Innovation + Job News

The City of Clearwater's sustainability initiatives continue as they break ground on the second reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant.
 
The plant, located on U.S. Highway 19 N., will use state-of-the-art technology to treat up to 6.25 million gallons of brackish (or slightly salty) water, turning it into clean drinking water for city residents.
 
Reverse osmosis, also known as hyperfiltration, is a water purification process that is used by major bottled water companies. It reduces the salts, minerals, ions and other impurities, leaving high quality drinking water. The brackish water would not be drinkable without the RO process and doesn’t have alternative uses.
 
The $34 million project is being funded cooperatively by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and has created new jobs for contractors, electrical engineers, plumbers and construction workers.
 
The plant is part of the city's integrative water management strategy, which includes five tactical areas: in-home water conversation including the use of reclaimed water; preservation of drinking water resources; protecting the coastal environment by decreasing discharge to local bodies of water; producing more locally; and cost management.

"Everything we do in public utilities is to try to be sustainable as possible, and to responsibly use the water resources we have," says Nan Bennett, assistant director or public utilities for the City of Clearwater.
 
In an innovative move, the city is taking the concentrate, a salty by-product produced by its existing RO plant and treating it again in the second plant, allowing less water to be withdrawn from the ground supply. Another project currently in the pilot phase involves ground water replenishment, or taking leftover reclaimed water, treating it through the RO process and injecting it back into the aquifer. This creates a complete water cycle, naturally balancing the water supply.

Construction will begin in June, with estimated completion in December 2014.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Nan Bennett, Tracy Mercer, City of Clearwater

A Tampa-based company has found an economically viable way to help the environment.

The Green Can places large green recycling containers in the shape of a soda can in apartment complexes and other high traffic areas. Described as "the perfect marriage of economic and social responsibility," the cans have a triple benefit: they make it easy for people to recycle, they support charities through the donation of proceeds from recycling, and they benefit local businesses through advertising.

The idea came about when CEO and Founder Dennis Gallagher was working as a painter for apartment complexes. He noticed that none of them did any recycling, which he found odd. After crunching the numbers he realized the reason was probably economical, since the proceeds from recycling would only pay for the process itself. It was then that he came up with the idea of adding advertising to the process, to make the business profitable.

"To sweeten the deal, we donate the proceeds from the recycling, so everyone can benefit," says Gallagher.

There are currently around 200 cans at 130 locations in the Greater Tampa area. The company is expanding into Pinellas this week with the same of its first franchise to Boley Centers, a nonprofit that services the homeless, youth and those with mental disabilities in the Tampa Bay region.

Gallagher recently designed a cap for the containers to keep the water out and plans to start collecting clothing donations soon.

Close to one million cans have been recycled in roughly a year’s time, with an estimate of 4,000 pounds of aluminum and plastic being recycled each month.

The Green Can is one of 13 local businesses honored recently with The University of Tampa’s Earth Charter Sustainable Business Awards.The awards were based on three criteria: people (employee and community wellbeing), planet (environmental health) and profit (economic viability).

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Dennis Gallagher, The Green Can

Commercial real estate and business brokerage firm Gulf Coast Commercial, LLC (GCC) is on the move, expanding their corporate offices and adding real estate agents, business brokers, marketing analysts and administration to their 11-member team.

"We moved our corporate headquarters to Ybor because we have every intention to expand our staff, and this was a unique opportunity to occupy space within Ybor City. It’s historic Tampa and there are quite the amenities that are proving to be a good pool to attract talent here in the market," says Scott Dobbins, founder and managing partner at GCC.

In just a few short months, the firm added seven new agents and has settled into their chic, new 4,000-square-foot Centro Ybor digs. GCC will also retain their St. Petersburg office as a satellite location.

Traditionally focused on providing retail real estate services to regional and national retailers, GCC’s growth spurt is fueled by a unique blend of cyclical market changes and strategic investment opportunities.

As the real estate market experienced economic downturn, several of GCC’s clients approached the firm with requests to help sell their existing businesses or to find like businesses for them to acquire.

"It really jumped us into 12 to 18 months of underwriting the business brokerage business -- we hadn’t done it before," says Dobbins.

GCC struck up a partnership with Corporate Investments International (CII), the oldest business brokerage firm in the state of Florida, which had locations in Orlando, Jacksonville, and south Florida but no presence on the west coast of Florida. The strategic collaboration resultantly established CII Gulf Coast, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GCC and the firm’s new business brokerage division.

