May 2004 - Orlando, Inc.

Transcription

M AY 2 0 0 4
Vo l u m e 7, N u m b e r 5
Raising the Bar
Coach George O’Leary brings
a new level of intensity
to UCF football.
24
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
ORLANDO, FL
PERMIT #1405
MAY 2004
CONTENTS
Executive Publisher JACOB V. STUART
Publisher ROBERT RECKER
Associate Publisher MICHAEL HINN
Editor JACK ROTH
Contributing Writers JOSÉ DAVID ALVAREZ
SARA BRADY
CARLOS J. BURRUEZO
BARBARA HARTLEY
MIKE KETCHUM
TROY KISHBAUGH
MARY MASSAD
KATE MCGUINNESS
LAURA PETERS
TYSON R. SMITH
Contributing Editors NICK GEORGOUDIOU
LYNETTE JONES
CONNIE SUE WHITE
6
16
29
34
Creative Director MIKE FORISTALL
Art Director BARBARA GEORGOUDIOU
Production Artist TRICIA HEATH
Production Coordinators NICK GEORGOUDIOU
JONATHAN LEE
Photographers RICHARD AGUILAR
JACK ROTH
Sales & Marketing Director JACKIE CANDELARIA
Advertising Director MONIQUE RENE
Advertising Coordinators MAGGIE BABB
JEN MCGRATH
Advisory Board SHELLEY LAUTEN
CYNDI MATZICK
RUTH MUSTIAN
VILMA QUINTANA
KRISTINE VORPAGEL SHIELDS
LISA WINKELBAUER
FirstMonday is published monthly and prepared by the Orlando
Regional Chamber of Commerce and Knight Images. All copyright
privileges are reserved by the publisher. Any reproduction in whole
or in part without express written consent is strictly prohibited.
FirstMonday welcomes articles, story ideas and feedback. However,
neither the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce nor Knight
Images assumes responsibility for the return of unsolicited
manuscripts, photographs, negatives or transparencies.
FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
KNIGHT IMAGES
130 South Orange Ave
Suite 150
Orlando, Florida 32801
Phone 407-206-1011
Fax 407-206-1019
info@knight-images.com
BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
Unleashing Excellence
COVER STORY
6
Chamber Member co-authors guide to
ultimate customer service.
Raising the Bar
24
Chamber-created task force helps launch
UCF football to new heights.
LEADERSHIP & EDUCATION
A Healthy Start
16
Member organization improves quality of
life by ensuring healthy birth outcomes.
TOURISM, TRADE
& TRANSPORTATION
Clean Air Team
26
Clean air is everybody’s business.
CULTURE & TRENDS
ORLANDO REGIONAL
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ADVERTISING INFO
Soothing Beverage
P.O. Box 1234
Orlando, FL 32802-1234
Phone 407-425-1234
Fax 407-835-2500
firstmonday@orlando.org
Jackie Candelaria
407-206-1011
jackiec@knight-images.com
32
Good cup of tea still calms in tough times.
MEMBERSHIP
New Members
36
DEPARTMENTS
Upfront ....................................................................4
Calendar ................................................................21
Member Opportunities ........................................39
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UPFRONT
Calling All Future Leaders
Dateline:
Orlando, Florida — January 21, 1975
8:15 a.m. — Coffee in the Orlando
Chamber Board Room
9:15 a.m. — Arrive City Hall for briefing
by Public Works Director
10:15 a.m. — Tour Southwest wastewater
treatment plant and
incinerator
11:45 a.m. — Lunch at McCoy Jet Port
Skyline Restaurant
12:30 p.m. — Tour and briefing by
Aviation Authority
Director John Meacham
and Deputy Director
John Wycoff
2:20 p.m. — Arrive Herndon Airport
for briefing and tour
3:00 p.m. — Arrive Orange County
School Board to meet
with Superintendent
Linton Deck
During the above itinerary, the
members of Leadership Orlando Class 1,
including some names you might
recognize — Alan C. Helman, Gary
Strack, Bob Showalter, Susan McCaskill,
Larry Phalin, Rich Crotty and Bill
Jennings — spent time together learning
about our community and building
relationships with each other and the
leaders who were guiding Central Florida.
Fast forward to 2004! Another group
of names you may be familiar with —
John Krug, Vice President, Metro Orlando
Economic Development Commission;
Barbara Bernier, Professor, Florida A&M
University College of Law; Captain Larry
McCracken, Executive Officer, NAVAIR
Orlando; Paula Gastenveld, Provost West
Campus, Valencia Community College;
Jodie Hardman, Senior Vice President,
Bank of America; Arnold Postell,
Chief-Guidance, Digital & Ground Data
Systems, NASA- Kennedy Space Center;
Leadership Orlando
Class 64
Orientation Sessions:
June 29-30, 2004
Enrollment Deadline:
May 28, 2004
Contact:
Kathy Panter at 407-835-2499
or via e-mail at
kathy.panter@orlando.org.
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Tim Ryan, Orange County Chief of
Corrections; and Kevin Weickel, Head
Golf Professional and Tournament
Chairman FUNAI Classic, Walt Disney
World — recently spent the day at their
Leadership Orlando Class 62 Smart,
Quality Growth Session with Florida
Secretary of State Glenda E. Hood and
Baldwin Park Development Company
Managing Director, David Pace, discussing the transformation of the Naval
Training Center into the high-end residential and business community that is
changing the landscape east of
Downtown Orlando.
When like-minded individuals
come together to explore the
People, Place, Purpose and
Possibilities that our region has
to offer, they take ownership
of the community and we
collectively become stronger.
In addition to meeting with developers,
architects, city planners and environmentalists, these Leadership Orlando participants
also toured the Orlando International
Airport, met with leading transportation
experts and were briefed by some of the
cutting-edge players in recent downtown
redevelopment projects.
Some would insist that things have
changed . . . some would say things
remain the same. What’s important here
is that the vehicle by which business and
community leaders connect the dots and
engage in community endeavors is still
Leadership Orlando and the meaningful
experience that it provides to the leaders
of today and tomorrow.
Nearly 30 years and some 2,500
Leadership Orlando participants have
shown that the only thing that is truly
constant is change. The leaders who were
guiding Central Florida in 1975 could
never have dreamed that our region
would today be recognized as the tourist
destination that it has become, that the
space industry would transform the
coastline in Brevard County, that the I-4
Corridor would be a driving force for
economic development in the state, or
that Florida Technological University
(now UCF) would become the fastest
growing university in the state with
40,000 students enrolled.
With accomplishments like these,
who knows what the future may hold or
what critical decisions will be made by
Paula Gastenveld
Barbara Bernier
Larry McCracken
John Krug
those who are just now exploring the role
that they might wish to play in shaping
Central Florida for our children and
grandchildren.
One thing is certain. When likeminded individuals come together to
explore the People, Place, Purpose and
Possibilities that our region has to offer,
they take ownership of the community
and we collectively become stronger.
The enrollment deadline for Leadership
Orlando Class 64 is just a few weeks away,
and it’s always exciting for me to see who
has shown an interest, who has committed
the time, and who will soon emerge in
the leadership roles that await them.
Our community is known for the
opportunities it provides for those who
will raise their hand in service and
strength. Will it be you?
Jacob V. Stuart
President
Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
THIS JUST IN
United We Stand
Chamber endorses support of United Arts Campaign 2004.
The Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and
the Small Business Chamber recently adopted resolutions
to support United Arts of Central Florida. The Chamber
is encouraging members to support the United Arts
Campaign 2004 not only through donations, but also
through the purchase of tickets, sponsorships, advertising
and other market driven relationships that will support
arts, heritage and culture year-round.
In addition, the Chamber is encouraging employers to
give their employees opportunities to learn about the arts
and make donations via stand-alone or combined workplace
giving campaigns, as well as opportunities for donations
through payroll deduction.
“The relationship we have with the Chamber just
makes sense,” said Margot H. Knight, President and CEO
of United Arts of Central Florida. “We both share a
common goal, and that is to create strong, thriving, vibrant
cultural institutions that make Central Florida a desirable
place to live, work, play and visit.”
As the region’s largest pro-business organization, the
Chamber believes that a strong, vital community goes
hand-in-hand with a strong, vital business environment.
By offering a wide range of outstanding business programs
throughout the seven-county region, the Chamber is
dedicated to providing something for everyone.
United Arts of Central Florida is a dynamic collaboration of regional corporations, small business, local
governments, arts organizations, museums, artists, school
districts and individuals. It works to enhance the quality
and diversity of cultural experiences available throughout
Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Since
its inception in 1989, United Arts has invested more
than $74 million in local cultural organizations and
cultural education.
“We hope that the support of the Chamber will
encourage others to support all the arts, culture and
history available right here in our own back yard,”
Knight added.
Guests admire Faith Ringgold art during the Zora Neale Hurston Festival.
For more information, contact Margot H. Knight, President
& CEO, United Arts of Central Florida, Inc., at 407-628-0333 or
via e-mail at uacf@UnitedArts.cc.
Orlando Ballet performs open rehearsals for those interested in the arts.
Chamber Perks
Navigating the new Web page.
By Rob Recker, Publisher, FirstMonday
Last month, I outlined the many
business savings and discounts on important services the Chamber offers to its
Members. The Chamber Perks Web page
(You’re Part of Something Greater), as part
of the new and improved Chamber Web
site, is easy to use and offers access to
many Chamber-endorsed services.
As you can see, the navigation bar
on the left-hand side of the page gives
you access to great savings for your
business with just the click of a button.
The navigation bar includes the following perks: Broadband & DSL; Chamber
Perks Credit Card; Corporate Gifts; HR
Solutions Center; Insurance; Long
Distance; Publications; Shipping; and
Wireless & Cellular.
Underneath this navigation bar is a
poll that helps us better serve your
needs. For example, the current poll
question is: Which benefits do you find
most useful? Multiple-choice answers
include Cellular Services, Car Rentals or
Technology. Your feedback is very
important. If we get an overwhelming
majority of “Cellular Services” answers,
we can make a concerted effort to look
for the best savings and discounts we
can find on various cellular services.
On the right-hand side of the
page is an explanation of how being a
member of the Florida Chamber
Federation gives you buying power.
Under that is a more detailed description of the “Featured Benefits” that
the Chamber offers, along with
company logos. By clicking on the
desired benefit, you will get a more
detailed description of the perk and the
important contact information for the
product or service.
So don’t wait any longer — go
to http://orlando.chamberperks.com
and start reaping the benefits of
Chamber Membership!
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THE L ATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION
TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW.
Unleashing Excellence
Chamber Member co-authors guide to ultimate customer service.
By Jack Roth, Editor, FirstMonday
Customer service has
become a lost art to those who
neglect its impact on business.
This is unacceptable to businesses that want to succeed,
and it’s why Teri Yanovitch
has co-authored “Unleashing
Excellence: The Complete
Guide to Ultimate Customer
Service,” a book that acts as
a “how to” and “can do”
manual for companies that
need to implement service excellence
in their organization.
“There’s a disturbing trend occurring
all over the country,” says Yanovitch, a
local business consultant, customer service
expert and founder of T.A. Yanovitch, Inc.
“Customer service tends to be so awful
that we’re completely thrilled when we
actually receive good service.”
Customer service applies to all
companies, big and small, whether it’s
a grocery store, trucking company or
hospital, and even though every company
wants to accomplish different
things from an organizational
standpoint. Yanovitch’s expert
tutelage provides the groundwork for creating a thriving
culture of total quality service
regardless of what type of
company you own.
“As the tourism capital
of the world, Orlando should
be setting customer service
standards, and this is
true with Disney and other serviceoriented companies in the region,”
says Yanovitch, “but there are many
companies that still haven’t embraced a
‘customer service first’ philosophy, and in
the end this hurts not only the business,
but the perception of the entire region.”
In the Trenches
Yanovitch, a keynote speaker and
seminar leader, shared the best practices
of customer service developed by The
Walt Disney Company with global
organizations. For more than a decade,
she also facilitated cultural change as an
executive with a company that helped
revolutionize total quality management,
Philip Crosby Associates (PCA). During
that time, she participated in the
Chamber’s Leadership Orlando program.
She garnered more coaching and
training experience as a consultant and
speaker at Crosby’s Quality College and
The Disney Institute. She began her career
as a manager and regional trainer with
the Hertz Corporation, where she learned
first-hand the importance of good
customer service.
Yanovitch has coached thousands
of executives and teams to achieve
greater productivity, communication,
teamwork, sales and service, and
continuous improvement.
In the end, she says, someone on the
management team has to say they want
customer service training and commit to
implementing a service philosophy
throughout the company.
Teri Yanovitch
By joining the Chamber, Yanovitch
hopes to reach out to the many small
and newly formed businesses in the
region that are just beginning to focus
on customer service.
“New and smaller businesses need to
focus on other areas at first in order to get
up and running,” says Yanovitch. “Once
that is achieved, they can focus on obtaining the mechanisms and tools needed to
build a culture of service excellence.”
For more on T.A. Yanovitch, Inc. and
“Unleashing Excellence,” go to
www.retainloyalcustomers.com.
Regulatory Deadline Hits Small Business
Plan to protect medical information in the workplace is now required.
By Troy Kishbaugh, Gray, Harris & Robinson, P.A.
Last month, small businesses had to
conform to the federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
as it applies to the confidentiality of
medical information in the workplace.
(Compliance for larger businesses took
effect last year.)
A primary goal of HIPAA is to protect
the confidentiality of an individual’s personal health information. This is done
through transaction standards that
safeguard the electronic transmission
of health care information and privacy
rules that apply to those who handle
individually identifiable health information.
A small business must comply with
HIPAA if it:
■ Offers and administers health care
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benefits, whether self-insured or
fully insured.
■ Comes in contact with employee medical information in the process of making employment decisions.
The types of human resource issues
covered by HIPAA include reviewing an
employee’s request for medical leave,
making an employment decision based
on drug test results, evaluating an
Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation request and administering a fitness
exam for job placement or safety purposes.
For most employers, their insurer
has handled a majority of HIPAA’s
compliance requirements. However,
there are additional actions a small
business should take if it plans to
access its employees’ personal
health information.
Below is a checklist of
some basic steps to consider:
■ Distribute a HIPAA privacy
notice to all employees.
as brokers, accountants or
other consultants.
■ Designate a privacy officer
who is responsible for
ensuring your company’s
HIPAA compliance.
■ Develop policies and
procedures that allow
employees to freely express
concerns about possible
HIPAA violations.
The penalties for violating HIPAA range from a $100
fine per violation to $250,000
Troy Kishbaugh
in fines and up to 10 years in
prison for individuals who knowingly
violate HIPAA and willfully misuse
■ Obtain written employee authorizations
employee medical information.
to assist in claims management.
■ Establish “Business Associate”
agreements with others who will
come in contact with your employees’
protected heath information, such
For more, contact Troy Kishbaugh
at 407-843-8880 or via e-mail at
tkishbaugh@gray-robinson.com.
