Partnership

Pg 20

ON THE COVER Mayor Jerry Demings THE BUSINESS OF: Art, Sports, Nonprofit & Real Estate

INNOVATION IN ACTION: Girl Scouts of Citrus

THE SCHMIDT REPORT: Real Estate Trends

UP CLOSE WITH Chris Leggett

4BUSiNESS ®

32

Leading Out of Crisis

Orlando's Leadership Connection

JULY/AUGUST 2020

Times Like These Will Test You — and Here Are 5 Ways to Ensure You Pass READY

TO RESET HOW MAXINE'S HAS KEPT ITS SHINE

FOLLOW US►►► #i4biz

ADAPTING TO THRIVE

McCarthy Fabrication

Chief Crisis Manager M AY O R J E R R Y D E M I N G S

$4.95

2 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Cover photo by Frank Weber, Orange County Photographer

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

SPOTLIGHT

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

39 Peter Schoemann Nelson Mullins

40

Up Close with

Chris Leggett BEST PRACTICE Guest Expert Columns

44

During Crisis, Focus on Your Team’s Mission

46

Compassion in Times of Uncertainty (And Some Examples of Hope)

48

Creating Momentum in a Down Market

50

COVID-19: Finding Calm Amid the Chaos

52

Green — The New Color of Workforce Diversity: 6 Advantages to Stimulate Growth and Profits

54

The Business of Art

56

The Business of Sports

58 59

Florida on Film: The Highwaymen

Teamwork is Critical as COVID-19 Crisis Spurs Dramatic Changes

The Business of Nonprofits

UNCF Funds Help Students Through COVID-19 Crisis

The Business of Real Estate

The Urge to Move will Keep the Market Stable

Romaine Seguin | UPS International

Meaghan Branham | i4 Business

Bill Reidy| PWRhouse Consulting

Dr. Vintee Narang | Community Health Centers

DEPARTMENTS

9

From the Editor and Publisher

10

Business Briefs

62

Downtime

64

Watercooler

Jacqueline “Jackie” Brito | HR Asset Partners

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 3

4BUSiNESS

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

Orlando's Leadership Connection

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Diane Sears

SPECIAL SECTION

DIRECTOR OF ENCOURAGEMENT Donna Duda

LEGAL PROFESSIONALS

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Meaghan Branham PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Julie Fletcher

Central Florida’s legal professionals stay up to date on the processes and policies that make up the infrastructure of our businesses. In our September issue, i4 Business will spotlight your stories: who you are, what you do, and what the future holds.

In telling each of your stories, we build your relationship with our audience and get closer to the heart of what makes our community one of a kind.

Each profile will be:

•

Published in our print and digital editions of i4 Business

•

Published on i4biz.com

•

Shared on our social media channels

•

Spotlighted in our Special Sections newsletter MARIO, GUND E, PETERS, RHODEN & KELLEY, LLC

O

ur firm was establi shed in 1976. With combined experie over 130 years of nce our attorneys have the knowle the law and of the dge of legal system to assist matter. Mario, Gunde you with your legal , Peters, Rhoden & Kelley has been in the courtrooms practicing of Brevard County and before the County judges Circuit and here for over 41 years.

A full service firm, we primarily practic e in the areas of Criminal Law, Person Family Law, al Injury, Wills, Probate, Civil Litigati Appeals. Our attorne on, and ys have litigate d tough death heartbreaking child penalty cases, custody cases, dog bites, and proper They have also represented clients ty rights. in evictions, patern matters, bankru ity, criminal ptcies, elder matter s, estate plannin personal injury g, probate, and cases.

As attorneys and counselors at law part of our job with not just the is to help you cold law and facts of your case but case affects your also how your life as a whole.

Aggressive represe compassion are ntation and provided to every client we represe nt.

Our seven attorne ys are David Gunde , Barbara Helm Peters, Rhoden, Michae l J. Kelley, Bonnie Kenneth Klein Rhoden, Christina Farley 48]JULY2017 SpaceC oastBusiness.co

m

i4Biz.com Tel: 407.730.2961 4 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

COPY EDITOR Susan Howard, APR CONTRIBUTORS Maryann Barry, Jacqueline “Jackie” Brito, Meaghan Branham, Tim Giuliani, Gwen Thompson Hewitt, Davia Moss, Dr. Vintee Narang, Bill Reidy, Bill "Roto" Reuter Diane Sears, Jason Siegel, Romaine Seguin, Mary Shanklin ADVERTISING Diane Sears Diane@i4biz.com

i4 Business is a participating member of:

LEGAL PROFES SIONALS

COMING SEPTEMBER 2020

ART DIRECTOR Tanya Mutton - Sidekick Creations.

Long, and Barton W. Hogreve. Our founding partne Mario, has retired r, Anthony P. and is of counse l to the firm.

Mario, Gunde, Peters, Rhoden & Kelley, LLC will treat you like is a family and part of our family. we For more firm and our attorne ys visit www.Legal-Ea information on our for a free consul gles.co m or call today tation.

MAIN OFFICE COCOA 319 Riveredge Blvd., Ste 107 Cocoa, Florida 32922 (321) 631-0506 Attorneys Availab le 24/7

MELBOURNE OFFICE 1735 W. Hibiscu s Blvd., Ste 300 Melbourne, Florida 32901 (321) 676-2150 www.Legal-Eag les.com

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

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

Judi Awsumb, Awsumb Enterprises Becca Bides, Visit Orlando Jim Bowie, University of Florida Incubator Program Jackie Brito, HR Asset Partners Cari Coats, Accendo Leadership Advisory Group

Mark Allen Hayes Mark Allen Hayes is an entrepreneur, real estate coach, writer and speaker who is the owner and president of Stockworth Realty in Orlando with ties to Nashville and Detroit. In 2015, Hayes led a management buyout of Stockworth Realty from the Tavistock Group and still consults on a variety of projects with Tavistock property Lake Nona Medical City, where he serves as the director of education for the Lake Nona Institute. His real estate accomplishments have been featured on the FOX news show “The Property Man,” and his writings on education were published in a case study by the Harvard Business Review.

Andrew Cole, East Orlando Chamber of Commerce John Davis, Orlando Regional Chamber Laura Dorsey, Florida Black Chamber and National Cultural Heritage Society Stina D'Uva, West Orange Chamber of Commerce Carol Ann Dykes Logue, University of Central Florida Business Incubator Program Susan Fernandez, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Lena Graham-Morris, HORUS Construction Mark Allen Hayes, Stockworth Realty Group Gwen Hewitt, United Negro College Fund Vicki Jaramillo, Orlando International Airport Karen Keene, ATHENA Orlando Women's Leadership and Dean Mead Attorneys at Law Shelley Lauten, Consultant Chris Leggett, Central Florida International Trade Office Yolanda Londono, Harvard Group International Catherine Losey, Losey PLLC law firm Laureen Martinez, Orlando Economic Partnership Yog Melwani, Align Commercial Real Estate and Indian American Chamber of Commerce Davia Moss, Next Horizon Hope Edwards Newsome, Triloma Financial Group Rob Panepinto, Florentine Strategies Bill Reidy, PWRhouse Consulting Jerry Ross, National Entrepreneur Center Romaine Seguin, UPS Global Freight Forwarding Jason Siegel, Greater Orlando Sports Commission Mary Shanklin, Fifth Estate Media Marni Spence, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) Robert Utsey, Consultant

Gwen Thompson Hewitt Gwen Thompson Hewitt is the area development director for United Negro College Fund in Central and North Florida, where she plans and implements campaign strategies consistent with UNCF’s national action plan.

She serves as an ambassador for UNCF, engaging donors and leveraging key relationships to manage revenue goals. Before joining UNCF, Hewitt served as the president and founder of Thompson Hewitt Consulting and as the key account manager with Ability Plus Inc. in Orlando. She has served on numerous boards and for many causes in her community, with a focus on children, literacy and higher education.

Vicki Jaramillo Vicki Jaramillo is the senior director of marketing and air service development for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA). Responsible for much of the development of domestic and international air service for Orlando International Airport, she facilitates relationships with airlines and regions that have been instrumental in Central Florida’s growth. In her 25 years with GOAA, international destinations at MCO have grown from 15 to nearly 60. Prior to her current role, she was chief of aviation marketing at Miami International Airport and has served as a Walt Disney Resort ambassador.

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 5

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

SPECIAL SECTION

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Each profile will be: ə Published in our print and digital editions of i4 Business ə Published on i4biz.com ə Shared on our social media channels ə Spotlighted in our Special Sections newsletter

COMING October 2020

YOUNG PROFE

SSIONALS

Manager of Power Plan t Engineering

Orlando Utilities

Commission

"

— Daniel Hadd

ad

Setting an Example

team through empowerment.

“I want them to be their absolu te best, and it’s my job to provide them with the opportunity to do that,” Hadd ad said.

Now, in his 11th year at OUC, and with three children of his own, he works to keep the company movin g forward, all while upholding the same respe ct for employees and their famili es that his father valued so much .

“We are alway s striving to improve and adapt to changing times, but we remain steadf ast in the sense that employees are valued over the bottom line,” said Haddad.

“I don’t see that changing anytim e soon.” ◆ i4Biz.com | OCTO

BER 2018 | 33

i4Biz.com Tel: 407.730.2961 6 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

SUBSCRIBE 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. Please allow 4-6 weeks for subscription to start.

yp

A digital edition of the current issue is available online at i4biz.com.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you are moving or changing the mailing address for your subscription, send your complete old address (where the magazine is currently being mailed) and your complete new address, including ZIP code, to info@i4biz.com.

BACK ISSUES Back issues may be purchased for $5.00 each by calling 407-730-2961.

REPRINTS Reprints and commemorative plaques may be ordered from Meaghan Branham with i4 Business, 407-7302961. No other companies offering similar products or services are affiliated with i4 Business.

CONTRIBUTE Send press releases, article submissions, announcements and images to press@i4biz.com. Please provide 2-3 months advance notice for requests for event announcements and/or coverage. i4 Business® is published monthly by i4 Business, LLC, 121 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 1500, Orlando, FL 32801.

Tel. 407-730-2961 | i4biz.com

Creating an atmosphere whe re my team has the ability to succ eed is my favorite part of what I do.

Long before Danie l Haddad began his engin This stayed with eering career, him, and he was learning the while earning ins and outs a mechanical of the industry engineering degre from his father e at the , who worked at University of the Orlando Central Florid Utilities Comm a, Haddad becam ission (OUC – e an OUC coThe Reliable One) op student, a role that led Haddad’s childh throughout to a position as ood. a full-time seized opportuniti “He always engineer upon es to teach his graduation. me about ‘how things work’ in all areas of life, “Every role I’ve but held has in terms of engin especially prepared me in some way eering and problem solvin for my curren g,” said Haddad. t one,” he said.

“There are oppor tunities to Those learning grow your abiliti opportunities es led to an intere and taking those in every role, st in the field opportunities of engineering will prepare you , and in OUC for something as an employer. else someday “[My father] that you will often spoke about never be able to predict.” fortunate he was how to work for a company that That “something valued his commitment out to be his curren else” turned to his family above t position his job,” recall as manager of ed Haddad. power engineering, where plant he leads his

Orlando's Leadership Connection

DIGITAL EDITION

Central Florida’s young professionals are setting a precedent for innovation, industry and inclusion with creativity and collaboration. In our October issue, i4 Business will spotlight your stories: who you are, what you do, and what the future holds. In telling each of your stories, we build your relationship with our audience, and get closer to the heart of what makes our community one of a kind.

Daniel Haddad

4BUSiNESS

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. © 2020. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, in whole or in part, is prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

We’re With You

Nurses are the backbone of healthcare professionals. In early America’s healthcare system; 2020, the coronavirus pandemic they serve their communities severely impacted the U.S. as caregivers, critical thinkers, healthcare system and brought the teachers, and leaders.

At Avanthealthcare system; they serve their communities as c Nurses are the backbone of America’s nurse shortage to the forefront of Healthcare Professionals, weAt Avant Healthcare critical thinkers, teachers, and leaders.

Professionals, we live our mission of the conversation. embody our mission of “changing lives’ and advocating for nurse professionals around the world. To combat the lives” and advocate for nurse lack of frontline nurses, hospitals professionals around the world. have turned to international nurses Our team is dedicated to filling critical staffing needs throughout the U.S. with our highly internationally-educated healthcare professionals.

In early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic to help fill the gap. Avant has Our team is dedicated to filling impacted the U.S. healthcare system and brought the nurse shortage to the forefront of the con placed thousands of international critical staffing needs throughout To combat the lack of frontline nurses, hospitalsnurses have who turned to international provide vital patientnurses to help fil the U.S. with our highly qualified Avant has placed thousands of international nurses that provide vital patient care over the past 1 care over the past 17 years. internationally-educated

‘We’re with You’: A Tribute to Nurses A Tribute to Nurses

We salute nurses who have made patient care the priority, and want to say thank you for your tire “We salute nurses who haveTo made patient care the priority, and want to sayongoing thank service, a during this pandemic and always. nurses everywhere, we appreciate your you for your tireless work during this pandemic and always.

To nurses everywhere, with you!

we appreciate your ongoing service, and we are with you!”

Sincerely yours,

Yours sincerely,

Avant Healthcare Professionals 1211 Semoran Blvd.

Casselberry, FL 32707 TEL: (407) 681-2999

Shari Dingle Costantini, RN Shari Dingle Costantini, RN Founder and CEO of Avant Healthcare Professionals

Founder and CEO of Avant Healthcare Professionals

Avant Healthcare Professionals 1211 Semoran Blvd, Casselberry, FL 32707 (407) 681-2999

RISE ®

ON THE

iNNOVATORS | iNFLUENCERS | iNDUSTRY LEADERS

Do you have or are you a rising influencer or innovator? i4 Business is looking to share the stories of individuals making an impact, including: •

Recent Promotions

•

Leadership Appointments

•

Milestones and Anniversaries

•

Community Involvement

•

Awards and Recognition

•

Partnerships/Expansions

•

Board Appointments

ON THE

RISE

iNNOVATORS | iNFLUENCERS | iNDUSTRY LEADERS

GEORGE TATE III Akerman LLP, aJennie top 100 U.S. law Brown is firm clients flutistserving and artistic across theofAmericas, director Picosa expanded its litigation bench in Orlando and recording artist with Construction Law Florida Bar with Innova Recordings. Her album Certified Attorney George “Trey” ofTate the music ofisJoseph III. Tate skilledSchwantner in complex was released inlitigation 2015. She teaches at construction and spearheaded Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges and the multiparty project agreements tois begin construction of Medical at director and faculty member ofCity Credo Lake DMA/MM/PC Nona.

Flute.

Eastman, BM

Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

JONATHAN PIERCE AIRUSH Pulte Group’s North Florida division Jennie Brown isthat has announced Jonathan flutist andPierce artistic has been named vice president of director of Picosa construction. In this role, Pierce andnew recording artist willInnova be responsible for overseeing with Recordings.

Her album including of construction the music of operations, Joseph Schwantner construction, customer care and was released in 2015.

She teaches at support teams for the North Florida Elmhurst Colleges and is division.and TheWheaton division closes on more director and homes facultyannually. member of Credo than 1,500

Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

MATTHEW DETZEL Litigation attorney Matthew Detzel has joined Holland & Knight’s Orlando office Jennie Brown is as a partner. Detzel focuses his practice flutist and artistic on helping institutional clients detect, director of Picosa respond to and resolve complex fraud recording artist schemes, routinelyand serving as advisor, with Innova Recordings.

Her album investigator and an advocate in litigation a J.D. degree of and the appeals. music ofDetzel Josephearned Schwantner from the University Florida Levin was released in 2015. ofShe teaches at College of Law and a B.A. degree and fromis Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges the University of Florida. director and faculty member of Credo

Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM 16 | JUNE 2019 | i4Biz.com Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

$200g

per Listin

V.i.d.a Securities ELISHA GONZÁLEZ BONNEWITZ Jennie Brown is

flutist and artistic

FAIRWINDS Credit director Union, oneofofPicosa the largest locally owned and operatedartist and recording financial institutions in Central Florida, with Innova Recordings.

Her album González Bonnewitz ofhas theadded musicElisha of Joseph Schwantner as a new vice president of community was released 2015. She teaches at relations andingovernment affairs. Skilled Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges and is in philanthropy, constituent outreach and issues she will oversee director andmanagement, faculty member of Credo activities in Brevard, Volusia and TampaFlute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM area markets.

Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

CATHERINE NORRIS Cinokyo technologies Catherine Norris has joined Marshall Dennehey Warner Jennie Brown is Coleman & Goggin flutist and artistic as an associate. A director of Picosa member of the casualty department, and recording artist she focuses her practice on automobile with Innovaand Recordings. album negligence premises Her liability ofmatters. the music of JosephofSchwantner A graduate the University of Florida College Law, she was releasedLevin in 2015.