"We are seeing synergies back and forth that are very exciting to us. What we’re seeing is a positive trend with business sales and business acquisitions," says Dobbins.

The firm is now concentrating on developmental opportunities and investments in up-and-coming markets like the west coast of Florida.

"The west coast has a lot of attributes that will lead to very positive population growth. We have a real potential to double in population in the next 15 years. With that population, it leads to infrastructure and jobs."

GCC also identifies “leading edge indicators” of three types of buyers emerging within the targeted growth areas:

    •    Retirement 2.0: Baby boomers with a shifted view of traditional retirement who have had their nest-eggs shrink are now buying businesses, therefore creating jobs for themselves or families.

    •    The Lost Generation: Post-college graduates with unconventional employment opportunities are adding parents as investors and growing businesses organically.

    •    International Community: Foreign investors are purchasing local businesses and effectively receive citizenship through various visa programs that are available to them.

"We are converging upon affordability, lifestyle, climate, and a younger group coming in. Couple that with the population growth, and we think it is a recipe for success -- both in our commercial real estate business and in our business brokerage business," says Dobbins.

Within 18 months, GCC plans to add a regional office in southwest Florida.

For information on hiring opportunities visit Gulf Coast Commercial’s website.

Written By: Kaye Brown
Sources: Scott Dobbins, Gulf Coast Commercial, LLC

LumaStream offers a turnkey, innovative lighting infrastructure that is not only cost effective but energy efficient and highly controllable.

"We don’t have small plans. We intend to change the world of lighting," comments LumaStream's CEO and Founder Eric Higgs.
 
A high-tech entrepreneur with ties to Silicon Valley, Higgs discovered the product while searching for lighting solutions for the exterior of the parking garage at the Element building in downtown Tampa. He wasn't happy with the cost and quality of available LED products. Teaming up with an electrical contractor, he saw an opportunity. The team learned about a company in Canada that had created the core technology now being used by LumaStream. They bought the company, developed the product and patented the digital power conversion technology.
 
The product converts high voltage lighting to low voltage digitally and then sends it long distances in a highly controlled way. The result is a longer lasting lighting system that is also more efficient and has a higher quality output. Described as an "intelligent power center," the system is also unique because of its control center, which includes a wireless interface that can be used through a smartphone or other mobile device or a push-button wall station.
 
Also a sculptor, Higgs is no stranger to large visual displays, with his artwork being found in major public installations and museums around the world. He credits his fine arts background with helping him create the design for the fixtures.

LumaStream's lighting systems can be found in venues across Tampa Bay including Tech Data, Tropicana Field and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg.

The company plans to stay in Tampa Bay and is moving its power supply manufacturing from Canada.

"What I like about this area is that it’s one of the top technology hubs of anywhere in the country. The passion, with the incubators and accelerators, and the momentum and desire to support new ventures is absolutely amazing," says Higgs.

LumaStream is one of 13 local businesses honored recently with The University of Tampa’s Earth Charter Sustainable Business Awards. The awards were based on three criteria: people (employee and community well-being), planet (environmental health) and profit (economic viability).

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Eric Higgs, LumaStream

The innovative energy strategies of indoor air quality consulting firm Pure Air Control Services, Inc. are significantly improving the way we live, work, and play. The firm is now growing its staff to include additional technical field representatives, administration, sales and marketing team members.

"Over the long-term, we will be adding more staff as well as purchasing new equipment. As we grow organizationally, so does our staff," says President and CEO Alan Wozniak.

Founded in 1984 by Wozniak, the Clearwater-based environmental consulting and engineering firm provides professional indoor air quality solutions to healthcare, governmental, military, educational, professional, and international facilities.

PACS developed the Green Clean Institute Certified PURE-Steam Coil Cleaning process as an alternative to foam rinse cleaning the debris-covered coils of HVAC systems. Foam cleaning coils allows dirt and debris to be pushed further into the system, resulting in pressure loss, decreased air flow, failed temperature cooling, and exponentially large energy costs.

"Conventional coil cleaning includes chemicals which are relatively harsh on coils, it’s not biodegradable, and they get washed into the water system, which is not a good green process," says Wozniak.

PACS’ chemical-free process includes steaming HVAC coils up to 350 degrees, causing heat to penetrate the coils while loosening and dislodging dirt and debris that has been lodged into the system. "The energy savings is astronomical," says Wozniak.

