IDN Summit set for ChampionsGate

     The evolving landscape of the healthcare industry has spawned no shortage of perspectives on whether each of the various changes are good or bad for the future of healthcare. The IDN Summit and Reverse Expo brings together senior healthcare executives and their GPO and supplier partners to improve healthcare delivery through a more effective supply chain, which includes managing change for the best possible outcome and the chance for greater future opportunities.
    With this in mind, the 2012 Spring IDN Summit & Reverse Expo will focus on a theme of "Change Brings Opportunity" when it takes place April 23-25 at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate. The IDN Summit is partnering with renowned business educator Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University to bring in-person world-acclaimed business leadership instruction to the 2012 Spring IDN Summit.
     "IDN Summit attendees are being confronted by incredible challenges shaping the very climate and culture of the healthcare supply chain," said John Kelly, CEO, Bluegrass Business Media. "Having an educational partner of this caliber contributing to the 2012 Spring educational program helps IDN Summit provide attendees with some of the information, education and insight so critical to their daily strategic thinking and decision-making processes."
     Read more here and here.

SPA Keynote Speaker Announced

   The International SPA Association announced the keynote speaker line-up and details for its 22nd Annual Conference and Expo to be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee from Oct. 15-17, 2012.

    This year's conference theme of Inspire will resonate with attendees through an exciting line-up of notable keynote speakers that will kick-off on Monday, with Jim Collins -- author of the international bestseller "Good to Great." His most recent book is "Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck-Why Some Thrive Despite Them All," coauthored with Morten Hansen. It answers the question: Why do some companies thrive in uncertainty, even chaos, and others do not?

     Lisa Ling, an award winning journalist and former co-host of The View, will provide the keynote address on the second day of conference. Ling can currently be seen on Our America with Lisa Ling on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and as a contributor to ABC News' Nightline and National Geographic's Explorer. Ling's achievements span the globe and her perspective delves into some of the most challenging, thought-provoking issues in society today.

Enterprise Connect: Kicks off Monday

   Enterprise Connect 2012 kicks off Monday (March 26) at the Gaylord Palms. Enterprise Connect (formerly “VoiceCon”) has become the premier industry event covering the evolving enterprise market for unified communications (UC), which has now expanded to encompass video teleconferencing, collaboration, contact center, and enterprise social networking, along with the IP PBX.
   Siemens Enterprise Communications announced that Chris Hummel, President, North America and Global CMO, was selected to give a keynote this year.
   Hummel will discuss what it takes for enterprises to fulfill the promise of unified communications (UC) as well as the key issues enterprises need to prioritize to drive real value from communications investment.

Real-world customers will share their stories to help illustrate how best to drive competitive advantage through collaboration, next-generation architectures and new deployment options such as the cloud. Additionally, Hummel will highlight exciting developments at Siemens Enterprise Communications that will move the communications market forward.

Fighting Fraud this Summer

    The 23^rd Annual ACFE Fraud Conference & Exhibition this summer at Gaylord Palms offers an unparalleled opportunity to advance careers as an auditor, compliance officer, investigator - or any profession relating to the prevention, detection and deterrence of fraud. 
    The conference runs June 17-22.     
    The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is the world's largest anti-fraud organization and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education. Together with more than 60,000 members, the ACFE is reducing business fraud worldwide and inspiring public confidence in the integrity and objectivity within the profession. To learn more about ACFE, visit ACFE.com today.

HMA makes Fortune list

   ST. CLOUD -- Health Management Associates, parent company of St. Cloud Regional Medical Center, has been named by Fortune magazine as one of the World’s Most Admired companies in Health Care.
   “We are very proud to be a member of the Health Management family,” said Kim Bassett, CEO of St. Cloud Regional Medical Center. “This award is powerful evidence of the excellent support Health Management provides to enable St. Cloud Regional to deliver great healthcare to our community. It is also a testament to the dedication to patient care of the Associates and physicians at our hospital and other Health Management hospitals around the country.”
   Within the category of Health Care: Medical Facilities, Health Management was named the No. 1 company in Quality of Products/Services and in Social Responsibility.
   Fortune compiles the ratings each year based on a survey of businesspeople in each industry who are asked to vote for the companies they admire most. Apple was named this year’s most admired company across all industries. The list will be published in the magazine’s March 19 issue.