“Ask The Business Specialist”
Business tips and trend analysis for Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce Members.
What is a popular travel trend for
relaxing vacations? And why should
my company be aware of it?
The wellness evolution and explosion
in the past few years has been dramatic,
and “spa” has become a household word.
The International Spa Association (ISPA),
a helpful trade organization that provides
coverage of the trends for the spa market,
reports that the spa industry had revenues
greater than amusement/theme parks
and box office gross receipts last year.
From a business standpoint, this
suggests that people are placing more
importance on both their physical
and emotional health. Management
should be sensitive to these holistic
needs and understand that happier,
healthier employees make for more
productive employees.
A great example of this type of proactive approach takes place at Harcourt,
Inc. in Orlando. The company has
sub-contracted with a massage therapy
company to give employees massages
on site at discounted rates. With approximately 1,200 employees on site, this
arrangement has helped create a more
relaxed atmosphere in the often stressful
world of school book publishing.
Healing Trends
The spa industry is experiencing a
time of great change and a renewed
commitment to healing. Recently, ISPA
polled its members on the trends they are
seeing in the last few years. Some of the
findings include:
■ Group bookings have increased dramatically. Groups of friends (both female and
male), couples and families
(mothers/daughters)
are going to spas together.
■ Businesses and corporations are taking
employees to spas for relaxation and are
offering spa gift certificates as perks.
■ Groups are coming to spas for a safe,
nurturing environment. Instead of a group
of girlfriends going out for dinner, they are
now going to a spa for a healing and bonding experience.
full-time; Average ages: Day Spa - 41 years,
Resort/Hotel Spa - 44 years, Destination
Spa - 45 years; Average annual household
incomes: Day Spa - $96,000; Resort/Hotel
Spa - $122,000; Destination Spa - $125,000.
■ The majority of clients are visiting spas to
escape the news and forget about the real
world for a while.
■ Massages remain the most popular treatment, and mind/body services are being
requested frequently.
■ Many people no longer see spas as “pampering,” but as a necessity in order to stay
healthy.
■ Consumers want simplicity in their spa
experiences; they are moving “back to the
basics” and are returning to more traditional spa products.
Basic demographics of spa customers
include: Married with no children under
the age of 18 living in the household;
College degree or higher; Employed
For additional information, contact
Evelyn McPherson at 954-434-6774 or
go to www.findsvp.com.
This information appears with the
permission of FIND/SVP, Inc., provider
of “Ask The Business Specialist.” “Ask The
Business Specialist” is a business research
and advisory service available to Members
at specially discounted rates through
a partnership with the Orlando Regional
Chamber of Commerce. For more
information, call 877-275-2491 or visit
www.orlandochamber.askbiznow.com.
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Good for Business
Florida’s business incubators show strong growth.
According to the Florida Business
Incubation Association (FBIA), that
recently held its annual conference
in Orlando, the business incubation
industry in Florida is alive and well
and growing.
“Many incubators throughout
the state are filled or nearing capacity
and a number of new incubators are
in development,” says Tom O’Neal,
President of FBIA. “Entrepreneurs
are realizing that incubators offer
programs and services that can
help them be successful, and
communities are realizing that
incubation is a good investment
for economic development.”
“Growing your own” is becoming a more viable way to increase the
number of companies in a locale and
diversify the economy. In the long
run, it costs a lot less to incubate a
company then to recruit one from
across the country. Entrepreneurs
tend to stay where they start their
company and, as they grow, provide
a more stable corporate community.
Incubators across the state are
diverse and focus on everything
from technology to faith-based
organizations. But the trend is clearly
toward technology. There are four
technology incubators and three in
development in the Florida High
Tech corridor alone.
Growth in the incubation
industry in Florida reflects what’s
happening all over the country.
Business incubators in the United
States and Canada number more
than 1,000. In 2002, incubators
across the country assisted more
than 35,000 companies who had
82,000 employees and generated
over $7 billion in revenues.
Studies published by the
National Business Incubator
Association show that for every $1
of public investment in incubation,
$45 in local tax revenue is generated.
For companies that graduate from
an incubation program, 87 percent
of them are still in business five years
later as compared to 80 percent of
start-ups that fail during the first
five years. In addition, 84 percent of
those companies stay in the communities in which they were incubated.
For more, visit www.fbiaonline.org.
Dressed for Success
Even with blistering temperatures approaching,
professional decorum should be upheld.
By Sara Brady, Chair, Small Business Chamber, Wragg & Casas Public Relations
Spring is in the air and office
dress codes are in full bloom.
Once again, business leaders
are confronted with some serious
issues — should women be
required to wear pantyhose in
June? Is there a need for legislation to ban backless shoes? And
is it legal to require men to wear
neckties when temperatures
reach 87 degrees?
If you think these matters
are exclusive to the corporate
boardroom, change your
thinking and your sandals. Small
businesses can get away with a
lot, but looking like you mean
business remains a necessity to
every work environment.
There’s a lot to be interpreted
by what someone wears or
doesn’t wear to work these days.
Depending on the kind of small
business and where it’s headquartered, the dress code can easily be
relaxed a bit, but workers are still
expected to dress appropriately.
The trouble is, some workers
are so relaxed in their garb, they’re
virtually reclining. This is an issue
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shared by both small
and big business,
despite the thinking
of some who work in
their pajamas at
home. My downtown
Orlando office is
loaded with lawyers,
financial planners and Sara Brady
developers who look
very nice on any given day. But
every spring, it seems some —
and I hate to say this, but it’s usually women — lose their minds
and their underwear.
Blame it on the heat, on
daylight savings time or on too
much fake tanning lotion, but
suddenly spandex, faded denim,
clam diggers and way too much
skin flood the streets during any
given eight-hour workday. As
the amount of fabric magically
diminishes from wardrobes in
a matter of days, I find myself
checking the calendar to see if
someone changed every day
to casual Friday.
Let’s assume I’m jealous
because I’m in my late 40s. I’ve
got about as much
business baring my
upper arms as Janet
Jackson did baring her,
well, soul at the Super
Bowl. Of course, we can
reason that we live in
Florida where it’s not the
heat but the humidity
that forces us to shuck
business attire for cruise wear.
That seems like a valid argument,
until someone bellows that the
thermostat on the office air
conditioner needs to be raised.
In the grand scheme of life,
is this a big deal? Not really. But
we’ve all lived by behavioral codes
established by society, government, church and business. Dress
codes were established to help
us do our best to be effective in
business as much as to protect us
from those who want to come to
work dressed like Jennifer Lopez.
It’s springtime. Let’s bask in
the glory of the season and those
who dress for success.
BusinessForce Eyes Region’s
Top 2004 Races
By Mike Ketchum, Vice President of Public Policy, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
Although some last minute election year theatrics and fireworks can
always be anticipated in Tallahassee,
at our press time the legislature
appeared to remain on track for its
scheduled April 30th adjournment.
If so, the prophecy of Senate
President Jim King during the
Chamber’s 2004 GrayRobinson FlyIn that this would be a “go along,
get along and get out of town”
session was right on the mark.
Once the final gavel falls in
Tallahassee, the Chamber’s Political
Committee, BusinessForce, is poised
to gear up quickly to assess the
region’s political landscape for key
state and local races. To do so, its
2004 Chairman Pat Christiansen
and top Chamber leaders have
assembled a bipartisan BusinessForce
Executive Board composed of a
number of politically seasoned
business and community leaders
committed to electing pro-business
men and women to public office.
Earlier this year, BusinessForce
initially established four Regional
Legislative Delegation seats as its
top state legislative priorities.
With veteran Senator Dan Webster
seeking a U.S. Senate seat, his
District 9 seat covering parts of
Orange and Osceola Counties is “in
play” and is being sought by veteran
Representative Randy Johnson with
possibly others considering entering
the race. As Johnson seeks
face challengers but
to move up to the Senate, a
assuming their 2004 vothost of GOP candidates are
ing records continue to be
eyeing his District 41 House
acceptable they will likely
seat which includes a
again have BusinessForce
majority of its voters in
in their corner.
Orange County along with
Two Orange County
voters from Lake and
Commission
races were
Mike Ketchum
Osceola Counties. This
targeted by BusinessForce
could be the most hotly
as priorities. In District 3,
contested House seat in the region
Commissioner Mary Johnson is
with three Orange County candirunning for another office and
dates vying against an Osceola
already 7 candidates are vying for
County-based candidate. Freshman
her seat. Much the same situation
Democrat Representative Sheri
has developed in District 5 where
McInvale in Central Orange
incumbent Ted Edwards is stepping
County’s District 36 has been
down and 5 candidates are seeking
endorsed by BusinessForce in its
his seat. Incumbent Teresa Jacobs in
first 2004 endorsement as it sent a
District 1, endorsed by BusinessForce
signal it will enthusiastically endorse
in 2000, has drawn no opposition
pro-business candidates from both
to date.
political parties. In the Winter ParkWhile it has no present plans
based District 35, formidable
to engage in county commission
Republican candidate Dean Cannon
or school board races outside of
is running strong for this “open”
Orange County, BusinessForce will
seat and continues to ward off oppocontinue to closely monitor develsition. In a newly developing situaopments in Seminole and Osceola
tion, freshman GOP Representative
Counties along with several races for
John Quinones, in the competitive
Orange County School Board due to
District 49 that straddles Orange and
increasing concerns expressed by
Osceola Counties, has been targeted
some in the business community
for defeat by the Florida Democratic
over the proposed Orange County
Party and will no doubt look to
school impact fees.
BusinessForce for support.
It’s certain to be an exciting
A number of other pro-business
political year in our region and
members of the Regional
BusinessForce will be right in the
Legislative Delegation could still
middle of it.
Face Lift
Medical side of FMLA requires clarification and streamlining.
Eleven years after the enactment of the Family and
Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees and employers
now struggle with interpretations of the Act that differ
from Congress’ original design.
Enacted 11 years ago, the FMLA provides employees
with 12 weeks of job-protected leave to address family
and medical issues. While the public is generally more
familiar with the Act’s “family leave” protections, most
of the leave taken under the FMLA is actually “medical
leave,” which allows job protected leave for an
employee’s own “serious health condition.”
In fact, according to a 2003 Society for Human
Resource Management (SHRM) survey, HR professionals
say that 34 percent of their workforce had taken medical
leave under FMLA in the last 12 months, which is double
the percentage of employees using family leave.
Additionally, the law currently requires HR
professionals to offer and track the medical leave in
tiny segments — as small as single minutes years ago.
Ambiguous interpretations have also led to some
mischaracterization or abuse of the medical leave. The
2003 SHRM FMLA Survey reports that more than one
third of HR professionals say they are aware of complaints
from coworkers because of another worker’s questionable
use of FMLA leave.
Half of HR professionals said FMLA requests they
believe were not legitimate had been granted due to
current Labor Department interpretations of the law.
For more information, visit SHRM online at
www.shrm.org.
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Radio Advertising: Theater of the Mind
By Barbara Hartley, The Marlin Company and OAF Member
When developing advertising
campaigns and strategies, it’s important
to remember that different media offer
different benefits and strengths. Radio
advertising engages consumers in a way
that no other medium does, stimulating
imagination and creating a theater of
the mind.
When creative and messaging are
well targeted, radio provides an effective
means of connecting with your target
audience and emotionally engaging them,
which can lead to enhanced recall and persuasion. Studies continuously show that
radio advertising can be extremely potent
in terms of connecting with consumers
and creating a memorable impact. Some
studies show that a single exposure to a
radio spot can have about 80 percent of the
impact of a single exposure to a television
ad in terms of recall. This translates into
strong recall that is cost-effective.
Part of the power of radio advertising
lies in the fact that consumers must use
more of their imagination, which stimulates more active involvement. This
involvement enhances recall and can
often extend the impact of your spot.
This, of course, assumes that the message
has relevance and is well executed. On a
practical level, advantages of using radio
include listener loyalty, effective day part
targeting, and the fact that radio spots can
be produced quickly and cost effectively.
Radio is a great medium, particularly
when combined with print, to promote
short-term events such as grand openings,
special sales, or community events. From
a long-term strategic perspective, it works
well in conjunction with other media
to increase awareness and particularly to
emotionally connect with audiences and
enhance feelings about your brand.
Reach and Frequency
An effective campaign will have a
strong reach and frequency. Net reach is
the number of different persons reached
in a given schedule, and frequency is the
average number of times a person is
exposed to a radio commercial schedule.
A general rule of thumb is that you want
your message to reach someone at least
three times.
If you’re considering a radio campaign,
you need to identify your primary target
audience and your budget, and then
contact the local stations that reach
the listeners you want to target with
your message.
Understanding listener psychographics
as well as demographics is important in
choosing the right stations to include in
your media mix. Stations can provide you
with demographic and psychographic
information about their listeners.
If you have a large enough budget to
use multiple stations or to develop a
multimedia campaign, it’s in your best
interest to enlist the services of a media
planner or a local advertising agency.
They can provide you with valuable
insights for reaching your audiences costeffectively, and can negotiate and place
the orders on your behalf.
Orlando has a tremendous amount of
talented advertising professionals to help
your business grow. Be sure to take advantage of their expertise and talent.
For more information, contact OAF
President Cathy Gwynn at cathy@oaf.com
or go to www.oaf.com.
The Orlando Advertising Federation (OAF)
is Central Florida’s leading organization
for advertising professionals.
Estate Planning Done Right
Adults should consider some basic documents.
By Tyson R. Smith, Vice President of Investments and Branch Office Manager, Robert W. Baird & Co.
Every adult, regardless of age or
wealth, should have an estate plan. This
holds especially true for anyone who has
children, owns property or is a business
owner. By properly structuring your
estate, you can attain your financial goals
during your lifetime and after your death.
Good estate planning allows you to
control the transfer of your wealth to
your loved ones and the charities that
are important to you, while reducing or
eliminating the taxes that may be owed
by your estate. While you’re living, a
good estate plan can help you manage
your assets and other legal issues using
a durable power of attorney and can
address health care decision-making and
the use of advanced health care directives.
The right estate planning decisions can
be made with the needs and planning
concerns of several generations in mind.
Your dreams for your children and grandchildren can be fulfilled with even greater
success if parents and children share
their estate planning goals and strategies.
Without adequate planning, your estate
may not be distributed the way you
would have wanted and your biggest
beneficiary could be your least favorite
relative — Uncle Sam.
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Following are basic estate plan
documents, which, if not already in
place, should be considered.
Will
A will gives you the ability to direct
how assets held in your name are
distributed after your death. If not
specifically directed through your will,
those assets will be distributed according
to the laws of the state in which you
live. A will is also used to handle nonfinancial matters such as appointing an
executor or personal representative to
manage your estate. For people with
young children, a will is typically used
to nominate a guardian.