As energy costs rose, Florida State University (FSU) began to take a precise look at its HVAC maintenance and operating program. Within one year of implementation, FSU saved over $800,000 in energy costs, a 157 percent return on their initial investment.

The firm has serviced more than 600 million square feet of indoor environments for over 10,000 facilities and recently joined Charlotte County Public Schools' Green Cleaning initiative, focused on alleviating long-term health risks, improving air quality in the educational environment, and saving energy.

"We are improving value every day, both environmentally and by saving energy. We look at health, energy, and comfort. All three have to be incorporated."

For information on hiring opportunities and green energy-saving solutions, visit PACS’ website or call 1.800.422.7873.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Source: Alan Wozniak, Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

Temple Terrace-based consumer and brand experience start-up M-ize has officially launched its new My Products mobile app, designed to enhance customers’ purchasing experience by connecting them to brands, family and friends via mobile and social networks.

Earlier this year, M-ize opened a 30-member development center in Hyderabad, India, and is now adding designers, software engineers, sales consultants, product managers, data architects and interns to grow their headquarters in Temple Terrace.

Kick-started in May 2012, M-ize was founded by entrepreneur and TiE Tampa Bay Charter Member Ashok Kartham after successfully developing a platform for 4CS, a service life-cycle management firm for high-end industrial products.

Kartham utilized the same life-cycle management concept, but custom-tailored it to the growing mobile and lifestyle needs of consumers. He created M-ize to focus on bringing smarter consumers together to connect them to products, community, advice and technical support by leveraging mobile, social, cloud and analytic technologies.

The new My Products app is a two-ended network where consumers can plug into any given brand’s products while being connected to trends, customer reviews and product information that is valuable to making significant purchasing decisions.

"The key is placing everything about products in a single, digestible format. We give you the big picture and also give you a more intimate picture by allowing you to ping your social network. It’s a more personalized picture," says CMO Bruce Burke.

The My Products app also connects consumers directly to a brand’s support, services and necessary accessories post-purchase.

The advantage for brands? Aggregation of customers during different stages of the purchasing process. The new app also integrates Smart Block for companies, where brands receive the benefit of utilizing the existing app platform while allowing them to customize their theme and share their tailored brand messaging to customers using the app.

"We currently have about one million products in the app. It’s the first generation of what will be a much larger community ecosystem that supports it," says Burke.

M-ize has already launched Support Me, a consumer-end app giving customers access to product support from anywhere.

Both M-ize and key team members are socially and technologically invested in Tampa Bay as well as the firm’s growth and innovation.

Kartham recently invested in the new Feathr app, designed to enhance networking connections at business events. Burke has been selected to receive Google Glass, and plans to utilize key innovations, trends, and technologies to help enhance the consumer experience for M-ize app users.

"Sometimes things come together because people are actually communicating with each other," says Burke.

For information on hiring opportunities and unique business partnerships, visit M-ize’s website.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Source: Bruce Burke, M-ize

In today's digital world, it can be difficult to keep track of emails, social networks and files in one place. KiteDesk has developed a cloud-based application to address this need and help individuals and companies better organize their online space.

Launched in December 2011, the application links content from user accounts, allowing for real time integration, aggregation and personalized information streams. By integrating multiple sources of data, customers have access to complete and up-to-date information that is easily accessible through multiple portals.

KiteDesk is one of 18 Florida-based companies (five in Tampa Bay) that will be pitching at the Florida Venture Forum Early Stage Conference in Orlando May 15. They are attempting to fund expansion, which will include strategic hiring in sales and marketing.

The company's founders, Jack Kennedy and Jared Rodriguez, have been working together in the software start-up arena for over 15 years. They plan to remain in the Tampa Bay area because of the strong support network for entrepreneurs.

"We see a lot of really positive movement, both in terms of organizations that help us be a catalyst for innovation and funding as well as the great connections in terms of talent in the area," says Jack Kennedy, Tampa native and USF graduate, and current CEO of KiteDesk. "We think it’s an exciting place to be all around, from the ability to hire and the costs to run a business."

The company will be launching a new product that focuses on social customer relationship management (CRM) within the next few months. The product will help companies mine information from employee relationships to create warm introductions to prospective customers.

Long term plans include additional product offerings in the social business arena, including a recruiting based platform. "Our intention is to stay in Tampa and grow in this community," says Kennedy.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Jack Kennedy, KiteDesk

Bradenton’s Goodwill Manasota has a brand new master plan and is set to expand its corporate headquarters while adding 160 fulltime operations and retail employees over the next five years.