Sheofteaches at worked for Congressman Billand Posey Elmhurst andU.S. Wheaton Colleges is on Capitol and the Brevard County director andHill faculty member of Credo Attorney's Office.

Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com SARA BERNARD

Real estate attorney Sara Bernard has joined Holland & Knight’s Orlando Jennie Brown is office as a partner. Bernard handles a flutist and artistic wide range of transactions as counsel director of Picosa for developers, builders, institutional artist lenders, and public and and recording private entities. with Recordings.

Herofalbum She Innova serves on the University Central Foundation board of directors ofFlorida the music of Joseph Schwantner andreleased is an executive member was in 2015.committee She teaches at of the University of Central Florida Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges and is Alumni and Association. director faculty member of Credo

Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

MATT RUSSO

Jennie Brown is

Matt has flutistRusso and artistic rejoined RMC Group director of Picosa as vice president of operations. He will and recording artist be responsible for providing direction withassistance Innova Recordings.

Her album and to each division head in with the placement of of connection the music of Joseph Schwantner business.

He brings over 14 teaches years ofat was released in 2015.

She experience to the agency, with a diverse Elmhurst and Collegesand and is background in Wheaton risk management director andRusso facultygraduated member from of Credo engineering. the Florida Institute of Technology with Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BMa civil engineeringHS degree.

Northwestern, Interlochen Arts

Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

Our Leaders on the Rise listings will appear in print, on our website, and in our digital edition, as well as in our monthly eNewsletter, allowing you to expand your reach to:

PinTalk ROSANGELA PARKER COMMUNICATIONS Restaurant Managers LLC acquired exclusive Jennie Brown is rights to and the Salata flutist artistic Salad Kitchen branddirector for the state of of Picosa Florida and has recruited Rosangela and recording artist Parker as its marketing manager to with Recordings. album35 assistInnova with the rollout of a Her projected of the music of Joseph Schwantner locations statewide.

Parker has more was She teaches at thanreleased 10 yearsin of 2015. experience in tourism, Elmhurst Colleges and is marketingand and Wheaton brand development.

director and faculty member of Credo Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

ON THE RISE features individuals in your organization who have been promoted, new team members, Jennie Brown is flutist andorartistic board appointments other of Picosa employeedirector announcements.

•

31,000+ i4 Business Print Readers

•

2,400 Monthly Website Visitors

•

3,800+ eNewsletter Subscribers

and recording artist with Innova Recordings.

Her album ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT: of the music of Joseph Schwantner was WWW.I4BIZ.COM/ONTHERISE released in 2015. She teaches at Elmhurst and Wheaton Colleges and is director and faculty member of Credo Flute. DMA/MM/PC Eastman, BM Northwestern, HS Interlochen Arts Acad. JennieBrownFlute.com

SUBMIT YOUR LISTING ONLINE AT i4biz.com/leadersontherise

For contact Formore more information, contact Cherise Czaban Diane Sears cherise@scbmarketing.com Diane@i4biz.com

From the Editor and Publisher

The Great Global Pivot: Lessons from the Pandemic One of my friends says she’s tired of the word “pivot.” Actually, she said that in May, billions of pivots ago. The whole globe is venturing through new territory this year.

WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES. WE ALSO LIVE IN STRANGE PLACES: EACH IN A UNIVERSE OF OUR OWN. —Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I’ve always embraced change. It’s part of growth. But there’s something eerie about going through constant, daily change without leaving your house or speaking in person to another soul outside your immediate family. Something odd about fixing your hair and makeup, picking out a nice blouse and jewelry, and finishing your attire with workout pants and a pair of Crocs before you jump into a full day of video calls.

People have described this year with words like unprecedented, surreal and some others I can’t repeat in print or my mom will wash out my mouth with soap.

But it’s also been a year of incredible growth.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned so many new things since March 11. That evening, I was leaving a Solar Bears hockey game at the Amway Center when I got a news alert on my Apple watch that the NBA was shutting down its season. It felt like the beginning of the end.

That was a Wednesday. That Sunday, Walt Disney World closed its doors.

We had just wrapped up production on our April issue. It would be the last one we would publish until this one.

Take a look at our new i4 Business TV Channel

We’re all learning new skills. With the departure of our former publisher, Cherise Czaban, I’ve learned how to have more confidence in selling, and how to read our revenue figures to project what the coming months will look like. I’ve been comfortable speaking on stage for years, but now I’ve learned how to master a videoconference without breaking a sweat or breaking the internet.

I’ve learned how to publish an e-book in one day and how to record a podcast. I’ve learned which camera to look at when you’re hosting a TV show and the other person is on Zoom — in fact, you can check out our new i4 Business TV channel on YouTube, because I’ve learned how to create a YouTube channel and upload videos.

Sadly, I’ve learned how to conquer my addiction to spectator sports. I’ve discovered the beauty of my neighborhood through my daily walks, and I learn more about business and travel every day via podcasts. I’ve learned how to pair spirits from one of my favorite wineries, Medlock Ames in Northern California, with some terrific food. I’ve learned the words to “The Rocky Road to Dublin” to impress my guy in Scotland.

This year has been unfathomable. But it has forced us to think differently about our world and everything in it. Let’s keep sharing our positive stories as we persevere.

In this issue, we share the words and viewpoints of people here in Central Florida who’ve been showing us how to navigate big change. For our cover story, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings talks about how 40 years in public service has prepared him for this moment in time.

Have a great month!

I’ve thought about all the ways I’ve grown this year — not including around my waistline, because that’s just sad, and I know I’m not alone in that!

Editor and Publisher

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 9

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Orlando Approves Lease for 4 Roots Farm in The Packing District The City of Orlando has approved a lease for the 18-acre 4 Roots Farm Campus, a unique urban farm that is a project of the 4R Foundation.

Work could begin this fall on the campus, which is located in the emerging Packing District near the College Park section of Orlando and is designed to protect the wetlands and steward the land in ways that benefit the surrounding community.

“4Roots will be a place where thought leaders from around the world converge to challenge the norm and explore new ideas and innovations for building a sustainable food system and restoring a harmonistic relationship with the land,” said John Rivers, founder and CEO of 4Roots and the 4 Rivers restaurant collection. “Our vigorous pursuit of advancements in regenerative farming, culinary medicine, soil health, food science and community health will create a world-class showcase on the art and science of agriculture, and our vital relationship with nature.”

The campus will focus on creating a sustainable regional food system to tackle food waste, farmland erosion, farmer declines, and local hunger. Features will include a discovery center, a convention and event barn, a teaching/demo kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant, community greens for farmers’ markets, concerts, art expos and flexible classrooms.

Dr. Phillips Charities has committed $1 million to the development of the farm campus.

The Packing District is a $700 million community development project on 104 acres gifted to the City of Orlando by Dr. Phillips Charities in 2018 to develop a regional park that will serve as a hub for wellness programs and provide a site for amenities, including the city’s tennis center and trails for cycling and running.

Business 10 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Valencia College Receives Metallica Workforce Grant

A group of Valencia College students is receiving scholarships courtesy of heavy metal band Metallica for short-term training in construction trades. Valencia was one of 15 colleges nationwide selected to receive a $100,000 grant from the Metallica Scholars Initiative workforce program All Within My Hands.

bulldozers, front-end loaders, excavators and trucks. Graduates of these programs earn starting wages of $16 to $24 an hour in Central Florida. Valencia College’s continuing education team works closely with local industry and businesses to provide short-term skills training in fields in high demand.

Founded in 2018, the program helps provide students with the skills and knowledge to transition into high-paying, high-demand jobs in their communities.

The scholarship will benefit an estimated 25 students from low-income families in Orange and Osceola counties who will be trained in areas such as welders and operators of heavy equipment including

“All of us in the band feel fortunate that music has provided us the opportunity to be successful doing something we are passionate about,” said Lars Ulrich, Metallica’s co-founder and drummer. “We want to share our success with others so that they can find a job where they can do the same.”

Innovation

Education

BUSINESS BRIEFS

Sanford Airport Names New President and CEO

Sanford Orlando International Airport has announced its new president and CEO will be Tom Nolan, who served for the past 13 years as executive director of Palm Springs International Airport in California. He will replace Diane Crews, who plans to retire in October.

Crews held the president and CEO post for the past three years as the first female leader of the airport, where she has worked for 19 years.

Prior to Crews, Larry Dale had served as CEO and president for 15 years before retiring.

UCF Programs Climb in Academic Rankings The University of Central Florida (UCF) Rosen College of Hospitality Management has been ranked No. 1 in the country and No. 2 in the world on a list of premier hospitality and tourism programs in the ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020.

UCF has climbed in the rankings since 2017, when the Rosen College was listed at No. 20 nationally and No. 7 worldwide.

ShanghaiRanking also recognized UCF this year as fifth in the United States and 29th in the world for transportation science and technology. UCF ranked ahead of Georgia Tech, Purdue, Arizona State University, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Florida. This is a move up from last year, when UCF ranked among the top 20 in the nation and top 75 in the world in the same category.

“We are extremely proud of our 2020 ShanghaiRanking as it demonstrates the dedication of our faculty and staff in conducting quality and impactful research and educating the future leaders of the hospitality and tourism industry,” said the college’s dean, Youcheng Wang. “Even in the face of a global pandemic, with a shift to online learning, we have maintained our exceptional teaching standards, research standards and continuing education offerings to our alumni and industry as we prioritize providing the best experience and value to our students. Our 16-yearold college is among the best on a global stage and we will continue to strive to serve our stakeholders the best we can.”

Additionally, UCF ranked among the top 40 civil engineering programs in the nation in the same global ranking, alongside Iowa State, Johns Hopkins, Michigan State and Penn State.

Also known as Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), ShanghaiRankings annually ranks the best universities in a variety of academic subjects. The rankings take into account six indicators, including the success of alumni, the quality of faculty and the amount of research published in the field’s top academic journals. The Chronicle of Higher Education says the ShanghaiRanking is considered the most influential ranking among world-renowned universities.

Nolan is an accredited airport executive and a private pilot. He told a California newspaper he and his wife wanted to move to Florida to be closer to family.

Cybersecurity Company GLESEC Moving HQ to Orlando GLESEC, an international cybersecurity firm, announced it is moving its headquarters to Orlando from Princeton, New Jersey. The company is considering locations close to the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Central Florida Research Park.

The site will house a secured operations center, cyber range training facilities, and the administration and sales operations. The company plans to hire 26 professionals over the next three years with an average wage of $70,000, almost 50% over the average wage in Orange County.

“Orange County and the State of Florida have recognized the strategic importance that a fullfledged cybersecurity firm can bring to the local economy and we are thrilled to be here,” said Sergio Heker, CEO of GLESEC. GLESEC was originally founded in New Jersey in 2003. Through ongoing collaborations with the National Center for Simulation (NCS), which is based in close proximity to UCF at Central Florida Research Park, the company has increasingly moved its technology and operations to the area, culminating in its decision to make Orlando its headquarters location.

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 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 11

BUSINESS BRIEFS

BRIDG Gets Special Visit from U.S. Secretary of Commerce

U.S. DOT Taps Florida for Automated Vehicle Safety Testing Program The State of Florida has been named as one of the first participants in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safety Testing (AV TEST), an initiative aimed at improving the quality of automated driving systems.

“The AV TEST initiative is a monumental step into the future of automated vehicles, and we are proud Florida is one of the first states to participate in such an important effort led by USDOT and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin J. Thibault. “As Florida continues to grow, it is essential to provide a transportation system that meets the needs of our residents and visitors.”

Florida joins seven other states and nine companies in this unprecedented effort, which will involve nationwide public events and an online platform to increase public engagement and awareness, promote safety and innovation, and strengthen relationships between federal, state and local government partners. The other participating states are California, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. The nine companies include Orlando-based Beep, as well as Cruise, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Local Motors, Navya, Nuro, Toyota, Uber, and Waymo.

Business 12 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

In a move that highlighted the importance of the nation’s leadership in the semiconductor industry, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross paid a visit in June to BRIDG, a not-for-profit, public-private partnership that is part of the emerging NeoCity technology district in Osceola County.

“Central Florida is critical to America’s microelectronics manufacturing supply chain and its defense and aerospace customers,” Ross said. “BRIDG’s vision and leadership will not only help solidify the United States’ position as a global competitor in the semiconductor industry, but they will continue to revitalize and strengthen the local economy as we reopen the country.”

Also on hand for the visit were CEOs and other senior leaders from BRIDG partner organizations, including Osceola County, the University of Central

Innovation

Florida, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, the State of Florida, imec USA, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Siemens, SUSS MicroTec, and Tokyo Electron.

BRIDG operates a 200mm microelectronics fabrication facility delivering solutions to industry and government partners through collaborative technology development and secure manufacturing programs.

BRIDG provides state-ofthe-art capabilities that are essential to the must-win applications of the future including 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI).

“As highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the repatriation of microelectronics fabrication and jobs back to the United States is essential for our national security, economy and global competitiveness,” BRIDG Interim CEO Brian Sapp said.

Education

BUSINESS BRIEFS

GuideWell Pledges to Reshape Health Access for Underserved GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation, the parent of health insurance company Florida Blue, has launched a $100,000, fourmonth challenge to address health care access and literacy among underserved populations in Florida.

Named Reshaping Health Access, the program is one of several efforts by GuideWell at a time when both the COVID-19 pandemic and a recent focus on racial injustice are critical public issues that involve health care.

“Helping people achieve optimal health cannot be done without addressing racial and health disparities,” said Kirstie McCool, executive director of GuideWell Innovation, headquartered in Lake Nona Medical City. “The lack of access to health care, healthy foods and health literacy directly impacts longevity rates, severity of diseases and ease of access to treatment, especially in the most vulnerable communities throughout the state.”

The challenge is targeted to entrepreneurs, nonprofits, social innovators and grassroots organizations and is focused on sourcing novel approaches that provide accessible, quality, affordable health care and health education to communities and populations experiencing high levels of health inequity in Florida. The challenge will award a total of $100,000 in prize money, including a $40,000 grand prize after statewide virtual regional pitch events.

The challenge coincides with the launch of the company’s Equity Alliance, an initiative focused on addressing systemic racism and resulting health disparities for Black Americans.

GuideWell has pledged to make $25 million in investments over five years to organizations focused on diversity and inclusion and health equity in the communities the organizations serve. The Reshaping Health Access challenge is part of that investment.

In 2019, the enterprise donated more than $1.2 million in grants to more than 80 Black and community development organizations.

Tourism

‘GovTech’ Firm GCR Brings Center of Excellence to Heathrow Public sector software and services firm GCR announced it has chosen Heathrow as the site of its new Center of Excellence that will focus on innovation in “GovTech.” The company’s state government business unit, PCC, will centralize and grow its software development operations at the Seminole County location, which was named after an extensive selection process that considered more than a dozen potential sites nationwide.

GCR plans to hire 250 new employees over the next five years, paying an average salary 150% higher than the average wage in Seminole. The State of Florida and Seminole County provided an incentive that totaled $1.5 million through the Florida Qualified Targeted Industry program, a performance-based business incentive that provides

Growth

companies a tax refund once new jobs are created.

“We’re thrilled to be part of the Central Florida community, and we are grateful for the leadership of the State of Florida, Seminole County and the Orlando Economic Partnership for their exceptional work in welcoming GCR,” said Tom Amburgey, the CEO of GCR. “Central Florida quickly became the clear frontrunner with its deep skilled-talent pool, proximity to airports and universities, and livability.”

The facility will house the talent of a major software development company, including systems architects, developers, testers, business analysts, product managers, and administrative staff. GCR will base up to 75 employees there within the first year with plans to grow into the hundreds over the next few years.

Inspiration i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 13

COVER STORY

ChieF Crisis Manager Mayor Jerry Demings

Balances COVID-19, Racial Protests and Real Life

By Diane Sears

A

sk Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to describe a typical day in his life since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Central Florida, and he gives you his classic laugh – a warm, deep chuckle that exudes the confidence of more than 40 years in public service.

“I’ve been a crisis manager for four decades, so when a crisis occurs, it’s showtime for me,” Demings said. “I have planned an entire career around these types of activities.”

14 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

He holds an unusual position in the state of Florida, where the leaders of most counties are elected as commissioners and chosen by their peers to serve as the chair for one or two years. Orange County voters chose Demings as mayor in 2018 after he had served as Orange County sheriff, Orlando police chief and Orange County public safety director.

Serving as mayor is a big enough job under normal circumstances — Demings is responsible for more than 8,000 employees and a $4.4 billion budget. But in an official emergency, Orange County’s mayor becomes the emergency manager for the entire county of about 1.4 million residents.