Revocable Trust
Having a revocable living trust allows
the assets held in trust to pass directly to
beneficiaries without going through
probate. This reduces the time and cost
associated with court and keeps the
transfer of property private. Because you
keep complete control over the trust
and its assets during your lifetime, the
property held in the trust is included in
your gross federal estate for tax purposes.
Credit Shelter/
Bypass Trust
Current estate tax law
allows individuals to pass up to
$1.5 million to someone other
than their spouse before they
begin paying estate tax. Quite
often, this transfer is done
Tyson R. Smith
through a bypass trust. Each
spouse creates a bypass trust,
leaving up to $1.5 million to the trust
at their death. Their family members
are named as beneficiaries. (The $1.5
million represents the maximum
applicable exemption that is free from
taxes for 2004 and 2005. This amount
will increase in stages to $3.5 million
by 2009.)
When the first spouse dies, the survivor has use of the income from that
bypass trust until he or she dies. In addition, the principal is available to be used
for the living spouse’s health, education,
maintenance and support. After the survivor dies, the trust principal passes to
family (typically the children) free of
estate taxes, as does the value of the maximum applicable exemption from the survivor’s own trust.
Power of Attorney/
Health Care
Directives
A durable power of attorney
appoints a person to manage
your financial and legal affairs
in the event you become
incapacitated. Advanced health
care directives and a living will
specify your wishes concerning
medical treatment in the event you are
unable to make that choice for yourself.
Your living will should be as complete
and explicit as possible to ensure your
wishes are respected.
Regardless of which documents
comprise your estate plan, it’s important
to review your plan with your financial
advisor on a regular basis. Unless there is
a major life change such as birth, death,
marriage or divorce in the family, reviewing your estate plan once every three years
should be adequate as a good rule of
thumb. Your financial advisor can work
with your legal and tax advisors to help
you manage your estate.
For more, contact Tyson R. Smith
at 1-888-792-0038.
FirstMonday presents sound monthly advice from FIND/SVP business consultants
on how to take advantage of current trends in the marketplace.
Leisure Time
Knowing how consumers spend their free time can help your business.
Looking at how consumers
spend their free time is an excellent
means to gain better insight into
lifestyles. The use of time tends to
reflect the basic work and leisure
patterns of a culture, and while
there are differences among cultures,
the shifts in time use occur quite
gradually within a given culture.
Research has pointed to some
important developments in time use
among Americans. These interesting
trends fall into specific categories.
They are as follows:
Gender Issues
■ The long-term trend of increasing
movement of women into the workplace since the 1970’s has resulted in
a major shift in how women spend
their free time, affecting as well how
other family members spend their
free time.
■ Major pressures on free time are
marriage and being a parent;
women lose 30 minutes a day in
leisure time after they are married
and 45 minutes per day in leisure
after becoming a parent; men’s
leisure time is not affected by
marriage or parenthood (source:
University of Pennsylvania
Population Studies Center).
■ Working women have compensated
by significantly cutting back on
housework and with decreases in
sleep and self care, while time allotted
to child care has remained steady
since the 1960’s.
■ Married men with working wives are
picking up some of the slack in household tasks, especially in housework
and secondarily in child care, but
women still spend considerably more
time than men on household and
family tasks.
■ Men average about 30 minutes more
free time per day than women.
Media Cocoons
■ Television and reading remain the
top leisure activities (Harris
Interactive).
■ Spending time with family is the
third most popular free time activity.
■ Internet time has risen steadily as
a leisure activity but is still not a
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Here are some links that elaborate on time
use in further detail:
Work and Leisure
www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=328
Americans’ Use of Time Project
www.psu.edu/ur/NEWS/news/leisure.html
Sports
www.nsga.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=150
Hobbies
www.hobby.org/library/HIA%20Exec%20Summary.pdf
Internet Activities
www.online-publishers.org/opa_media_consumption_050203.pdf
Dining Out
www.restaurant.org/faq.cfm#meals
Movies
www.mpaa.org/useconomicreview/2002/2002_US_Attendance.pdf
Commuting to Work
www.publicpurpose.com/ut-jtw2000msatime.htm
significant challenge to time spent
on television, except among the
younger age groups.
expanding expectations for time, as
well as the use of free time for tasks
rather than pure leisure.
■ The Internet results in some timeshifting of activities, with some people doing shopping and errands online at work and conversely, working
overtime while at home.
■ Consumers tend to wonder where all
the time is going because they overlook
the enormous amount of time spent
with television; television can be
involving and informational but can
also function as the portal to total
escape, requiring no more effort than
pressing a button on a remote control
and the occasional trip to the kitchen
to refill the popcorn bowl. Television
can also be consumed in small chunks
to fit a busy schedule or it can provide
an extended stretch of relaxation.
Changing Perceptions
of Time
■ Time pundits Godbey and Robinson
assert that high-wealth industrialized societies tend to increasingly
drive up the perceived value of time
so people seek ever more productive
uses of their personal time, favoring
goal-oriented errands, tasks, and
career-related activities versus oldfashioned loafing in the hammock.
■ The steadily rising value of time is
reflected in the behavior of parceling
out leisure activity in small chunks,
reflected in the popularity of long
weekends versus extended vacations,
the day spa as a bite-size relaxation
experience, engaging in a short,
intense period of exercise at a gym
rather than spending a lot of time
on a workout, and educational or
purposeful vacations.
■ Although the hours of work and
leisure have remained relatively
stable over time, there is an increasing
perception of time poverty, possibly
reflecting the need to reap more
benefit out of each free hour, or
If you would like to delve deeper
with syndicated research on leisure
time activities, a key source in that
area is the Leisure Trends Group. For
additional detail on the group’s
research, refer to the following link:
www.leisuretrends.com/local/report
s.asp?report_id=LB-LT300.
For more, contact Evelyn McPherson
at 954-434-6774 or go to
www.findsvp.com.
This information appears with the
permission of FIND/SVP, Inc., a
global business advisory network.
Because labor and employment law are so complex, FirstMonday is presenting a series of articles
by local attorneys to help Chamber members identify labor issues and avoid possible pitfalls.
If You Can’t Deliver It — Don’t Promise It
By Carlos J. Burruezo, Esq., Managing Partner, Fisher & Phillips, LLP
One of the core underpinnings of the
relationship between employers and
employees, the at-will doctrine, recently
took a hit from the Connecticut Supreme
Court when it upheld an award to an
employee based on a theory of detrimental reliance. The real problem is that
the employee was able to say “but my
boss promised.”
Stewart vs. Cendent
Mobility Services
Cendent Mobility Services is a
relocation services company, and
Elizabeth Stewart was a Vice President
of Sales. Stewart was worried that her
husband’s accepting a job with one of the
company’s competitors might negatively
impact her future with Cendent. She was
assured by her boss that it would not.
When her husband took the competing
job, Stewart’s duties were reduced and she
was fired when she refused to sign an
agreement delineating her new duties.
It doesn’t appear that these actions were
taken because of her husband’s new
employment in direct contravention of
the employer’s promises.
The jury concluded that the statements
made to Stewart were definite enough to
form the basis of a claim for promissory
estoppel. This is a doctrine in which a
promise is made and a plaintiff reasonably
relies on that promise to her detriment. In
such a case the person making the promise,
here the company, is said to be “estopped”
from denying its enforcement.
What this case makes clear is
that employers must continue
to be vigilant in avoiding
promises or other statements
to employees regarding the
conditions of, or expectancy
in, future employment.
As to damages, the evidence showed
that employees in Stewart’s field could
obtain signing bonuses from competitor
firms that were equivalent to the value of
unpaid commissions they were leaving
behind at the time they left employment.
Stewart established that the value of her
unpaid commissions was $812,000 and
testified that had she known her employment would be adversely affected by her
husband’s taking a job with a competitor,
she would have left Cendent and obtained
a job with an $850,000 signing bonus.
The jury awarded her the amount of the
avoiding promises or other statements to employees regarding
the conditions of, or expectancy
in, future employment. While
fundamentally, the law has
separated employees into two
groups, either terminable at-will
Where Was
or terminable for cause, these are
the Contract?
not the sum total of the types
Carlos J. Burruezo
On appeal, Cendent argued
of enforceable contractual
that in an at-will employerrelationships between employers
employee relationship, there could be no
and employees.
cause of action for promissory estoppel
There is a wide spectrum of agreements
without there first being a definitive offer of
between employers and employees. These
an employment contract. The Connecticut
might include a contract defining cause for
Supreme Court rejected this contention. It
termination broadly or, as in this case, an
concluded that the promise at issue didn’t
oral promise that ties the employer’s hands
change Stewart’s status as an at-will
with regard to the employee in only limitemployee. Rather, it merely obligated
ed circumstances. At the end of the day,
Cendent not to take adverse action against
jurors expect companies to abide by the
her because of her husband’s employment
commitments they have made.
by a competitor. It could still have
terminated her for any other reason.
For more, contact Carlos J. Burruezo at
What this case makes clear is that
407-541-0886 or cburruezo@laborlawyers.com.
employers must continue to be vigilant in
signing bonus she gave up
when she chose not to seek
other employment opportunities based on her employer’s
promises that her job would
not be adversely affected.
Big Bonus for Businesses
Tax incentives available for purchase of fixed assets.
Tax changes prompted by the
Sept. 11 tragedy offer a big incentive
for companies to acquire fixed assets —
equipment, computers, vehicles and
the like — before Dec. 31, 2005.
Lori Sims, a tax partner at the
Chamber Member accounting firm of
Chastang, Ferrell, Sims & Eiserman,
LLC, said that Expense Section 179 of
the IRS code is encouraging some of
her clients to make large-scale equipment purchases now.
Under the old law, buyers of fixed
assets could write off up to $25,000 of
the cost during the first year and the
remainder over the next five to seven
years, depending on the asset class,
Sims explains.
“Congress changed that to allow a
company acquiring fixed assets to write
off up to $100,000 worth in the first
year,” Sims said. “That provision
will revert to the $25,000 limit starting
in 2006. In effect, it means that fixed
asset acquisitions made on January 2,
2006 will cost the buyer thousands of
dollars more in taxes.”
Sims said the changes were
intended to provide incentives for
companies to rebuild after Sept. 11.
For more information, contact
Lori Sims at 407-629-1944.
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You’re Fired!
How to make an extremely difficult task easier.
By Mary Massad, Director of Human Resources, Administaff
In his TV role on “The Apprentice,”
Donald Trump is definitely entertaining,
but in the real world, terminating an
employee can be a tough, agonizing
chore. Practitioners will tell you that
the companies that do it best are the
ones that treat departing employees
with dignity and respect.
Most big companies have professionally
trained Human Resource (HR) departments
to support their managers, both psychologically and legally, when it’s termination
time. But who’s there for the small business
owner, the entrepreneur who doesn’t have
the benefit of such resources?
An increasing number of small businesses have been able to tap the experience
and knowledge of Professional Employer
Organizations (PEOs), which function as
outsourced HR departments, providing
quality guidance to small business owners,
their managers and employees.
While most HR professionals will agree
that denigrating an employee in front of a
roomful of people and then dismissing
him or her with a dramatic “You’re fired!”
might make for good TV ratings, it should
come with a prominent disclaimer warning
business owners: “Don’t try this at home.”
The dramatic flair of “The Apprentice”
creates stress even when everyone in the
room knows in advance that there’s a
chance they’ll be getting the boot. In a
real business setting, it’s important to
deliver the news more professionally —
firmly but gently, preserving the employee’s dignity as much as possible.
Current best practices for an employee
termination include the following:
Here are some common HR blunders
and how to avoid them.
■ Respect and compassion to minimize emotional harm and help the employee to move
on to the next phase of his or her career.
It’s imperative to maintain current job
descriptions for all employees, delineating
major responsibilities, limits of authority,
performance expectations and evaluation
methods. Without clear, written expectations it may be difficult for an employer to
establish objective grounds for termination.
■ A concise explanation of the true reason
for termination, followed by either a
concise letter or a termination report
signed by the employee stating the
reason for the termination.
■ A letter explaining the employee’s
COBRA rights.
■ Minimal debate at the time of dismissal,
allowing the letter or termination report,
which should be approved by the HR
specialist, to speak for itself.
■ A contact — usually the HR specialist —
for the employee to call with any questions.
Wrongful Termination
Hasty or hostile firings tend to be
counterproductive for both parties and
can beget lawsuits, which can be costly
and distracting, even if you prevail. In
these litigious times, it’s important that an
employer be able to demonstrate the consistent application of job standards and
corrective action to help avoid the consequences of a wrongful termination claim.
Failure to Establish Clear
Performance Expectations
Itchy Trigger Finger
Except in cases of fraud, harassment,
or gross misconduct, employees should
generally be given an opportunity to
redeem themselves. Progressive discipline
provides a framework of escalating corrective actions that document the company’s
effort to avoid termination as well as
specific actions required of the employee
to avoid additional censure.
Poor Documentation
Clear expectations and progressive discipline are worthless without the facts to
back them up. It’s essential for managers to
confront performance deficiencies as they
occur and document both the problem and
the feedback provided to the employee.
Going it Alone
Your business is too valuable to risk
everything on a hunch. Monetary damages may be assessed if a lawsuit is filed.
Seek the advice of an HR specialist before
making a termination decision so you can
be comfortable you’ve made a sound,
legally defensible decision.
Getting Even
It’s good to be king, but you may find
yourself without a kingdom if you make it
a practice to wield the termination axe to
settle personal scores. Retaliation is the
employment lawyer’s best friend.
Settling Up
Even if an employee is terminated for
use of the company credit card for personal
expenses, it’s illegal for an employer to
deduct anything from an employee’s paycheck without specific written authorization, and even then there are restrictions by
state on what, if anything, can be taken out.
Following this guidance will hopefully
help you to avoid ugly scenes and foster
a better working environment. Because
you’re human, there’s not much that can
be done to reduce the heartburn, other
than perhaps the knowledge that you’ve
established an environment in which
there are no performance surprises and
everyone has an equal chance to succeed.
For more, call 1-800-465-3800 or visit
www.administaff.com.
Job Dissatisfaction
Employees voice mixed satisfaction with compensation and benefits packages.
From The Society For Human Resource Management
Just 45 percent of employees agree
that their organization’s pay policy is
fair, according to the Society for Human
Resource Management (SHRM) and
CNNfn’s (Financial Network) Job
Satisfaction Series: Job Compensation/Pay
Survey. In addition, 27 percent feel that
base pay does not fairly represent their contributions compared to other employees.
Contrary to popular thought, research
consistently shows that money is not the
most tangible satisfier for employees.
However, this survey suggests that contributing factors, such as communication
about pay and designing policies that
employees feel are fair compared to their
contributions to the organization, can affect
job satisfaction.
There is a difference between fairness
of compensation policies and satisfaction
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with your own compensation. HR
professionals’ perceptions are in line with
how employees actually feel about their
own compensation. Seventy percent of
HR professionals report their perception
that employees are satisfied with their compensation, while 63 percent of employees
report satisfaction with their pay.