The 18-month expansion project includes the development of nearly 80,000 square feet on a 9.2-acre site that will accumulate employees from several administrative offices throughout Bradenton and house them under one roof. The growth plan also includes 35,866 square feet dedicated to a new retail store with a drive-through donation center as well as a 16,000-square-foot outparcel for future site development.

After serving at Goodwill for 40 years, President Bob Rosinsky made the transition to CEO in January and placed a heavy emphasis on educational programs specific to employee and organizational growth.

"We have an extensive program that helps our employees advance. We want our employees to become role model workers," says Veronica Miller, VP of Goodwill Manasota’s Foundation.

The new developments and expansion are an extension to Goodwill’s educational and workforce improvement initiative that is centered on employee growth and career advancement while strengthening the organization’s partnerships with international Goodwill operations.

The new 27,000-square-foot corporate offices and Goodwill You Learning Center will feature classrooms, meeting rooms and a computer work space, allowing the organization to expand its existing online training program, offer career development resources to employees, and host on-site training for national and international Goodwill employee groups.

"We consult with other Goodwills around the world to help them become better at donation success. We have a lot of expectations for the Goodwill You Learning Center, and we’re in a great position to help Goodwills throughout the country that may be in the red or about to close their doors," says Miller.

The developments also include a new Job Connection location, a community service initiative dedicated to preparing candidates and collaboratively aligning them with employers having career opportunities.

The expansion project will also incorporate green and energy-efficient design that capitalizes on the use of space.

"We envision a range of game-changing green and eco-friendly initiatives, as well as electric car charging stations, bike and scooter parking, and SCAT and MCAT transit stations," says Steve Boone, chair of the Goodwill Manasota board of directors.

For information on hiring opportunities and unique business partnerships, visit Goodwill Manasota’s website.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Sources: Veronica Miller and Steve Boone, Goodwill Manasota

Humana is bringing several new jobs to Tampa Bay and is adding 170 full-time employees to its 500-member Medicare telesales team over the next two months.

The new jobs will support Humana’s Direct Marketing Services (DMS) call center at NetPark in East Tampa and will focus on meeting the increased demand and support needed during Medicare’s annual open enrollment period from October 15th to December 7th.

"These new jobs will ensure that we are well-positioned to offer world class enrollment support to the Medicare beneficiaries and those seeking enrollment assistance for individual health plans. We’re pleased that acting on our mission of helping people achieve lifelong well-being is leading to more job opportunities in Tampa Bay," says Khursheed Zafar, VP of direct marketing services for Humana.

The announcement comes just one month after Humana committed to hiring 100 health coaches and telephonic nurses to accommodate the needs of its growing chronic care management division, Humana Cares/Senior Bridge.

Humana’s newest job additions are permanent positions extending beyond the Medicare open enrollment period and are also part of the initiative to hire more than 500 telesales and client specialists throughout the country, including 80 in Miramar, FL. DMS specialists will receive paid training and insurance licensing and are expected to start working on-site between June 3rd and July 15th.

"When a company such as Humana is expanding in Florida, that’s a good sign. And these jobs will help folks in both Tampa and Miramar," says U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.

DMS telesales and client specialists will focus on offering national support and enrollment assistance for Humana’s Medicare benefit plans and senior products while additionally helping customers find the best healthcare options available. As services have the potential to change from year to year, it is increasingly important for employees to be well-versed in Humana’s healthcare services.

Humana’s expansion throughout Tampa Bay further solidifies Tampa Bay’s position as a major healthcare market. The company employs more than 3,000 associates in the Tampa Bay area and close to 6,000 throughout Florida.

"We are a major player in the Medicare Advantage market in Florida. We have 700,000 Medicare Advantage members in Florida, and we’re growing," says Nancy Hanewinckel, east region media relations manager.

For information on hiring opportunities, visit Humana’s career services website.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Sources: Khursheed Zafar and Nancy Hanewinckel, Humana; Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Senate

Tampa Bay Innovation Center (TBIC) is hosting a panel of CEOs from local second-stage companies at the May TECH Talk program on May 14 in Tampa.

While opportunities seem to abound for companies just getting off the ground, second-stage companies (or, those with $1 million to $25 million in revenue and 10-15 employees) often find themselves seeking mentoring and other resources to assist with their unique challenges.

"It's a pivitol point for a company," says Danielle Weitlauf, new venture manager for TBIC. "It's often make it or break it when you get to that level."