That responsibility covers all municipalities, including Orlando, where Demings has been working closely with Mayor Buddy Dyer.

The circumstances have put Demings on point as the region’s main spokesman since March — a position that has intensified during a time of national racial unrest and civil protests.

How he has handled the position has been a study in crisis management.

Bracing for the Worst Like other leaders throughout Central Florida, Demings knew the region was entering into surreal territory and bracing for the worst when the area’s biggest theme park operation and the nation’s largest single-site employer closed its doors on March 15.

“When Walt Disney World made a corporate decision to close its parks for an extended period of time, that was a monumental occurrence in our community that helped us to very

COVER STORY

quickly slow the spread of the virus.

That was significant,” Demings said.

“There’s no doubt our community, like every other community in America, has been directly

other businesses and industries, with the loss of conventions here, we began very quickly to see multibillion-dollar impacts on our local economy.”

WHENEVER I MAKE PUBLIC POLICY, THERE ARE THREE QUESTIONS I ASK...

impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those impacts include economic impacts. With the closing of theme parks, with the closing of various

Of Disney’s approximately 77,000 employees in Central Florida, 43,000 were furloughed or laid off. That scenario was replayed throughout the community among organizations of all sizes and industries.

Businesses shut down, people stayed home, and the virus stayed at bay.

“As our local experience with the virus became evident, we saw a very low positivity rate of new cases day over day,” Demings said. “At

one point, for a sustained period of time, they were 3% or less. During that period of time, I believe they were low because of some of the early actions that were taken when the major employers here closed their doors and when we instituted ‘shelter in place’ or ‘stay at home’ orders. All of that helped us very early on breaking the backbone of the virus within our community.”

That was about to change.

Planning for Recovery Demings knew that eventually businesses would have to reopen. On April 17, he announced the creation of the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force. The group would focus on recommendations for how Central Florida would safely reopen in a phased approach. i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 15

COVER STORY The task force was co-chaired by two of the business community’s top leaders: George Aguel, president and CEO of Visit Orlando, and Tim Giuliani, president

impact the employees I’m responsible for? I ask those three things, and if we have the appropriate balance, then I know it’s the right thing to do for the people.”

NUMBER ONE: HOW WILL THE DECISIONS WE MAKE BENEFIT THE CITIZENS WE SERVE? and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership. Its 44 members were leaders from organizations all over Central Florida, including hospitals, theme parks, hotels, restaurants, banks, large corporations, small businesses and nonprofits. The task force and its subcommittees held hundreds of meetings, working face to face via teleconference technology.

“We put in place this volunteer group of some of the brightest intellectual minds in our community who represent a broad array of industries as well as ethnic and cultural diversities,” Demings said.

“The purpose of the task force was to listen to the health care providers and use their business acumen to make recommendations to me regarding our own experience with reopening. That predated the governor’s assignment of individuals to help with the state’s reopening and its recovery task force.”

It was important to Demings to get as many parts of the community represented as possible. This is one of the key aspects of leadership he advocates.

“My style is to engage the citizens in making public policy,” he said.

“Whenever I make public policy, there are three questions I ask about the decisions I make or the decisions I guide in my public official capacity.

Number one: How will the decisions we make benefit the citizens we serve? That’s number one because we’re public servants. The second question I always ask is: What will it cost or save based on the decisions we make? The third is: How will it 16 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Focusing Day to Day While the Economic Recovery Task Force worked on its project, Demings continued to focus on the dayto-day challenges of COVID-19.

He has held a daily executive policy group conference call every day since March. Leaders in attendance include state and local health care experts, representatives from emergency response departments in each city and the county, senior county officials and department heads, the chief judge, representatives from each of the constitutional offices including tax collector and property appraiser, nonprofit and public transportation CEOS, and senior officials from Orange County Public Schools.

“This think tank of individuals helps me shape policy going forward while we’re in a state of emergency,” Demings said. “The county still is open for business and has a responsibility to provide all of those other services we would provide in a non-pandemic environment. We still have to run the jail, run water and utility, run a fire department, run our parks and recreation, run the administration of the county and make decisions through the Board of County Commissioners over public policy.

We still have land use issues moving forward, we still have growth management

permitting processes that have to move forward. So each day I depend on my team of senior officials to help me lead the county.”

Once a week, he gets on a regional conference call with the top leader from each of the surrounding counties of Osceola, Lake and Seminole to discuss common concerns, including Central Florida’s workforce. Add in daily videoconference calls with the county administrator, the county attorney, department heads and others, and Demings is usually in at least six or seven meetings a day.

His weeks include numerous media interviews and a press conference every other day where Orange County and City of Orlando leaders announce the latest plans of action.

“My days start early and finish late,” Demings said, laughing. “Not a lot of time for recreation — but a lot of intellectual meetings and conversations.”

Making Time for Life Demings somehow finds time to be husband, father, grandfather and son — not necessarily in that order.

There’s not a lot of time for himself or for physical exercise.

“I’m a visionary. I’m planning for the future and planning for a strong economic recovery,” he said. “Then, I’ll be honest with you, I look forward to sometimes riding my motorcycle just to clear the cobwebs. My wife and I ride our motorcycles when she’s in town occasionally. We steal away a few moments to ride.”

The mayor is married to U.S. Representative Val Demings, who splits her time between Orlando and Washington, D.C. During a 27-year career with the Orlando police force, where she met her husband, she served as chief from 2007 to 2011. Her name is on the list of possible running mates for former Vice President

NUMBER TWO: WHAT WILL IT COST OR SAVE BASED ON THE DECISIONS WE MAKE?

COVER STORY “The culture of our local governments and police agencies has long been one of inclusion and one that is of service to our community,” he said. “While our law enforcement agencies are not perfect, they do strive for perfection. Like any organizations, our law enforcement agencies have bad apples in them. But the overwhelming majority of men and women who serve are good people trying to do good. They are of service.”

#DOYOURPART Joe Biden on the Democratic ballot in November’s presidential election.

“We’re each other’s biggest confidantes,” he said. “When she’s not in town, we have conversations a couple times during the day. Sometimes that’s late at night, after 11 p.m., when she’s back in her condo in Washington. We kind of recap the day’s events and plan for the next day.

“When she’s in town, typically we have a conversation before I leave in the morning and then we have a conversation when I get home,” he said. The two often order carry-out for dinner and then sit down to eat together. “We’re a political family, and she likes to talk politics. I really don’t — when I get home, I don’t want to talk politics. But because she likes to talk politics, when I get home we talk about the politics of the day’s events,” he said, chuckling.

“We enjoy our family, too,” he said. “It’s a matter of making certain we maintain just being average people. We’ve learned to laugh a lot.”

Demings pops in to visit his father, who’s 97 and still lives in the house where the mayor was raised in west Orlando.

“Some days I spend time with him. I go by and check on him and make sure he has meals.

“Then I have grandchildren, and sometimes I get to spend time with them and just live,” he said, laughing. “It’s a normal life, but on steroids.”

Blazing Trails Serving as Orange County’s mayor during a pandemic became even more challenging after May 25, when George

Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis. The death involving Floyd, who was black, and the officer who knelt on his neck for eight minutes, who was white, touched off protests that spread from Minnesota across the country and then throughout the world. Protesters of all ages, races and backgrounds flooded streets demanding justice for what they called a long history of police brutality against black citizens.

When protests emerged in Orlando, all eyes were on Demings. As Orange County’s mayor, he urged demonstrators to remember the

NUMBER THREE: THREE: HOW WILL IT IMPACT THE EMPLOYEES I’M RESPONSIBLE FOR? circumstances of the pandemic, wear masks and practice self-distancing measures. As a career law enforcement officer, he knew the police and sheriff’s offices needed to handle the situation with care. As a black man, he understood the emotions the protesters were feeling and their need to be heard.

Demings has blazed trails as the first African American person to be elected Orange County mayor, the first to be appointed police chief in Orlando in 1998 and the first to be elected Orange County sheriff in 2008. His wife became the first female police chief of Orlando in 2007.

When it comes to the delicate balance of race relations, Demings again goes back to his management style of making sure the decision-making process includes the people who will be affected: “With our agencies, it has to be about 1) recognizing the problem and 2) involving the citizens in helping to shape the solutions.”

Continuing to Lead No one can predict when the COVID-19 pandemic will end. Demings reconvened the Economic Recovery Task Force in late June as cases throughout Florida surged and the infection rate in Orange County rose to 9.2%. He has slowed down phase three of the reopening plan.

“I’m an optimist, and we will get back to normal, pre-COVID,” Demings said. “It will look a little different. Much like after 9/11, when air travel and seaport security changed forever. Postpandemic, we will see a whole host of sanitary measures permanently being instituted that will outlive all of us. That is probably something that will be a positive result.”

Many businesses have been struggling through the challenges of the pandemic.

Some have pivoted, some have folded, and others have started to sprout because of new opportunities created by the circumstances.

Demings has led the county and local partners in rolling out a new campaign to help get the region through this time of uncertainty with the slogan “Safer Stronger Together” and the hashtag #DoYourPart.

For now, he will continue to find joy in his role as best he can. “It's a privilege to serve in my community,” Demings said.

“The rent we all pay for living on planet Earth is service to other people. If I didn’t have bills, I would do this for free.” ■ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 17

ECONOMICS

C r e at i n g a New Economy for a New Orlando

By Tim Giuliani

I

t’s hard to imagine how drastically COVID-19 has impacted our daily lives, our businesses, our economy and the health of so many in our community in such a short amount of time.

Just four months ago, which now seems like a lifetime, the Orlando Economic Partnership was focused on innovation and economic development, talent, health, affordable housing and transportation. Those topics dominated the headlines in our region and demanded our time and attention because they spoke to our mission of advancing broad-based prosperity.

Today, we are appropriately and imminently focused on recovering from the pandemic and the immediate health and economic needs of our community. But all those issues I just mentioned haven’t gone away. In fact, right under our noses, as we follow every COVID-19 development, our challenges have accelerated — along with our opportunities.

And that means we must adapt.

Tim Giuliani

18 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

To do that, the Partnership has done several things to ensure we are hyperfocused on helping our local businesses survive and recover. In the short-term, our staff pivoted, as did countless organizations across the Orlando region.

We reassigned staff. We stood up an online resource center and curated

ECONOMICS

OF THE 214 CENTRAL FLORIDA BUSINESSES SURVEYED, 87% INDICATED THEY HAVE BEEN NEGATIVELY IMPACTED

BY THE GLOBAL CRISIS guidance and insight from our elected leaders, law firms and accounting firms.

We conducted surveys and economic analysis. We stood up programs to address the needs of our community and continue to this day to provide resources and tools, as well as information, to the businesses in our region.

Now we’re accelerating.

Economic Development

state and federal governments change policy to foster more investment in America by American companies? Will foreign and global companies look to safer and stronger economies like the U.S.? Will this experience have some in megacities look to midsized regions like Orlando for a safe and more stable quality of life?

We must stay connected to decision-makers and take advantage

of any changes that improve our competitiveness. Now is not the time to retreat on our aggressive economic development outreach.

As larger companies move forward, we need to proactively connect them with scaling companies that can meet their needs while creating a win-win for both companies and the job needs of the community. We must also tell our region’s story of innovation to avail our startups of

We were focused on innovation because a region must continually foster and reinvent its core strength, which in our case is tourism and hospitality, while also investing in the diversity of industry and emerging technology. Doubling down on this full mix of industry is what the prescription was and remains going forward. New companies, new jobs and new opportunities come when industry sectors collide, investment is made in startups, and companies large and small partner.

We must also be aggressive in identifying and capitalizing on a new world order as it emerges. Will the new COVID-19 economy see companies move manufacturing back from China? Will our i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 19

ECONOMICS the resources and opportunities within and outside Central Florida.

Any strong business is always looking at what is emerging and making investments in the future.

Similarly, our region must find new ways to advance what is emerging through investments and collaboration. We must allow the creativity and innovation to flourish in new and powerful ways.

Talent Ecosystem On the talent front, four months ago, we knew that a third of the workforce would have to be retrained or upskilled by the year 2030. The pandemic likely accelerated that timeframe. In a report released recently by nonprofit public policy research organization the Brookings Institution, Orlando ranked as the No.2 metro community (behind Las Vegas) that will be the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with approximately 27% of our population at risk for being displaced.

The travel, leisure and hospitality industries are expected to suffer the most. Let’s not miss the opportunity in the crisis to double down on the strategy to expand upskilling opportunities.

The labor force has been severely disrupted, and people are looking for new opportunities. We can capitalize on this moment to improve our region’s economic resiliency, create new career pathways and have our labor force drive new economic development opportunities. Having more people with more skills is the surest way our region will grow wages and advance broad-based prosperity in the long term.

Impact on the Most Vulnerable In the old-world order, our community leaders were looking at ways to tie the collaborative momentum in the region together with our amazing healthcare assets to create a renewed focus on the overall health of the community.

As data emerges about the coronavirus pandemic, we’re learning two very important lessons: 1) It impacts everybody, 20 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

but hits those in a disadvantaged environment much harder, and 2) Those with underlying health conditions are hit the hardest.

The Partnership’s COVID-19 business impact surveys measured the ongoing challenges our business community is facing in response to the uncertain economic environment.

Of the 214 Central Florida businesses surveyed, 87% indicated they have been negatively impacted by the global crisis, an increase of 13 percentage points from the first survey, largely due to lost and delayed sales.

Small businesses, those with two to 99 employees, account for roughly two-thirds of all employment in Orlando, making the strategy of small business response and support crucial for mitigating the impacts of this crisis. While restaurants, bars, event producers and other businesses felt the immediate consequences of necessary social distancing policies, national data is beginning to reveal a second wave of effects as service businesses such as lawyers, contractors, healthcare workers not fighting the virus, and others experience fewer projects and less work.

The surveys also dug into strategies companies plan to take for the remainder of 2020. Besides the expected high numbers of businesses that will implement new cleaning protocols (85%) or physically distanced seating arrangements (82%), 56% of respondents said they were likely to implement automated systems that would reduce face-to-face contact between employees and customers.

What is emerging is a better understanding of how we’re all connected in ways not fully appreciated before. This enlightened sense of self interest should drive a deeper and more significant effort to improve the health of our community.

This will include collaborating with

existing initiatives, adding to the portfolio and convening a multisector approach to improve the health indicators that underlie our economy.

Just four months ago, we were highlighting that rents have increased in Orlando more than anywhere else in the South in the past decade. We were also discussing the fact that only 13 affordable units exist for every 100 households needing them.

Job losses will only deepen the need.

The Orlando unemployment rate soared to 22.6% from April to May 2020, representing 300,700 unemployed persons in the labor force. For context, the U.S. reached an unemployment rate of 24.9% during the Great Depression. Orlando currently has the highest unemployment rate of any metropolitan area in Florida, followed by the neighboring Lakeland metropolitan statistical area (MSA) with a rate of 19.1%.

While no industry was left untouched by the pandemic and resulting shutdowns, continuing job losses are now mainly concentrated in just the leisure and hospitality industry. Every industry is below its pre-pandemic levels of employment, but some are beginning to see a slight uptick in employment, including retail, finance, business services, education and health, all of which saw increases ranging from 1,000 to almost 5,000 jobs.

Overall, May’s data reveals that reopening has brought some jobs back to the economy and the unemployment rate will begin to decrease when data is released for June. But these job gains are not nearly enough to offset the losses from events and tourism, continuing to highlight the importance of consumer confidence for recovery.

Even a quick economic recovery will only get us back to where we were, at best. While the answers don’t get easier, the need for a more robust

ECONOMICS

effort has become clearer. This effort will require a renewed public-private approach that needs to be even more aggressive and creative than it was in the past.

Not even four months ago, our board adopted the Transportation 2030 Report that’s been in development for the past year.

The need for investments in our network to provide more options for commuters, tourists, students, families and others still exists.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion In the midst of the pandemic, our nation and region arrived at an inflection point, one that is needed in order to address systemic racism and unconscious bias. The Partnership’s mission, to advance broad-based prosperity, is based on a vision to create a community where everyone can pursue health, happiness, financial security and success.

To further improve our economy and overall region as a more prosperous place, we must work together to create real solutions. We can’t move policies, initiatives and programs forward without addressing the underlying issues of race. Our first step is to bring our regional voices together to help us better understand a collective path forward with a bias for action.

WHAT IS EMERGING IS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW WE’RE ALL CONNECTED IN WAYS NOT FULLY APPRECIATED BEFORE. THIS ENLIGHTENED SENSE OF SELF INTEREST SHOULD DRIVE A DEEPER AND MORE SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.

