There's Mosaic, Arcadian Broad and Drew Thomas Magic. If you're not familiar with these names, they're among the folks that made it to the Top 40 in the popular America's Got Talent show. They have something else in common. They all come from a city where creative talent is building ... and in the eyes of Richard Florida (of the popular 'Creative Class' theory), that's one of the key ingredients to economic competitiveness, transformation and innovation.

Orlando, Florida, has become a place where creative talent is flowing and in multiple industries. The region, long known as an entertainment destination, has transformed into a technology hub that's entertaining company leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, workers and young minds alike. Here are some reasons why:

This week, Orlando welcomed its inaugural class of 41 med students at the University of Central Florida's (UCF) new College of Medicine -- the first medical school in U.S. history to offer full, four-year scholarships to an entire class. The new college is one anchor in a new 'medical city' underway - one of only two such developments happening in the world right now. It's joined by the recently opened East Coast hub for The Burnham Institute for Medical Research, and forthcoming openings of the University of Florida Research Facility, Veterans Affairs Hospital, M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Institute and Nemours Children's Hospital. Economic analysts predict that by year 10 of operation, the world's newest life sciences cluster here could create 30,000 jobs and $7.6 billion economic activity.

At UCF, research and patents are on the rise. UCF, now the fifth largest university in the nation, has seen research funding (and subsequent lab space) grow exponentially in the past decade, from $37.5 million in 1999 to the new record high of $122.8 million in 2008. Additionally, UCF's patent portfolio was ranked in the top 10 of 122 universities in the U.S.

Inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs are thriving here. New drugs, therapies and vaccines are being developed ... one scientist is genetically modifying lettuce heads to produce insulin in the quest to develop a cure for diabetes. An entrepreneur has developed ultra-portable personal air-conditioners for military personnel. Another is developing advanced micro-batteries for use in medical, alternative energy and other applications. In addition, the number of incubators has grown rapidly here, opening the door to more entrepreneurs.

A new Photonics Academy was created at a local high school in partnership with Northrop Grumman to encourage student interest in the laser/photonics field. This new academy joins others already in existence, including one focusing on simulation (an industry with a top-ranked cluster in Orlando).

Nation-leading digital media schools in Orlando-- Full Sail University and UCF's Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy -- continue to see enrollment grow in this burgeoning field.

Entrepreneur Magazine recently recognized Orlando as one of best places to start a business. Forbes recently recognized Orlando one of best cities for tech jobs. And Next Generation Consulting ranked Orlando as a top hot spot for young professionals.

Two Olympic gold medals (1996 and 2000) prove softball is very, very good to Dot Richardson. Singled out as a star with the first U.S. hit and the first softball homerun in Olympic history, she was an NBC commentator at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, delivering play-by-play as her former U.S. Women's Softball Team won its third consecutive gold medal.

However, as an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, Richardson has a more enduring and direct impact on the lives of other American and international athletes of all sports. That includes Central Florida residents who want to improve fitness and athletic prowess. As medical director of the National Training Center (NTC), part of a 300-acre sports, health and education campus in Clermont, Fla., west of Orlando, Richardson establishes the vision and goals for this nonprofit branch of South Lake Hospital. Her focus is on state-of-the-art facilities,
sports science, performance programs and research in adolescent obesity, activity levels and shoulder injuries.

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Dom Meffe is one of those instant-likeables. Maybe it's because he hails from the tight-knit, friendly hometown of Pittsburgh. Maybe it's because he's just a good guy...with a big heart for his family, his employees, his clients and his business. Maybe it's because he tells good stories and draws interesting comparisons to his life and work. Maybe it's because he's someone you can relate to...who admits failures, has had tragedies in his life, and has done good. Or maybe it's because he's a survivor.

Cancer has inflicted a number of people in his family, including himself and his wife, and took his sister's life. And this is what's driven him to do what he's doing now...own and acquire a growing number of nuclear pharmacies to better diagnose and treat chronic conditions such as cancer.

In fact, only one year after founding Orlando-based Triad Isotopes, Meffe, 43, who has been a central figure in the pharma business over the past decade, is heading up what is now the fourth largest radiopharmaceutical services company in the industry. Triad has grown from 24 to 291 people with $90 million in current revenue and projections to double that in two years. That growth has come from 13 strategic M&As throughout the southeast...with many more planned over the next few years. And, Triad is among numerous specialty pharmaceutical companies (CuraScript, Axium, ACS and ICore) that have made their headquarters home in the nation's newest emerging biotech hub of Orlando.

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