This week, Orlando-headquartered AirTran Airways hosted the grand opening of their new System Operations Control (SOC) Center at Orlando International Airport. This 16,000-square-foot, $6.9 million, state-of-the-art command center serves as the 24-hour nerve center for the entire airline, which manages over 700 flights per day.

Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty were on hand to help Bob Fornaro, Chairman, President and CEO of AirTran Airways, officially open the new building. In his remarks, Fornaro announced plans to also open a pilot base in Orlando, which is expected to create 100 new jobs in Orlando this fall.

"The opening of our new SOC and announcement of an Orlando pilot base are both significant signs of our plans to continue to grow here in our hometown," said Fornaro. "We are fortunate to be part of the fabric of Central Florida and look forward to continuing to increase our presence here both today and well into the future."

The company employs more than 1,000 crew members in Central Florida at several facilities, including its corporate headquarters, the SOC and a maintenance facility, in addition to its passenger operations at the airport.

After considering putting the SOC Center in Atlanta, where AirTran has its hub, the decision was made to expand the facility here, adjacent to AirTran's headquarters.
Together with the City of Orlando, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Enterprise Florida and the State of Florida, the EDC worked closely with AirTran to ensure the SOC Center remained in Central Florida.

When it comes to playing video games, each gaming platform offers something different for players. Realizing the business potential for creating content for different systems, three friends who worked together at a local simulation company decided to strike out on their own in 1994 and create n-Space.

n-Space is Florida's largest headquartered game development company with over 100 employees based in Orlando. They create games from concept to completion, working on existing game franchises as well as original concepts.

Over the years, n-Space has created over 30 titles for every platform and partnered with nearly every major game publisher and was one of the first developers for the Nintendo Wii. A few of the recent games they've worked on include: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized (Nintendo DS); TRON: Evolution - Battle Grids & TRON: Evolution (Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS); Hannah Montana: The Movie (Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3); and Toy Story 3 (Nintendo DS), which is currently one of the top selling video games. Up next? 3D games.

To learn more about n-Space, click here to watch Dan O'Leary, CEO and co-founder of n-Space.

For many students, the idea of playing video games for homework is a dream come true. For others, it's a reality.

Thanks to 360Ed - a City of Orlando-based digital media company with the goal of getting students as interested in education as they are in games and movies - students have a fun, interactive hands-on approach to learning.

Created by video game industry veterans in 2006, 360Ed is "taking content that may not be interesting and adding production value to it in order to make it engaging," explains Ben Noel, president and CEO of 360Ed.

One of their first projects was partnering with the Florida Virtual School to create "Conspiracy Code", an American history adventure game complete with ongoing instructor feedback for 10th graders. In the game, students use characters to solve clues and each clue acts as a history lesson.

360Ed also teamed up with the Florida Department of Health and the University of Florida College of Medicine to develop Burn Center, an interactive 3D game-based technology used to train medical professionals at trauma centers, hospitals and universities across the country. The purpose of the program is to improve the triage and care of critically injured victims of burn, bomb and blast disasters.

Below, Ben Noel explains Burn Center.

Fast-growing, Orlando-headquartered Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) has announced plans to expand its operations into a larger 23,000 sf facility in downtown Orlando. With this expansion, the company also intends to hire 75 new employees over the next three years, adding to their current workforce of 79.

iGPS is a global logistics company that has revolutionized the pallet rental industry by installing radio frequency identification tracking devices in their plastic pallets so that goods can be traced throughout the entire transportation process. These innovations have led to the company's rapid growth over the last few years. After considering relocation to Dallas, where iGPS also has an office, the decision was made to expand here in Orlando.

Together with the City of Orlando's economic development department and Enterprise Florida, the EDC worked with iGPS to ensure the company remained in the region and worked with them through the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) incentive process.

The availability of a skilled workforce consistently ranks as one of the most critical, sought-after factors that companies take into account when deciding which locations to expand in or relocate to. That's great news for our state as Florida was just ranked number one in the nation for its workforce by CNBC's fourth annual America's Top States for Business rankings.

This is the second time Florida has been ranked #1 for its workforce and the third consecutive year it has been ranked in the top three spots for its workforce. The CNBC study rated all 50 states based on the education level of their workforce, number of available workers, union membership and the success of the state's worker training programs.

The diversity of this region's workforce impacts its ability to nurture innovative thinking and offer companies a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. No matter what level of skill is needed, Metro Orlando's labor pool is well prepared. With a young, median age of 38 and a population diversity that leads the rest of the nation by 35 years, this region is home to the kind of well rounded and highly-skilled employees that companies seek to help their business thrive.

And with access to state-sponsored workforce training grant programs that allow them to keep their talent sharp and on the cutting-edge in their respective fields, the combination for Florida's workforce can't be beat.

Successful innovation is a driving force behind expanding and diversifying our economy. That's why every year, the Metro Orlando EDC honors innovative companies.

And now, we're currently taking nominations for the 2010 William C. Schwartz Industry Innovation Awards.

Do you know of a company that is doing something innovative? Please pass this along and ask them to apply!

Remember . . . Innovation doesn't have to be a technology. It could be anything from an innovative way to increase revenues to an innovative way to motivate staff.