As we reimagine our economy, we are keeping in mind that the trends and issues we were already focused on have accelerated. A united response will allow us to strengthen our economy in the mid-term, tell Orlando’s story during the recovery period, and empower fellow leaders to rebuild an even stronger region for the future.

We simply can’t afford to miss this opportunity to adapt and respond to the accelerating environment. We are committed, long-term, to being a part of our community’s solution.

Our actions will speak louder than words. ■ Tim Giuliani is the president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership (www.orlando.org), a public-private, not-forprofit economic and community development organization. The Partnership represents seven Central Florida counties as well as the City of Orlando and hundreds of the region’s top private businesses. i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 21

TECHNOLOGY

Telehealth L

ooking into the live video feed, Jenna Briddell quickly determines whether her young patient’s tonsils need to come out. The virtual exam shows that in-person delivery of something as routine as checking a sore throat has suddenly changed from hands-on to camera-on.

“Now we can see patients in the medical clinic and in their home,” said Briddell, an ear, nose and throat specialist with the Nemours Children’s Health System’s CareConnect program, which offers 24/7 on-demand video visits.

During Central Florida’s experience with the fast spread of the COVID-19 virus, “telehealth” has transformed business for emerging healthcare companies and major medical providers throughout the region. This emerging way of serving patients reflects national trends: Ɏ The use of telehealth is projected to see an increase of 64.3% nationwide this year because of the disruptions of COVID-19, a Frost & Sullivan study shows.

This will lead to a projected sevenfold increase by 2025, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 38.2%. Ɏ Virtual care visits for 2020 are expected to soar to more than 1 billion this year in the U.S., including 900 million related to COVID-19. This is especially

22 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

to the Rescue VIRTUAL VISITS TRANSFORM MEDICAL CARE DURING COVID-19

By Mary Shanklin

TECHNOLOGY remarkable because as of January 2020, only 24% of healthcare organizations nationwide had existing virtual care programs. Ɏ The telehealth market is projected to reach $53 billion by 2026, according to Acumen Research and Consulting.

Local Growth Most Orlando area residents are familiar with insurance companies and physician groups using doctors and nurses remotely to confer about issues as routine as rashes and pink eye. Now, in the era of COVID-19, the pool of telehealth patients and professionals has expanded.

Partnerships have emerged. Orlandobased telehealth platform Mend Inc., for instance, recently announced a collaboration with the Nephrology Care Alliance for improved care of patients with chronic kidney disease.

Aspire Health Partners in Orlando won $173,037 from the Federal Communications Commission to help pay for connected devices and network equipment upgrades that can better support growing demand for telehealth services.

Orlando Health and AdventHealth Orlando, the two largest health care operations in the region, have both accelerated what had been a gradual move toward virtual doctor-patient communications.

“It used to be home visits. Then doctors went to the office model. Then they partnered with a health care system,” Orlando Health biomedical engineer Jonathan Baker-McBride said during a conference in Orlando earlier this year. “Telehealth is going to be that next step that urgent care can’t fill.”

In 2019, Orlando Health expanded its Teladoc Health system, which had previously been an option only for Orlando Health employees and parents of pediatric patients, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Using Teladoc, patients connect with a physician via video on a smartphone, tablet or computer for diagnoses and treatment plans. Wait times are shorter and physicians can still send prescriptions to local pharmacies.

At Orlando Health’s intensive care unit, a life-size robot travels the floor and remotes into patient rooms various

surgeons and physicians who can speak with and observe patients. A medical assistant monitors progress at patients’ bedsides.

AdventHealth’s Centra Care began using eVisit several years ago for urgent care. The company reported earlier this year that patients’ costs average $49 per visit and take less time than in the office. an AdventHealth project manager said.

“THEY TELL US THAT THEY CAN SEE A PROVIDER IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES FROM THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOME,” Accelerated Adoption Nemours launched its CareConnect five years ago, but it was hampered by cross-state licensure regulations, the children’s hospital system’s president, Dr. R. Lawrence Moss, said during a recent interview. Reimbursements weren’t always consistent. Those barriers inhibited the momentum the fledgling program needed.

THAT ALL CHANGED QUICKLY. Within weeks of COVID-19’s outbreak in the United States, telehealth appointments grew exponentially with an average of 1,500 visits daily, Moss said.

Training ramped up for hundreds and hundreds of experts skilled in dozens of specialties. Patient satisfaction scores also rose.

The transition to virtual medical visits hasn’t been without challenges. In midApril, a national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies showed that only one-third of survey respondents had used telehealth and less than half of respondents age 65 or older said they would even consider it. Orlando Family Physicians reported it has worked with select patients, particularly those on Medicare, and created a web page with an explainer video. The group credits those moves with a rate of about 60% of patient visits over the past two months using telehealth portals. They cite as much as 90% success at some locations.

The changing landscape also promises to disrupt what has been a bright light of commercial real estate — medical office space. For years, urgent care offices have popped up throughout Central Florida like video rental stores once did. How the shifts toward more virtual care ultimately affect the demand for medical space remains to be seen.

But some physicians who once resisted the concept now appreciate the new option. For a tonsil-probing otolaryngologist like Briddell from Nemours, the quick pivot to telehealth came while she was pregnant. She said she appreciated being able to serve her patients during the COVID-19 pandemic without putting her baby at risk. T Mary Shanklin is a freelance journalist based in Central Florida and the founder and publisher of Fifth Estate Media.

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 23

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4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

Kirt and Maxine Earhart OWNERS OF MAXINE'S ON SHINE RESTAURANT

STORY ON PG 26 i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 25

READY To Reset How Maxine’s Has Kept Its Shine Written by Meaghan Branham Photography by Julie Fletcher sk Kirt and Maxine Earhart how they’re feeling these days, and you might get a more thoughtful response than they’d have given you at this time last year. “My answer sounds a lot more like the kind of thing you’d hear from a weatherman now,” Kirt Earhart laughed. “I’m feeling fair to partly cloudy, but optimistic about a chance of sunshine.”

A

The owners of the popular Maxine’s On Shine restaurant, which was founded eight years ago and quickly earned a spot in local hearts for its exuberant atmosphere and gourmet food, have had to adapt this year along with other small businesses. The food and beverage industry has been hardest hit, with some owners of restaurants and bars going months without pay for themselves and their employees. To navigate the rapidly changing “new normal” in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Earharts have gotten creative — in classic Maxine’s form.

The Reset Kirt Earhart described the way he and his wife adapted: “There were and are periods of stress, but eventually you say, ‘You know what, let’s hit the reset button.’ And then it became a chance to expand what Maxine’s means to us and to our community across the board.”

That reset period first began when they made the call to close the doors for two weeks, a move that came even before the official order from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on March 20 for all restaurants

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to move to take-out and delivery service only.

In those 14 days, the Earharts did their research and drew up their game plan. They collaborated, learned and brainstormed with the help of local officials like State Representative Anna Eskamani, Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, along with resources from groups including the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association and City of Orlando Main Street leaders Lisa Cuatt and Joanne Grant.

The help of that community geared them up to serve their own community, and they emerged ready for the reset — with a new market, a quickly crafted liquor store of sorts, and a delivery service, something they had never included before.

“We had never encouraged pickup or delivery,” Kirt Earhart said.

“Maxine’s is about the experience.

We wanted everyone coming in as they would to the parlor of a friend’s home.” That sense of experience wouldn’t change, they decided, it would just become mobile.

Working with Fleet Delivery, they fine-tuned a service that allows their customers to “make a reservation for a dining experience in their own home, where we provide the food,” Kirt Earhart said. The customers get to set the vibe and pick their meal, and they can even opt for contactless delivery. When customers go out to the Maxine’s

van to grab their food from the sill of the pick-up window, “there’s Maxine’s face with a wine glass in one hand and the fork and glass in the other,” Kirt Earhart said.

Sometimes they might even see one of the Earharts making the delivery.

Maxine’s Market was another brainchild of the couple. More than just a callback to the 1940s roots of the restaurant’s building — which used to be home to locally owned Friedman’s Grocery, another community favorite — the market became a way for people who didn’t feel comfortable going to the grocery store, or couldn’t find what they were looking for, to pick up whatever they might need while they were collecting their to-go orders. For a bit of time, they also set up the Tasty Beverage Emporium, where guests could order beer, wine and liquor and pick them up to take home.

Next Steps Eventually, the Earharts faced the prospect of reopening the doors to guests. The beginning phases of Orange County’s reopening plan included allowing restaurants to allow guests in at 50% and eventually 75% capacity.

That presented a unique challenge for Maxine’s, a restaurant small enough in square footage that in 2018 it campaigned for — and got passed — a bill that would allow establishments of 1,500 square feet and an 80-seat capacity to obtain a liquor license, down from the previous requirement of at least

INSPIRATION

CELEBRATING LIFE DOESN’T ALWAYS MEAN WHEN IT’S GOOD. IT MEANS CELEBRATING THE CHALLENGES WHEN THINGS ARE TOUGH, TOO. — Kirt Earhart 2,500 square feet and 150 seats. In order to comply with the six-foot social distancing rule, they removed 60% of their tables, which meant they wouldn’t be able to safely fit even 50% of their usual capacity.

What they could use, they realized, was their parking lot. So they got to work. If the dining room is like a friend’s parlor, their parking lot would simply have to become that friend’s back yard.

They created elevated platforms on their “pebble beach,” all on steel casters that could easily be moved around and keep everyone off a wet surface. Each “island” is home to a table under a tent equipped with mesh screens to keep out rain and mosquitoes, as well as fans for cooling off in Florida’s afternoon heat. A shed was transformed into an outdoor bar, and a moveable stage was built so that guests both on the patio and on the “islands” can enjoy the music and art that have come to be synonymous with the restaurant.

A Responsibility to Each Other With every phase, Maxine’s patrons were kept in the loop. With newsletters, social media check-ins and website announcements, the Earharts knew it

was important to keep their customers updated along with their team.

Their efforts have brought both their tightknit group of employees and their customers closer.

“Absolutely, our relationship with our community has gotten stronger,” Maxine Earhart said. “There were certain lists of places they didn’t want to see go out of business, and fortunately for us, we were on those lists. They invested in us.”

The community has also seen in those communications a commitment to safety and an understanding of responsibility that Kirt and Maxine Earhart know will be vital in any steps moving forward.

From masks to social distancing to sanitizing, all precautions are taken, and they trust the community that has shown up for them will be as considerate while they dine.

“Just because we’re getting people back in doesn’t mean everything is back to the way it was. There are still a

lot of changes to put in place and keep up with,” Kirt Earhart laughed. “We’re safety and goodwill ambassadors now.”

The new normal being buzzed about in the midst of COVID-19 has changed a lot in the world — but it hasn’t changed that spirit of hospitality, warmth and celebration that has become a trademark of Maxine’s and its owners.

Instead, the restaurant has found a new strength in its adaptability.

“It was always about celebrating life,” Kirt Earhart said. “And celebrating life doesn’t always mean when it’s good. It means celebrating the challenges when things are tough, too. The chance to ask ourselves important questions: How do we connect? How do we respect one another? It has transcended the restaurant and extended to all of us as neighbors, as brothers and sisters.” ■ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 27

INNOVATION

Adapting to Survive r i ve Th 28 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

INNOVATION

McCarthy Fabrication Manufactures a New Opportunity — and a Partnership

By Davia Moss

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER HAD, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO DO SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER DONE.

A

— Thomas Jefferson

This scenario, unfortunately, became all too familiar to many Central Florida business owners during this extreme time.

As if health concerns weren’t enough, business leaders have had to find ways to keep as many of their people as possible gainfully employed while also answering the evolving needs of customers.

t some point during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic stay-athome orders, sales came to a halt at McCarthy Fabricators LLC, a small custom residential and commercial metal fabrication company in Sanford.

“My partner, Elliott Ramirez, and I started brainstorming on ideas to keep the business going,” CEO Charles McCarthy said. “We were in a tough spot, faced with the very real possibility of having to lay off our employees.”

“We had to make a choice and act on it: lay off our employees or start fabricating metal hand sanitation stations and get a new revenue stream from sales on a buyer’s search engine,” McCarthy said. “After all, we felt assured in knowing that this wasn’t a shot-in-the-dark risk. We did our research, and experts were saying that now is the wrong time to stop marketing … that we needed to market differently to meet the changing needs of the customer.”

So the team went to work drafting the design for the hand sanitizer stands and then fabricating them in anticipation that the product would sell.

“About two weeks later, we were amazed to see that sales had taken off!” McCarthy said.

A New Challenge Six weeks into making this strategic move, McCarthy Fabrication had sold thousands

of metal hand sanitizing stations. All of the company’s employees continued to remain gainfully employed.

It didn’t take long to discover a new challenge, though. How would the company keep up with production when customer demand exceeded its capacity to fabricate enough hand sanitizer stations?

McCarthy and Ramirez decided to explore a new opportunity. Although the buyer’s search engine was the solution that kept their business going, they wondered how they could keep up with demand while also supporting local commerce and its positive financial impact in Central Florida.

McCarthy Fabrication reached out to other businesses in Central Florida and began partnering with a larger metal fabrication company, Ernest Products, to help keep up with production demand and customers’ expectation of timely delivery. A new partnership was born out of necessity in the face of a global crisis.

That partnership fit in with a goal of the Orlando Economic Partnership to connect large and small businesses to make both more sustainable in a down economy that has seen unemployment spike. “As larger companies move forward, we need to proactively connect them with scaling companies that can meet their needs while creating a win-win for both companies and the job needs of the community,” said Tim Guiliani, CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership. “We must also tell our region’s story of innovation to avail our startups of the resources and opportunities within and outside Central Florida.”

When the owners of McCarthy Fabrication were asked what words of wisdom they would share based on this experience, McCarthy said this: “I can say firsthand that challenge also brings new ways to succeed.” ■

Davia Moss is vice president of operations and client services at Next Horizon, an IT and digital marketing agency that provides holistic technology solutions for businesses looking to improve sales, increase agility and optimize productivity. www.nexthorizon.net i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 29

COMMUNITY

Innovation in Action GIRL SCOUTS OF CITRUS LEAPS OUTSIDE THE FAMILIAR DURING COVID-19 CRISIS

By Maryann Barry

[UNPRECEDENTED.] The adjective we use to capture and frame a unique point in time or new experience. A perfect word to mark a timeframe or event that, by its very nature, will shape and inform, if not define, our next steps as organizations or communities — and in the case of COVID-19, test our mettle as leaders.

I have faced many challenges and navigated plenty of uncharted waters in my more than 30 years in not-for-profit executive leadership. However, I am not sure any experience in my life could have fully prepared me for the roller coaster of heart-wrenching decisions and quick pivots that would begin on, of all days, my birthday, March 12, which I happen to serendipitously share with the Girl Scouts organization. It was to be a day of celebration with local dignitaries and community partners as the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council ceremoniously broke ground for our Women’s History and Cultural Center and marked 108 years of Girl Scouting in America.

We modified the event to align with emerging recommended practices for limited gatherings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we carried forward. However, with information changing quite literally hour to hour, by evening I had arrived at the difficult decision to close our offices and suspend all events and activities pending further notice.

I have no doubt every business, church, school and government leader at some point experienced that same unprecedented, visceral moment of realization that the worst of the storm was yet to come.

Like many of my peers, I was intent on trying to do more than simply manage the operational disruptions and service delivery shifts that would be required to simply “get through.” There was no greater impetus or time to leap outside the familiar and, as we teach 30 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

LIKE MANY OF MY PEERS, I WAS INTENT ON TRYING TO DO MORE THAN SIMPLY MANAGE THE OPERATIONAL DISRUPTIONS AND SERVICE DELIVERY SHIFTS THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SIMPLY GET THROUGH. — Maryann Barry

COMMUNITY

our Girl Scout Brownies, Try It! Nothing else would do but to challenge ourselves to innovate, grow, lead in our field, and thrive in our mission.

our heartfelt connection to the community we serve, has made all the difference in leading us from surviving a business crisis to thriving through it.

I determined the foundation for our plan to emerge stronger on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis would be to build and nurture a sense of comfort and connection for our team and the thousands of families we serve. Thus, operation #CitrusFamily was born. We clicked into gear, pivoting to create a 100% virtual work and service delivery environment, innovative strategies, and mindful actions to keep our Girl Scout families connected, supported and continuing to benefit from the mission.

We are currently experiencing the highest spring member renewal figures we have seen in years, which is a significant key performance indicator in our industry. We are both inspired and humbled by this vote of confidence from our customers and constituents during such a challenging time for families.

It was clear to me that much of our success would be reliant upon our ability to maintain staffing, thus achieving a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) grant/loan at the outset of the program was a critical win. While team member roles were modified to meet new needs, all remained active and productive contributors. The past few months have, no doubt, seen the epitome of “other duties as assigned!”

