Florida Business Incubation Assn. concludes biannual conference in Largo

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Business Incubation Assn., a coalition of business incubation programs throughout Florida, recently held its bi-annual conference at the Tampa Bay Innovation Center in Largo.

Dr. Tom O’Neal, president of the Florida Business Incubation Assn. and founder and executive director of the University of Central Florida’s Business Incubation Program said the annual conference participants came for a chance to compare notes, establish best practices and set the agenda for 2012.

“Business Incubation is a proven way for Florida to grow its own economy and we have helped to create literally thousands of new jobs across Florida,” Dr. O’Neal said.

Business Incubation program companies in Florida range from the most sophisticated technologies — lasers, photonics, alternative energy and defense — to the most individual personal services and include almost every business category except the most common retail operations such as restaurants and hotels, Dr. O’Neal explained.

Florida can’t afford to wait for national economic growth to come to the Sunshine State,” Dr. O’Neal said. “Business incubators throughout the state are engaged in growing our economy from the ground up, and we have shown to be one of the most cost-effective methodologies to stimulate local economic growth,” he added.

The next conference, the Spring event will be held in Gainesville at the new Innovation Hub in April.

About the Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA)
Since its founding in 1998, the Florida Business Incubation Association has held bi-annual statewide meetings and been a unified voice for all the Florida incubators. FBIA plays an integral role in developing and/or identifying programs that help provide greater service to incubator clients. FBIA teams up annually with the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) to award conference scholarship opportunities to Florida incubation professionals. Please visit FBIA on www.fbiaonline.org or on Facebook on www.facebook.com/FLBIA.