City of Apopka and UCF Open Doors to 10th Business Incubator in Apopka, Welcomes First Client Company

APOPKA, Fla. --- The City of Apopka and the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program recently opened the university’s 10th incubator site located at 325 S. McGee Ave. in Apopka.

Gordon Hogan, director of the UCF Business Incubation Program, said Compendium Software Systems LLC, a woman-owned, high-tech small business is the first client company to operate from the 8,000 square foot facility.

“We were previously working from the Sanford Incubator, which we loved but when we learned about the Apopka Incubator opening this year, we knew we needed to move to the more convenient location,” said Rachel Bragg, president of Compendium, providers of professional software system consulting and development.

Compendium is the creator of BrightFleet.com, a service that provides award-winning driver improvement solutions that help fleet owners save money and reduce risk by proactively identifying and mitigating risk among their drivers.

Hogan and Rick Parks, site manager at the UCF Business Incubator in Apopka, said they expect to add at least five more client companies this year once the companies complete the University’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship training program.

The UCF Business Incubator in Apopka which is easily accessible to major arterial highways, is equipped with a state-of-the-art training room that seats 40 with a large computerized presentation board and modern facilities with plenty of parking to accommodate training events and small seminars.

Hogan added the UCF Business Incubator in Apopka is designed to attract promising startup companies that will generate new jobs and new economic activity in Apopka.

“We are happy to have the University of Central Florida Business Incubator-Apopka program in our community and look forward to exciting things happening in Apopka,” said Mayor John H. Land.

Dr. Tom O’Neal, founder and executive director of the UCF Business Incubation Program, said the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 200 companies. In 2009 a study conducted by an independent firm said the program accounted for more than 1,600 jobs in the Central Florida area that year.

The UCF Business Incubation Program operates business incubation facilities in Orlando on the UCF Campus, at Central Florida Research Park near UCF and on East Colonial Drive, and in Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Daytona Beach, Sanford, Winter Springs and Leesburg in addition to Apopka.

About the UCF Business Incubation Program
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Business Incubation Program has helped more than 200 emerging companies (including more than 134 current clients) create over $363 million in annual total economic output and more than 3,120 new jobs (taking direct and indirect and induced impact into account) with an average salary of $59,000. With ten facilities across the Greater Orlando community, the Business Incubation Program is a collaboration in economic development among the University of Central Florida, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Apopka, the City of Winter Springs, the City of Sanford, Lake County, the City of Leesburg, Osceola County, the City of Kissimmee, City of St. Cloud, Volusia County and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information about the Program and its clients and graduates, please visit www.incubator.ucf.edu and UCFBIP on Facebook, on www.facebook.com/ucf4bip.