The core undertaking in our strategy required an all-hands-on-deck approach — we called it the smile and dial, and it is still underway. Our goal is to reach every household we serve with a minimum of one personal phone call or letter from the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council. In addition, we invested great innovative energy into social media outreach and events as well as pushing to launch our council app, All Things Girl Scouts (atGS), months ahead of schedule to provide an upgraded engagement experience to our membership at a time that demands digital versus in-person contact.

The take-away is a simple reminder of the secret sauce of all success. People.

One of the most valuable assets for any public-serving business, whether not-forprofit or traditional, is customer loyalty.

It takes effort to build and can be very fragile. Nurturing connection with the people we hope to serve must always be at the heart of our decisions and strategies as business leaders, whether in time of crisis or just “another” day. T

#CITRUSFAMILY Top: DIY Videos Bottom: Girl Scouts App Video

Maryann Barry has served as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council since 2011. The council includes 15,000 girls and 7,000 adult volunteers from six Central Florida counties: Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia.

Below: Maryann Barry

The results have been beyond encouraging! Our council membership and constituents pivoted enthusiastically right along with us, leaning into Zoom meetings, virtual service delivery, livestreamed programs and events (to include traditional campfire singalongs!).

Most importantly, they felt the love we have for our shared mission and the connection it brings to us as a #CitrusFamily. We believe positive attitude, quick pivots and embracing innovation, in concert with maintaining i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 31

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Leading Out of Crisis Times Like These Will Test You — and Here Are 5 Ways to Ensure You Pass

By Bill “Roto” Reuter

I

n times like these, it’s especially important to remember that leadership is a servant activity.

We gave up the right to think of ourselves first when we stepped into leadership. It’s our responsibility as leaders to reduce the anxiety and uncertainty that can take hold during any crisis, but especially one as far-reaching as the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when we as leaders don’t have all the answers, sharing what we do know can be valuable to our team. Here are some points to keep in mind:

A GENUINE LEADER IS NOT A SEARCHER FOR CONSENSUS BUT A MOLDER OF CONSENSUS — Martin Luther King Jr.

1

Connect with your people on a regular basis.

Ongoing communication is key, whether your team is operating remotely or in your normal workplace. Listen to the concerns of your team members, and let them know you don’t have all the answers. It is important to be optimistic but with an authenticity that reflects the nature of these times. This gives you the opportunity to inspire hope.

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2

Trust your team members and understand their capabilities.

Communicating your trust in them and their insights unleashes their creativity. It’s important to listen to their ideas because it not only builds their confidence, it also helps your organization develop strategies for the next 2.0 for your organization. Ask for their input in a group setting because everyone will see the different perspectives. You will see people stepping up in the “new normal,” and you will develop unity in your culture. Celebrate that and be quick to applaud those efforts.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT

3

Be authentic and transparent.

I grew up in a trailer park in Key West, and we didn’t have a lot. My humble beginnings have helped me keep my feet firmly planted on the coral. Always remembering where I grew up allowed me to develop humility. Transparency about challenging times will help you to connect on a more personal level with the people in your organization. This can shape the leadership influence you need to lead them through crisis and change. Remember, you are not just their “boss,” you are their leader and you are a person. They need to see that person in you, and you need to build confidence in them to be part of your solution.

TRUE LEADERSHIP MUST BE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FOLLOWERS, NOT TO ENRICH THE LEADER. — John C. Maxwell

4

Be flexible.

5

Focus on the people.

Innovation is key. You may need to take inventory of your offerings and value as a company. What do you stand for? Look at what new markets or offerings you can provide that may be outside of the aperture you provide today. I spend a lot of time facilitating workshops and strategy sessions to help companies walk through transitions. Many of those companies are watching the shift in the markets and are working to “skate where the puck is going to be.” After this, and for many, their market will shift. It will shift not only in the way their customers procure their goods and services but the types of goods and services they value. Think about what January looked like compared to today. Differentiating the elements of this change that are enduring from those that are temporary is crucial. This will certainly require a nimbler approach in your business culture and your leadership style. Many around our state and our country have demonstrated inspiring agility.

My experience in the U.S. Navy and working with companies today has given me the opportunity to develop and work with highperforming teams. So many companies use and display the phrase “Our people are our most important asset,” but they rarely invest the resources to more holistically develop their employees. This means providing opportunities to grow as communicators, leaders and teammates. Investing your time and energy in your workers beyond their particular discipline within your company will deliver a yield that is off the chart.

Leading out of crisis demands the best from a leader. The leader’s character and ability is revealed when under the pressure that crises bring. As leaders, we have to be cognizant of the fact that the people we are responsible for will remember how we navigate this time. We need to be intentional, informed and connected to see our teams and our enterprises through this period. ■

When he was inducted into the Florida Veterans’ Hall of Fame in 2018, Bill “Roto” Reuter had served as the commanding officer of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, where he was responsible for more than 1,200 personnel and an annual total budget of $1.2 billion. Among other leadership posts, he had been base commander of naval support activity in Orlando and had served in the U.S. Navy for 28 years. Today, he is the president of R-Squared Solutions, a consulting firm he founded in 2012. His nonprofit experience includes his current post as board chair of the Florida Defense Contractors Association. From his unique vantage point, this John Maxwell-trained Central Floridian shares his perspective on how the best leaders navigate their teams during and out of times of crisis.

DIGITAL EXTRA You can catch an interview with Roto Reuter on the i4 Business TV channel on YouTube or at www.i4biz.com. i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 33

Photography by Julie Fletcher

BY DIANE SEARS

A TURNING DATA INTO ACTION

THE SCHMIDT REPORT is a Secret Weapon in Residential Real Estate

s someone who breathes life into the statistics surrounding residential real estate in Central Florida, Jason Schmidt watched with interest when COVID-19 hit the region in March. Residents were under “stay at home” orders as the virus started to spread, and it wasn’t clear how the unfolding scenario would affect housing sales, which had been on track for a banner year.

In the first quarter of 2020, there were more houses on the market than there were buyers. In Orange County, for example, there were almost 4,500 houses for sale, compared with about 17,000 a dozen years ago. The dynamic of supply and demand was driving prices up, making it a seller’s market. Was that about to change?

Schmidt is the president and broker at Stockworth Realty Group, a Windermerebased firm with 18 agents who handle luxury real estate sales. He’s also the publisher of The Schmidt Report, a 300-page quarterly proprietary publication that examines all facets of the residential real estate market in Central Florida.

“What we ended up seeing was that in January through March, we were on pace to have a record year within our region,” Schmidt said.

“And then in April, we saw a fairly significant dip. We saw a decline in total sales of between 10% in some markets and 20% in others.

“But what we didn’t expect to see was inventory remain low and, in some areas, even drop further.

Because of the uncertainty

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created, a number of people who normally would have capitalized by putting their houses on the market didn’t.”

Schmidt’s team needed a competitive advantage, and they had one with The Schmidt Report. He added information from April into the first-quarter report, and it showed what was happening.

“April was a declining month, but May and June were record months for us,” Schmidt said. “Agents have had to shift a bit in the way they interact with people and the way they show homes.

But interest rates are low.

We have no expectation that mortgage rates are going to tick up that much, which helps keep demand in place.

And because we’ve got such low supply, we’re seeing quite a lot of real estate activity.

“This report is something our agents have that sets them apart and makes them unique.

For us, we’ve recovered what we lost in April and are set to have another record year.”

Today’s version of the report has developed since 2013, when Schmidt began compiling a quarterly document of three or four pages as a valuation analyst for Isleworth Realty, part of the Tavistock Group that created the posh Isleworth community in Windermere and is also developing Lake Nona. The report helped the firm’s real estate agents by providing basic information about economic indicators that affected the luxury market, such as number of sales, volume of sales, inventory and median value. It contained no analysis.

Agents kept asking Schmidt questions, tapping into his analytic skills to examine how the data could be used in forecasting. Because he formerly worked in commercial real estate, Schmidt holds an unusual distinction for someone in residential: a CCIM designation, which stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member.

The report expanded to 20 or 30 pages, then 40 or 50, and eventually hundreds. “When I first started it, I had no intention of it becoming the giant monster it has become,” Schmidt said.

The Schmidt Report fulfills two goals: to give agents real-time, actionable information they could share with their clients to help them make decisions about buying and selling homes; and to give local business leaders more highlevel information than they can get from other sources.

“I have some tools and technology set up that allows me to pull large amounts of data much faster than you would if you were doing it manually,” Schmidt said. “The sections are set up in a template format where each section is a mirror of the report’s previous section.

We do that because if the agents are familiar with an individual section, and they have a client who might be interested in another market area, they can quickly go to that section and the format is the same. They know what information they can get, how to get it and how to read it. It’s all consistent.”

Today, The Schmidt Report fits with the values Schmidt and CEO Mark Hayes have set for the firm, which is to provide agents and other employees with the tools they need to excel.

“My belief is that all of our efforts should be focused on being the best professional practitioner we can be instead of the best salesperson we can be,” Schmidt said. “One of the differentiating elements of our company is that in a lot of real estate operations, the broker competes with the agents. The broker is out selling against the agents.

That’s not the way we’re structured.

Mark and I don’t compete with them.

“Our job is to make sure the agents have the tools they need to go out and be successful, and have the organization give them not only business to help them grow, but also resources to make them successful and competitive.” T

MY BELIEF IS THAT ALL OF OUR EFFORTS SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON BEING THE BEST PROFESSIONAL PRACTITIONER WE CAN BE INSTEAD OF THE BEST SALESPERSON WE CAN BE. —Jason Schmidt i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 35

CEO LEADERSHIP

WALKING THE WALK

CEO Leadership Forums Model How to Adapt in Uncertain Times

S

eated around a conference table at the Orlando headquarters of AppleOne Employment Services, six members of the CEO Leadership Forums reflected on the Great Recession of 2008. Ultimately, they all agreed when it came to weathering storms like that one, the CEO Leadership Forums help to make the “unknown” known and arm leaders with knowledge that can help them not just survive the next recession, but thrive.

It was 2019, a full year before the COVID-19 pandemic would hit the United States and change the way the world lives and conducts business. Suddenly, the scenarios the members of the CEO Leadership Forum groups had been fortifying themselves against were confronting them head-on. The organizations quickly readied themselves to step up to the plate.

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Call to Action Made up of two groups each of about 20 CEOs, partners and other leaders from across industries throughout Central Florida, the forums offer a way for leaders to come together to discuss and share their knowledge, expertise and experience.

“We had all been preparing for the next recession, but (the pandemic) hit us all so quickly,” said Nicole McMurray, regional manager of AppleOne Employment Services. “When this happened, we knew we wanted to come together because a lot of us needed information and it was coming from so many angles, but who could you actually trust? Who could you really listen to?”

In mid-March, with all the uncertainty and questions swirling around them, 25 members had a call that was half strategy, half therapy. “We all talked out how we were feeling, how we were dealing with it, and what we needed,” said Geoffrey Gallo, founder of CEO Leadership

Forums and senior vice president of marketing and strategic consulting for CPA firm Grennan Fender.

The two groups, which usually held one event every quarter per group, realized it was time to kick it up a notch.

Casey Fernandez

Over the course of three months, CEO Leadership Forums held nine webinars and planned even more. Members checked in with their community to gauge what people needed most, and then called on people with those specialties throughout the community to moderate and serve as panelists.

Geoffrey Gallo

“We’ve had to tell good stories,” said Casey Fernandez, a client executive with HYLANT, who moderated several of the sessions. “Even in person, we’ve learned that if we do that, people will be interested and they will relate. We didn’t want a 45-minute slide presentation to put everyone to sleep.”

Glyn Griffis

Nasser Hedayat

Ron Wilkinson

Adapting to Survive “What is normal going to look like?” John Will Tenney, president and “adminator” of EmployerNomics, posed the question that represents next steps not just for the forums, but the world. “How do we get back there, and do we want to? Or do we embrace some of the change?

What’s worth embracing and what’s not?”

Deciding what’s worth embracing has been a learning curve, but members of the groups agree there are some silver linings to these unprecedented changes. One was the sudden increased popularity of videoconference technology.

John Will Tenney

Nicole McMurray

Russell Slappey

“What I found, out of this sudden switch to Zoom, was that I don’t have to call people up 30 minutes before a call and explain how Zoom works,” Tenney laughed. The convenience makes scheduling more meetings that are ultimately more productive a possibility.

Tim Bach

That accessibility also means a wider reach for the group. “Beforehand, we were only able to reach our local client base, but now we don’t have the constraints that we would have if we were only offering in-person meetings,” Gallo explained, citing a client in Arizona the group worked with recently. ⊲ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 37

It seems a new type of camaraderie has been forged as everyone adapts and learns the new normal — whether that be bonding over the trials of conducting a videoconference with a houseful of kids and pets passing through, or over the process of figuring out new systems. Gallo recalled how Roy Richardson, a member of the forums and owner and president of Aurora InfoTech, spent hours helping integrate the Zoom registration process with the groups’ MailChimp email marketing platform.

Another member recommended a new customer relationship management (CRM) tool to streamline the forums’ database. A resource for so many in the community, the forums proved to be pretty resourceful themselves.

The Next Steps From protecting people’s privacy when taking temperatures, to what to do in the next phase after the federal Payroll Protection Program funds run out, leaders are still faced with plenty of questions, and Gallo and his group will be there to answer them.

From the use of breakout rooms during webinars for more interaction, to simulcasting through Facebook so that a possible limited in-person session could be streamed to a wider virtual audience, the groups are adapting every day to help as many of their members as possible.

Their work with Valencia College, a partnership pre-COVID-19 that already included on-campus sessions and the funding of a scholarship program, will expand, too. Working with Dr. Nasser Hedayat, Valencia’s assistant vice president of career and workforce education, the groups are looking into grants provided by the federal CARES Act for those pursuing an education through community colleges.

“If you have furloughed employees, employees looking to train further, people looking to gain certifications, this is a chance for CEOs to get their employees into that pipeline,” Gallo said. “What fuels us is educating people who don’t have time to learn all these aspects of business themselves, the overworked CEO.” And while CEOs and executives have had to do a lot of unexpected learning this year, the tools and experience of the groups have proved that surviving — and even thriving — is still possible with the right help. ■ 38 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

PROGRAMMING SINCE THE PANDEMIC

April 2: Government Give-Aways: Fact and Fiction (Moderated by Casey Fernandez): Jed Grennan, Doug Foreman, Gary Cohen, Marshall Harris April 9: Be Proactive in a Time of Uncertainty (Moderated by Ron Wilkinson): Erika Pulley-Hayes, Erik Wiener, Agnes Gregory, Roy Richardson April 16: Lessons Learned From 2008 (Moderated by Casey Fernandez): James W. Tharp Jr., Warren Dietel, Bisser Georgiev, Lee Zerivitz April 23: How to Reform, Perform and Find the Energy to Lead in Chaos!

(Moderated by Nicole McMurray): Sean McDermott, Jeff Condello, Alonzo Williams, Lillian C. Moon, Sean Meder April 30: Open for Business! What’s Next? (Moderated by John Will Tenney): Lee Zerivitz, Doug Foreman, D. Paul Dietrich II, Aimee Collins Hitchner, Steve Hogan May 7: The Big Picture Ahead! (Moderated by Glyn Griffis): Scott J Brown, Jerrid P. Kalakay, Jon Molayem, John Rivers May 12: Optimizing Your PPP Loan Forgiveness and More (Moderated by Geoffrey Gallo): Jed Grennan, Agnes Gregory June 24: Tackling Risk in Turbulent Times (Moderated by Casey Fernandez): Joe Herman, Aashish “A.C.” Chauhan July 9: Selling a Business During COVID-19 (Moderated by Geoffrey Gallo): Jon Molayem and Mark Simmons

MEMBERS OF ORLANDO’S CEO LEADERSHIP FORUMS Geoffrey Gallo, senior vice president of marketing and strategic consulting at Grennan Fender CPA firm, who has led the charge since the inception of CEO Leadership Forums Jed Grennan, managing partner of Grennan Fender CPA firm Tim Bach, president of Patterson/Bach Communications Inc. Russell Slappey, CEO and managing partner of Nperspective CFO & Strategic Services Sean Meder, vice president for commercial banking at City National Bank Nicole McMurray, regional manager of AppleOne Employment Services Lauren Arevalo, senior manager of AppleOne Employment Services Bernie Piekarski, managing partner of Piekarski Consulting LLC Steve Quello, president of CEO Nexus Ray Watson, principal of CEO Nexus Ron Wilkinson, principal of Nperspective CFO & Strategic Services Gary Cohen, CFO and consultant at Nperspective CFO & Strategic Services Chris Cucci, senior vice president and commercial banker at CenterState Bank Doug Foreman, CEO of Fringe Benefit Plans Glyn Griffis, financial advisor with Raymond James Brian Fatigati, president of ARX Payments Daryl Dixon, CEO and cofounder of VALiNTRY Services LLC Paul Dietrich, managing partner at law firm Swann Hadley Stump Dietrich & Spears Timmy Rupeiks, senior vice president of sales for VALiNTRY Services LLC Aimee Collins Hitchner, senior associate at law firm Swann Hadley Stump Dietrich & Spears John Will Tenney, president and "adminator" for EmployerNomics Alonzo Williams, president of Zerion360 Jon Molayem, president of Acquivest Financial Group Lillian Moon, partner at Akerman LLP Jessica Matthews, account executive at Paylocity Roy Richardson, owner and president of Aurora InfoTech Lee Zerivitz, president of CITY Commercial Casey Fernandez, client executive with HYLANT Risk Management & Insurance

EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT

Peter Schoemann Partner

Nelson Mullins

Whether I am working with clients to understand their goals and communicating complex tax law in a way that is understandable, figuring out a way to structure deals to benefit our clients, or representing our client’s interests in negotiating a deal, it all leads to a great feeling at the end.