HR professionals need to help their
organizations communicate their pay
policies in order to increase the percentage of employees who feel satisfied with
the level of communication regarding
compensation and pay.
Although compensation is only one
component of overall job satisfaction,
communication within the organization
is another. Organizations should take
every opportunity to communicate with
their employees on issues of importance
in the interest of transparency and open
communication within the organization.
“This survey reveals that employees
tend to believe their company’s pay
policy is fair if HR professionals explain
compensation packages to them,” says
Ken Jautz, Executive Vice President and
General Manager of CNN Business News.
“The survey results show that for working
Americans straightforward communication from their employers about their
compensation is absolutely critical to
their job satisfaction.”
Illustrating the importance of communication, the survey found that nearly
half of the employees who were dissatisfied with the communication explaining
how their pay was determined were also
dissatisfied with their total compensation
package. Conversely, when employees
understand how compensation is determined, they tend to be more satisfied
with their compensation packages and
jobs overall.
Sixty-four percent of employees
say that compensation contributes
“somewhat” or “to a large extent” to
their overall job satisfaction. Of those
employees who were satisfied that their
pay was a fair representation of their
contributions, almost 9 of 10 report
overall job satisfaction. This compares to
72 percent of all employees who report
overall job satisfaction and indicates that
those who feel that their pay reflects their
contributions to the organization are more
likely to report overall job satisfaction.
For more, go to www.shrm.org.
Protect Your Identity
How to reduce your risk of identity theft.
By Kate McGuinness, Marketing Specialist, FAIRWINDS Credit Union
Identity theft is a growing problem
that affects more than 700,000 people
each year. According to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), a U.S. government
agency, identity theft headed the top 10
consumer fraud complaints recently.
The FTC protects consumers each
year by investigating issues such as fraud,
misleading advertising and other consumer protection matters. To help you
protect yourself, the FTC has identified
important tips you can follow if you
become a victim of identity theft.
How to Protect Your Identity
■ Never give out your personal information,
including your Social Security number, to
unfamiliar people or companies.
extra credit cards should only be carried
when absolutely necessary.
■ Promptly remove your incoming mail from
your mailbox. If mail theft is common in
your neighborhood, consider installing a
locking mailbox.
■ Get a copy of your credit report at least
once a year.
have been opened in your name and no
unauthorized transactions have cleared
your existing accounts.
■ Contact the Federal Trade Commission’s
Identity Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338.
If you would like more information
about identity theft, visit the FTC Web
site at www.ftc.gov or call toll-free
1-877-FTC-HELP.
If You Become a Victim
of Identity Theft
■ Shred information you no longer need such
as billing statements, credit card receipts
and pre-approved credit offers before you
dispose of them.
■ Carry with you only the information you
need. Birth certificates, passports and
■ Request copies of your credit report. Review
them to make sure no additional accounts
Federal Trade Commission’s
Identity Theft Hotline
877-438-4338
Social Security Administration
Fraud Hotline
800-269-0271
Equifax Fraud Division
800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740250
Atlanta, GA 30374
■ Immediately file a police report with local
police or with police in the community where
the theft took place. Always make and keep
copies of the police report for your files.
■ Contact the three major credit bureau fraud
departments. Request that your credit file
be placed with a fraud alert and a statement
that creditors should get your permission
before opening any new accounts in
your name.
Important Contact
Information
Experian Fraud Division
P.O. Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013
Prevent identity theft by educating yourself. You can contact FAIRWINDS Credit
Union at 407-277-5045 for information on
upcoming Identity Theft Education
Seminars.
Trans Union Fraud Division
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634
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EVERY COMMUNIT Y NEEDS LEADERS TO ENSURE POSITIVE GROW TH; QUALIT Y
EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS ENSURE THE CREATION OF TOMORROW’S LEADERS.
A Healthy Start
Member organization improves quality
of life by ensuring healthy births.
A rough start in kindergarten can be
traced to low birth weight that gives the
child a difficult beginning in life, a new
University of Florida (UF) study finds. The
study results are one of the many reasons
the Orange County Healthy Start
Coalition is on a mission to educate parents and improve maternal child health.
The UF study of more than 100,000
Florida kindergarteners found that 13 risk
factors affect a child’s readiness to start
school. However, the study found that
being very small at birth outweighs other
significant causes, such as educational or
economic disadvantage.
Babies who are born with
problems tend to continue
to have problems as they
grow older.
“Babies who are born with problems
tend to continue to have problems as
they grow older,” says Linda Sutherland,
Executive Director of the Orange County
Healthy Start Coalition. “It’s all connected;
we need to give birth to healthy babies in
order to avoid problems down the road.”
According to the study, children who
weighed 2.3 pounds or less at birth were
two to three times less likely than their
peers of normal birth weight to be ready
to begin kindergarten. “We keep seeing
that educational outcomes are being
decided during the prenatal period,” says
Sutherland, “which is one of the many
reasons why prenatal care is so imperative.”
Florida’s Healthy Start Initiative,
which was passed by the Florida
Legislature in 1991, represents the most
comprehensive maternity and infant care
program ever implemented by a state.
The impetus for the initiative was Florida’s
poor standing on key maternal and infant
health indicators including infant mortality, low birth weight, teen pregnancy and
access to prenatal care.
“Florida’s socio-economic situation,
although it has improved, is not favorable
for kids,” says Dawn Steward, Community
Relations Director for the Orange County
Healthy Start Coalition. “Poverty levels
and the high number of uninsured are
factors that effect everything, including
educational outcomes.”
How Healthy Start Works
All women and newborns are eligible
for Healthy Start screening. The prenatal
screening form includes a series of
questions about medical and social
conditions, which help to pinpoint a
woman’s risk during pregnancy. A score
is assigned to each response and sent to
the local health department for processing. Women who score four or more, or
who are referred for other factors by
their health care provider, are offered
Healthy Start services.
Studies show that very low birth weight babies are less likely to be ready for kindergarten than are
normal birth weight babies.
The infant screening (postnatal) is
done as part of the form used in hospitals
to collect information for the baby’s birth
certificate. Families of infants scoring four
or more are also offered Healthy Start
services. “You should automatically get a
Healthy Start screening, but this doesn’t
always happen,” says Sutherland.
“Women don’t know about these
services, which is why we do a lot of
public awareness campaigns.”
If a woman is eligible, one of 31
community coalitions will help her
with setting goals and with a variety of
services including childbirth education,
nutrition counseling, breastfeeding
education and support, parenting
education and support, psychosocial
counseling and smoking cessation.
A Sound Investment
Florida’s Healthy Start Initiative is the most comprehensive maternity and infant care program
ever implemented.
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Florida provides $26 million annually
to fund Healthy Start. Local Healthy Start
coalitions leverage state funds, contributing more than $10 million in additional
in-kind, volunteer and cash services.
Medicaid underwrites prenatal care,
provided as part of Healthy Start, for
eligible pregnant women.
“The budget has been the same
since 1992 and all the while needs have
been increasing,” says Steward. “We
have never had a budget increase, so
we have to raise funds ourselves just
to keep up with inflation and an
increasing population.”
Despite these budgetary constraints,
more than 50,000 pregnant women
and 50,000 families with newborn
infants benefit from Health Start
statewide each year. In 1997, Florida’s
infant mortality rate declined to a record
low of 7.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live
births. The state’s infant mortality rate
has decreased nearly 25 percent since
the program began in 1991.
Sutherland believes that increasing
healthy birth rates has a direct impact on
the community as a whole. “Quality
of life is imperative to the business and
economic growth in the region,” she
says. “We must look at the negative
continuum that results when babies are
not born healthy.”
Businesses Can Help
This “investment” in quality of life
applies to local businesses, as well. For
example, if businesses work to offer more
affordable health insurance and give
their employees more time to get proper
pre-natal care, it will help with these
companies’ economics in the long run.
In a time when many people have to
drop their health insurance because rates
are too high, it’s even more important to
educate business owners on how they can
best help their employees when it comes
to family and children.
“The future of our communities is at
stake,” says Sutherland. “Children need to
be protected at all costs, which should be
the absolute goal of any society.”
For more, contact Linda Sutherland at
407-741-5240 or go to
www.healthystartorange.org.
Chamber Member Awards $4,000 in Scholarships
to Local High School Students.
In the spirit of “people helping
people,” Insight Financial and the Paul H.
Higgs family have awarded four $1,000
scholarships to graduating high school
seniors. Lynn W. Owen, III, President/CEO
of Insight Financial and Chairman Maurice
T. Webber recently presented the scholarships at Insight Financial’s annual meeting.
Applicants for this year’s scholarships were required to submit an essay
focusing on the credit union philosophy
and how it sets credit unions apart from
other financial institutions. The four
winners were James Chase Bartlett
of Eustis High School, Sarah Merritt of
Leesburg High School, Audris Solomon
of Wildwood High School, and Katelyn
Thompson of Leesburg High School.
The winners and their families were
invited to attend the annual meeting for
the presentation of awards.
Insight Financial’s Board of
Directors established the Paul H. Higgs
Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor
Paul H. Higgs, former Chairman and
active member of the board for more
than 28 years. It’s also a tribute to the
founders and many volunteers who
have served the credit union and its
members throughout its long history.
To qualify for next year’s scholarship, students must be a member of
Insight Financial Credit Union in good
standing and also be a graduating high
school senior intending to further his
or her education at an accredited twoyear community college or four-year
university. Students must also submit
an application for the contest, two
letters of recommendation, and a
350- to 500-word essay based on
next year’s topic.
Pictured from left to right: Lynn W. Owen, President/CEO; Audris Solomon; Sarah Merritt;
Katelyn Thompson; James Chase Bartlett; Maurice T. Webber, Chairman
Insight Financial is based in
Orlando and has 10 Central Florida locations. The Credit Union has been in
business for more than 65 years and
currently serves over 50,000 members.
Anyone who lives or works in Seminole
or Lake County, as well as many surrounding communities, is eligible for
membership in Insight Financial Credit
Union. Insight Financial is also recognized as one of the top 100 employers
for working families.
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In 2004, FirstMonday takes a look at how Leadership Orlando Alumni
foster growth and prosperity in the community today.
Where Are They Now?
One of the Founding Fathers of Leadership Orlando
and his daughter promote community leadership.
By Laura Peters
J. Blair Culpepper
Leadership Orlando Class 2
& Betsy Culpepper,
All past graduates and current
attendees of Leadership Orlando have
two people to thank: Blair Culpepper,
one of the founders of the program,
and his daughter, Betsy Culpepper,
the current Chair of Leadership
Orlando Alumni Board of Directors.
In 1975, Blair Culpepper, along
with James B. Greene, developed the
Leadership Orlando program, the
oldest of its kind in Central Florida.
“We put ourselves through the program as ‘hosts’ along with the participants. The first class had great
speakers and long bus rides ... nothing like today’s all-encompassing
community experience,” he says.
“Today’s leadership programs do a
much better job of team building
and educating tomorrow’s leaders.”
Blair went on to become
Chairman of the Greater Orlando
Chamber of Commerce (now the
Orlando Regional Chamber of
Commerce) in 1976. In 1980, he
chaired the Board of Directors of the
Orlando Museum of Art and the
University of Central Florida
Foundation in 1982.
A graduate of the University of
Florida and the Harvard School of
Business, Blair has had a
lengthy career in banking.
After receiving his MBA,
he joined Atlantic
National Bank of
Jacksonville, rising to Vice
President after five years.
He went on to become
President and CEO of the
Atlantic Bank of Orlando
J. Blair Culpepper
Betsy Culpepper
(now Wachovia), President
and CEO of Barnett Bank
Board of Advisors Founder and
of Winter Park (now Bank of
provides support to the Chamber’s
America), and President and CEO
community leadership activities as
of Winter Park Federal (later Pioneer
a Leadership Steward.
Federal and now Washington
Outside of the Orlando Regional
Mutual). He also owned a title comChamber of Commerce, Betsy
pany and served as the Administrator
belongs to several professional associof Anderson and Rush P.A.
ations, holds a seat on the Board of
Blair also joined the National Bank
Directors for Downtown Orlando
of Commerce (now Wachovia) and
Foundation, and is a stakeholder in
is currently Senior Vice President of
Healthy Community Initiative. A
First National Bank of Central Florida.
recipient of numerous awards and
One of the thousands of Central
honors, Betsy is no stranger to leaderFloridians who have benefited from
ship and community involvement.
the Leadership Orlando program is
“Leadership Orlando exposed me
Blair’s daughter, Betsy Culpepper. A
to a variety of issues facing my homegraduate of Class 36 while serving
town region,” she says. “It was a great
as the Communications Director of
re-introduction to the diversity and
the Central Florida YMCA, Betsy
complexity of our community.”
went on to Chair Class 44 and has
served on the Board of Leadership
Orlando since 2001, currently as
Chair. She is also on the Chamber’s
Board of Governors, a Regional
Listening to Leaders
Public Safety and Homeland Security
Don’t miss the third in a series of
Leadership Alumni’s “Listening to
Leaders” on Wednesday, May 19,
from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., to be held at
the Orlando Museum of Art.
Featuring Sheriff Kevin E. Beary,
the discussion will include what
measures are in place to aid in the
protection of our region. Time will
also be allowed for the Sheriff to
share strategies on becoming a
stronger leader.
Sheriff Beary is the chief law
enforcement officer of Orange
County, Florida. He commands
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one of the largest law enforcement
agencies in the Southeastern
United States, with an annual
budget of $102 million and more
than 2,000 employees. As Sheriff,
he is responsible for the safety of
960,000 residents and the more
than 40 million tourists who visit
the Orange County area annually.
Listening to Leaders is a series of
breakfast forums designed to continue the learning experience started in
Leadership Orlando. The series is
generously sponsored by our
Leadership Stewards: Joseph Terry
of Bank of America, Anne Chinoda
of Florida’s Blood Centers, Richard
Fryer of IFREC Real Estate Schools,
Inc., Betsy Culpepper of Orlando
Regional Healthcare, Roseann
Harrington of OUC - The Reliable
One, and Thomas Pellarin of PBS&J.
Register online at www.orlando.org.
Admission is complimentary for paid
members of Leadership Alumni. All
others pay $15 in advance or $20
at the door.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MAY 4 – 6
-
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Washington, D.C.
Regional “Fly-In”
MAY 5
MAY 18
Networking
Happy Hour
Networking
Power Luncheon
Where: Washington, D.C.
Info: Join fellow business and community
leaders from the Central Florida and
Tampa Bay regions as they travel together
to the Nation’s Capital to advance a
“Regional Agenda.” This “Fly In,” hosted
by Baker & Hostetler LLP, is one of the
most significant political events of the
year, with the most comprehensive
agenda ever! Visit www.orlando.org to
review the power-packed agenda.
Cost: $1,750 All Inclusive (Includes
round-trip charter airfare, hotel
accommodations, meals, ground
transportation and all materials).
Limited “a la carte” is available.
