AceApplications certified as Minority Owned Business

ORLANDO, Fla. -- AceApplications LLC, an information technology solutions and staffing provider to businesses, schools, and government agencies, was recently certified as a Minority-Owned Business by the Central & North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council (FMSDC). Courtney Powell, president of AceApplications LLC, said the certification is an important step in bidding for city, county and state projects that include IT development. “The Central & North Florida Minority Supplier Development Council certification automatically qualifies us for certification from the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), and that opens up a market that includes municipal governments, schools, and public facilities in 30 states,” Powell said. AceApplications, LLC, a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program located in Central Florida Research Park in east Orange County, is a state and county certified minority owned business that offers information technology consulting services, custom software and web development, IT staffing and 21st Century education and training solutions for businesses, government agencies and schools.

Omega3 Innovations Announces Fish Oil Secret: Celebrities and CEOs Drink Their Omega-3 Supplements

Venice, Fla. -- Since Jennifer Aniston gave an unsolicited endorsement of Omega Cure liquid fish oil to InStyle Magazine, Omega3 Innovations has seen a dramatic increase in the number of celebrities and high-powered professionals ordering their product. But what has the affluent and powerful drinking their omega-3 fish oil? Omega3 Innovations explains. Have you noticed that some celebrities and high-profile industry leaders look younger and have more energy than they should at their age? What’s their secret? The answer might surprise you. Many stars and high-power professionals are turning to fish oil supplements to help them maintain their sharp wit and vigor. But, they’re not using traditional omega -3 capsules. Instead, they’re putting their fish oil faith in a liquid version - namely the Omega Cure. Omega3 Innovations, the producers of Omega Cure, noticed an increase in orders from prestigious addresses after an unsolicited endorsement from actress Jennifer Aniston appeared earlier this year in InStyle Magazine. “We always knew that we had an esteemed clientele,” says Omega3 Innovations co-founder, Anne-Marie Chalmers, MD. “But, after Jennifer Aniston mentioned that she took our oil in an interview with InStyle Magazine in March, we noticed a significant increase in orders from wealthy producers, celebrities and high-profile CEOs.” Since then, the company has seen a 50 percent increase in orders shipped to New York City addresses. Of those orders, the highest concentration comes from the affluent Upper East Side zip codes. While celebrity endorsements can help raise a company’s profile and sales, Omega3 Innovations attributes the growing customer base of celebrities and C-level executives to the product’s freshness and hefty omega-3 dose. “Omega Cure is the Rolls-Royce of fish oil,” says Dr. Chalmers. “Our oil is significantly fresher than what’s found in capsules, so it’s no surprise that our customers are upgrading to Omega Cure. And they are experiencing the difference as a result.” One of United States’s top orthopedic surgeons agrees. “The benefits of taking fresh omega-3 fish oil are clear,” says Sarasota-based Dr. William Kennedy. “It helps with joints, it helps with the cardiovascular system, and much more. By adding Omega Cure in adequate amounts of 2,000 – 3,000 mg of EPA/DHA per day to a patient’s arthritis medication, we have heard much positive feedback. Arthritic pain complaints have gone down, and we have seen other benefits with our patients as well. Some even report a reduction in their bad cholesterol,” he said. Omega-3 Innovations co-founder Bo Martinsen, MD, is not surprised that celebrities and CEOs are choosing Omega Cure. His succinct answer for the attraction: “It works.” About Omega3 Innovations: Founded by Bo Martinsen, M.D., and Anne-Marie Chalmers, M.D. – two physicians who have worked with omega-3 fish oil for more than 16 years – the company offers several varieties of Omega Cookies, Omega Passion chocolates, as well as Omega Cure supplements. Each cookie contains seven capsules worth of omega-3 fish oil, five grams of fiber, 200% of the daily value of vitamin D and 35% of calcium. The company was an innovation winner at the 2010 annual Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County’s Hall of Fame awards and was nominated in this year’s young business category. Omega3 Innovations is the first to create a bakery product that contains an effective dose of omega-3 fish oil.

Cuhaci & Peterson Complete Design of 18 Leslie's Pool Mart Stores in 12 States

Orlando, Fla. – Cuhaci & Peterson Architects Engineers Planners, based in Orlando’s Baldwin Park, completed design work to build 18 new Leslie’s Pool Mart stores in nine states during 2012. Jed Downs, president of Cuhaci & Peterson, said the new Leslie’s Pool Mart stores are located in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida. Downs said the stores range in size from 2,400 square feet of retail space to 4,000 square feet.