— Peter Schoemann

Confidence, Focus and Balance

By Meaghan Branham

W

ork hard for the first 20 years of your life or work hard for the rest of your life.

That piece of advice, passed down from his father, has seen Peter Schoemann through his life and his career. Now, as a partner at Nelson Mullins law firm specializing in corporate and tax law, Schoemann has found that his work ethic, commitment and attitude didn’t fade after those first two decades. Instead, they became the foundation for all that came after.

started in the corporate division of Broad and Cassel in 2004, a series of changes would eventually lead that firm to become Nelson Mullins, and Schoemann was happy to stay on.

Throughout his years with the firm, there has been one most important constant: “We work together to get the best deal for our clients. We are confident, but we do not have overblown egos.”

Schoemann was drawn to practicing law, even at a young age.

“While Hollywood glamorizes private practice, I have found that what drew me to be a tax lawyer still draws me to it,” Schoemann said. “Helping clients get their deals done.”

Even during the work-at-home orders implemented this year because of COVID-19, Schoemann said, everyone at the firm has worked together despite being apart. “Each of us knew what the others were working on and found ways to help.

We have all maintained our focus and are coming out of it stronger than when we went in.”

And it’s no accident that he finds himself at Nelson Mullins. While he

Outside of the office, that spirit of confidence, focus, balance and

teamwork remains. He and his wife, Christine, along with their four children, have found strength in this spirit. “Three of my four children have kidney disease, and two of them have Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Schoemann said. The family has faced all of its challenges in one way: together.

It was together that they established and continue to run Breaking Barriers Martial Arts, where they train people with disabilities.

“Two of my sons, David and Kenny, have ASD. Led by my wife, Christine, we have worked for years to create opportunities for them to grow into successful, independent adults. We have all worked together as a family to train our students, and to give them more confidence, focus and balance in their lives.” T

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40 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

UP CLOSE Chris Leggett With

By Meaghan Branham

Talk of supply chains, imports, exports and the global economy has rushed to the forefront of business news cycles and board videoconference discussions since COVID-19 began sweeping the globe and turned into a pandemic. When Chris Leggett, program manager of the Central Florida International Trade Office, first imagined his career, he couldn’t have guessed he would be facing this kind of crisis. As a child spending summers traveling with his parents, experiencing vibrant cultures and seeing new places, Leggett decided he would become a diplomat. And he didn’t end up too far off. After his first job making Burgunderbraten (sausage) at the Fleischwarenfabrik Waltner (meat processing plant), thanks to a government exchange program in Germany, he decided his love of traveling would stay.

But the job would have to change: “It was hard, physical work, and they had no showers on-site, so I had to travel back home on the streetcar stinking of sweat and ham.” So he continued attending university, going on to work in embassies and government with a focus on food, agriculture and trade. His career path eventually led him to Central Florida.

Here, he tells us about Central Florida’s unique role in the global economy, what it looks like now, and what the new normal means for him.

What brought you to Central Florida?

My family loved it! I had achieved my childhood dream of becoming a diplomat when I worked for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the USDA. I had the honor of serving abroad as counsellor for agriculture for more than 10 years, first at the Embassy in Washington, D.C., and then at the Mission of Canada to the European Union. I wanted to do something new, but something that would provide stability for my sons as they entered high school and provide my wife the opportunity to pursue her career in a less transitory environment. We loved Central Florida so much, with its warm weather and fun activities, that we had bought a vacation rental in Kissimmee in 2007, and we helped my mother-in-law move here from California in 2012. It’s so much more than just sunshine and Disney to us. The people are warm and friendly. Central Florida has a dynamic, innovative economy, and Orlando International Airport puts us at the crossroads of the world.

What are some of the most important imports/exports of Central Florida?

First, when I refer to Central Florida trade data, I’m talking about the Orlando metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which includes Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Also, I am only referring to trade in goods. No data is available on trade in services because that is not tracked in the same way. And the information on Central Florida is brand new because data on imports here had never been available before.

Central Florida is an export powerhouse, with merchandise exports valued at nearly $3.6 billion in 2018.

That year, we exported to 224 countries around the world, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Our primary markets, though, are our neighbors to the north and south, with approximately two-thirds of our exports destined to North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

The products Central Florida exported that year are similarly varied. From industrial machinery ($833 million) and electronics ($681 million) to animal hair for wool ($2,473) and cereal flours ($1,052), all helped businesses create wealth and well-paying jobs here in Orlando.

Automotive (vehicles and parts, $270 million), optical equipment ($264 million) and dairy and eggs ($103 million) round out the top five.

A lot of Central Florida jobs also depend on imports, whether it be consumer-ready products sold to tourists down on I-Drive or as components used to help products manufactured here keep costs down and remain competitive. In 2018, we imported products valued at $13.6 billion from 233 countries, with the largest share coming from China ($3.6 billion), Mexico ($2 billion) and Canada ($1.3 billion). Key imports include electronics ($2.3 billion), automotive ($2.2 billion), industrial machinery ($1.9 billion), pharmaceutical products ($680 million) and optical equipment ($560 million).

What has changed with trade with the outbreak of COVID-19? How will we adapt to these changes? What kinds of supply chain interruptions have we experienced?

One of the biggest changes is that people are paying a lot more attention now to international trade. On January 1, very few people knew anything much about supply chains,

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UP CLOSE

but now everyone is talking about how COVID-19 has interrupted international supply chains, and everyone has an opinion on what needs to be done. And this is a good thing. It’s healthy for people to want to know not only where their food comes from, but also their products and how they are made. A wellinformed consumer will always make better decisions.

There is no doubt that international trade has been impacted by these supply chain interruptions. The biggest impact has been because of a spike in demand for certain products such as PPEs and toilet paper at the same time that production has been restricted, both at home and abroad. That’s actually probably the biggest impact: So many production facilities, primarily in Asia, had to shut down earlier this year and are just now back to producing at more normal levels that we will see shortages of many products. My younger son finally saved up for a Nintendo Switch but learned they are currently unavailable in stores until supply catches up with demand.

The other major impact has been on how people and products move.

People have not been able to travel internationally to the same degree as they have in the past — and it is unlikely we will see international travel returning 42 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

to pre-COVID-19 levels for several years.

So, companies have had to adapt to how they conduct international business.

The reduction in air travel has also made shipping by air more challenging.

Normally, 60% of air shipments move in the belly of passenger planes. With those flights grounded, shipping times and prices have both increased.

The impact on shipping by sea was similarly impacted, with shipments being held up at their origins for a variety of reasons. With fewer shipments being made, it took longer to fill cargo vessels, so shipping times increased. Things seem to be getting back to normal, but one of the key things to look at going forward will be the impact on the financial health of shipping lines, and whether any lines are forced to cease operations. I would like to highlight the contributions of some unsung heroes of COVID-19: the merchant vessel crews stranded for months at sea because they could not be rotated due to health concerns at port.

What are some policies CFITO has implemented?

The biggest change for CFITO is not being able to offer in-person services and events. Like many others, we have made Zoom our best friend! Instead of doing counseling one-on-one, I meet with people by phone and by web meeting.

We held our first webinar on May 28 on Making Your Supply Chain More Resilient. We are located at the National Entrepreneur Center in Fashion Square Mall, and even as our offices reopen to the public, we’ll continue to offer events virtually for some time. That’s for two reasons: because it’s what people seem to be more comfortable with and because of restrictions on the number of guests we can accommodate in our meeting rooms in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. In addition to learning something new, one of the benefits of these new practices is that we are able to record our events and post them on the new CFITO YouTube channel.

How have you found yourself adapting to the new normal?

I’ve had to work, like many people, and being “stuck” in the house for a period was taxing. However, even at the deepest point of this crisis, CFITO was able to stay open and I have kept busy delivering services to the community. Just instead of meeting in person, I became a big user of Zoom. I wish I had bought some of the company’s stock last year! While I really enjoy my current “commute,” I am looking forward to getting back in the office and being able to interact on a more regular basis with Central Florida businesses and entrepreneurs. T

LOOKING TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS?

Don’t Do It Without This Book!

Author Nancy G. Allen

With over 20 years experience coaching leaders on business growth, Nancy G. Allen is your go-to resource. – Diane Sears

The Decision to Scale is a resource for all business leaders.

The book focuses on three key areas: personal, business, and company development.

AMONG THE TOPICS COVERED: • Understanding what makes a successful president • Using mind mapping to generate new ideas • Identifying new business trends • Creating an excellent capabilities statement

• Forging strategic alliances • Embracing the power of delegating • Crafting a strategic plan • Using action plans for success

Nancy G. Allen is the President & CEO of the Women’s Business Enterprise Council of Florida and is an international speaker, coach, and consultant. www.wbecflorida.org

BEST PRACTICE

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

Leadership DURING CRISIS, FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM’S MISSION

When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters.

One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.

— John F. Kennedy

W

e have all taken different paths during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now with a civil rights movement spreading throughout the United States and the world, we are at a crossroads. The question is, how do you keep your family, employees, coworkers, vendors, business and community thriving and motivated during a period of crisis? The answer is leadership.

I have been in business for 37 years, and I have never seen a greater need for leadership.

People are starving for honest and authentic leaders.

I would like to share my perspective on leadership

44 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

styles during the worst global crisis in our lifetime and possibly many generations to come. Here are some steps you can take to make a difference at your workplace: 1. Make sure all employees feel safe and secure in their work surroundings.

For my company, that has meant requiring many of us to work remotely. The company was deemed an essential business, and even those of us not delivering packages were deemed essential to commerce. We elected to have our business unit work remotely. All meetings are conducted by videoconference over Zoom, with very few telephone-

only calls. This way we can all see each other.

2. Maintain a routine, just as you would if you were not working remotely. The only thing we changed since the onset of COVID-19 was to have a global daily call. This videoconference includes 80 people around the world.

This was the most critical decision we implemented, and we did not know the impact at the start, but boy do we know now. We are in our fifth month of the global calls, and it is the glue to our success.

3. Make remote meetings interactive and fun. Since the beginning, our slogan

has been “Saving the world one COVID-19 call at a time.” Everyone knows the mission is saving lives. We move personal protective equipment (PPE) around the world. So they are serious calls, but you can still have fun. We’ve challenged each other to come up with interesting backdrops. We have had beautiful pictures of Martin Luther King, the first day the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened and an employee’s son playing in a band. One day, since there had been no live sports for months, we declared it “Jersey Day” and encouraged all to display a background of their favorite team.

We even had a contest of the best picture of a steamliner. We picked three winners and each of them received a $25 Visa gift card. In one of my favorite activities, one of our managers, who is a guitarist and vocalist, opened our meeting with the song “Lean on Me.” He received a standing ovation via Zoom.

4. Make calls each day to an employee or several employees. If you have a large operation like we do, you might not even know some of them, but they certainly know you. Check in on how they’re doing, ask how their families are holding up, and ask them to share with you the biggest adjustment they’ve had to make and some of the silver linings they’ve found during this COVID-19 crisis.

I started in mid-March and have called almost 200 employees. It’s been rewarding for me to meet them, even virtually.

5. Connect more regularly with your direct reports.

I have 12 directs, and

besides the normal monthly activities of scheduled committee meetings and individual one-on-ones, we do something special. We have set up a virtual happy hour at 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

Some have their spouses join and others have had their adult children join.

We talk about everything but work. Usually we discuss weekend plans and world events.

6. Continue to put safety first. Our offices started a phased reopening May 11.

If the opening is handled correctly, the workplace should be the secondsafest place for employees besides their homes.

All protocols need to be followed to the letter of the checklist produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the recommendations is to lock conference rooms, breakrooms and any other social areas. We made a return to the workplace voluntary. We did not want to exceed 20% of our employees returning to work on any given day.

Some employees do not have a good remote set-up or their homes have weak internet connections, so they prefer to be in the office. I did go into work briefly when we opened.

I felt very safe, and all protocols were being followed.

What the new normal will look like in the future will be determined as we go down this path together. I have talked about silver linings. Mine is that I could not be prouder of the team, and we are closer than ever. ■

DID YOU KNOW 92%

of U.S. adults read magazines

Americans of all ages read magazines — especially younger adults.

91% of adults 94% of those under 30 95% of those under 25

Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 45

BEST PRACTICE

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

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

Marketing COMPASSION IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY ( AND SOME EXAMPLES OF HOPE )

Look for a way to lift someone up.

And if that’s all you do, that’s enough.

— Elizabeth Lesser

46 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

T

here’s been a lot of talk of the “new normal” in the past few months as the world navigates the unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s undeniable that how we live, work, play, shop and even sell will have to look different, for who knows how long.

No matter your industry or background, we are all asking ourselves a question that goes far beyond the bottom line and gets at the heart of humanity: How can we acknowledge and respect all the pain, trauma, fear and loss of these times, but still do our best to go on — to celebrate and honor all the good that we are more grateful than ever to have?

For those in marketing or at the helm of a business, this question often leads to another: How can we add more compassion and empathy into our work to make a difference, and innovate our strategies to reflect this new normal?

As we all navigate uncharted territory together, some answers are emerging.

What are audiences looking for?

It’s true that compassion is not the first thing that springs to mind when most think of marketing. But it’s also true that: 1) The world needs more of that compassion than ever, and 2) All of us must do what we can. This is the time for us to lean into empathy and

connection. In the case of small businesses and marketers, that means using your platform to help. Selling will no longer be at the forefront. People will still need goods and services — but more than that, they will need kindness, understanding and information.

The Edelman Trust Barometer 2020 Special Report: Brand Trust and the Coronavirus Pandemic sheds some light on four of the most important things people are looking for from companies in times like these.

1. Show up and do your part. All of us struggle with feeling helpless right now, so just showing up in whatever capacity you

can is so effective. Brands and businesses typically have a broader reach than just one person, so use your unique platform and resources to make a difference and to amplify the voices of others looking to do the same.

2. Don’t act alone. As we all work to do our part by staying apart, new ways of being connected are coming to the forefront.

Joining forces with partners can widen your reach and make a bigger impact.

3. Solve, don’t sell. Now is not the time to push products. Now is the time to connect, build trust and lend a hand. You still offer value to your audience, but it will look a bit different. It might be information shared on your website or making resources available or accessible to those in need.

Acknowledging that we all must work together and offering up your unique strengths is a powerful act of compassion.

4. Communicate with awareness, compassion and facts. Focus on awareness, responsibility and mindfulness — not panic. Keep that in mind when sharing information with your audience.

Compassion in Action

There are countless examples of how companies have pivoted toward compassion over the course of this year. Here are some of our favorites: Do Your Part: In April 2020, the Walt Disney Company announced it would be selling its own face masks with some favorite characters on them, with all profits from the sales through September 30 going to MedShare, a nonprofit that redistributes

surplus medical supplies and equipment to hospitals in developing countries. Disney also announced it would donate 1 million masks to children and families in vulnerable communities across the United States.

Don’t Act Alone: Orlandobased self-driving shuttle provider Beep partnered with Park Pizza & Brewing Company in Lake Nona to donate and deliver lunch to healthcare workers at the Orlando VA Medical Center operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “Mobilizing our team and partnerships in any way we can to support our communities is necessary in this time of need,” CEO Joe Moye said in a press release.

Solve, Don’t Sell: With more people working and learning from home, technology and entertainment company Comcast made its Xfinity WiFi network free to everyone and gave all customers unlimited free data for 60 days. Its Internet Essentials program, which services lowincome families, allowed new customers to access to the program for free for 60 days.

