$5 Million+ Renovation Underway at Oldest Incubator in the UCF Business Incubation Program in Central Fla. Research Park
ORLANDO, Fla. (July 2, 2015) – Construction is underway on a $5 Million plus renovation project of the 50,000 square feet UCF Business Incubator in the Central Florida Research Park.
Carol Ann Dykes, site manager for the Research Park incubator said the facility, established in 1999, is getting a major upgrade and has undergone six months of a 13-month large-scale renovation project slated for completion in February of next year.
“These facilities are some of the older buildings in Research Park and most of the life safety, telecommunications, electrical, lighting and HVAC systems are outdated. In addition, the internal configuration of the buildings has not been well suited for use as an incubator and we now have the opportunity to fix that.” Dykes said.
The work also includes the build-out of five much needed chemical wet labs and additional work spaces for companies that need to set up assembly and/or workstations.
“We are fortunate to have an amazing team from UCF Facilities as well as the general contractor Wharton Smith. Everyone has gone above and beyond to make this project as smooth as possible for our clients who are occupying the facilities during the renovations.”
Currently the Research Park incubator houses over 45 early stage and Soft Landing technology client companies.
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For more information contact:
Carol Ann Dykes, Site Manager, UCF Business Incubation Program, 407-207-7426 carolann.dykes@ucf.edu
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications Inc. 407-644-4142 Lvershelco@aol.com
About the UCF Business Incubation Program
The University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program is a community resource that provides early-stage companies with the tools, training and infrastructure to become financially stable, high growth/impact enterprises. Since 1999, this award-winning program has helped hundreds of local startup companies reach their potential faster by providing vital business development resources.
With seven facilities throughout the region, the UCF Business Incubation Program is an economic development partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Corridor, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Apopka, Kissimmee, Orlando, and Winter Springs. Participating companies sustain more than 3,600 local jobs and have had a total impact of $1.51B on regional sales and $2.48B on regional economic output. During the last fiscal year, the program has returned $7.95 for every $1.00 invested in the program. For more information, visit www.incubator.ucf.edu.