ootii to launch playable version of social media game

    St. Cloud -- ootii LLC, the Central Florida gaming studio that got its start at the University of Central Florida’s Interactive Entertainment Academy, will launch a playable version of its new social media game on March 6 that targets avid social gamers, the “hardcore” of the online gaming phenomenon.
    Timothy Tryzbiak, co-founder of ootii, said avid or “hardcore” social gamers represent a growing niche of traditional gamers who are shifting time from console and PC games to games on the social platforms.
“ootii is offering this market segment an action-oriented alternative we think they will find compelling,” Tryzbiak said.
    Dubbed Relic Ball, the demo version of the game has an ulterior motive: gamers who play the mini-version are asked to provide developers with feedback.
    “Relic Ball is a skills based action game where players travel the world and discover ancient artifacts by interacting with the environment in real time,” Tryzbiak said.
    “In the full release, users create custom content and gain rewards as other players solve and rate the adventures they create. That’s unique in the social games market,” Tryzbiak explained.
    The playable demo will allow users to travel to select destinations and solve physics-based puzzles as they avoid flaming traps, leap huge chasms, and search for lost relics.
    Tryzbiak said the demo will be available on Facebook March 6. The full version of Relic Ball is scheduled for release in June.
     ootii LLC is a client company of the UCF Business Incubator in St. Cloud.

Florida Companies to Watch for 2012 Nominations

    Building on a break-out inaugural year, the 2012 Florida Companies to Watch awards program is back to recognize and award growing second-stage companies, headquartered in Florida, that have established themselves as high performance companies in their marketplace. This year’s group of companies will have the opportunity to join an esteemed group of national Companies to Watch honorees recognized from across the U.S.     Developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation, Companies to Watch was formed as an exclusive way to honor second-stage companies who exhibit innovative business strategies and processes. The companies recognized by this award are leading the way for second-stage companies and prove themselves to be “worth watching”. In 2011, Companies to Watch operated statewide in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. In 2012, the program grows to northeastern California and Washington state. 
    “The Florida Companies to Watch celebrates the success of companies that make a significant difference in our economy.  In Florida, they account for eight percent of the companies and more than 30 percent of the jobs,” said Tom O’Neal, Associate Vice President for Research and Commercialization at UCF and Executive Director of the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. “They are in no man’s land: Too big to be small but too small to be big.  These companies make a difference and we’re happy to give the kind of recognition they deserve.”
      The combined impact of the 50 companies chosen as the inaugural winners of 2011 Florida Companies to Watch is $419 million in total annual revenue, 1,972 fulltime equivalent employees and 510 new net jobs created compared to 2009. From 2006 through 2010, these companies generated $1.4 billion in revenue and added 1,153 employees (both in Florida and out of state), reflecting a 162 percent increase in revenue and 141 percent increase in jobs for the five-year period. That translates into a 32 percent annual revenue growth and 28 percent annual growth in employees. A look at one of the second-stage winners of Florida Companies to Watch shows the incredible potential for Florida’s economic rebound.  
*Data compiled in December 2010.

Increased Flight Activity at Kissimmee Airport for Sun'N Fun

    KISSIMMEE -- Kissimmee Gateway Airport (ISM) announces it is expecting a higher level of flight activity in and around Kissimmee due to Sun'N Fun's 38^th  Annual International Fly-In & Expo at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport from Tuesday, March 27, 2012, to Sunday, April 1, 2012.

   "With increased activity, we have an opportunity to show visitors all our Airport has to offer," says Terry Lloyd, director of aviation at Kissimmee Gateway Airport. "This is a great time for visitors to experience the Airport's amenities and increase awareness of our central location to theme parks and Orange County Convention Center."