Contact: Kristine Vorpagel Shields at
407-835-2531 or e-mail
kristine.vorpagel-shields@orlando.org
Sponors: Sponsorship opportunities are
still available. Please contact Cyndi
Matzick at 407-835-2513 or e-mail
cyndi.matzick@orlando.org
When: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Complimentary
hors d’ oeuvres
Where: Shari Sushi Lounge
Downtown Orlando/Thornton Park
621 Central Boulevard near
Summerlin Avenue
When: 11:30 - Noon Networking
Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
Where: Westin Grand Bohemian
Downtown Orlando
325 South Orange Avenue at
Jackson Street
Cost: $15 admission; $10 for
Orlando Regional Chamber Members
MAY 6
Quality of Life
(Arts, Heritage, Entertainment)
When: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Contact: Kelly Nicholson at 407-835-2527
or e-mail kelly.nicholson@orlando.org
MAY 14
Breakfast Club America
When: 7:00 – 10:00 a.m.
7:00 – 8:15 a.m. — Viewing of Business
Expo Displays & Registration
8:15 a.m. — Breakfast buffet begins
8:30 a.m. — Program begins
8:50 – 9:30 a.m. — Guest speaker and
Question & Answer Session
9:30 – 10:00 a.m. — Photo and autograph session with guest speaker
Where: The Ballroom at Church Street
225 Garland Avenue, Downtown Orlando
Info: “Verizon Wireless Breakfast Club
with Billy Packer”
Contact: Terrie Notter at 407-835-2484
or e-mail terrie.notter@orlando.org
MAY 12
Networking
Happy Hour
When: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
hors d’ oeuvres
Where: Harvey’s Bistro
Downtown Orlando
390 North Orange Avenue at
Livingston Street
MAY 19
Networking
Happy Hour
When: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
hors d’ oeuvres
Where: Pebbles Longwood
2110 West State Road 434 at
Markham Woods Road
MAY 26
Networking
Happy Hour
When: 5:30 - 9:30 p.m.
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Complimentary hors
d’ oeuvres
Where: Orangerie Cafe in Mall at
Millenia, I - 4 and Conroy Road
For So Social
Networking Happy Hours
Cost: $10 admission, $7 for Orlando
Regional Chamber Members
Contact: scott@sosocial.com
MAY 19
MAY 20
MAY 26
Listening to Leaders
Business @ Breakfast/
New Member Orientation
Board of Governors Meeting
When: 7:30 a.m. — 9:00 a.m.
Where: Orlando Museum of Art
2416 North Mills Avenue, Orlando
Info: Homeland Security, Orange
County Sheriff Kevin Beary— In June
2003, Orange County Sheriff Kevin
Beary received the National Sheriff’s
Association’s Ferris E. Lucas Award —
2003 Sheriff of the Year — for his
leadership skills and initiatives in homeland security issues. His response to the
9/11 attack on America resulted in the
Sheriff’s Office taking a lead role in the
nation’s need to address homeland
security issues. Appointed by Governor
Jeb Bush to co-chair the Florida Domestic
Security Task Force (Region V) on
Terrorism, Sheriff Beary also serves on
the FBI’s Executive Advisory Team for
Homeland Security. Sheriff Beary holds
a Masters in Criminal Justice from the
University of Central Florida.
Cost: Paid members of Leadership
Alumni get in FREE! All others pay only
$15 in advance and $20 at the door!
Contact: Ruth Mustian at 407-835-2441
or e-mail ruth.mustian@orlando.org
Sponsors: Anne Chinoda, Florida’s
Blood Centers, Inc.; Thomas Pellarin,
PBS&J; Betsy Culpepper, Orlando
Regional Healthcare; Roseann Harrington,
OUC - The Reliable One; Joseph Terry,
Bank of America and Richard Fryer, IFREC
Real Estate Schools, Inc.
When: 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
7:30 – 8:15 a.m. Registration,
Networking and Continental Breakfast
8:15 – 9:00 a.m. Program
9:15 – 10:00 a.m. Orientation for New
and Renewing Members
Where: Marriott Downtown Orlando
400 West Livingston Street, Orlando
Info: Join us as Simon T. Bailey,
International Speaker, Author, and
Business Consultant, and the leading
expert in unleashing human potential,
talks to us about finding the passion
within each of us and harnessing it to
discover a world of unlimited potential...and releasing our inner brilliance!
Cost: Individual Tickets Advance
Purchase - $15. Individual Tickets Day
of Event - $20. Registrations are
non-refundable.
Contact: Lynette Jones at 407-835-2459
or e-mail lynette.jones@orlando.org
Sponsor: AmSouth Bank
When: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Orlando Regional Chamber
of Commerce
75 South Ivanhoe Boulevard, Orlando
Info: The Economic Impact of High
Speed Rail — Lecia Stewart, Vice
President High Speed Rail Initiatives,
North America.Presented by Bombardier
Contact: Lisa Winkelbauer at
407-835-2448 or e-mail
lisa.winkelbauer@orlando.org
Sponsor: The CED Companies
MAY 28
Enrollment Deadline
Contact: Kathy Panter at 407-835-2499
or e-mail kathy.panter@orlando.org.
Economic Leadership
When: 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Contact: Kelly Nicholson at 407-835-2527
or e-mail kelly.nicholson@orlando.org
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Generation Donation
UCF students and Florida’s Blood Centers receive national recognition.
Central Florida often struggles to
increase community blood donations, but
thanks to a collaboration between Florida’s
Blood Centers (FBC) and the University of
Central Florida (UCF), donations have
increased by 400 percent on the UCF
campus, earning FBC a 2003 Platinum
Award of Excellence from America’s
Blood Centers (ABC).
“The UCF donor program, Generation
Donation, was created three years ago in a
‘Writing for Public Relations’ course as a
class project,” says UCF Advertising/Public
Relations Professor Frank Stansberry. “The
students conducted research and developed
a strategic plan to increase awareness of
blood donations at drives on campus. Since
then, the program has evolved into an independent study curriculum directed entirely
by UCF communications students.”
Generation Donation collects over
400 units of blood per month from the
UCF community through campus blood
drives targeting students, faculty and
staff. To generate awareness and create
publicity for each blood drive, Generation
Donation students chalk sidewalks,
distribute flyers, speak to classes and offer
unique incentives to attract blood donors.
The students are also responsible for
developing day-of-drive marketing
strategies to keep a steady stream of
donors in the bloodmobiles.
“Florida’s Blood Centers is thrilled
with the work UCF’s Generation
Donation has done for our organization
and the community,” says FBC President
and CEO Anne Chinoda. “Most importantly, we would like to recognize the
student organization for its successful
efforts to increase blood donations by
400 percent from two years ago when the
campus drives only brought in 100 units
of blood per month.”
The merit of the ABC award was based
on total number of units the organization
collected annually and any increases in
donations due to support of blood drive
program managers such as UCF’s
Generation Donation. ABC is an international network of blood centers that collect
almost half of the nation’s blood supply and
a quarter of the Canadian blood supply.
To donate blood, each donor must be
in good health, 17 years of age or older
and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds. As
Generation Donation students help collect more than 400 units of blood per month.
a benefit to the donor, a mini health
check, which includes evaluations of
blood pressure, iron level and cholesterol,
is performed to help the donor maintain
his or her good health. The entire procedure, from completing a short medical
history to drawing the blood and resting
afterward with refreshments, takes
approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Blood
donation is safe and painless, and healthy
people can donate every 56 days.
For more, call 1-888-9-DONATE or log
on to www.floridasbloodcenters.org.
High Tech Leader
Chamber Member designs simulation and training devices for Navy.
By Tracey Lawton
As senior systems engineer and
deputy lead for human systems navigation for NAV-AIR, Jacquie Foxx has her
work cut our for her. When she’s not
designing high tech hardware and
software, she’s getting the word out
that Central Florida is a great place for
tech companies.
“Through the leadership of Jacob
Stuart, I was able to assist in getting tech
on the map,” says Foxx. “We started the
Central Florida Innovative Corporation,
the Florida High Tech Corridor Council
and identified seven industry tech sector
groups to target such as laser and
photonics and entertainment.”
NAV-AIR, the Naval Training Systems
Center, procures war fighter, submariner
and Navy Seals training systems. Foxx
helps design and develop hardware and
software to make it easier for humans to
do their jobs. She came to NAV-AIR after
stints as an engineer for both Martin
22 M A Y 2 0 0 4
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Marietta and General Electric, where she
worked as a reliability and maintenance
engineer on defense contracts.
But, when it was time to come back
to Orlando, she chose the training center
because she enjoys being able to design
cost effective simulation and training
devices that will then allow others to
do their jobs better. She points out that
actually firing a single missile can cost
$5,000 to $8,000. With simulation, the
Jacquie Foxx
cost is negligible. “We consume no fuel,
and we have no firearm costs,” she says.
Foxx specifically works on building
training systems that consist of hardware
and software to simulate aircraft or ship
systems. By doing it through simulation,
Foxx believes that more people are able
to take this training and use it to create
a better war fighter. “We want to focus
more on the human in the element to
make it easier to respond,” she says.
“Through simulation, we want to help
users make more reasonable and
capable decisions.”
Participating in community service
has helped Foxx perform her job better,
and that’s why she’s active in the
Chamber. “I’ve been working with the
Chamber’s Leadership Orlando program
and did a one-year detail assignment
with Workforce 2020,” she says. “We send
all our senior leadership through
Leadership Orlando.”
In addition, the Naval Training
Systems Center hosts a technology day
where they share information on up
and coming simulation technology.
“Along with the Economic Development
Commission, we started a military advisory group” she says. “We address the
military and listen to their concerns.
Then, we come up with ways to
improve training techniques.”
Foxx uses her leadership experience, much of it garnered through
Leadership Orlando, to assist in the role as
a “community connector.”
“I believe in the Chamber, and I
would encourage anyone to go through
the Leadership program,” she says. “It
gives you an awareness of the working
community; I could have lived here all
my life and not discovered as much
about the community as I have through
the Leadership Orlando program.”
Annual Leadership
Conference
Chamber puts together local leadership
contingent for Tucson event.
The Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce will have a
contingent of staff and volunteers from Leadership Orlando and
Leadership Alumni in attendance at the national Community
Leadership Association’s Annual Leadership Conference, which
will take place on June 3–6, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona.
The Annual Leadership Conference brings together
leadership development professionals, graduates and other
civic-minded individuals from across the United States and
beyond to exchange innovative ideas, viewpoints and
resources to help strengthen and transform communities.
The conference will feature keynote speakers, workshops
and roundtable discussions on leadership development skills,
knowledge and insights. Conference participants will have
the opportunity to attend thought-provoking and educational
workshops and network with people interested in and
committed to community leadership development.
Coincidently, Leadership Orlando hosted this conference in
Orlando 10 years ago. The Conference Chair that year was
Thomas J. Porter, Principal of The Christ School at First
Presbyterian Church in downtown Orlando. This year, a
workshop will be presented by Porter, along with Daisy
Staniskis, Downtown Development Board, and Aliette Scharr,
Principal of Hillcrest Elementary School. The workshop will
focus on a collaboration project that they are modeling to
the national audience.
At the CLA Annual Leadership Conference, attendees will:
■ Enhance leadership skills through workshops with nationally
recognized, award-winning trainers.
■ Exchange ideas and best practices examples with fellow leaders
from across the United States and around the world.
■ Develop an invaluable network of leadership resources
and contacts.
■ Stay on top of the latest trends and issues in leadership
development.
■ Renew professional and personal spirit with fresh ideas,
innovative techniques and plenty of fun!
The CLA Annual Leadership Conference benefits local
and state community leadership program directors, board
members, graduates and participants; neighborhood, city,
county and state officials; leadership specialists and
consultants; and other leaders of nonprofit associations,
university programs and corporations.
The Community Leadership Association was founded
in 1979 and is dedicated to nurturing leadership in communities throughout the United States and internationally.
For more information, go to www.communityleadership.org.
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COVER STORY
Raising the Bar
Chamber-created task force helps launch
UCF football to new heights.
By Scott Wallin
Things are getting pretty serious at UCF.
The UCF football program has a
serious new coach who’s serious about
leading the Golden Knights into the
upper echelon of college football. He
even gave $100,000 of his own money
to help the cause.
That’s some serious cash.
But before it takes such a leap, UCF
has the challenge of winning over more
of the hometown crowd that oftentimes
exhibits a dormant approach toward the
local college football team. When UCF
wins, they show. If not, they seek alternative entertainment in a city that has been
called the “world headquarters of something else to do.”
These are the so-called fans that drive
UCF Coach George O’Leary crazy.
“You’re only as good as your fan base,”
says O’Leary, who was hired Dec. 8. “You
want a Division I team but you also need a
Division I fan base. I get tired of hearing
‘when you start to win, people will come
out.’ I think you’re either in the circle or
you’re not in the circle.”
Pretty serious talk but that’s the point
UCF is hoping to make by positioning
O’Leary at the axis of an effort to reawaken
the community. The university will follow
the recommendations of a volunteer task
force that has the charge of creating an
O’Leary brand, so to speak.
The task force is an all-star team of
sorts, consisting of UCF leadership and
Orlando professionals in marketing,
public relations and communication.
It was drawn together by Jacob Stuart,
President of the Orlando Regional
Chamber, as part of its long-term
partnership with UCF.
The ultimate goal is simple: put more
fans in the seats.
After getting a feel for the new coach in
town, the task force realized it had a very
obvious and effective pitch on its hands.
They would present O’Leary as himself: a
no-nonsense throwback coach who has a
serious attitude about taking UCF football
to places it’s never before been.
Holly Stuart, President of Stuart
Communications, Inc., recalls asking
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O’Leary what he is most serious about
in life.
“He said, ‘well, I’m serious about
winning and I’m serious about my family.
And I’m serious about winning, serious
about football, serious about winning
and I’m serious about UCF and the
student-athlete. And I’m serious about
winning, Holly,’” Stuart says.
The task force is working toward
getting this message out to a business
sector it feels is eager to embrace a
football program that is led by such a
blue-collar approach.
“Our partnership with UCF centers on
building community, and we feel that with
Coach O’Leary heading up the program,
we have the opportunity to take it to the
next level,” says Jacob Stuart. “Inspiring the
business community to back the program
is easier with Coach O’Leary at the helm,
and that support will only improve the
quality of life in our region. We’ll take a
lesson from his playbook and work hard
to accomplish this goal.”
“The City of Orlando has to
support UCF in order to be
successful. The people I’ve
spoken to out in the business
world understand that.”
— Coach George O’Leary
O’Leary is a notorious taskmaster with
his players. Blow an assignment in practice,
you run the drill again or you think about
your mistake while running windsprints.
As hard as he pushes his players, O’Leary
doesn’t hold back on himself. He has
accepted the fact that he needs to be an
out-front symbol of a revamped UCF
program that cut all ties to its past with
the dismissal of last year’s coaching staff.
