UCF Business Incubation Program and the City of Sanford Hosts Grand Opening of UCF Sanford Business Incubator in Downtown Sanford

Left to Right-Bob Tunis, Economic Development Director, City of Sanford; Michael McLean, Vice-chair, Board of County Commissioners; Linda Kuhn, Mayor of Sanford; Dr. Tom O’Neal, Executive Director, UCF Business Incubation Program

SANFORD, Fla. - The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program and the City of Sanford hosted a grand opening recently to showcase the new UCF Sanford Business Incubator facility at 110 W. First St. in downtown Sanford.

Dr. Tom O’Neal, founder and executive director of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program, said the new facility will create new jobs in Sanford and Seminole County.

“Successful business incubation has proved to be the most cost-effective strategy to stimulate the local economy,” Dr. O’Neal said.

“By providing expert support to qualified startup and small business enterprises, we can help them grow faster than the economic curve, and that means more and better jobs sooner than we might otherwise expect,” he said.

The new 3,800 square foot UCF Sanford Business Incubation facility offers office space, along with administrative, training and meeting space, O’Neal said.

O’Neal said Bob Tunis, director of the City of Sanford’s Economic Development division, Sanford Mayor Linda Kuhn, and Michael McLean, vice chairman of the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners attended the Grand Opening event for a brief ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the facility. Other city, county and area business leaders were on hand as well.

The UCF Business Incubation Program now includes six locations with more than 100,000 square feet of space at Central Florida Research Park, UCF Campus, the City of Orlando, the City of Winter Springs, Leesburg and Sanford.

Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 120 emerging companies (including over 75 current clients) create over $500 million in annual revenue and more than 1,600 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With six facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development between the University of Central Florida, the City of Orlando, Orange County, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, City of Sanford and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu/.

For more information about this release contact:

Gordon Hogan, Director of Operations, UCF Business Incubation Program 407-882-1577, bizdev@mail.ucf.edu

Dr. Tom O’Neal, Executive Director, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407 882-1120, oneal@mail.ucf.edu

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142 or LvershelCo@aol.com