It's also a point where a lot of job growth occurs, and with a large number of Tampa Bay companies in this stage the opportunities are tremendous. May’s TECH Talk will highlight the importance of these companies to the region while providing success stories to help both those starting out and those in the second-stage.

Panelists from Mercury New Media, Seibert Insurance Agency and CBT Development Corporation will share their stories about the growing pains and unique challenges of second-stage companies, such as attracting and retaining quality employees, positioning yourself for growth, and how to work ON your business instead of IN your business – removing yourself from the day to day details in order to move your business forward.  

TBIC is the local provider for the statewide Grow Florida program for economic gardening at the University of Central Florida, which aims to support these companies to get them to the next step. TBIC’s Economic Gardening program also provides companies with technical assistance to help with business strategy and roundtable events to discuss business management with peer CEOs.

Applications are currently being accepted for the next group of participants in TBIC’s Economic Gardening program.  

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Danielle Weitlauf, Tampa Bay Innovation Center

Did you know your genetic makeup can predict your risk for disease, severity of certain diseases and how they will respond to treatment?

The University of South Florida (USF) Heart Institute is opening a genomics laboratory on May 14 that will use state-of-the art technology and equipment to study this unique, personalized approach to medicine.

The 7,550-square-foot space is located on the fifth floor of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and will house technology-heavy laboratories to conduct intensive research on regenerative medicine, genomics (DNA analysis), personalized medicine and heart disease prevention and treatment.

Rather than a traditional trial and error or "one drug fits all" approach, personalized medicine uses individual physiology and genetic makeup to determine the best treatment options.

"The way medicine is practiced today, we don’t take advantage of this wealth of information that can be obtained from someone’s genetic makeup," says Dr. Stephen Liggett, vice dean of research for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Liggett was brought to USF in June of 2012 specifically to develop a program to work on genetic medicine.

The lab was funded by a combination of $8.9 million in funding from the State of Florida and Hillsborough County. Additional funding is being sought to build a larger, stand-alone Heart institute. Future plans for the genomics lab include working with The Villages retirement community in Tampa to gather information from their electronic medical records.

USF plans to hire seven additional faculty and post-doctoral fellows as well as technicians to work in the space.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Dr. Stephen Liggett, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

From the grassroots,"un-conference" style of BarCamp Sarasota-Bradenton to the more traditional panel discussions at the Economic Development Summit, the entrepreneurial-minded can expect to be informed and inspired at Riverwalk 2013.

May 2 – 5 at the Riverwalk Complex in Bradenton, the community can attend one of four different events, all with the same purpose: to help entrepreneurs and the community at large navigate the changing business landscape.

The series kicks off on May 2 with a "Coding for the Non-Profit" event, bringing together designers, coders and project managers to provide technology solutions for Realize Bradenton – a local arts and culture council focused on downtown Bradenton.

The Economic Development Summit on May 3 at the Manatee Performing Arts Center features keynote speaker Jim Stikeleather, Chief Innovation Officer for Dell, who will speak on disruptive technologies and business models. The event will also feature panelists, including business leaders, funding professionals, educators and entrepreneurs, speaking on the full spectrum of entrepenueurial development, from seed through later stage funding. Panelists will discuss why they chose to create or move their businesses here, changing the perception of a "retirement community" to a place where people purposely come to live and grow their business.

May 4's event is BarCamp Sarasota-Bradenton at Manatee Technical Institute, an "unconference" with an open agenda and talks created on the fly. This participatory event allows everyone to contribute through talks, discussions, round tables and feedback.

The series concludes on May 5 with the U.S. Green Builders' Council’s green technology expo and music festival, as well as a special showing of Fiddler on the Roof at the brand new Manatee Players' Theater.

The event series was created by Spark Growth, a community-based company focused on social enterprise, as well as several non-profit community groups.

"Our goal is to create a destination event that will highlight the attributes of where we live and bring it all together," says Sara Hand, co-founder of Spark Growth. "People won’t just come to the events and get information, but they’ll be impacted and changed, with a call to action. We hope they’ll be inspired."

Some events require registration, others are open.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Sara Hand, Spark Growth

A group of investors in Tampa Bay is backing a new app designed to better facilitate networking connections at business events.

Four members of the Tampa Bay chapter of TiE, The Indus Entrepreneurs, recently invested in a 20 percent ownership of Feathr, a start-up created by former University of Florida students Aidan Augustin and Neal Ormsbee. The mobile app is designed to create better connections during events and conferences by serving as a virtual business card. It provides profiles and contact information for speakers, exhibitors and attendees, allowing people to connect instantly for meaningful communications. It also provides real-time schedule and room updates as well as logistical information about the event.

