Additional Second Stage Growth Companies Encouraged to Apply
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- GrowFL, the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida, proudly announces that more than 500 clients have been accepted into its program since it began in 2009, with more than 100 joining the program in just the last 6 months.
GrowFL serves second-stage companies that are poised for growth in both revenue and jobs with its unique high-end strategic research and business resources. Started as a pilot in Florida, it has quickly grown as a statewide economic development resource to help build and strengthen Florida's economy.
Outcomes from the program, to date, show that companies served by GrowFL produced more than 3,200 direct, indirect and induced jobs and an annual economic impact of $510M+. GrowFL clients have grown employment 10.9% faster than similar companies who have not participated in the program. Florida is one of the only states in the country that has adopted Economic Gardening as a statewide initiative, with GrowFL leading the charge.
Economic Gardening is a philosophy focused on second-stage companies. These companies have grown beyond the startup phase and need access to information and decision-making tools typically only available to larger companies. A team of highly trained and experienced analysts are deployed to function as an extension of the CEO's team, providing information most often not affordable to a small business.
Funding for GrowFL comes from many sources. For example, GrowFL received funding from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide services throughout the state. Additionally, Economic Development Offices, Chambers of Commerce and local governments throughout Florida are supporting these great existing businesses in their own back yards.
There are still a number of openings in the program through March 2013. To apply for assistance and join the growing network of successful entrepreneurs, visit http://GrowFL.com.
"The pace at which an entrepreneur runs his or her business is breakneck speed. Typically, areas such as competitive analysis, market research, capital and labor referrals, geographic information systems, search engine optimization, network mapping, management team temperament and social media marketing are overlooked or financially out of reach to the CEO. Their focus should be revenue and job growth. GrowFL's strategic research team provides all of these services and can get the CEO the information they need to prosper," says Tom O'Neal, Executive Director GrowFL and Associate Vice President, UCF Office of Research and Commercialization.
GrowFL
Economic gardening is a philosophy that embraces strategies to grow existing businesses in a community, region or state and is the basis for the entrepreneurship programs at the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (GrowFL). Initially created in 2009 as a pilot program, GrowFL, at the University of Central Florida, is now a critical component to Florida's entrepreneurial ecosystem and the state's overall economic development strategy. GrowFL focuses its efforts on initiatives that strengthen the service offerings of entrepreneurial support organizations throughout Florida and by delivering critical research and strategy support to help second-stage growth entrepreneurs prosper. GrowFL has helped more than 400 companies create more than 1,400 new jobs statewide since 2009. Website: growfl.com.
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state's economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit floridajobs.org.
CONTACT: Cindy Barson
(407)823-3642
[email protected]
SOURCE GrowFL
WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?
Newsrooms &
Influencers
Digital Media
Outlets
Journalists
Opted In
Share this article