USF Poly, Firms Unite to Create Brand Name

Thursday, February 4, 2010

LAKELAND | If the name “Polk County” makes people think of oranges, then maybe “Central Florida Innovation” will conjure thoughts of research and universities.

That’s the idea behind a new branding initiative fostered by the Central Florida Development Council, University of South Florida Polytechnic and other area colleges and private firms.

Officials with the CFDC and USF Poly unveiled their new moniker in Las Vegas last month during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a major annual showcase for technology manufacturers and suppliers.

Marshall Goodman, chief executive for USF Poly, said the university is trying to raise its profile now that it has opened two fledgling business incubators in Polk and has a new campus on the way in off Interstate 4 in Lakeland.

“We have a huge job ahead of us,” Goodman said. “We’re not Silicon Valley, we’re not the (North Carolina) Research Triangle, we’re not Boston. You say those to people and they get it instantly. When you say Central Florida people think of Disney, they don’t think high tech.”

CFDC officials spent about $7,400 to fund their portion of the Las Vegas trip, while USF Poly spent roughly $9,300.

Central Florida Innovation isn’t just about USF Poly. Officials say the brand is also representing entities such as Polk State College and clusters of private firms here that do work in radio-frequency identification technology, logistics and other fields.

“We thought (CFI) was a good, middle-of-the-road name that projected our thoughts long-term on where the county is going,” said Rodney Carson, director of business development for the CFDC. “It ties into everything we’re doing across the board at all the local institutions.”

The CFDC sent Carson and two other CFDC reps (Executive Director Tom Patton and Senior Business Marketing Manager Jim DeGennaro) on the five-day CES trip.

Goodman was accompanied by six other representatives from USF Poly, and two from the University of Florida. Goodman said his travel costs were covered by private dollars from the USF Foundation.

Additional funds for the trip were provided by the Florida High Tech Corridor, an economic development partnership between USF, UF and the University of Central Florida.

Major electronics manufacturers might not consider Polk for their next expansion, but Carson and Goodman said the area would be a good fit for suppliers from California and other states who want an East Coast presence.

The Polk delegation at CES also spoke to firms working in communications, robotics, software development and other industries in an effort to recruit for USF Poly’s new incubators in Lakeland and Winter Haven, which will assist in the development of new companies and products related to technology.

For more information, please contact Kyle Kennedy at The Ledger.