Daytona Beach, Fla. (July 26, 2021) – Shortly after the University of Central Florida reopened its facilities, including the Volusia County Business Incubator powered by UCF Business Incubation Program, Site Manager Connie Garzon had a “town hall” meeting with its clients.

It was the last virtual meeting it held because the overwhelming desire of the 14 client companies was to meet in person again.

“We held a potluck lunch and it was like a big family reunion,” Garzon says. “They kept saying how great it was to be back together because they understand how important it is to be around like-minded people who are growing their business.”

On Monday July 26, the Volusia County Business Incubator powered by UCF Business Incubation Program will be holding a major live event celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Scheduled to appear are dignitaries such as Florida Secretary of Commerce Jamal Sowell and Volusia County Chairman Jeff Brower, among many others.

“One of the key roles we play in governing is creating economic development for our county and for our communities,” Bower says. “Our investment over the past decade in the Volusia County Business Incubator has seen a substantial return in jobs and companies created over the past decade. I’m looking forward to celebrating the success of this endeavor.”

And while the celebration looks back over 10 years, the Incubator and its clients are poised to have significant growth as the country comes out of the pandemic.

Over the past 16 months since UCF enacted its COVID-19 protocols, only one client left the incubator. And in just the past few months, six companies have started the pre-incubation process to join the Incubator.

All 14 client companies are back to in-person operations, with many of them adding employees and signing large contracts.

For instance, Paxi, the online service for transporting animals now has more than 600 drivers across the country and just expanded with its first vehicle for transporting large animals.

TECHFIT Digital Surgery just received its Food & Drug Administration approval – a two-year effort.  And Rubicon Technical Services entered into a partnership with the national cloud services firm Box.

Plus, Sensatek Propulsion Technology has added nearly a dozen jobs recently as sales for its services have continued to grow.

“These companies embody the true spirit of entrepreneurs in their resilience and determination to be successful no matter what obstacles are put in their way,” Garzon says. “As has been the case for the past decade, I’m constantly amazed by how these companies truly grow and provide significant economic impact to Volusia County and the region.”

Over the past 10 years, the Volusia County Business Incubator powered by UCF Business Incubation Program and its clients have:

  • Created nearly 1,000 full-time, high-wage jobs.
  • Assisted more than 100 companies during their early stage of growth.
  • Provided more than 8,000 hours of coaching for locally owned businesses.
  • Held more than 1,500 training sessions.
  • Provided a return on investment of $8.35 for every $1 of public investment.

“My business would not be where it is today without the assistance and help of Connie and the incubator team,” says Gregory Smith, CEO, Paxi. “They have been instrumental in helping me launch and grow in ways that I would have never expected when I joined nearly two years ago.”

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For more information, contact Connie Garzon associate director and site manager, at 386-872-3100 or Connie.garzon@ucf.edu or Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, at 407-415-8470 or Alan@ByrdConnections.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 provided vital business development resources resulting in over 300 local startup companies reaching their potential faster and graduating into the community where they continue to grow and positively impact the local economy.

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 Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. For the 2017/2018 fiscal years, the activities of these participating firms have helped to sustain more than 6,725 local jobs and have had a cumulative impact of over $725 million on regional GDP and over $1.3 billion on regional sales. During the same period, the program has returned more than $12.00 in state and local taxes for every $1.00 invested in the program. In addition, for every $1.00 of public investment the firms also produced $118 of additional regional GDP and $226 of regional sales. For more information, visit  www.incubator.ucf.edu