At last week's meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, county leaders approved an incentive package designed to help a growing high-tech company remain and expand in the Central Florida Research Park. The county incentive, which is expected to be matched 80:20 by the State of Florida, will allow DSCI, a defense simulation and optics/photonics company, to consolidate out-of-state offices and grow their presence in our region. Within the next three years, the company plans to add 40 new employees to their current workforce of 31; jobs that pay an average wage of more than $80,000, which is double the county's prevailing wage.

This isn't the only EDC client to announce expansion plans in recent weeks. Tecport Optics, an Orlando-based optics company that designs, manufactures, sells and services state-of-the-art thin film vacuum deposition systems, recently expanded into a larger facility and announced plans to double its workforce over the next three years. The EDC has worked with Tecport for several years, providing general assistance and introductions to incentive and grant opportunities, such as the UCF-based GrowFL economic gardening program. As a result, Tecport received an Economic Gardening Business Loan - to be used for working capital purchases, employee training, or salaries for newly created jobs - which will enable the company to bring more of its manufacturing operations to Central Florida.

And in Seminole County, Industrial Lighting Products - a manufacturer of high efficiency lighting and energy-efficient fixtures - recently expanded into a new 40,000-square-foot location in Sanford. The company expects to create 59 new manufacturing jobs over the next two years. The EDC assisted ILP with a refund for sales tax paid on utilities and introduced them to the GrowFL program, as well as other local resources. This growing company is one of 1,723 manufacturers, who together employ 37,000 here in Central Florida.