YEAR IN r e v i e w
2016-2017
“The 2017 Corridor Talent Forum was an outstanding opportunity to connect and
network with multiple employers over a two-day period. When our office evaluates
an employer relations event, we review employer traffic at the event and examine
employer activity after the event. At the Florida High Tech Corridor Talent Forum,
we met with a large number of employers at the event, had employers follow-up
and post jobs and internships after the event, and even had several employers
follow-up by attending two of our career fairs to actively recruit our students!” –
Scott T. Williams, Executive Director, University of Georgia Career Center
Additionally, The Corridor financially supports partner workforce development programs
as we work to better equip talent in our region. Events supported by The Corridor include
the State Science and Engineering Fair, regional CareerSource summits and more.
Supporting Startup Activity
The Corridor supports several programs and activities that enable our region’s
entrepreneurs to be 21st century pioneers.
• FLVEC: Entrepreneurs can now find the help they need in one place: the Florida Virtual
Entrepreneur Center (FLVEC) at www.FLVEC.com, a resource database and social
networking platform for doing business in Florida. FLVEC reached the milestone
of publishing 400 entrepreneur profiles this year following a website redesign
to showcase the stories of local entrepreneurs. The inclusion of entrepreneurial
profiles has proven to be one of the most clicked-through sections of the website
as people engage with each other for mentorship, venture capital, advice and more.
Feedback from quarterly calls with key influencers notes this service fills a critical
need for entrepreneurs. In 2018, FLVEC will also explore housing a blog of featured
entrepreneurial content. Visit www.FLVEC.com throughout the year for the latest.
• GrowFL: An Economic Gardening ® approach for growing second-stage companies,
GrowFL provides resources, mentoring, support and more to help business owners
overcome obstacles to growth and achieve further success. Its signature “Florida
Companies to Watch” awards spotlighted 50 outstanding second-stage companies
– including several from The Corridor – raising their profile among investors and
business leaders. Since inception in 2009, GrowFL-assisted companies have
contributed more than $941 million in total regional GDP.
• U
niversity-Based Incubators:
Business incubators run by The Corridor’s three
research universities have experienced enormous growth and client success,
garnering recognition at home and abroad. For every public dollar invested in
university incubators – including Corridor funds – return on investment is six-to-one.
[Corridor University Incubators: UCF Business Incubation Program, USF CONNECT Tampa
Bay Technology Incubator, Innovation Hub at UF, UF Sid Martin Biotechnology Institute]
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