The Orlando Business Development Center may already be filled with business entrepreneurs, but that isn't stopping them from offering virtual space
When Rick Fox contacted the Orlando Business Development Center (OBDC) about joining its incubation program there was no room for his startup company.


/Corporations News Articles/ - ORLANDO, FL, July 05, 2008 - Since opening in January, the OBDC- which is nestled into a popular strip shopping center directly across from Fashion Square Mall on East Colonial Drive - already has attracted four residential clients who rent affordable office space and have access to a receptionist, business mentors, educational classes and necessary business equipment like multi line phones and high-speed Internet.

So Fox, the founder of Seaquarius, LLC - a forward-thinking product research and development company specializing in creating and branding unique and beneficial skincare products sourced from the vast oceans and seas of the world - became the center's first virtual client while still enjoying the benefits of residency, according to OBDC Site Manager Jacqueline Barton.

"We are encouraging more virtual clients to sign up now so that when we open 4,000 square feet of space in Phase II, they will have day offices, a larger conference room and a business resource library," she said. "We have a waiting list for on-site clients."

Fox, whose Seaquarius company is in its development stage, joined the center in May and expects to enter into his first round of investment capital very soon. For the past two months, he has taken advantage of the classes and the contacts he has made through his connections at the center. He also maintains a business address there, as well as visiting office space.

"At first, I felt I could do it all on my own," the 38-year-old Miami native said. "But now, I have Jacqueline, and so many others on my team. We strategize and go over the big plan and tactics to achieve our goals and this is helping to assure a much greater level of success," Fox said.

Barton said the center was the vision of retired Orlando City Commissioner Betty Wyman and is a partnership with the City of Orlando and the University of Central Florida. Newly elected City Commissioner of District 2, Tony Ortiz, is continuing the legacy by expanding the services offered.

But, unlike the UCF Technology Incubator, which focuses on high-tech companies, the OBDC serves a mix of owners; with some stipulations on the kinds of businesses they accept, she said.

"It offers the opportunity to work on your business, as opposed to in your business," she said. "You have a consultant and peers to talk with, bounce ideas off, get referrals, and find vendors, with ease," Barton said.

The four new business owners currently honing their entrepreneurial skills as residential clients at the OBDC are Thorell Public Relations, Social Security Advocates, D3 Interactive Marketing, and O.C. Grant Consulting.

Residential clients, and virtual business owners like Fox, receive business development support and mentorship from the incubator and connections to other area consulting services through the Service Corps of Retired Executives, the UCF Small Business Development Center at the Disney Entrepreneur Center, as well as discounted rates with well qualified and prescreened attorneys and accountants.

"If we don't have the answers the clients need, we find out who does," Barton said of herself and Maria Rodriguez, the center's facilities scheduler. The Center's educational schedule begins in July with two free seminars.

For more information about seminars and the OBDC, visit OrlandoIncubator.com

or contact Barton or Rodriguez at 321-331-7746 or 3218 E. Colonial Drive, Suite G,




For more information about this release, contact:

Jacqueline Barton, site manager of OBDC, 321-331-7746

Tom O'Neal. Ph.D, UCF Incubation Program, 407-882-0202; toneal@mail.ucf.edu.

Charlene Hager-Van Dyke, Larry Vershel Communications 407-837-8780

Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications, 407-644-4142




About the UCF Incubation Program

Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Incubation Program has helped more than 100 emerging companies create over $200 million in annual revenue and more than 800 new jobs with an average salary of $59,000. With five facilities across the metro Orlando community, the Incubation Program is collaboration in economic development between UCF, Orange County, the City of Orlando, Seminole County, the City of Winter Springs, and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council. For more information, please visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu.

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