Blue Sky Forecast for USF Polytechnic

Thursday, June 25, 2009

LAKELAND – Thunderstorms have been in the area as of late, but a University of South Florida Polytechnic executive sees Blue Sky ahead.

Goodman, the vice president and CEO of the USF Polytechnic, announced Wednesday that the school’s business incubation centers will be named Blue Sky.

Earlier this year, the Central Florida Development Council invested $700,000 toward the construction of an incubation facility on the new I-4 campus, expected to open in 2012. In the meantime, however, the community will be served by at least two incubation facilities: one in Lakeland and one in Winter Haven, dubbed Blue Sky West and Blue Sky East, respectively.

Blue Sky West will be a 6,428-square-foot office at 116 S. Kentucky Ave. in Lakeland. Blue Sky East will open at 199 Ave. B, N.W. in Winter Haven with 3,000 square feet. School officials expect both facilities to open in early fall.

Goodman teased to the announcement on both his Twitter and Facebook pages.

The Blue Sky facilities will be the first public business technology incubators in Polk County. They will focus on attracting and nurturing entrepreneurial businesses by creating a place where USF Poly faculty, staff members and students can work with businesses to develop innovative technology.

“This is an important step for our region, as we cultivate a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation,” Goodman said. “These facilities will provide opportunities for a wide range of enterprises. Some will be raw start-ups, and some will be more advanced. Blue Sky represents an opportunity to thrive.”

According to Goodman, “the story of innovation is the story of entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship is all about calculated risk. That is the principle upon which we’ll base Blue Sky. We will provide a climate to nurture innovation.

“This is a huge opportunity, not only for entrepreneurs but also for investors. We hope it will bring to this area more technology-oriented businesses with the potential for growth and new jobs,” he added.

Initially, USF Poly will seek information technology companies interested in software, networking and developing specific IT projects.

“We have felt for the past five years at least that an incubator is integral to this region’s long-term economic success,” said Tom Patton, executive director of the Central Florida Development Council, which has donated a total of $1 million to the USF Poly incubator concept.

In addition to the $700,000 for construction on the new campus, CFDC donated $300,000 for current operation of Blue Sky.

USF Poly has pledged to match those operating funds to provide $600,000 to fund Blue Sky.

The $700,000 for construction will be used to apply for state matching funds and in pursuit of an Economic Development Administration grant. According to Patton, the long-term goal is a technology park that develops around the incubator at the heart of Florida’s High Tech Corridor.

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