"Feathr has assembled a very talented team to build a mobile app to revolutionize the age old practice of business card exchange," says Ashok Kartham, TiE Tampa Bay Charter Member and board member for Feathr.

TiE Tampa Bay was founded in 2012, and is part of a global organization with 25,000 members in 17 countries. The organization provides local entrepreneurs with connections, education, mentoring and financial support. There are 22 charter members who provide most of the investment funding. The group is also open to general members, most of whom are local entrepreneurs and business owners taking advantage of the expertise.

The philosophical foundation’s primary goal is to nurture and invest in up-and-coming companies with good ideas. Quarterly pitch sessions provide general members with a chance to have their idea heard in front of potential investors.

"We hope the Tampa chapter can make a huge difference in helping to grow tens if not hundreds of businesses in Tampa and Florida in the coming months and years," says Kartham.

TiE has already helped Feathr with product repositioning and marketing and billing and accounting systems. The app will be launched at VenturePitch Orlando on May 7.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Ashok Kartham, TiE Tampa Bay

As a result of strategic business development objectives, Universal Window Solutions (UWS) has successfully expanded their operations, staff and facilities to accommodate their continuous growth. The company recently hired six new employees, invested in new service equipment, and is adding six more team members within the next six months.

After brothers Bob and Rocky Smith purchased UWS in 2000, the Sarasota-based company grew from exclusive windows and doors installation experts to a full-service distributor of windows, doors, store fronts, window films and hurricane protection products for builders, architects and homeowners.

UWS recently expanded its facility space, transitioning from a 10,000-square-foot space to a 25,000-square-foot space complete with a brand new 10,000-square-foot customer design center. The company’s original design center was a showroom where builders sent homeowners to make product selections on windows and doors for new construction projects.

"We felt like if we increased the number of products that we showed, we can enhance the experience even further," says CEO Bob Smith.

Five years ago, the company started a retail division targeting homeowners and strategically focused their efforts on growing the new line of business.

"It was a natural fit. We already had the products and services in place and started gearing our efforts toward that business. It was extremely successful and is now about 40 percent of our total sales," says Smith.

As a result of creating the design center, coupled with calculated development objectives, business grew tremendously, and the company added additional lines of business including a door shop to focus on making doors instead of purchasing them,'' Smith says. "It gave us control over quality and lead time while improving our margin."

The firm has expanded to offer exterior and interior door solutions as well as windows and pre-finished siding for homeowners and builders, extending a cost-savings to customers and allowing clients to make the majority of their project selections in one place.

"We’ve been fortunate that the products we’ve selected have been well-received by our existing customers, and it’s also drawing new customers."

Several of UWS’ manufacturers and trade partners are anticipating and encourage the company’s additional growth. "They are seeing their market share increase as we have success," says Smith.

The company is now eyeing Tampa and Naples as possible marketplaces to focus their newest expansion initiatives.

"We are having more fun with this business model than we’ve ever had before. The methodology is applicable as a business model to pick to up and drop it in a new location."

For information on hiring, products and services, visit UWS’ website.

Writer: Kaye Brown
Source: Bob Smith, Universal Window Solutions

Grisselle Centeno, Associate Professor at the University of South Florida’s Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, is applying case studies and other active learning tools to encourage more women to enter into STEM careers.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, women are more likely to enter into a career in healthcare than engineering. This could be because, due to the predominantly male field, women may not see a clear career path in engineering. Traditional careers also may not give women the impact on society they often seek.

Centeno is putting these theories to the test with a series of in and out of the classroom experiences to help all students, but especially women, understand how they can apply their engineering knowledge to healthcare-related problems. As a result of the case studies she has implemented in the classroom, several female students have decided to pursue careers as engineers in healthcare/social services as well as become researchers to address opportunities in the healthcare environment.

"If women could understand that they could have an impact on healthcare from an engineering perspective, they would be more engaged and motivated to follow a degree in engineering and join the workforce," says Centeno.

Centeno recently received a $5,000 Faculty Research Award from Women in Leadership and Philanthropy at USF to support her efforts. The award will be used to invite female engineers who work in healthcare environments to campus to interact with faculty, students and the administration.  

Centeno is also developing more case studies with local partners, such as Moffitt Cancer Center and the Veterans Administration to provide real world application.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Grisselle Centeno, University of South Florida