The Metro Orlando EDC's annual celebration of innovation took place last week at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. The William C. Schwartz Industry Innovation Awards honor companies from throughout the region for unique practices, products or ideas; and for the impact these dynamic companies have on our local economy.
The event is named for Bill Schwartz, an iconic tech industry leader whose innovative ideas pioneered change in the economic landscape of Central Florida. In his spirit, tabletop exhibits sponsored by members of the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida, a close-working EDC partner, showcased "made in Central Florida" products and technology that are helping to drive our economy today.
This year's program was headlined by a world-class creative talent, who happens to make his home in Central Florida: Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative for Universal Parks & Resorts. In his 23 years with Universal, Woodbury and his team have created some of the most highly-acclaimed entertainment experiences known to the world today, including: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, King Kong 360 3-D, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Shrek 4-D, The Incredible Hulk...and that is just the tip of the iceberg!
As keynote speaker, Woodbury discussed the magic behind the making of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, shared his own perspective on innovation, and provided a preview of coming attractions at Universal Orlando.
David Pace, EDC Chairman of the Board, and Rick Weddle, president and CEO, then introduced our award winners, who represented companies of all shapes and sizes and from throughout the Orlando region. "These are," said Weddle, "...companies who have defied the odds, excelled in their fields, and taken advantage of the spirit of creativity that makes this a great place to do business."
Following presentation of nine EDC awards, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council presented their own Award for Innovation. Randy Berridge, president of FHTCC, introduced his organization's fifth annual award winner: sanofi pasteur - VaxDesign campus.
And the winners are...
SPIRIT OF INNOVATION:
Not only did the highly-anticipated opening of Universal Orlando's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter drive strong attendance gains and worldwide news about the Central Florida attraction, it led to the creation of 783 new jobs in our community and is credited with helping to lead our region's number one industry out of recession.
CITY OF ORLANDO:
Based in one of Orlando's Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zones, E.R. Precision Optical recently invested over $2 million to create an in-house system that allows them to grow germanium and silicon crystals - critical materials used for night vision in targeting and surveillance applications by the U.S. Military and Department of Homeland Security. This company is the only U.S. based manufacturing company to supply these critical materials, keeping important manufacturing jobs right here in the U.S.
Nemours has taken an innovative approach to ensuring that their Orlando hospital is built and staffed with its patients and their families in mind through the creation of the "Family Advisory Council" - made up of local parents, family members of patients, and community partners with experience in pediatric healthcare. Through this strategy, which is believed to be a first-ever approach, Nemours is confident that they have taken every step to ensure that the facility they build and the people they hire reflect and share the values most important to the people it serves.
LAKE COUNTY:
WattNext, Inc. is helping revolutionize solar power with the development of a revolutionary solar array shade structure called "Watt Tree", which conveniently connects solar power to electric vehicles and the smart grid. The long term goal of this "green" company is to help Florida reduce its $100 million a day reliance on suppliers of energy from outside the state and to help find practical alternative energy solutions.
In 2007, the Tavares City Council approved the design and construction of an $8 million marina project along the waterfront in downtown Tavares as part of its comprehensive master plan to designate the city as "America's Seaplane City". This investment has subsequently led to the opening of 26 new businesses in downtown Tavares ... including Progressive Aerodyne, the manufacturer of SeaRey light-sport seaplane aircraft on the city's Lake Idamere.
ORANGE COUNTY:
For over 50 years, Lockheed Martin has designed, developed and created combat systems here in Central Florida at their Missiles and Fire Control and Global Training and Logistics divisions. While this leading company is responsible for thousands of innovations in the course of their history, two of their most recent developments, are the catalyst for this year's award - the Prepar3D system and the Human Universal Load Carrier. Both directly benefit our nation's warfighters.
n-Space, Inc. is an independent, high-quality game developer that creates original games for some of the world's biggest publishers, including - Activision, Disney Interactive and Nintendo. This local company has produced some of the biggest brands - Call of Duty, TRON, Star Wars, Hannah Montana, and others - for game platforms including Nintendo DS, Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox360 and PSP.
SEMINOLE COUNTY:
Named after the x's and o's in a playbook, Lake Mary-based XOS Digital provides digital coaching strategies for professional sports teams from the NFL, NBA and NCAA. In addition, XOS Digital has become a nationwide sports digital media company that allows 480 sports partners, representing more than 900 teams, conferences and leagues, to directly connect with their fans through mobile apps, tablet apps, internet-enabled TV, games-on-demand, and more.
With emphasis on the three T's - critical Thinking, Teamwork and Technology - SCPS has developed programs designed to prepare graduates for careers in industries targeted by the Metro Orlando EDC - such as modeling & simulation, optics & photonics, digital media, life science and clean tech. This focus has led to partnerships with regional giants such as Symantec, Lockheed Martin and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, who rely on the talent being nurtured by those programs to fuel their own workforce.
FLORIDA HIGH TECH CORRIDOR COUNCIL:
Orlando-based sanofi pasteur VaxDesign developed a "clinical trial in a test tube" that is able to predict human responses to pharmaceuticals and vaccines much better than existing approaches. This artificial immune system - called MIMIC - was part of a Rapid Vaccine Assessment Program with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that led to VaxDesign being acquired by global vaccine leader Sanofi Pasteur in 2010.
Many thanks to our sponsors for their support, which made this event possible: Airtran, Akerman PA, Baker Hostetler, Bank of America, BBT - J. Rolfe Davis, BlueCross BlueShield, Bright House, Chase, Electronic Arts, Fairwinds Credit Union, Fifth Third Bank, Florida's Blood Centers, Gray Robinson, Greenberg Traurig, Lowndes Drosdick Doster Kantor & Reed PA, New Broad Street, NIIT Technologies, Orlando Business Journal, Orlando Sentinel, OUC, Progress Energy, Wells Fargo and WFTV.
Responding to opportunities in the burgeoning solar energy market, Lake Mary-based 
"From tourism to tech to medical mecca, O-town is where great ideas grow." Thus says Delta Sky in the magazine's September issue, which premiered on all Delta flights last week. 
