Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/54910
CORRIDOR BRIEFS 23 Corridor counties and, through a recent expansion, also serves Bay, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Gulf, Lee, Leon, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach and Wakulla counties. The Florida Virtual Entrepreneur Center team is currently working to expand the redesigned site to other counties throughout the state to provide resources to even more startups. Local, state and national professional service provider resources are intuitively organized in the database, allowing entrepreneurs to search by topic and directly engage with vendors who can serve their needs. Not only can entrepreneurs search for resources for free, but companies geared to help small businesses can register and list their contact information and business services at no cost also. For more information including county sponsorship opportunities, log on to www.flvec.com. Planting the Seeds For more than two years, the Institute and its program GrowFL have provided growth-oriented companies throughout the state with technical assistance in the areas of market research, competitive intelligence, social media strategy, search engine optimization, geographic information systems and more. With funding provided by the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, the University of Central Florida (UCF) and several counties including Marion, Orange and Seminole, GrowFL is continuing to offer technical assistance to second-stage companies throughout the Corridor's 23-county service region. Working alongside local economic development organizations, GrowFL complements the existing business support functions of these regional partners to focus on the second-stage growth company. "Fortunately we have partners who have seen the for Growth The "Economic Gardening" concept is spreading across the country thanks to the leadership team at the Edward Lowe Foundation and with the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida, it has taken root in the Corridor to serve the entire state. effect economic gardening is having in this state and have stepped up to keep the program moving forward and extend its reach into local entrepreneurial ecosystems throughout Florida," said Dr. Tom O'Neal, UCF associate VP for Research & Commercialization and executive director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. The power of this program is undeniable. An early impact study of the 250 companies served by GrowFL found that the program helped create 3,285 direct, indirect and induced jobs and has contributed more than $510.4 million (direct and indirect) to Florida's economy. Since the study's release in August 2011, another 150 companies have successfully completed the program to continue growing in their local communities. Among those more than 400 companies is Longwood- based PHXX, a technology platform development firm. After completing the GrowFL program, PHXX president and CEO Shane Robinett found that participating in GrowFL offered him "the opportunity to have local, experienced business leaders help springboard PHXX's own growth." Organizations that serve existing companies that are growing in their region can utilize GrowFL's services to expand or create economic gardening programs. Visit www.growfl.com for more information. florida.HIGH.TECH 2012 07