Nominations are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30.

Winners will be announced at an awards luncheon on Wednesday, September 8.

Click here to nominate your company.

From a fry cook at Mickey D's to the co-founder, president and director of Orlando-based Vidaroo, Mary Spio has revolutionized film distribution and video interaction.

Spio began her studies at Syracuse and Georgia Tech as a rocket scientist. Since then, she has not stopped reaching for the stars. At the age of 29, she created Boeing Digital Cinema and began engineering a technology to deliver videos and movies via satellite.

In 2002, she launched One2One Living--a specialty media company which targeted singles including a nationally distributed magazine and a strong web community presence. The growing success and publicity of One2One Living received national recognition, attracting shows like ABC's The Bachelor into partnership.

With the growing trend of her evolving interactive video technology, Vidaroo has found extraordinary success. Mary Spio is now currently the president of Vidaroo, her Internet-based video production and distribution company based in Orlando, Florida. Vidaroo works with large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft XBOX, Clear Channel, and several other businesses to deliver customers custom video content.

So what else has she not accomplished? How about her induction to the prestigious list of "100 History Makers in the Making" along with rapper Jay-Z and Oprah Winfrey. Mary Spio's leadership, innovative talents and technology has allowed her to conquer astronomical heights and create a legacy in the film and video distribution technology industry.

To read more about Orlando's digital diva Mary Spio, click here

The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) has announced that Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company, will expand their operations in Lake Mary, Florida.

Pershing currently has over 450 employees at their Lake Mary facility and will now add 300 new jobs over the next three years. The company will also add an additional 23,000 square feet to their existing footprint in Colonial TownPark with an expected capital investment of $4.5 million. Pershing is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey and has operated in Lake Mary since 2006.

Richard Brueckner, chief executive officer of Pershing LLC, said "After exploring other domestic and international locations, Pershing committed to expansion in Lake Mary as an optimum location to grow our business. The BNY Mellon enterprise will continue to realize benefits in support of our business in Lake Mary and the greater Orlando region through our collaboration with local agencies and by leveraging the skills of the local workforce. We look forward to strengthening our partnerships in support of the local community."

The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) provided assistance with Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) and Quick Response Training (QRT) applications. The company will receive $900,000 in QTI tax refunds from Seminole County and the State of Florida. QRT is still in processing.

"We were pleased to work with Pershing to help ensure they stay and grow their operations here in Metro Orlando," said Ray Gilley, president and CEO of the Metro Orlando EDC.

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Pershing LLC (member FINRA/NYSE/SIPC) is a leading global provider of financial business solutions to more than 1,150 institutional and retail financial organizations and independent registered investment advisors who collectively represent approximately five million active investors. Located in 20 offices worldwide, Pershing and its affiliates are committed to delivering dependable operational support, robust trading services, flexible technology, an expansive array of investment solutions, practice management support and service excellence. Pershing is a member of every major U.S. securities exchange and its international affiliates are members of the Deutsche Börse, the Irish Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Pershing LLC is a BNY Mellon company. Additional information is available at www.pershing.com.

Studies demonstrate that companies with a significant international portfolio grow faster, are more profitable and are less susceptible to domestic downturns. Many Florida businesses have taken that lesson to heart. Recent statistics indicate that our state is home to more than 42,000 exporters, the second highest number in the United States. In 2008, Florida companies exported more than $54 billion worth of goods - making it the fifth largest exporting state in the country - and over $30 billion worth of services were sold to companies in over 200 countries around the world.

International trade is big business and an economic engine for many Florida companies. Are you one of them? Would you like to be? If so, the State of Florida has several valuable resources available.

To help our companies connect with buyers worldwide, Enterprise Florida has established the online Florida Export Directory. This new site provides a means for Florida exporters to gain international market exposure free-of-charge through a searchable, web-based directory. An aggressive advertising, public relations and trade show promotional campaign is planned to promote the Florida Export Directory to foreign buyers interested in sales, agent/distributorships, licensing/franchise agreements and joint venture opportunities.

Metro Orlando companies interested in expanding their business into markets worldwide are encouraged to take advantage of this free promotional tool. Go get started, go to www.FloridaExportDirectory.com. First check to see if your company is already listed. If not, click the "Register" button to begin the registration process.

Enterprise Florida has also launched a new trade promotion initiative - the Target Sector Trade Event Grants program - designed to help companies showcase their products through U.S. Certified trade exhibitions and select Florida trade shows in key markets worldwide. Through this program, eligible small companies (500 or less employees) can qualify for event-specific grants that will enable them to participate in major international product exhibitions worldwide, opening up opportunities which they otherwise might not be able to afford. Particular emphasis is given to companies in the following sectors: Aviation & Aerospace, Clean Energy, Financial & Professional Services, Homeland Security & Defense, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Boating/Marine Industry, and other targeted manufacturing sectors.

Applicants must be nominated - and approved - by their local economic development organization, so you can begin the process by contacting the Metro Orlando EDC's international business development team, Irma.Stenman@OrlandoEDC.com.
Expanding into international markets can be vital to the success of a company's growth strategy, particularly during difficult economic times. We encourage you to explore the potential of these valuable resources.