An office assistant holds up a three-inch
thick notebook that is O’Leary’s calendar.
It is filled with upcoming commitments,
though he’s willing to take on as many as
his schedule will allow, truly welcoming
every opportunity to spread the UCF word.
It started not long after he was hired when
O’Leary brings discipline and a gritty determination to a football program that needs it.
Stuart presented O’Leary with a list of
influential Orlando business leaders and
their phone numbers. He didn’t hesitate
in dialing up strangers, hoping to make a
new friend and, more important, a new
UCF football supporter.
“Orlando doesn’t really have a team
as far as football is concerned during the
fall,” O’Leary says. “You’d like to see UCF
be that team. The City of Orlando has to
support UCF in order to be successful. The
people I’ve spoken to out in the business
world understand that.
“It’s a win-win situation. When that
happens, the City of Orlando wins from a
standpoint of people at games, hotels and
everything else and UCF wins. UCF is
Orlando and Orlando is UCF and that’s
what I’d like to see the final mix be.”
Stuart says she plans to arrange a series
of informational luncheons for groups of
about 25 Orlando business leaders who can
meet O’Leary in a more intimate setting.
The coach also likes to swing the golf clubs
and Stuart has gotten several requests to
have him appear at corporate outings.
Selling college football in a metropolitan area is nothing new to O’Leary, who
spent eight years at Atlanta-based Georgia
Tech. He knows the challenges and
options fans have in larger cities.
“Atlanta is very similar,” O’Leary says.
“You have so many other things to do, so
many other things you were competing
against. The key (in Orlando) is you have a
big school with a large alumni base. It’s really a new school compared to other schools
as far as age is concerned. But I do think the
fan base is going to improve as we improve.
But you have to start somewhere and I
think the No. 1 thing is getting people into
the stadium. That’s where the City of
Orlando has to help us out.
“There are a lot of people who moved
in here from other areas that are looking
for someone to root for. Hopefully, we
become that team.”
For Roger Pynn, an alumnus, UCF
always has been his team. He’s had six 50yard line seats since the beginning, many
times going against his wife’s suggestion
about not renewing so many. But Pynn, of
Curley & Pynn Public Relations and
Marketing Communications, always had a
vision that a day — and a leader such as
O’Leary — would come and the city
would rally. Pynn feels that time is here.
His seats aren’t going anywhere.
“Now other people are knocking on
the door at the ticket office saying ‘hey, if
those people don’t want those six seats,
we’ll take them,’” Pynn says. “Sorry,
they’re sold.”
O’Leary, too, is sold. He had a secure
job as defensive coordinator for the
Minnesota Vikings last year but always
was open for a return to the college game,
waiting for the right opportunity to
present itself. When it did, it came as a
surprise to many outsiders. But they
can’t see what O’Leary sees.
UCF Athletics Director Steve Orsini
sees the same thing and was the key
mover in getting O’Leary to Orlando. The
two worked together at Georgia Tech and
shared many conversations over dinners
at the athletic department’s dining hall.
“I really admired him as a football
coach then,” Orsini says. “Then, as we set
out on our task here at UCF, I was looking
for someone who can build a program. If
you recall, George took over Georgia Tech
when they were really down, both on and
off the field. George turned it around real
quick and took it to the highest level in
A notorious taskmaster, O’Leary pushes his players to get it right.
the nation as far as being competitive.
That’s what we want to do here.”
On the day he was announced as UCF’s
coach, O’Leary stepped to the microphone
and called his new place of employment
“a sleeping giant.” Now that he’s been on
campus for five months, he’s convinced
more than ever that UCF can take a giant
leap. Bowl game appearances, Top 10
finishes and a successful graduation rate
all are within reach, as long as the commu-
UCF Football
Community Task Force
John R. Gill
Board President
University of Central Florida Alumni Association
Michael Hinn
President and CEO
Knight Images, Inc.
Steve Orsini
Director of Athletics
Executive Vice President
Athletic Association, Inc.
nity reaches back, he says.
“You need fans who believe in what
you’re doing and from what I’ve seen of the
City of Orlando, I think the people are just
itching to do things,” O’Leary says. “A football program is much like a company. You
basically have a good product to sell. We’ve
improved the practice facilities, we have a
beautiful building here that you can go out
and show to recruits. You have a good
coaching staff with a lot of experience.
Everything is on its way to being in place.
Now it’s a matter of getting the right pieces
to go along with everything else.”
And just in case it needs reinforcing,
O’Leary has one more serious reminder
about his journey.
“I’m serious about most everything
I do,” he says. “I wouldn’t have taken
this job unless I thought I could get this
program where it needs to be.”
Community Partners
African American
Chamber of Commerce
of Central Florida
Nina D. Frazier, Ed.D.
Asian American Chamber
of Commerce
Ms. Marlene Lasch
Associated Builders &
Contractors
Mr. Mark P. Wylie
Central Florida Hotel &
Lodging Association
Mr. Richard J. Maladecki
Roger Pynn
President
Curley & Pynn Public Relations
Central Florida Sports
Commission
Mr. Randy Johnson
Holly Stuart
President
Stuart Communications, Inc.
Downtown Athletic Club
of Orlando
Ms. Shelley Ferguson
Jacob V. Stuart
President
Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Development
Board
Mr. William F. Billingsley, III
Florida Citrus Sports
Mr. Tom Mickle
Orlando Touchdown Club
Robert W. Anthony, Esquire
Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce of Metro
Orlando
Mr. Ramon A. Ojeda
Orlando/Orange
CountyConvention &
Visitors Bureau
Mr. William C. Peeper
Home Builders Association
of Metro Orlando
Ms. Elizabeth McGee
Alumni Association
Mr. Thomas Messina
Junior League of
Greater Orlando
Ms. Lee Nimkoff
Athletic Association
Mr. Steve Orsini
Metro Orlando Economic
Development Commission
Mr. Raymond Gilley
University of Central
Florida Foundation
Mr. Robert J. Holmes, Jr.
Orlando Regional Chamber
of Commerce
Mr. Jacob V. Stuart
Golden Knights Club
Mr. Alan Gooch
Orlando Regional
REALTOR Association
Belton E. Jennings, III,
APR RCE CAE
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TOURISM, TRADE & TRANSPORTATION
THE THREE “T S ” ARE MOVING CENTRAL FLORIDA INTO THE FUTURE. SEE HOW
TOURISM, TRADE AND TRANSPORTATION ARE WORKING FOR ALL OF US.
Clean Air Is
Everybody’s Business
Air pollution has wide ranging
negative effects on the community.
We can all agree that reducing air
pollution is important for environmental
and health reasons. What you may not
know, however, is that clean air is essential for our quality of life and good for
business. Conversely, air pollution can
be harmful to our economy, negatively
impacting the business community in
many ways.
Imagine Central Florida being covered
by smog. Now imagine the adverse effect
this could have on our reputation as the
world’s premier tourist destination.
Imagine the impression a health advisory
due to ozone pollution would leave on
our guests. What would they think of
Orlando if they were warned to stay
indoors during the day because of
pollution? Would a visiting family
want to enjoy our theme parks outdoors
if there were potential health risks to
their children? Would they come back
again in following years? Clearly,
maintaining our air quality is vital to
our tourism industry.
Would a visiting family want
to enjoy our theme parks outdoors if there were potential
health risks to their children?
Theme parks are not the only
businesses that could be harmed by air
pollution. Atlanta, where economic
growth has been threatened as a result
of air quality attainment problems, is a
good example of this fact. Exceeding
Environmental Protection Agency air
quality standards could have widespread
ramifications for our entire economy.
Possible sanctions resulting from not
attaining federal standards include:
mandatory vehicle inspections, restricted
fueling hours and suspended federal
funding for highway improvements.
Such sanctions could delay improvements to our roadways and increase costs
for vehicle owners. A severe impact of this
scenario would be felt in the freight movement industry, due to longer delivery times
26 M A Y 2 0 0 4
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and increased costs per truck. Since the
financial success of every industry rides on
truck tires — through cost-effective delivery
of freight, goods and services — imagine
the impact these potential sanctions could
have on your business. Ultimately, the cost
will be passed on to you.
Making a Difference
Now that you know about the problem,
what can you do about it? Many companies
in Central Florida already are taking steps to
avoid the consequences of air pollution.
Each fall, the Central Florida Clean Air
Team confers a Clean Air Award to
recognize a local business or organization
in Orange, Osceola or Seminole County
that promotes clean air through innovative
programs or practices.
The University of Central Florida
(UCF) shuttle transportation system
received the 2003 Clean Air Award for its
success in reducing traffic congestion and
the resulting emissions by providing a safe,
fast, convenient mode of transportation
that serves about 6,000 students per day
in the University/Alafaya Corridor
Transportation Area (UACTA). Since
emissions from automobiles are the
primary source of air pollution in Central
Florida, the trips provided by the bus
system are beneficial to the air we breathe.
Central Florida
Clean Air Team
The Central Florida Clean Air Team
is a broad-based coalition of government,
health, utility, transportation and business
organizations that are committed to
improving and maintaining the air quality
in our region. The team works together to
promote “It all adds up to cleaner air,” —
a proactive, health-oriented campaign to
encourage individuals to take simple steps
that can help maintain our air quality.
Activities of the Clean Air Team focus
on raising awareness of air pollution and
the impact of individual actions on air
quality. The message has been promoted
in the community through events, media
coverage, advertising, and distribution of
collateral material. Team members volunteered their time and technical expertise
as judges at the Orange, Osceola and
Seminole County science fair events,
selecting special Clean Air Student Award
winners who showcased projects on air
quality topics.
This year, the Clean Air Team will
build upon the success of last year’s
campaign through similar outreach
activities, as well as heightened efforts
to increase awareness and involvement
in the business community.
To learn more about the Central Florida
Clean Air Team and how you can get
involved, visit www.metroplanorlando.com,
or call 407-481-5672 ext. 305.
TOURISM, TRADE & TRANSPORTATION
2004 Lodging, TDT Among Strongest Ever
Recent 2004
Conventions
Bring $121
Million to
Community
Orlando’s convention business
is off to a great start in 2004. The
first two months of the year saw the
destination host Super Show, PGA
Merchandise Show, World of
Concrete and the Healthcare
Information & Management
Systems Society among others.
These events alone brought more
than 100,000 convention attendees
to our area for an estimated economic impact of $121 million for
our community.
Let Us Help
Plan Your
Next Event
Are you planning an event but can’t
find the right support services? Let the
Orlando CVB Destination Meeting
Services help make your next group
event in Central Florida a success by putting you in touch with the right people.
With some 1,400 Orlando CVB member
organizations, we have your needs covered, from audio/visual and recording
services and caterers to photographers
and wedding services, to name a few.
We can even meet your design and
printing needs for promotional posters,
postcards and shell brochures.
To find out more information,
contact Kim Moody, CMP, director
of Destination Meeting Services for
the Orlando CVB, at
kim.moody@orlandocvb.com
or call 407-363-5830.
28 M A Y 2 0 0 4
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The Central Florida tourism industry
has gotten off to an extremely strong start
this year, building upon the rebound that
started to take shape during the second
half of 2003. After the first two months
of 2004, Metro Orlando’s occupancy rate
was 68.8 percent, up 14.1 percent from
60.3 percent after the first two months of
2003. Likewise, room night demand has
been very strong, up 20.9 percent compared to the same time last year. Average
daily rates (ADR), which declined in 11
of 12 months during 2003, were up 2.6
percent for the first two months of 2004.
January got the year off to a good
start with occupancy increasing from
56.3 percent in 2003 to 62.9 percent
(+11.7 percent). Room night demand
for the month was 15.8 percent higher
than the previous year and was the
highest January on record. Only ADR
failed to post a gain for the month,
coming in essentially unchanged
from prior year levels.
The gains over prior year levels not
only continued in February, but actually
accelerated. February’s occupancy rate
of 75.4 percent was 16.7 percent higher
than 64.6 percent in February 2003 and
average daily rates rose 5.0 percent their
largest increase in over a year. Room
night demand in February was up a
remarkable 25.9 percent and was the
highest February on record.
Orange County Tourist Development Tax
The strong gains in room night
demand, combined with firming ADR,
pushed Orange County tourist
development tax collections up
dramatically. Compared to prior year
levels, collections rose 16.2 percent to
$9,047,900 in January and 28.4 percent
to $10,171,600 in February. As with
room night demand, tax collections
in January and February were the
highest on record for those months.
While most industry observers were
optimistic regarding 2004, few expected
the year to begin as strongly as it has.
Part of the large gains over 2003 levels
can be attributed to weak conditions
this time last year, due to the build-up
and execution of the U.S.-led war
against Iraq. And the industry’s
performance began to improve during
the second half of 2003, which will
cause the year-over-year growth rates
to moderate during the second half
of 2004. Nevertheless, while it may be
asking too much to expect 20 percent
gains in demand to continue all year,
2004 is well on its way to being the
best year since 2000.
CVB’s Summer Campaign Its Largest
Domestic Marketing Effort for 2004
With a goal of stimulating summer
travel to the destination from its
primary markets, the Orlando CVB
has launched a $7 million advertising
campaign. The “Bring Your Family
Together” campaign targets key fly
and drive markets during the popular
summer travel planning period of
April-June. The expenditure marks
it as the CVBs largest domestic
marketing initiative for 2004.
In a recent independent national
survey, families traveling together
with children high school-aged or
younger selected Orlando as the first
choice (20 percent) for their spring
break destination.
Additionally, in a Yankelovich
Monitor Live survey conducted on
Aug. 7, 2002, 57 percent of those
surveyed stated that when on vacation,
they want to spend time with friends
and family. This was up from 48
percent of those surveyed in 2001.
“This research validates our longstanding belief that Orlando appeals to
people of all ages and families of all
sizes,” says Bill Peeper, president of the
Orlando CVB. “With the largest and
most diverse collection of theme parks
in the world and a multitude of smaller
attractions to nature excursions and
cultural opportunities, the destination
practically guarantees all family members will find their favorite pastime —
or discover a new one.”
The combined television and newspaper messages will reach potential visitors in New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Washington, D.C., Chicago, Detroit,
St. Louis, Cleveland, Atlanta, Charlotte,
Jacksonville, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale,
Tampa/St. Petersburg and West
Palm Beach.
The family-themed print and
television advertisements are aimed
at 25 to 54-year-old women, key
household decisionmakers. The print
ads, insertions highlighting special
hotel rates from CVB member
participants are expected to generate
20 million impressions. SeaWorld®
Orlando and Walt Disney World®
Resorts are partnering with the CVB
in the 30-second television spots,
which are expected to generate 309
million impressions.
“This campaign is aimed at helping
to ensure the extension of what is so far
shaping up to be an excellent year for
travel and tourism in Central Florida,”
says Jose Estorino, senior vice president
of marketing for the CVB.