Communicate: Community Health Centers of Central Florida has consistently updated its website with national and local news, resources for its patients, and tips for taking care of mental and physical health.

This is a strange time, to say the least. As we all adapt, the trend in every sector seems to be one of mindfulness, kindness and togetherness. Keeping that in mind when planning your campaigns can not only make a difference for the world, it can help you and your team feel a little less helpless and a little more hopeful. And when these hard times pass, we will all remember — and hopefully maintain — the compassion that saw us through. ■

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/newsstand buyers and other members of their households.

Source: MPA – The Association of Magazine Media

i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 47

BEST PRACTICE

Bill Reidy is president of PWRhouse Consulting, an authorized Sandler Training center and sales force development company in Orlando. He can be reached at www.pwrhouse. sandler.com, bill.reidy@ sandler.com or 443-418-6033.

FFDIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Business Development CREATING MOMENTUM IN A DOWN MARKET

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.

— Alan Lakein

A

ll global crises share some important common traits: beginnings, middles, endings and discernable patterns that carry lessons for sales leaders. One discernable pattern is that the economic recovery from every crisis produces both winners and losers. This begs the question, what can sales leaders do to ensure their organizations will not only survive, but will emerge as one of the winners?

When we experience a crisis, we may be tempted to focus our attention on what was happening during the period prior to the crisis. We are also likely to be preoccupied with the current impact of the crisis itself.

48 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

This instinctive focus on the immediate past and the present helps us understand what has happened and is happening.

However, it deals only with the first two phases of the crisis: the “before” and the “during.”

These automatic reactions to the crisis fail to consider the future recovery phase.

This phase, typically the least understood, is the one leaders need to focus on to create a solid recovery plan. Experience tells us that we get what we plan for, so the first question we must address is, do we have a team focused on building our recovery plan? The focus should no longer be on getting back to normal or on crisis management, but on getting

ready to succeed in the changed business environment.

Companies that will emerge stronger from this crisis must develop and adopt new processes during the recovery phase. Broadly speaking, processes that focus on strategic account management, an effective and measurable sales process, and productive, repeatable sales engagement methods will set the foundation for growth.

To develop an effective account management approach, start with revising the plans for your most strategic and valued accounts. Focus on defining those accounts, identifying the clients’ current needs, and

determining how engagement can assist in their recovery.

An efficient and measurable sales process is critical. Begin with thoroughly reviewing your current pipeline of sales opportunities. Identify prospects whose priorities have likely shifted since the onset of the crisis, either negatively or positively. Be honest about the opportunities that can yield success, and move on from the rest. Spending time and energy on prospects that won’t close is a misuse of time and resources.

Sales engagement skills and methodology must focus on continuous improvement.

New opportunities may be more limited — therefore, capitalizing on the success of each opportunity becomes critical. Take an honest look at your team’s abilities to perform. Some staff may lack the tools and skills required for success, while others may lack the temperamental and behavioral profile.

Once you have done all of this, essential questions remain to be answered: What pains and challenges are your current and future clients facing, and how do your products and services profitably resolve them?

Addressing this question means moving away from focusing on what your products and services do and moving toward identifying the problems your products and services address, along with the unique value you can create for your customers.

What people and tools can you apply to these opportunities? You need

not limit yourself to the sales team in addressing this question. Often, some of the most valuable people in customer success, service, or delivery are underutilized in the drive for growth.

How do you connect with the most important target markets specifically, and does your lead management strategy need to be revised? Focusing on the leading indicators is key, since waiting until you see results means it may be too late. Leadership must look at quantifiable behaviors and track the leading indicators that show how well or poorly the organization is performing. Do not simply track closed sales; instead, track the behaviors that deliver closed sales and closely watch the timelines and the direction in which the needle is moving.

Successful recovery from the COVID-19 crisis will not be a return to business as usual. It will create entirely new dynamics in every market and will increase the speed of positive changes that were already underway. Every sales professional, sales leader and business leader will benefit from planning for the next recovery as a defining moment, one requiring a hard look at both internal people and processes and the needs of clients. This critical transition, successfully managed, will create positive foundational changes that support scalable, sustainable and long-term revenue growth. ■

DID YOU KNOW

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 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 49

BEST PRACTICE

Dr. Vintee Narang a psychiatrist at Community Health Centers in Forest City, earned a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Miramar, Florida. She completed her residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-University Hospital and her fellowship at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. The behavioral health team at the Community Health Centers is available at 407-905-8827.

The American

THE AMERICAN Psychiatric PSYCHIATRIC Association ASSOCIATION recommends RECOMMENDS these resources: THESE RESOURCES:

DISASTER DISTRESS HELPLINE Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE Call 1-800-273-8255 or Chat with Lifeline

CRISIS TEXTLINE Text TALK to 741741

50 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Mental Health COVID-19: FINDING CALM AMID THE CHAOS As a community, we are under a great deal of pressure these days. Life outside of work has become increasingly stressful, and we often find ourselves worrying about the well-being of our loved ones as well as our own personal safety. Being flooded with news updates on our cell phones, computers and televisions compounds this pressure and increases our daily stress levels.

We’ve all been affected by this viral pandemic in some way, and we are being asked to make sacrifices in our daily lives for the greater good of society. During these difficult and uncertain times, it is very important that we take good care of our mental health to

ensure we’ll be able to continue to give the best of ourselves to the people who need us.

Anxiety comes from a lack of control of a situation or fear of the unknown. The world of is full of this uncertainty right now. However, we can keep our anxiety levels down by adopting some simple coping strategies, which will help to modify cognitive distortions and help prevent us from adopting a catastrophic thought process.

To help mitigate the unknown, one can gather information regarding the current situation and how best to stay prepared and remain calm. It is advised to pick one

reliable source of information, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov or the World Health Organization at www.who.int, rather than peruse various sites or sources.

Also, it is best not to stay glued to the news coverage throughout the day. Instead, set reasonable limits on the total amount of time spent viewing the news — whether that is on television or on the internet.

Without setting limits for ourselves and the loved ones in our care, we run the risk of creating a negative mindset.

On a similar note, limit social media updates and mobile reminders regarding

the coronavirus as this can contribute to feelings of anxiety and despair. Start with local updates regarding area schools, businesses and activities rather than constantly focusing on international updates.

Lowering Anxiety Levels

Here are some simple steps you can take to help lower your daily anxiety levels: • Have a contingency plan in place. Being proactive and taking charge of “what-if” thinking can reduce the anxiety that is a natural part of dealing with the unknown.

• Implement coping mechanisms. Use those that have helped you in the past.

• Accept negative feelings.

Acknowledge these, such as through journaling.

Inability to express these feelings can lead to long-term anxiety or depression.

• Get regular, daily exercise. A brisk walk or an at-home workout can do wonders to relieve stress.

• Eat a balanced diet consisting of plenty of fruits, vegetables and water.

• Reach out to your support system. This might include your medical provider, family members and friends.

• Focus on getting plenty of restful sleep and practice good sleep hygiene techniques.

Coping with Stress

Here are some other coping mechanisms that can be incorporated into our daily lives: 1. Breathing techniques.

Deep breathing helps you think more clearly

and relieves muscle tension. Slowly inhale through your nose. Hold it for a moment and then exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this breathing exercise three times whenever you start to feel overwhelmed or stressed. It will help calm and refocus the mind. Try to stand still, sit down, or even lie down as you focus on your breathing.

2. Meditation and/or yoga.

You can meditate through breathing, mantras or an app such as Headspace or Calm.

3. Mindfulness. Cope by focusing on the current moment. Begin to identify exactly what is going on around you, what emotions you are feeling, what you are thinking, and how your body feels without trying to stop the flow.

4. Grounding exercises. Try one of these: Identify five colors around you, focus on something nearby that is completely new to you, or close your eyes and identify what you hear.

5. A change of environment and physical distance.

This can help you cope by relieving some of the stress and tension you feel.

Try taking a walk.

6. Regular physical activity.

This can help release built-up energy, tension and stress. Schedule some at-home workouts, which can boost your mood, or try running.

7. Social media. Use this as a form of enjoyment and for support. Facetime/Skype/ group chats can provide a way to connect with friends and family. However, it is important to set reasonable limits on your daily use of social media. ■ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 51

BEST PRACTICE

Jacqueline “Jackie” Brito SHRM-SCP, SPHR, is an evidence-based organizational culture strategist, executive coach and speaker who is the founder and CEO of HR Asset Partners. She previously worked in recruitment, marketing and career development at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business in Winter Park and as an internal HR consultant at the Orlando Sentinel, a multimedia communications company. She can be reached at jackie@hrassetpartners.com.

FFDIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity and Inclusion GREEN — THE NEW COLOR OF WORKFORCE DIVERSITY: 6 ADVANTAGES TO STIMULATE GROWTH AND PROFITS

We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity life would be very boring.

— Catherine Pulsifer

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A

s Florida continues to reopen the state’s economy following the coronavirus quarantine, how might we ensure the most effective revitalization efforts for Central Florida companies that have been adversely impacted the most? If you own or work for one of those companies, what strategies can be deployed to help ensure a return on your investment (ROI)?

Leaders of top-performing organizations are keenly aware of the correlation between workforce diversity and their financial performance. An all-inclusive diverse workforce strategy suggests that a company employ a wide range

of individuals of varying ages, religions, abilities, ethnicities, genders, cultures, sexual orientation, education, and languages, to name a few.

Here are six key advantages worth considering that are aimed at increasing social growth and profits through workforce diversity:

Creative and innovative ideas. Various perspectives are

essential in facilitating creativity and innovation to generate profitable outcomes. If your team is composed of individuals who think, speak, act, believe and behave the same, the ability to grow your business could be severely constrained at the risk of perpetuating the status quo.

However, critical thinking can be optimized when individuals with different backgrounds are included. Diversity in viewpoints can encourage team members to examine their customary assumptions and allow new opportunities to emerge.

Ability to identify unintended consequences. It’s imperative

to do your due diligence prior to implementing any new business strategy; yet it’s highly unlikely you will eliminate all unintended consequences in pursuit of your projected outcomes. By including team members with varying degrees of knowledge, skills and abilities to ask key questions as strategies are being developed, you minimize the risk of group

The West Orange Chamber s

Steps for SUCCESS think and project failure.

In return, you increase the likelihood of profitability.

A stronger and wider bench. Companies known

for transparent and ethical employment practices are positioned to attract the most viable candidates. The expansion of recruitment and retention efforts to include diverse pools of qualified individuals with in-demand skill sets essential to the success of your business positions you and your company as an influencer and disruptor in the market. Subsequently, ethical behaviors mitigate perceptions and allegations of discrimination and potential charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or costly employment lawsuits.

Extended market reach. The

ability to anticipate consumer needs starts with a clear perspective of the audience you want to reach. Whether your focus is local, global or both, employing and empowering individuals from different backgrounds facilitates targeted marketing efforts to a broader base of customers and assists in identifying and reaching new market segments. Your company’s image of being an inclusive organization could create brand loyalty in new, diverse, untapped

markets and potentially an economic advantage.

Lower employee turnover rates. The most valuable

assets to any organization are the right people. With the myriad costs associated with each hiring and firing decision, it’s important to handle both wisely. For more profitable and sustainable outcomes, identify diverse candidates whose values align with your organization’s mission, vision and business objectives.

When you practice inclusion rather than assimilation, not only do employees stay, but they are engaged. You get to retain and capitalize on their intellectual property, which adds a positive impact to your organization’s bottom line.

Become a West Orange Chamber Member Seize the Opportunities Get Results Repeat Daily

A socially conscious culture.

A genuine commitment to workforce diversity requires goals specific to inclusion and engagement detailed in your company’s strategic plan. This will position you as a resultsdriven, socially conscious leader who fosters a company culture that values diversity.

It is impossible to guarantee outcomes. But it is possible to consider alternative solutions to revitalize your business, thereby disrupting the status quo while strengthening your ability to gain market share through a diverse workforce. ■

Facilitating Opportunity for Over 45 Years

(407) 656-1304 wochamber.com Dr. Phillips | Gotha | Horizon West | Lake Avalon MetroWest | Oakland | Ocoee | Orlo Vista Pine Hills | Windermere | Winter Garden i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 53

Art

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

BY MEAGHAN BRANHAM Meaghan Branham is the communications manager for i4 Business, she oversees the company’s digital media strategy, handles client relationship marketing and serves as one of the publication’s lead writers.

Florida on Film:

The Highwaymen Photo caption,

Director, producer and co founder of Stars North, Todd Thompson “I knew the type of story I wanted to tell was both a past and presentday one.”

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W

hen St. Petersburg Times writer Jim Fitch first sat down to tell the story of Florida’s "Highwaymen" in 1996, they weren’t yet known by that now-famous name. Fitch coined the term, referring to the group of African American painters working out of Fort Pierce starting in 1955 and continuing through the 1980s, whose vibrant Florida landscapes now often sell for thousands of dollars.

Living, working and creating in the Jim Crow-era South, however, meant they had to adopt nontraditional methods of creating and selling to make the same kind of living with their art that a white artist could make. Led

by Alfred Hair and inspired by Harold Newton, the group adopted a signature style that allowed them to paint more quickly, and with materials like house paint and fiberboard. The Highwaymen — 25 men and one woman, altogether — would then pack the paintings in the trunks of their cars, sometimes before the paint was even dry, and sell them door to door and along the highways and interstates of Florida.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Preserving a Legacy and a Future Lucien Adderly and Byrd Wilson of 89 Writers When Todd Thompson, who is the director, producer and cofounder of Central Florida-based production company Stars North, first heard the story 15 years ago, he knew he wanted to see it on the screen. Now, 25 years after Fitch’s article and 65 years after the first painting, a feature film and a six-part documentary series are slated to begin production in Central Florida. The film will be directed and produced by Thompson, along with partner Tim Franta and producers Kathryn Kelly and Joy Kigin.

The Making of a Movie

“I knew the type of story I wanted to tell was both a past and presentday one,” Thompson said. “If Jim Fitch hadn’t sat down in 1996 to write that article, they wouldn’t be identified as ‘The Highwaymen.’ But if this group of inspired artists hadn’t gotten together and painted every night in their backyards and carports, Fitch wouldn’t have had anything to write about. And all of it led to them being recognized and being inducted into the Artists Hall of Fame in Florida.”

Telling that story took years of research, collaboration and plenty of “pounding the pavement” for funding and partners, Thompson said.

They delved into books, articles and documentaries. They took several trips to Fort Pierce for in-depth interviews with some of the Highwaymen themselves and others who played integral roles in their lives and careers.

Sifting carefully though a room full of notes, Thompson found the “scenes, dialogue and story beats” that would eventually become the first draft of the screenplay. But they still needed writers to bring the script to life.

That’s where 89 Writers came in. The writing duo is made up of Lucien Adderly and Byrd Wilson, who were both raised in Florida and already had several impressive credits to their name, including the Oprah Winfrey Network’s “David Makes Man” series. Thompson crossed paths with the writing duo thanks to a rather serendipitous introduction by his son’s math tutor.

"We’re excited to be part of this project because of our desire to tell Florida stories and take responsibility for getting them out there on a level that exposes the world to black history in our home state," Adderly and Wilson said in a press release.

Telling the story of The Highwaymen is the only way to preserve their integral part in art history, African American history and Florida history. The perseverance, talent and creativity of The Highwaymen, which led to their tremendous success even in the face of deeply rooted inequality and injustice, has inspired everyone who has heard and told the story since. Film offers a new way to tell their story, and a chance to ignite more interest in our past and more opportunities into our future.

“We’re dedicated to telling great stories and, any way possible, telling them in Florida.

To rejuvenate the film industry, keep the creative legacy going and keep really talented people working down here is a big deal for me,” Thompson said.

In phase one of production, filming will take place in and around Central Florida.

Phase two, focusing on the 1950s and 1960s, will be filmed in locations spread out around the state.

Partnering with organizations like Elevate Orlando, Thompson’s team is working around Parramore, Washington Square and Holden Heights to engage those downtown communities and their local businesses that are traditionally African American.

Other partners like the Orlando Economic Partnership have helped with securing locations, identifying production partners and guiding the crew.

“We don’t hurt the environment or distribute waste — in fact, nine times out of 10 we leave a site cleaner than when we got there,” Thompson said. “And when the bigger studio projects come into town, hotel rooms are being rented, restaurants are patronized, rental car companies are being used, people are hired both behind and in front of the camera. It might not be permanent employment, but it is a big infusion of resources. Filmmaking in general is an amazing industry to have as part of your economic development and growth.” ■ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 55

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Sports

The Business of

Teamwork is Critical as the COVID-19 Crisis Spurs Dramatic Changes

BY JASON SIEGEL Jason Siegel is president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission. Longtime Orlando sportswriter George Diaz contributed to this article.

