Kissimmee Incubator client to receive exclusive resources, education and connections from financial giant

Kissimmee, Fla. (September 1, 2022) – Another UCF Business Incubation Program client has been recognized for its potential by a national entrepreneurship organization.

Kissimmee’s Qwalifize Staffing & Consulting has been chosen to be a part of the 18th cohort of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Program. The initiative by the financial giant is aimed at giving 10,000 small businesses throughout the world exclusive training over a 10-year period.

“This will be a solid opportunity to scale my business, educate more clients and job seekers while creating even more meaningful jobs,” says Lizbeth Walker, CEO,

Qwalifize Staffing & Consulting. “Through this process I plan to gain opportunities to learn from other small business owners, receive expert advice from business professionals, get one-on-one business advising, and join a national network of entrepreneurs following graduation.”

To be selected, Walker worked through the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council to connect with Goldman Sachs. She underwent a selection process which started with her initially completing a complex application in February.  Out of several candidates she was sequentially chosen to interview which was centered on her business plan, the company’s community contributions, its plan for growth and how she believed the program would benefit the company, all while focusing on economic growth and job creation.

The program contains nine modules focused on a range of business issues, such as marketing and sales, financing, leadership and more developed by Babson College, known as a leader in entrepreneurship educational programs. Most sessions are virtual with the final event being a four-day gathering at Goldman Sachs’ New York City headquarters. The total commitment is expected to be more than 120 hours of work.

“Just going through the application process was beneficial to my business, helping to refine many of the aspects I’ve been working on already,” Walker says. “This is truly a substantial step in my business’ growth.”

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For more information:

Qwalifize: Lizbeth Walker, CEO, (407) 505-0026, info@qwalifize.com

UCF Business Incubation Program: Esther Vargas, Site Manager, UCF Business Incubator – Kissimmee, esther.vargas@ucf.edu, or Alan Byrd, Alan Byrd & Associates, 407-415-8470, Alan@ByrdConnections.com

About Qwalifize:

We take the complexity out of employment so our clients can focus on their mission-critical projects. We specialize in technology, human resources, administrative and government sectors.  Under our one-stop shop umbrella, we offer tailored workforce solutions that include Direct Hire/Permanent Placement, Staff Augmentation/Temporary Placement, Contract-to-Hire Placement, Payrolling, skills testing, employment prescreening and more. For more information, visit http://www.qwalifize.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  Incubator.ucf.edu/.