Offer on Gaylord stays

Gaylord Hotels are known for offering distinct and unique backdrops for memorable celebrations that recognize life's most meaningful moments. And now, the group of four extraordinary properties is making celebrations more special by re-introducing its Buy One Night, Get One Free offers for birthdays and anniversaries, available now through the end of May 2012. The BOGO offer features distinctive anniversary and birthday celebrations starting at just $209* per night at Gaylord National and $199* per night at Gaylord Opryland, Gaylord Palms and Gaylord Texan respectively. There's a perfect Gaylord Hotels resort to fit every guests special moment with locations in popular destinations like just outside Washington, D.C. in Maryland's National Harbor; in Nashville, Tenn.; in Kissimmee; and in the land of the Big D in Grapevine, Texas.

Program Aims to boost export activity

    Osceola County businesses with an eye on international markets should take a look at a new Enterprise Florida program aimed at boosting export activity. Enterprise Florida's goals for the $780,786 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration include helping the state's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) diversify their target markets, and prompting infrequent and single-market exporters to expand their overseas trade activity.
    "There are very few grants that will be given and I would love to see Osceola County businesses get as many slots as possible," said Commission Chairman John Quiñones. "The International export market is a very good opportunity for the diverse businesses in our community to develop new revenue sources."
Information about Florida's initiatives can be accessed at http://www.eflorida.com/download/SBA_STEP_Grant_Summary.pdf. The Enterprise Florida program contact is Michael Schiffhauer, vice president, International Trade & Development, who can be reached at (407) 956-5634 or mschiffhauer@eflorida.com. The program forms are also available on the Osceola County Economic Development Web Site, www.chooseosceola.com.

Godin to Give Guest Keynote at Gaylord Palms

   "America's Greatest Marketer" is coming to Osceola County in March. At least that's what American Way magazine said of best-selling author Seth Godin. His blog is perhaps the most popular in the world written by a single individual.Godin writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.
    He is scheduled to deliver a keynote during Gartner Inc.'s Customer 360 Summit at Gaylord Palms. The event runs March 14-16. Gartner is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. The company says the event "delivers complete coverage of the new strategies and technologies that are enabling organizations to better understand and engage their customers, build loyalty and grow the business."
    Read more about the event here.

PGA Pro John Cook joins forces with PlayGolfPlanet.com

     KISSIMMEE --- PlayGolfPlanet.com, the start up company that provides golfers with a social way to book tee times and deals with their favorite courses, has landed its second PGA golf pro endorsement from John Cook. Cameron Cress, founder and chief executive officer of PlayGolfPlanet.com, said Cook is going to place the PlayGolfPlanet.com logo to his golf bag for the duration of the PGA tour. 
     “John Cook is a friend and supporter and we are very excited about his endorsement and support,” Cress said.Cook is one of the top money winners on the senior golf circuit and is the winner of some 11 PGA tournaments.
     PlayGolfPlanet.com connects golfers directly with their favorite golf courses, brings them exclusive deals on tee times and local tournaments and allows them to organize rounds with friends.

     PlayGolfPlanet.com is a client company of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program located in Kissimmee at 111 E. Monument Avenue. 

Sustainability event set for ChampionsGate

   Sustainability will be showcased during a March event at the Omni Championsgate. Pira International, in association with Packaging Digest and Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, is pleased to announce that the key players in the packaging industry will be featured in the just-released Sustainability in Packaging 2012 agenda.
    This year’s event will take place March 12-14 with a focus on driving innovation through the supply chain, providing the most up-to-date information affecting sustainability in the packaging industry.
    “Year in and year out, the Sustainability in Packaging conference draws an outstanding audience of packaging professionals who are dedicated to staying on top of developments in sustainability,” says John Kalkowski, editorial director of Packaging Digest and Conference Advisory Board Member. “They come because they know the agenda is pertinent and timely, and because the conference is an opportunity to network with like-minded individuals.”     Organizations presenting at Sustainability in Packaging 2012 include HAVI Global Solutions, Hewlett-Packard, McDonald's, Nestlé Research Center, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, RMIT University, S.C. Johnson, TerraChoice, The Coca Cola Company, The Sustainability Consortium, UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business and the WWF.
    Attendees will also hear from the American Chemistry Council, the Better Business Bureau, Big Room Inc., Braskem America, Inc., Brooks Sports, Can Manufacturers Institute, Ecole Polytechnique, Ecologic Brands, Inc., Ecovative Design LLC, Flint Group, Georgia-Pacific, Henkel, Interbrand, Krones AG, Michigan State University, MicroGREEN Polymers Inc., Mirel™ Bioplastics by Telles, NextLife, Octal, Packaging Digest, PAC NEXT, Placon, RecycleMatch, Replenish Bottling Sonoco Packaging, StewardEdge USA Inc., Tetra Pak, The Dow Chemical Company, The Gillette Company, The Shelton Group, Tonejet Limited, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Whole Foods Market and WRAP.
    “Sustainability continues to be a challenging and yet exciting area for innovation across the entire packaging supply chain,” says Alan Blake, Procter & Gamble, Corporate Packaging Development Sustainability and Conference Advisory Board Member. “The Sustainability in Packaging conference offers the opportunity to hear about success stories, to share ideas with an outstanding panel of speakers and to connect with a broad group of industry representatives.”

Building permit fee waiver program extended

Believing that it has led to increased construction activity and additional jobs in both the commercial and residential sectors, the Osceola County Commission extended the county building permit fee waiver program through Sept. 30, 2012. Read the entire story in the Osceola News-Gazette.

New Incubator client

        Inspire Travel, a kinder, gentler online travel company that provides a platform that can be leveraged to support social causes and community organizations, has joined the University of Central Florida Business Incubator in Kissimmee. Inspire Travel is a startup company with a conscience and a business model that combines the best features of online booking agencies with group discounting and social media while promoting social entrepreneurship. Inspire Travel recently had a soft launch of www.InspireTravel.com.
     “Inspire Travel is a natural evolution of online travel that combines discount travel options with a social media driven marketing strategy,” said Bill Haberman, company founder and CEO.
     Read more here.

Rida/Gaylord Project moves forward

The Osceola County Commission to authorize the county to issue up to $14 million in bonds to be funded by tourist development tax revenue to build the first phase of the convention space/hotel room project resulting from an agreement between the county, Rida Development and Gaylord Palms. Read more in the Osceola News-Gazette.