O

ur mission at the Greater Orlando Sports Commission is to attract and manage sportsrelated events, conferences and activities that drive positive economic impact for our region. We focus on five main areas:

1. Major league and marquee sporting events (all-star games, WrestleMania, Monster Jam, international soccer)

1. Olympic Sports events (trials, qualifiers and championships)

1. NCAA events (national and conference championships)

1. eSports events (qualifiers, tournaments and national championships)

1. Amateur/youth sports tournaments (qualifiers, showcases, invitationals and championships)

Hosting youth travel sports is essential to the success and economic viability of our region, which includes Orange, Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties and the city of Orlando. Youth travel sports traditionally drives between $15 billion and $20 billion into the nation’s economy, and our region is one of the country’s leading destinations for this activity. Our community's sports venues host more youth sports activities than events in any of the other four categories listed above.

Youth sports experts predict 25% to 50% of children won’t return to the fields, pools, pitches, ice rinks and gymnasiums for the remainder of 2020.

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As we face the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team at the Sports Commission has been gathering a tremendous amount of information, aggregating best practice policies, procedures and protocols, and asking a lot of questions while collaborating with our community’s sports stakeholders.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

We are at a crossroads.

The disruptive forces of the universe will make us question the way things used to be and reimagine how things will look when we can fully go back to participating in both travel and recreational play. Equally as important, or even more so, is the need to create opportunity for underserved communities and take more social responsibility.

help that was available to other small businesses. Due to narrowing margins, clubs and leagues were forced to either not pay their coaches or not refund families for seasons left unfinished.

Parks and recreation budgets have been getting slashed across the country, and many nonprofit community centers face fundraising challenges as they look to the future.

We can and should do this by considering the opinions of experts who are discussing changes that may create new and inclusive opportunities in the future. Experience and history tell us that youth travel sports and the economic impact that comes with it has been borderline “recession-proof.”

In fact, many venues and destinations saw a spike in travel participation after economic downturns because parents were willing to forgo their own family vacation plans to travel with their children and their teams. Here in Orlando, we have long witnessed visitors who have planned their family vacations and trips to our theme parks and attractions around their child’s travel tournaments.

Youth sports experts predict 25% to 50% of children won’t return to the fields, pools, pitches, ice rinks and gymnasiums for the remainder of 2020. That’s a heartbreaking number, considering the pre-COVID-19 challenges: Adolescents only average playing three years of organized sports.

Less is not better.

While that is encouraging, there’s more to the story. Local sports clubs have not been as fortunate. Many organizations did not qualify for the CARES Act forgivable loan. Countless youth clubs had no source of financial

It’s a daunting challenge we face as a nation, not just in Greater Orlando.

Schoolchildren will go at least five to six months without physical education on school campuses, and many of those will not participate in local “rec-league” or travel play over the summer.

The emotional and physical stress and strain could range from moderate to extreme anxiety, weight gain and disciplinary issues. Sports instill so many positive values for children, including leadership, teamwork, work ethic, and organizational and life skills.

Youth sports, through its evolution over the past 25 years, has grown from pickup football and basketball, stick ball on the streets, soccer in open fields and ice hockey on ponds to a far different model. The current model involves position-specific coaching, private instruction, custom uniforms, expensive equipment, lengthy travel, and pay-to-play models in our middle schools and high schools.

Our world may soon include a reduction of college scholarships and sports programs, and with that the lost opportunity to attend colleges and universities because programs at that level can’t be funded the way they once were. It will leave many student athletes unable to find alternative forms of competition, stunt their development and interrupt their education.

What to do becomes the pertinent question.

We are working to recruit a diverse task force to develop solutions to address the widening gap and inequities between community “playfor-free” after-school youth sports activity and “pay-to-play” models that are marginalizing low-income community kids and special-needs children. Opportunity leads to access, and access leads to participation.

We look forward to working with leaders from all sectors of the community in finding answers that will shape the future of youth sports. It’s imperative we find those solutions, not only for us, but for our children waiting on the sidelines. ■ i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 57

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

Nonprofits UNCF Funds Help Students Through COVID-19 Crisis

T

he COVID-19 outbreak hit suddenly and left all of us reeling.

We all have felt overwhelmed, frustrated and anxious.

However, the impact on the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the students we served was dire.

BY GWEN THOMPSON HEWITT Gwen Thompson Hewitt is the area development director for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), serving Central and North Florida

• About 76% of the students we serve are on financial aid. Our students are more likely to have parents who have lost their jobs, and many students are without funds to travel home, find temporary housing, purchase meals or access health care. When they do go home, they are often returning to communities where the needs are extreme. This challenge is even more palpable in the South, where communities of color face historic inequity.

• Historically black colleges and universities that are part of the UNCF community, such as Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, are already strapped for supplemental revenue with median endowments of $12 million, compared with $34 million nationally. The pandemic has drained resources just as our schools need to shift to remote curricula, ensure campus safety and protect vulnerable students.

While most of us were frustrated by the endless search for toilet tissue and hand sanitizer, UNCF students anxious to maintain their studies frantically contacted their schools with requests to borrow the technology required to enable them to continue their academics remotely.

Through the immediate action of our corporate, foundation and individual supporters, we have responded to the crisis. With their assistance, since March 13, UNCF has taken bold steps to help our institutions and students cope with COVID-related challenges. We have provided more than $3 million in scholarships, degree completion grants and emergency aid to students at our institutions.

We have also led efforts to secure an online platform for our member colleges and universities to deliver coursework online now and going forward.

UNCF students unable to return to campus and unable to afford the $75 bus ticket home moved in with fellow classmates.

Together, five or six students lived in an apartment designed for two — obviously not social distancing, but able to pool their meager resources for food and other essentials.

Every day, the pandemic exacerbates the challenges our students and institutions must overcome. To help, Central Florida is joining the National UNCF Virtual Walk for Education to raise funds to support students. We must get our students back to school.

Others sought $150 for car repairs to ensure they could make it back home. Most of our students are the first in their families to go to college. They’re from households with annual incomes of less than $35,000, so they qualify for federal financial aid and hold down part-time jobs to supplement the cost of their education.

Central Florida participants in the Virtual Walk can make a difference while practicing social distancing. Just form a team, join a team or make a donation. Choose whether to walk, run, cycle or dance. Then join an online celebration at 2 p.m. September 19, 2020, with celebrities, member presidents, students, alumni and others. For information, visit the website at https://uncf.org/event/2020-virtualwalk-for-education-orlando.

The pandemic highlights the many gaps in our systems of emergency preparedness, health and education. Our focus today at UNCF is to make certain that despite COVID-19, none of our students fall through the gaps.

Consider these facts: • The pandemic disproportionately affects people of color, adding to the significant challenges that impede our students’ ability to complete their studies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released nationwide data that revealed 30% of COVID-19 patients are African American, even though African Americans make up about 13% of the U.S. population.

58 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

As UNCF enters its 76th year, our mission is critical now, more than ever. We must equip our students to answer the call this pandemic has put forth. We need them to fill essential fields in medicine, public health and emergency response.

We face an unprecedented time in our history. UNCF will persevere — but only with the help of partners, donors and friends who make our work possible and believe in our mission. ■

Real Estate INDUSTRY INSIGHT

The Business of

BY MARY SHANKLIN Mary Shanklin is a freelance journalist based in Central Florida and the founder and publisher of Fifth Estate Media.

M

y financial guy paused when I told him I was going to sell my house and buy another one in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, we were under home isolation orders. Understandably, he said, “Are you sure you want to do that at a time when people are supposed to stay at home?”

featured an abundance of private space inside and out. My husband grudgingly came with me to see it on a Friday night. Let’s face it: Everyone contemplates moving when they’re stuck at home sharing walls, but the fantasy ends when we wake up to the hassle of moving.

Interesting question.

How COVID-19 ultimately affects our boombust real estate market remains to be seen.

Rising unemployment in our tourist town is likely to push down demand in the residential sector. In April, we saw sales down more than a quarter from a year earlier. Yet prices were up and buyers had less negotiating power, according to an Orlando Regional Realtors report.

For several reasons, we are unlikely to see the foreclosure bust that hit Central Florida starting in 2007. First, the market isn’t propped up with fundamentally flawed mortgages that led to the record downturn. Second, the realities of home isolation will push people toward new spaces.

During this year’s stay-home time, employees have balanced work and family on their knees at the kitchen island. Parents with schoolchildren have longed for neighborhood pools and parks to open. Renters in high-rise apartments have donned masks to brave elevators. Apartment fitness centers have been locked. New Yorkers have eyed exit strategies. In short, home isolation has forced people to take a harder look at their nests.

For my husband and me, the house we crafted so carefully just four years ago in a front porchstyle neighborhood of Winter Garden now seemed claustrophobic for two working adults.

Voices echoed off walls as my husband and I both “Zoomed.” Noise grew as neighbors partied beside their pool. Our outlet became the outdoors, and our back yard was more like a cute courtyard than a peaceful oasis.

A friend who lived nearby texted about a house that had just listed in our neighborhood. It

On the front porch, we found blue shoe covers. Inside, a bottle of hand sanitizer was waiting for us. We toured the house and liked what we saw, so we asked for a second showing three days later. The Realtor let us know we weren’t the only ones going back for another round.

Despite the competition, we snagged this kinder, gentler abode. Then we had to sell our place.

My financial advisor’s cautions echoed in my mind as we priced our house just below our Realtor’s suggestions. During the next two days, a parade of buyers competed for showing times. We “Lysoled” door handles, put out masks and provided hand sanitizer.

This was not the COVID-19 house-listing picture we had feared.

Multiple full-price offers came. Buyers wrote imploring letters about how they would love to raise their children in our house. After we picked the buyer most likely to close on our timetable, we got a backup offer. One friend told me, “You left money on the table.” A different friend told me, “Lions eat. Tigers eat. And greedy pigs who want more get eaten.”

Who knows?

Two doors down from us, a neighbor had listed her house during the spring. Two executive chefs quickly signed a contract. Then they lost their jobs because of restaurant shutdowns at the beginning of the pandemic and the deal went bust.

Things happen, and Central Florida’s unemployment rate is likely to shift the equilibrium in what has long been a seller’s market. But even in uncertain times, we are a mobile society and the urge to move calls us — in ways that not even trusted financial gurus might understand. T i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 59

Igniting the Power of Business ...and Tastebuds

Restaurant SPOTLIGHTS

The best ideas and most memorable collaborations happen over great food and drinks, sparking ideas and conversations not only after work, but also on the clock — and today sometimes even via teleconference. We’re spotlighting the local favorites of Central Florida’s eclectic food scene in a new department. It’s our way of helping our business community fuel creativity and innovation … in more ways than one.

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHTS Listing Includes:

IMAGE*

LOGO

Hours and Contact

Short Description

Website

Whatever your specialty, this listing is your chance to show our readers that you are exactly what they’ve been looking for

* Stock or provided hi-resolution image will be used. Provided image and logo must be 300 dpi.

PANDEMIC SPECIAL SINGLE LISTING*

$400 MO

INCLUDES: Print Listing and Banner Ad on i4biz.com (Available through 2020)

*This is a templated department in i4 Business Magazine

FOR MORE INFORMATION Tel: 407-730-2961 diane@i4biz.com www.i4biz.com

4BUSiNESS Orlando's Leadership Connection

DOWNTIME

Unique experiences for your day off

By Meaghan Branham

VIRTUAL MUSEUM TOURS

From ancient artifacts to Renaissance masterpieces to natural history, museums hold some of the most precious items known to humanity inside their walls. For those yearning to see these collections, many prominent museums are featuring virtual tours on their websites. These include the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Vatican Museums in Rome, the Guggenheim in New York City, the Natural History Museum in London, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in South Korea, the Uffizi Gallery in Tuscany and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. From walk-throughs to audio guides to slideshows, each finds a way to immerse you in the rich history and culture it celebrates, even half a world away.

Sistine Chapel in Rome

www.travelandleisure.com/ attractions/museums-galleries/ museums-with-virtual-tours

Musée d'Orsay in Paris

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at Musée d'Orsay in Paris

The Night Watch by Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Getty Museum Paneled Room

62 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Gallery of Honour at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

DOWNTIME

E-BOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS

If you’ve run out of titles to read from your own bookshelves, there are plenty of places to find e-books and audiobooks online. Try Libby, a free app that works with your local library to get you digital access to e-books and audiobooks. You can sign up with your existing library card, but if you don’t have one yet, don’t worry — many libraries allow you to sign up for a digital card and use that to rent and hold digital versions of the books you’ve been wanting to read. You can also sign up for Audible, a subscription service through Amazon that charges you a monthly fee that includes one credit a month to download an audiobook, although you can purchase more for the regular price at any time. Project Gutenberg offers free access to e-books that are in the public domain, and Open Library is a content repository being developed to include every book ever published.

ONLINE CLASSES

Want to learn more about the computing data inside your smartphone? How about ancient philosophy?

Social impact strategy?

Eighteenth-century opera?

Freecodecamp.org has compiled a list of 450 free online classes from Ivy League schools, available for people who are looking to expand their horizons. With no textbooks or tuition required, these courses include video segments and readings curated by professors and vetted by students. Classes fall into categories that include computer science, data science, programming, humanities, business, art and design, science, social sciences, health and medicine, engineering, mathematics, education and teaching, and personal development. www.freecodecamp.org/news/ivy-league-freeonline-courses-a0d7ae675869

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

www.overdrive.com/apps/libby www.audible.com www.gutenberg.org www.openlibrary.org

WORK OUT AT HOME

Physical activity has been proven to reduce stress, but perfecting a workout routine at home can be hard. Luckily, there are resources designed to make it easier to get started and stay motivated. Apps like ClassPass and Yoga Collective offer videos and workout regimes for everyone, regardless of fitness level or equipment available. Many gyms are offering at-home fitness classes now as well. Orangetheory

offers a daily 30-minute workout routine on its website that requires no equipment, while Rumble is using Instagram Live to stream its daily videos. Planet Fitness, Gold’s Gym, 24-Hour Fitness and others are also offering online workout routines to do from home.

You can even find dance classes and yoga routines on many of these sites.

SEE THE FULL LIST HERE: www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/fitness/a31792038/ coronavirus-live-stream-workout-classes

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND SHARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL PLACES TO VISIT: @I4BIZ.COM i4Biz.com | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | 63

WATERCOOLER

Stuff you didn’t know you wanted to know

10

$150 million Cost the National Basketball Association is paying to hold the rest of its season in a self-distancing “bubble” at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports

“

We know COVID-19 will be with us for the foreseeable future and we are left with no choice but to learn to live with it. … We can’t sit on the sidelines indefinitely. We must adapt. … We believe it will be safer on our campus than off it.

But this is not business as usual.

”

— NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing the league’s plan to resume play at Walt Disney World Source: Orlando Sentinel

SCIENCE IS THE KEY TO ADDRESSING SOME OF OUR COUNTRY’S GREATEST CHALLENGES, WHETHER IT’S RETURNING AMERICANS TO SPACE OR COMBATING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.

100% High school seniors enrolled in Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida who graduated this year. Of the 91 seniors, 88% said they plan to continue their education.

64 | JULY/AUGUST 2020 | i4Biz.com

Florida’s ranking among states that are the most bicyclefriendly in the U.S., according to the League of American Bicyclists

— JoAnn Newman, president and CEO of the Orlando Science Center, after accepting the 2020 Dr. Phillips Leadership Award by Dr. Phillips Charities on behalf of the facility.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

1930

Year the FIFA World Cup was founded. Held every four years, it is the world’s most popular men’s soccer or football tournament.

Orlando is in the running to be a host city for 2026.

Source: Florida Department of Transportation

“

Although I joined UCF at a very unique time, there is no place I would rather be. The optimistic spirit and sense of community that drew me here gives me confidence that we will emerge a stronger institution.

”

— Alexander Cartwright, who started his first day as president of the University of Central Florida on April 13 during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

“There are a number of things that I would tell my younger self, but the biggest thing is calm is a superpower. Being calm is mastery.”

— Candace Parker, WNBA star, on Orlando Magic Women’s Executive webinar on July 1.

The Art of Fearlessness Paying tribute to the Women of Central Florida making contributions to their community and profession.

Thursday | September 24, 2020 | 6-9 PM Nominate a woman in Central Florida making a contribution to her community and profession.

VISIT WWW.WOMENONTHERISEORLANDO.COM TO PLACE YOUR NOMINATION

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careersourcecentralflorida.com | 1-800-757-4598 CareerSource Central Florida is an equal opportunity employer/program. Call 407.531.1222 for more information. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this document may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment via the Florida Relay Service at 711. Disponible en Espanol.