Tourism Equals a Great Investment
As the industry celebrates National
Tourism Week May 8-16, it is a great
opportunity to take a look at the impact
the tourism industry has on our local
community. Last year, nearly 43 million
people visited Orlando for either business or leisure travel. While they were
here, they slept in hotels, ate in restaurants, shopped in our malls and stores,
visited our attractions and toured our
museums. The impact of their investment in our community is substantial.
■ Visitor spending contributed more than
$21.8 billion to our local economy
in 2002.
■ Tourism is our area’s largest employer,
employing more than 214,800 people,
which represents more than one quarter
of all jobs in Orange, Osceola and
Seminole counties.
■ Wages earned by tourism industry
employees amount to $5.1 billion
in 2002.
Tourism is a vital economic engine
for Central Florida. Please join us in celebrating the contributions that tourists
make to our local economy during
National Tourism Week 2004.
■ Tourism generates a net fiscal impact
for Orange County and City of Orlando
governments and Orange County
School Board of $61.8 million —
money that is used to support many
social services that area taxpayers
would otherwise have to cover.
■ Visitors save the average Orange
County household approximately
$456 in additional taxes each year.
CVB Produces Another Community Pub
In yet another example of
community partnership, the Orlando
CVB is publishing Texture magazine
for the Metro Orlando Economic
Development Commission (EDC).
The new EDC publication explores
and promotes the region as leading
the nation in technology innovation,
talent and culture. The inaugural
issue is slated for publication
this month.
The magazine's premiere issue
is made possible through Economic
Stimulus 2.0 funding provided
by Orange County. The Florida
High Tech Corridor is also a publication sponsor.
In other similar community
partnerships, the Orlando CVB
publishes the annual Orlando
Filmbook for the Metro Orlando
Film & Entertainment Commission
(a division of the EDC) and bimonthly Orlando Arts Magazine for
United Arts of Central Florida.
For more information about advertising opportunities in future Texture issues,
Orlando Filmbook and Orlando Arts
Magazine, call 407-354-5568.
CVB Golf
Tourney
Raises $10K
for Local
Nonprofit
The Orlando CVB’s Annual
Spring Golf Tournament was a rousing success. Golfers teed off at the
Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Grande
Lakes Orlando on April 5 raising
$10,000 to support A Gift For
Teaching. The event sold out early —
both in terms of sponsorship sales
and golfer registrations. Florida
Citrus Sports Sales Manager and
CVB Golf Committee Member Pat
Hoffman presented the check to A
Gift For Teaching’s Director of
Development Jessa Heisey following
the tournament.
Since adopting AGFT as the
recipient of the golf tournament proceeds, Orlando CVB members have
raised more than $35,000 to support the organization which operates a free store from which teachers
can supply their classrooms. Be sure
to mark your calendar for Oct. 11 for
the Third Annual Fall Classic Golf
Tourna-ment at the Rosen Shingle
Creek Golf Club Resort, again benefitting A Gift For Teaching.
For more information on how to
get involved in this worthwhile effort,
contact A Gift For Teaching at
www.agiftforteaching.org.
From top: The May 2004 Texture, The Orlando Filmbook 2004, and the May/June
2004 Orlando Arts Magazine
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M AY 2 0 0 4
29
COMMUNIT Y, CULTURE AND TRENDS. IT’S ALL REPRESENTED HERE.
CULTURE & TRENDS
Soothing Beverage
Good cup of tea still calms in tough times.
Story Provided by M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando
In the midst of air raids on London
during World War II, while bombs fell day
and night upon the city, the British held
to a long-standing belief that a good,
strong cup of tea would cure anything
that ails you. This healing ritual has been
brought to M. D. Anderson Cancer
Center Orlando in the form of high tea,
an elegant, European-style teatime,
offered every Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
“The ritual of tea is ancient,” says
Jeanne Miller-Clark, chaplain and manager of the Mind-Body-Spirit Center. “It creates sanctuary and conjures images of
home in stressful environments.”
Miller-Clark began weekly high teas at
M. D. Anderson - Orlando shortly following
the outbreak of the recent war in Iraq, calling on the calming properties of good
British tea to soothe tension and anxiety
in hospital staff and cancer patients.
“It helps during busy days for people
to be able to stop for a moment and simply connect with another human being,”
says Miller-Clark. “You’d see nurses
leaning back against the wall with a cup
of tea saying, ‘Boy, did I need this.’”
Trish Shooter, a nurse in outpatient
chemotherapy unit at M. D. Anderson Orlando, agrees. “It’s a civilized pause in
the middle of a hectic day,” she says.
The program also has deeply affected
the patients at M. D. Anderson - Orlando
and Orlando Regional South Seminole
Hospital, where the ritual of high tea was
initially begun in 2000. Family members of
former patients of South Seminole Hospital
donated many of the fine porcelain teacups
that are an integral part of the program.
“Many nurses use teacups dedicated
to their former patients,” said MillerClark. “It’s a connection between them.”
High tea is offered on the fifth floor
day room of M. D. Anderson - Orlando.
More than 700 people enjoy the program
each month, and at a recent tea, 110
patients and staff members participated.
Only homemade clotted cream and P.G.
Tips brand tea are served, alongside
homemade lemon curd and pound cake.
The quality of the tea
is emphasized in the
program, and Miller-Clark
adheres to the strict rules
of British tea preparation.
Patients and doctors
have been known to line
the hallways, patiently
waiting while the tea
undergoes its five-minute
steeping process.
Good tea has long been
recognized for its healing
properties, dating back to
ancient Japanese and Chinese herbal
teas. Tea as a social connection between
people can be traced to several parts
of the world besides Great Britain,
including the southern United States’
relationship with iced tea.
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Orlando, part of Orlando Regional
Healthcare, is affiliated with The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center in Houston. For the third
time in four years, U.S. News & World
Report has ranked M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center as the top cancer treatment
hospital in the U.S. and has ranked it as
one of the top two cancer hospitals for the
past 14 years.
For more information, visit
www.mdandersonorlando.org.
C’mon Latinos, Get Involved!
By José David Alvarez, HCCMO Director, CBR Public Relations
The Hispanic Chamber of
Commerce of Metro Orlando recently
was part of one of the most valuable
programs offered by the Orlando
Regional Chamber of Commerce: the
2004 GrayRobinson Tallahassee
Community “Fly-In.”
More than 100 leaders from the
local business community traveled to
the state capital in March to interact
with state legislators and senators. They
learned about important state issues
such as current proposed constitutional
amendments, affordable healthcare,
class size, the state budget and highspeed rail among others.
The Hispanic Chamber encourages
everyone in the community to become
more involved and informed about
32 M A Y 2 0 0 4
FM
issues that have a direct and indirect
impact on the community at both the
local and state level. One good place to
start is by getting involved in what local
and state agencies are doing to better
manage the region’s natural resources.
For instance, one Chamber
member, the South Florida Water
Management District (SFWMD), has
created a program to better inform
Central Florida Hispanic residents about
the region’s unique water resources
and their relationship to the quality of
life that all Florida residents enjoy. This
program is called the Central Florida
Hispanic Outreach Program.
The SFWMD is one of Florida’s five
water management districts. Its coverage
area has the largest concentration of
Hispanics in the state. For that reason,
this district created a Hispanic Outreach
Program to generate awareness about
its responsibilities such as water supply,
water quality, flood control and
environmental protection and issues
implementing the state’s participation
in the Comprehensive Everglades
Restoration Plan.
The SFWMD program seeks to
educate Central Florida Hispanics about
the unique water resources in the area
and how they can get involved. The
program includes bilingual presentations targeted to residents enrolled in
adult ESOL programs as well as students
enrolled in ESOL classes in the local
public school systems; Hispanic youth
leadership programs designed to
involve young people in water conservation activities; business and nonprofit
partnership outreach events and many
other activities.
Remember that everyone in the
community can make a difference, so
go ahead, get involved and take part in
making Central Florida a better place for
us all to live and work.
For more on the South Florida Water
Management District’s Hispanic Outreach
Program, visit www.sfwmd.gov or call
407-858-6100. For more on the Hispanic
Chamber, call 407-428-5870 or visit
www.hispanicchamber.net.
CULTURE & TRENDS
Historic Advice for Town Center Developers
Study your history before you plan.
Developers, municipal officials and
volunteer activists who are considering a
development of a town center project
should consult history first.
Studies of town centers, main street
programs and downtown redevelopment
projects have suggested that16th and 17th
century municipal planners — including
the Spanish who built St Augustine and
English Lords, who settled Colonial-era
Williamsburg, Virginia — had the formula
right even if they didn’t anticipate super
highways, mega malls, the Internet, cell
phones and television.
“If you study how St. Augustine and
Williamsburg were planned, what you learn
pretty fast is that they often did it right, and
they often developed the institutions that
more citizens today are demanding,” says
David Marks, a local marketplace analyst
and advisor based in Maitland.
Both colonial era towns and cities
were based on the European model. The
Spanish produced a “how to” manual in
1573 called the Law of the Indies, and
most Spanish new world towns were
designed on those principals.
English settlements were similarly
designed, and the principal features are still
relevant today. Those principles include a
town square, where people can gather, with
government offices — city hall — as well as
religious and educational institutions.
They also include a key element
that is even more important today:
transportation. “They built their towns
adjacent to major transportation, which at
the time consisted of the ocean and rivers,”
Marks explains. “They also planned their
towns around institutions, which served as
an integral component.”
In Williamsburg, English colonial
leaders planned the downtown core as a
long main street with the government
headquarters at one end and William &
Mary College at the other end, and in the
middle they built their church.
Successful town centers and Main Street
developments today are hybrids and have
evolved from many of the same principles.
Marks refers to local development
projects as examples of this type of planning. Park Avenue in Winter Park and
Winter Park Village are both dependent
on their location relative to transportation
corridors. Downtown Winter Park is fed by
Fairbanks and Aloma Avenues, with an
interior pedestrian corridor down Park
Avenue, and while Park Avenue isn’t
dependent on it, the placement of Rollins
College at one end, St Margaret Mary
Church at the other and City Hall in
between adds a classic colonial era style
that adds a great deal of energy to the
area’s dynamics.
At Winter Park Village, the U.S.
Highway 17-92 location is critical with its
high visibility to the area’s arterial traffic,
and pedestrian activity is facilitated
throughout the core or center of the
St. Augustine’s municipal planners, even though working with 17th-century technology, understood what
elements would make a town center successful.
development that runs perpendicular to
the arterial traffic. “Lacking government
or religious facilities, Winter Park Village
created a substitute — a major cinema,”
he says.
Most of the principles contained in the
Law of the Indies are still valid today. “How
cities, towns and especially town centers
work have been known for a thousand
years,” says Marks. “What has changed, of
course, is the addition of the automobile
and new types of communication, but
many of the other principal features are
still relevant.”
FL ASHBACK
Family Feuds
Most Central Florida residents aren’t aware that
during its infancy Orlando was much like many of the
lawless towns of the Old West. Tombstone, Dodge City
and Deadwood had nothing on the City Beautiful,
which was known for its cattle ranchers, cowboys and
family feuds similar to the Earp/Clanton and
Hatfield/McCoy rivalries.
This photograph is of David W. Mizell, who holds
the dubious distinction of being the only Central
Florida sheriff to be slain on duty. He was ambushed
and shot to death in February 1870 in the Bull Creek
area of what is now Osceola County while trying to
collect a debt for a rancher from Moses Barber. No one
34 M A Y 2 0 0 4
FM
was prosecuted for the killing, but eight people —
members of the Barber family and their employees —
were killed by the Mizells and their allies within a few
weeks of the sheriff’s murder.
Historic photo courtesy of the Orange County
Regional History Center. For more on History Center
exhibits, call 407-836-8500. To purchase historic
photographs, call 407-836-8559 or via e-mail at
photos@ocfl.net.
In celebration of the positive Hispanic influence in Central Florida, the
Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce will be featuring a monthly
news story “en español” in FirstMonday for your reading pleasure.
Talk of the Town
No más visas H2B
Multi-media advertising opportunities come
to the Orange County Convention Center.
La Oficina de Ciudadanía y Servicios de
Inmigración anunció la semana pasada
que ya no aceptará solicitudes para visas de
trabajadores temporales no profesionales
durante el año fiscal 2004.
A 10-year strategic advertising
alliance has been implemented by
the Orange County Convention
Center with BoardTalk Worldwide.
This high impact multi-media
advertising gives local businesses
the opportunity to reach one
million plus local, national and
international attendees that visit
the Orange County Convention
Center each year.
“We are very proud and excited
about the tremendous marketing
opportunity that BoardTalk provides
through the Orange County
Convention Center,” says Michael
Lezberg, owner of BoardTalk.
“It’s an advertising venue to a
highly targeted audience for our
En febrero, se dejaron de recibir
las visas tipo H1B por la misma
razón. Estas visas permiten a las
empresas contratar profesionales con calificaciones técnicas
específicas y título universitario.
Según la oficina, ya el servicio de
inmigración completó la cuota de 66,000
pautada para el año 2004. Estas personas
vienen a trabajar en la industria forestal,
balnearios, o en ciertas actividades agrícolas,
tal como el pastoreo. También pueden ser
entrenadores y atletas, pero todos tendrán
que esperar hasta el 1ro. de octubre, cuando
comienza el nuevo año fiscal.
En febrero, se dejaron de recibir las visas
tipo H1B por la misma razón. Estas visas
permiten a las empresas contratar profesionales con calificaciones técnicas específicas y título universitario.
Esto era de esperarse, pues a finales de
septiembre del año pasado, las autoridades
migratorias anunciaron que la cuota anual
de visas de trabajo se reducirían de 195,000
a 65,000.
El vocero de la Oficina de Ciudadanía y
Servicios de Inmigración dijo además que
las solicitudes que sean rechazadas serán
devueltas, al igual que los honorarios exigidos por la agencia.
Para más información, vaya a www.uscis.gov.
Si desea ver la propuesta de reforma de
inmigración presentada por el Presidente
George W. Bush, visite www.whitehouse.gov.
advertisers, and it’s an added
convenience to show attendees.”
The multi-size (up to 14 square
feet) High Impact Light Boxes and
backlit Illuminated Advertising
Directories are strategically placed
throughout both buildings of the
convention center.
“BoardTalk is an asset to the
OCCC because it provides the
information that attendees are
looking for and at the same time it
gives local, regional & national
businesses the opportunity to
showcase their products and services,” says Kathie Canning, Deputy
General Manager of the Orange
County Convention Center.
FM
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35
MEMBERSHIP
180 Degrees Corporation
P.O. Box 618221
Orlando, FL 32861
Ms. Milly Solis
Jewelry
WELCOME MARCH’S NEW MEMBERS. LOOK FOR
ARPIL’S NEW MEMBERS IN THE NEXT ISSUE.
Ann Taylor Loft
Big League Sports & Entertainment
Details
GM Co. (Of Greater Orlando) Ltd.