First Green Bank in Mount Dora officially awarded U.S. Green Building Council’s Coveted LEED Platinum Certification

Mount Dora, Fla. --- First Green Bank was recently awarded the U.S. Green Building Council’s coveted Platinum Certification for its 12,000 square foot headquarters facility opened last year on U.S. 441 in Mount Dora. Kenneth LaRoe, chairman and chief executive officer of First Green Bank, said the LEED Platinum Certification is the highest U.S. award for energy efficient and sustainable design, engineering, construction and maintenance. “Our LEED Platinum Certification has been a five year process,” LaRoe explained. “It began with our mission to create a community banking institution that expresses the highest ideals of good corporate citizenship. Our new headquarters facility was conceived, designed and built to very exacting standards in order to incorporate the best examples of sustainability and energy efficiency,” he said. Sixty rooftop solar panels on the facility provide 14.4 kilowatts of power, and the building is also designed to consume as little electricity as possible. The pitched butterfly-shaped roof streams rainwater into an 80,000 gallon cistern that irrigates planters outside and provides indoor plumbing. An 1,800 square-foot rooftop garden with native wildflowers is used for events and employee breaks, and the vegetation helps to insulate the building, reducing heating and cooling costs. LaRoe said sustainability was the guiding principle behind the building’s location. “We wanted a spot that would disturb the fewest trees,” he said. Pine trees harvested on the site were turned into flooring. The ceilings are made from cedar recycled from a nearby building that was torn down. Charging stations for electric and hybrid cars are available free for bank customers and employees. Bank couriers use hybrid cars to pick up deposits from customers, and another hybrid car serves as an employee loaner vehicle. First Green Bank provides zero percent interest loans to bank workers who buy high mileage cars. Low-wattage LED lights at the facility were designed to produce zero "light pollution." Florida-friendly, drought-tolerant landscaping is evident everywhere. Fieldstone used in the building is locally sourced. Large overhangs shade the building, and large windows reduce the need for artificial lighting. Flooring in the company gym is recycled cork and rubber composite. A juice bar for customers is made from recycled counterfeit money shredded by the Fed. “In the short term, green building standards cost more,” LaRoe said. “But we’re here for the long term, and our investment in sustainable building and banking practices is already paying a return,” he said. The U.S. Green Building Council is comprised of more than 18,000 member companies and organizations that include builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials, concerned citizens, teachers and students, 80 local affiliates and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders.

Stirling Sotheby's International Realty hopes to lease 20,000 square foot Plaza North Tower Penthouse to National Nightclub Operation

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty plans to lease its 20,000 square foot penthouse suite in The Plaza’s North tower on Orange Ave. and Pine Street in downtown Orlando and hopes to find a national or international night club operator to take over the space. Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said the facility is ideal for an upscale night club. “We have almost 10,000 square feet on the 16th floor overlooking downtown Orlando and it includes a 10,000 square foot garden terrace,” Soderstrom said, adding, “The space is ideally suited to become the sort of upscale night club that can be found in Miami, New York, London or Paris. John Kurtz, commercial specialist with Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, is representing the property. “The Plaza South building is located in the heart of Orlando’s entertainment district and the sort of visionary club operator who would develop this facility would draw from a national and international market for entertainment and customers alike,” Kurtz said. “Orlando is an international destination and is ready for a nightclub at an exclusive venue like this,” he added. A brochure on the property may be seen at http://www.stirlingsir.com/resources/SiteResources/My%20Folder/JKurtz_Plaza_16_ebrochure.pdf

Animation Producer Ninjaneer Studios earns contract from Orlando Science Center to work on U.S. Department of Defense Exhibit

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. --- Ninjaneer Studios, which creates animation and projection mapping content, recently earned a contract to help produce an interactive exhibit for the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Corrosion and Oversight. Joe Rosa, Director of Ninjaneer Studios, said the contract was awarded by the Orlando Science Center, which teamed up with the University of Akron and Bruno White Entertainment, an Orlando video production company, to help produce a unique educational experience. The exhibit utilizes 3D projection mapping technology, a new creative medium where digitally created content is projected onto physical everyday objects, giving the illusion that the surface is being transformed. By employing this technology to fully immerse visitors within the science of corrosion, the experience entertains as it educates, raising awareness of the detrimental effects corrosion has on our infrastructure and utilities systems. The new exhibit for the Orlando Science Center is scheduled to debut in March of 2013. Ninjaneer Studios is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program in Winter Springs, Florida.