     Sun'N Fun is one of the largest aviation fly-in and tradeshow events in the world with more than 500 commercial exhibitors. The community can expect some unusual aircraft, and large formations of aircraft, operating around the Airport during the week of Sun N' Fun. For more information about Sun N' Fun, please visit www.sun-n-fun.org.

     About Kissimmee Gateway Airport 

    Located just eight miles from Walt Disney World and 10 miles from the Orange County Convention Center, Kissimmee Gateway Airport accommodates general aviation air service 24 hours a day with two paved runways, 5,000 and 6,000 feet each. The airport also offers full-service FBOs, flight training, aircraft storage, aircraft restoration, P-51Mustang pilot training, T-6 Warbird adventure flights and an industrial park. Its air traffic control tower operates from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Built in 1942, Kissimmee Gateway Airport is owned and operated by the City of Kissimmee. For more information, visit www.kissimmeeairport.com.

Ethanol Conference at Gaylord

     The 17th Annual National Ethanol Conference (NEC): Accelerating Industry Innovation was held February 22-24 at Gaylord Palms.
      It was billed as event anyone involved in the ethanol industry could not afford to miss. The NEC is recognized as the preeminent conference for delivering accurate, timely information on marketing, legislative and regulatory issues facing the ethanol industry. With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and contacts made at this conference than any other ethanol conference.  

      Since 1996, the RFA’s National Ethanol Conference (NEC) has been recognized as the preeminent conference for delivering accurate, timely information on marketing, legislative and regulatory issues facing the ethanol industry.  With numerous networking opportunities, more business meetings are conducted and contacts made at this conference than any other ethanol conference.

     In 2011, more than 1,250 industry leaders attended the NEC, representing 42 states and 19 countries.  Nearly 60% had attended the NEC before.  Delegates cited networking, business development, and to learn about government policies and ethanol technology as their primary reasons for attending the NEC.

Colt's Expanding to Osceola County

   Osceola County, Florida - Colt's Manufacturing Company, LLC announced (on Dec. 1) its commitment to create 63 jobs in Osceola County for its new regional headquarters and product manufacturing center. The center will hire people for engineering and manufacturing jobs, among others. In 2012, Colt is projecting to begin phasing in the first of 63 jobs paying an average salary of $45,060 to be created during the following three years. Governor Rick Scott and Colt's Manufacturing Company President and CEO Lieutenant General William M. Keys USMC (Ret.) were joined by the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners for the announcement.
   "As a supporter of new job creation and the Second Amendment, this announcement sends the clear message that Florida is both open for business and a defender of our citizen's right to bear arms," Florida Governor Rick Scott said. "My primary responsibility as governor is to be our state's chief advocate for job creation. My personal involvement in bringing Colt to Florida demonstrates my administration's deep commitment to rebuilding our economy."
   Colt is making a $2.5 million capital investment in a vacant building, which the company will lease, that is owned by Osceola County. Governor Scott and his economic development team at Enterprise Florida Inc. and the Osceola County Economic Development Department worked with Colt to bring this project to fruition. State incentives include $250,000 from the Governor's Quick Action Closing Fund and funds for workforce training. Osceola County is offering additional incentives, including renovation of the building and rent concessions.
   "Colt looked at many possible sites across the nation, but we ultimately decided to locate our new facility in the State of Florida," Gen. Keys said. "Florida offered a strong pro-business incentive package. Coupled with the low cost of doing business in Florida and a favorable regulatory environment, opening this new facility was very attractive to us. Governor Scott's personal commitment to both Colt's growth plan and America's right to bear arms was instrumental in our decision."
   "Attracting an American icon like Colt, which is one of the world's top brands, is a real coup for our economic development efforts," said Commission Chairman John Quiñones. "Beyond creating new, high-wage jobs, Colt is going to be a great asset to our community."
   "Colt's expansion to Osceola County is a perfect fit for the region," said Dr. Sanford Shugart, president of Valencia College, which will design a specialized training program for the company. "Valencia College stands ready to deliver the best trained, best educated workforce possible. We welcome Colt's Manufacturing to Osceola County and commit to partnering with them and serving their employees and families for many years to come."