8001 South Orange Blossom Trail
Space 1338
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jania Melendz
1003 South Kirkman Road
Suite 300E
Orlando, FL 32811
Mr. Carl Smith
Space 208
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Abraham Abed
7380 Sand Lake Road
Suite 500
Orlando, FL 32819
Mr. Graziano Maldonado
Retail and Variety Stores
Organizations (Non-Profit)
Management Consultants and Services
A.L. Cleaning Services
P.O. Box 453383
Kissimmee, FL 34745-3383
Ms. Evelyn Saldana
Janitorial and Cleaning (Services)
Apartment Hunters Superstore
4809 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
Mr. Mark Anderson
Apartments
Boyds Bears & More
Diamond Source Jewelers
Space 1316
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jennifer Houtz
Space 1300
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Christine Pham
Greater Orlando Livery
Association, Inc./GOLA
P.O. Box 627871
Orlando, FL 32827
Mr. Ronald Eason
Organizations (Civic/Social)
Abundant Life Business Consultants, Inc.
P.O. Box 453383
Kissimmee, FL 34745-3383
Ms. Evelyn Saldana
Financial
(Consultants/Planners/Services)
Archive America
6708 Harney Road
Tampa, FL 33610
Mr. Michael H. Yoelson
Management Consultants (Information
Technology)
Butterfly Cleaning Service
2303 Sweetaire Court
Apopka, FL 32712
Mr. Christopher Pintado
Janitorial and Cleaning (Services)
Disc Gear
Space 3-17
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jacqui Lucas
H.T. Porter, Inc.
225 Palmetto Street
Nokomis, FL 34275
Ms. Susan Duryea
Training/Development Consultants
Allpoints Equipment Company
7213 Sandscove Court
Unit 7
Winter Park, FL 32792
Mr. Dave Macauley
Baggage Depot I
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Zack Berbazzat
Material Handling Equipment
Alternative Mortgage
Funding Corporation
Bayside Brush II
238 North Westmonte Drive
Suite 265
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
Ms. Mona Cherkaoui
Space 4-11
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jeaneth Flores
Hangbag Heaven I
Catering to Orlando, LLC
7985 Bridgestone Drive
Orlando, FL 32835
Ms. Virginia Mundy
Catering
5468 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
Mr. Tim Talley
Space 4-17
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Rolando Tuietero
Credit Counseling Services
DNS - Debt Negotiation Services
Certified Pressure Cleaning Systems
5351 Hondo Way
Orlando, FL 32810
Mr. Phillip A. Corbitt
Pressure Cleaning
Mortgage Bankers or Brokers
Dylan’s Candy Bar
Hangbag Heaven II
Space 1013A
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Danira Crespo
Space 3-3
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Rolando Tuietero
Cingular Wireless
Beepers-N-Phones
American Express Financial Advisors, Inc.
800 North Magnolia Avenue
Suite 1700
Orlando, FL 32803
Mr. Tony Scott
Space K-112
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Gary Smith
415 North Orlando Avenue
Suite 104
Mr. Louis Chaves
Cellular Communications
Financial
Ethan Allen Home Interiors
Identity Consulting
4049 Conroy Road
Orlando, FL 32803
Ms. Allie Casey
1071 Kersfield Circle
Lake Mary, FL 32746
Ms. Sandra Saad
Furniture
Fundraising (Consultants)
Cingular Wireless
Space K-113
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Jeff Appoliti
Cellular Communications
Cinnzeo
Fairwinds Credit Union
P.O. Box 547568
Orlando, FL 32854
Mr. William Fischbach
Credit Unions
Financial
Fix & More
Space 894A
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Asim Muhammad
Space 2-10
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Toufic Daklala
Coach
Space 1274
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Juan Carlos
Income Plus Asset Management, Inc.
3885 Avalon Park East Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32828
Mr. Bryan Meizinger
Florida Hospital DeLand
701 West Plymouth Avenue
DeLand, FL 32720
Mr. Rob Fulbright
Hospitals
Insurance Management
Group of Florida
1331 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
Mr. Kenneth H. Dinklage
Insurance
Interlude Entertainment
2001 Mercy Drive
Suite 204
Orlando, FL 32808
Mr. Jamaica Johnson
Recording Studio
Florida T-Shirts Plus
25250 East Colonial Drive
Christmas, FL 32709
Ms. Rebecca A. Hamilton
Sapce 2-1
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Mercia Paiga
Country Craft ‘n Christmas, Inc.
i-Tech Support
151 Southhall Lane
Suite 250
Maitland, FL 32751
Mr. Brian J. Avery
Computer (Consultants)
BUSINESS.
Datacom Wireless Corporation
Forever 21
5201 Blue Lagoon Drive
Suite 858
Miami, FL 33126
Ms. Lisa Schuepp
Space 490
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jill Palmer
Satellite Tracking
Jean Carter
Space 692
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Nicola Tartaglione
COMMUNITY.
INTERACTION.
36 M A Y 2 0 0 4
FM
Dept 56
Space 1136A
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Terrie William
George Colombo International
635 Marni Drive
Winter Springs, FL 32708
Mr. George Colombo
Business/Performance Improvement
Consultants
Kenneth Cole Reaction
Space 1013A
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Leonardo Robledo, Jr.
Kids At Play
Noah’s Arts
Salad Creations
Terminix Commercial
Space 5-6
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Maria Ruiz
Space 1172
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Peymen Thmadden
Space 1001
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Scott Smith
5776 Hoffner Avenue
Suite 303
Orlando, FL 32822
Ms. Bridget Devine
Pest Control
Leather Shop I, The
Space 5-17
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Qassem Dabbah
Orange County
Toastmasters Club 129
Sam’s Holy Land Treasures
Texas de Brazil
P.O. Box 300482
Fern Park, FL 32730
Ms. Gabrielle Mercier
Space 2-15
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Samir Mitri
5259 International Drive
Suite F1
Orlando, FL 32819
Ms. Ana Maria Pereles
Organizations (Non-Profit)
Restaurants
San Marino Concrete Wall
The Home Depot
WCEU, A Service of Daytona
Beach Community College
P.O. Box 9245
Daytona Beach, FL 32120
Ms. Sandra Session-Robertson
Television (Stations)
WebBros.com
1934 Westpoint Circle
Orlando, FL 32835
Mr. Humberto Farias
Web Design and Development
Wild Zak Productions
Leather Shop II, The
Pagoda II
Space 3-2
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Qassem Dabbah
Space K-1018
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Anne Garcia
P.O. Box 1592
Windermere, FL 34786
Mr. Jeffrey Kalish
1530 East Highway 50
Clermont, FL 34711
Ms. Kathy McAuley
Concrete Work
Hardware
422 Washington Avenue
Eustis, FL 32726
Mr. David Klobus
Video (Production)
Wireless Dimensions
4700 Walden Circle
Orlando, FL 32811
Ms. Leonor Yepez
1670 West Orange Blossom Trail
Apopka, FL 32712
Mr. Gary Buchanon
Space C
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Andrew Schwarz
Apartments
Hardware
Telecommunications (Products/Services)
Sendera Palms Apartments
Liberty Tax Service
4300 Claracona Ocoee Road
Orlando, FL 32810
Mr. Patrick Shugg
Tax Services
Papaya
Space 1216
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Ana Merino
The Home Depot
Sensations Beauty
Littman Jewelers
Suite 1180
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Howard Silverman
Jewelry
Park Central
5145 City Street
Orlando, FL 32839-NB
Ms. Tonya Rountree
Space 188
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Ronda Turzinski
Space K-115
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Mo Khalil
Apartments/Corporate Housing
Thomas Kinkade Gallery
765 Terra Place
Maitland, FL 32751
Mr. Patrick Buffa
Space 362
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Ron Kinney
801 Weldona Lane
Suite 1
Orlando, FL 32801
Darryl L. Johnson, MBA
Financial (Consultants/Planners/Services)
Assets Under Management/
Financial (Consultants/Planners/Services)
Point A
Space 5-19
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Andres Luceno
World Financial Group
Space C
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Shakin Mustafa
Patrick Buffa
Magiff Nails
Wireless Zone/Verizon
Space K
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Gregg Dobbs
Shades For Less
Lov Sac
Theme Street Pictures
Space C
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Dani Levy
Space 1272
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Jordana Onotre
Simons Investments
Tropical Breeze Promotions, LLC
519 West Jersey Avenue
Brandon, FL 33510-3030
Ms. Sandra Simons
2520 Olive Branch Way
Orlando, FL 32817
Ms. Katherine Richardson
Financial Provider
Advertising Specialties
Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa
1900 Buena Vista Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Mr. Greg Hauenstein
Hotels, Motels and Resorts
Nail Salons
Skylar Consulting, Inc.
Pressure Washing Pro
4138 North John Young Parkway
Orlando, FL 32804
Mr. Mont S. Thurston
5437 Lake Margaret Drive
Suite H
Orlando, FL 32812
Mr. Lee Manning
Banks
Pressure Cleaning/Roof Cleaning
Metro Bank fsb
680 St. Johns Court
Mr. Fernando Celis
Consultants
Tropical Breeze Smoothies
Space K
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Amy Keith
Restaurants
Sol Time
Millenium Fashions
Space 4-3
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Gabriel Assunto
PrimePay
2700 Westhall Lane
Maitland, FL 32751
Ms. Angela Leiby
Space 364
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Eloilda Rivas
Payroll Services
Regional Board of Advisors
Chamber Trustees
Small Business Chamber
Tropicana Fruit Smoothies
Space 894B
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Hamid Gowani
Restaurants
Southern Living at Home
Princess House
Moroccan American
Chamber of Commerce
4630 Kirkman Road
Suite 227
Orlando, FL 32811
Ms. Fidi Malone
5024 North Woodcrest Drive
Ms. Raquel Sanborn
Mystic Granite & Marble
100 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32801
Ms. Darlene Spezzi
Trusted-e.com
1631 Malcolm Pointe Drive
Winter Garden, FL 34787
Mr. Roger Grant
Consultants
Sprint ‘R’ Scooters
521 Majestic Oak Drive
Apopka, FL 32712
Ms. Renee Kamin
Space C
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. James Brickell
Individuals
Renee Kamin
2603 Challenger Tech Court
Suite 170
Orlando, FL 32826
Mr. William C. Fowler
Home Parties
Home Parties
Chambers of Commerce
MVD Communications, LLC
7920 Goldleaf Street
Orlando, FL 32835
Ms. Susan Hamuicka
Tupperware
Space C
Orlando, FL 32809
Ms. Linda Sands
Reunion Events, Inc.
58 6th Street NE
Suite 2108
Atlanta, GA 30308
Mr. Brian Bottorff
Accommodations/
Gay and Lesbian Associations
Swarovski
Space 1254
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Jeff George
Underground Station
Space 778
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Rauo Vargas
Stone/Tile/Terrazzo/Marble/Mosaic Work
Roadmasters School of Orlando
Teavana
6000 Cinderlane Parkway
Orlando, FL 32810
Mr. Robert Gum
Space 430
Orlando, FL 32809
Mr. Chad Meeks
Trucking
Vacation Rentals of
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
2230 East Annapolis Drive
Deltona, FL 32725
Mr. David Marshall
Vacation (Rentals/Ownership)
FM
M AY 2 0 0 4
37
MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
The excerpt below is from BizWorkz!, the official newsletter of So Social.
So Social has partnered with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce
to provide business-networking opportunities for our Members at
discounted prices.
Working a Room at a
Networking Event
Have you noticed the knack
some people have for working
a room?
As ubiquitous as satellite
signals, they seem to reach every
corner, greet every person, and
contribute to every discussion,
effortlessly. Well, probably not
effortlessly. Systematically, purposefully and consistently are
more likely descriptors.
More than a talent, networking is a skill — or set of skills.
When it comes to building your
career or business, the value of
networking is largely undisputed.
Every conference, meeting, lecture and social event is an
opportunity to meet people,
build your reputation and
expand your client base.
So let’s assume you’ve
entered a room and have 20
minutes to “work it” before the
program starts. How do you
begin? The best way is to start
with the people you know and
follow these steps:
■ Review your purpose for
attending the function.
■ Check to make certain you have
your business cards.
■ Review your “30 second commercial” — a brief statement
that summarizes what you do
and the benefits you offer clients.
■ Arrive early enough to participate in the networking portion
of the meeting.
■ Find the membership chair,
introduce yourself and describe
what you do. Ask for information about the organization.
Request introductions to people
whom the chair recommends
you meet.
■ Ask to meet the speaker for the
day. This person is often quite
influential and may be feeling
as lost as you are.
Select a table that will
put you in a good position to
see both the speaker and others
in attendance.
■ Reserve a seat for yourself and
one to two others.
■ Look for a member or attendee
whom you wish to meet. If you
know the person with whom
your target is talking, approach
that person. This should trigger
an introduction.
■ If you are unable to identify
someone on your target list, look
for an individual you already
know who is conversing with
someone you do NOT know.
Go say hello. This, too, should
trigger an introduction.
■ Pay careful attention to the gist
of the introduction. If it falls
short of your expectations, make
a note to further inform the
person who introduced you
concerning your business,
products and/or services.
■ Ask the person to whom you
have just been introduced what
she or he does.
■ Look for opportunities to find out
more about the business and
needs of your new acquaintance.
■ Once you have exchanged cards
and requested an opportunity to
meet, find a reason to leave the
person/group. Get something to
drink, go to the restroom, say
hello to a client, etc.
■ Repeat the process.
■ Do not spend the entire
networking time with one
person, unless this was your
purpose for attending the
meeting in the first place.
■ Identify one or two individuals
that you would like to have at
your table and offer them the
seats that you saved.
■ Once at your table, stand up,
shake hands and introduce
yourself, using your name and
company name. Then introduce
the individuals you invited to
join you at the table.
■ Exchange cards with the
individuals sitting on either
side of you (and with others
at the table, if possible).
After the function, follow
up with contacts you wish to
pursue further and schedule a
time to get together.
Florida Hospital ........................30, 31
www.flhosp.org
Merchant Services Network........23
www.msnps.com
UCF Football ..................................2
www.ucfathletics.com
Coca-Cola ........................................9
www.coca-cola.com
Hispanic Achievers........................20
www.hispanicachievers.org
METROPLAN Orlando ..................27
www.metroplanorlando.com
Pure Connection Wi-Fi ..................38
www.pureconnectionwifi.com
Crystal Springs ..............................8
www.water.com
Images Auto Spa ............................13
Road Runner Business Class ........11
www.businessclass.cfl.rr.com
Fairwinds Credit Union................15
www.fairwinds.org
K.D.R. Photo Systems ..................35
E-mail: kdrphoto@netscape.net
SunTrust Bank................................40
www.suntrust.com
Williams Company ........................17
www.williamsco.com
Workforce Central Florida ............7
www.workforcecentralflorida.com
FM
M AY 2 0 0 4
ADVERTISING PARTNERS
Central Florida News 13 ..............12
www.sentinelinteractive.com
39

May 2004 - Orlando, Inc.

Transcription

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