Copy Desk

Connextions' Leslie Pecci, an executive vice president, talks expansion as company President Steven Auerbach looks on.

All the Right Connextions

More proof that a healthcare cluster is forming in metro Orlando: Connextions Inc., a company that specializes in identifying what drives people to buy and what keeps them loyal, has announced the addition of 1,200 jobs in Orlando due to new business growth within its healthcare customer base. The positions, ranging from licensed and unlicensed health agents to technologists, will be located at its existing Orlando headquarters and at a seasonal expansion site in south Orlando.

Powered by its bConnected Consumer Engagement Platform, Connextions drives more than $3 billion in acquisition, retention and up-sell revenue for the nation’s top insurance carriers and exchange hosts by providing them with “substantial insights” and “timely information.”

Notably, in response to the need for more licensed insurance agents, Connextions is offering free College of Insurance training to help interested people prepare for state insurance exams that will enable them to become certified to sell health insurance.

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 History Taking Flight

Forget Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter or Busch Gardens' Cheetah Hunt. Area attractions are bolstered by the arrival of Precious Metal.

Kissimmee Gateway Airport’s aviation businesses, Warbird Adventures and Kissimmee Air Museum, have unveiled their newly acquired World War II fighter. The aircraft, a North American P-51D Mustang, is now on permanent display at the museum. A frontline fighter used by the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, it is well known for being a long-range fighter that escorted bombers from England to Berlin, an operation that eventually turned the war. Before coming to Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Precious Metal was best known for its role in the worldwide advertising campaign, with famous actor and aircraft enthusiast John Travolta, for luxurious watchmaker Breitling. Precious Metal is the only P-51 in the world equipped with contra-rotating propellers and a 3,000-hp Rolls-Royce Griffon Engine.

In the game of one-upmanship among area attractions, there’s no standing still.

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Florida's Economy Demystified

In his latest statewide forecast, Sean Snaith likens Florida's housing and labor markets to famous Siamese twins of the 19th century. Stuck together at the torso and sharing the same blood circulation, Chang and Eng Bunker represent Florida's housing and labor in real life.

"These markets are intertwined," explains Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness. "They support one another, and the health of each will, in a large part, depend on that of the other."

Snaith offers a steadily improving economic outlook for the state through at least 2014. But he expects unemployment to remain stubbornly high — not falling below 10 percent until next year — and deems the housing boom of the mid-2000s a "once-in-a-lifetime event." Snaith calls the labor market "the linchpin for Florida's overall economic health." As unemployment falls, so will the number of foreclosures. And more employed Floridians means more potential homebuyers, he says.

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Media Darling

In recent weeks the Moffitt Cancer Center has been big in the media.

Moffitt is among the “Best Places to Work in Academia,” according to The Scientist magazine. This year, it was ranked No. 17, up four places from last year. Survey participants from Moffitt ranked peers, infrastructure and environment as top strengths in their workplace. The results are emblematic of Moffitt's excellence as a place for cancer research and education. Also, Moffitt was 18th in the “Cancer” category in U.S. News & World Report’s 2011-2012 “Best Hospitals” rankings, which showcase 720 of about 5,000 hospitals nationwide. Each is ranked among the country’s top hospitals in at least one medical specialty and/or ranked among the best hospitals in its metro area.

U.S. News also recognized Moffitt as high performing in gastroenterology, gynecology and nephrology. The only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Florida, Moffitt has been distinguished as a top workplace by organizations such as Working Mother and Computerworld.

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One Audit Worth Receiving

Apparently, OUC spells efficiency. In August, the Orlando Utilities Commission launched a Home Energy Reporting pilot program that is expected to reduce consumption in its service area by more than 6 million kilowatt-hours, or enough energy to power nearly 500 homes for a year.

A total of 50,000 randomly selected OUC customers began receiving customized, detailed information about their homes’ energy usage. The reports, delivered by mail and through an online portal, provide personalized energy usage information and an anonymous comparison to similar-sized homes. The reports are tailored to the age and type of housing and provide no- and low-cost suggestions, available rebates and even long-term investment options for reducing their energy use.

OUC is working with vendor Opower, a software company, to administer the reports. Using behavioral science and data analytics, the Opower platform enables utilities to connect with their customers in a highly targeted fashion, motivating reductions in energy usage and increasing program participation. According to Opower, the program, which is currently being used by 15 municipally owned and 40 investor-owned utilities nationwide, has consistently delivered between 1.5 percent and 3.5 percent in average energy savings to utility customers.

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Cuba on the Horizon

In case you missed it, Cuba beckons to Tampa Bay once again.

In late July, the Cuban government authorized flights between Cuba and Tampa after almost 50 years. Tessie Aral, president of ABC Charters Inc., a Carrier Service Provider with authorization to provide Cuba service, has secured Cuba Landing Rights for Tampa International Airport. The move, according to Joe Lopano, CEO of Tampa International Airport, “will benefit all of Tampa Bay with its economic impact … .”

The state of Florida, by U.S. Census statistics, has the largest Cuban-American population in the nation, and the Tampa Bay service area is ranked second in the nation to the Miami-Dade County service area. There are nearly 140,000 people of Cuban ancestry living within 90 minutes of Tampa International Airport.

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has launched an interactive iPhone and Android application, putting the park in guests’ hands. This is the first time Busch Gardens has used GPS technology to guide guests through the park. The free app is designed to provide guests park details at their fingertips with, for example, an interactive map showing them where they are in the park and allowing them to highlight the quickest real-time route to their next destination. Also, they can find fun facts about the park’s animals and snap a few photos without leaving the application by using the in-app camera. 

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Judging from the numbers, let's call the Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park an economic driver. From January through July, 71,359 people (compared to 67,443 in all of last year) had visited to view the museum's rare Louis Comfort Tiffany art collection — with many of them saying that the museum was their first destination. Almost 80 percent of the visitors said they had then stayed to shop and dine in the adjacent Park Avenue shopping area. A total of 12,000 square feet are devoted to Laurelton Hall, Tiffany's famed estate. 

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Nearly 10,000 employees from more than 80 companies raising more than $765,000 to help Junior Achievement provide practical economic programs to 77,000 students in local schools? That's what happened during Junior Achievement of Central Florida's recently completed 28th annual Bowl-A-Thon fund-raiser. Employees from Disney, the Walgreen Co. and Adventist Health Systems were the top contributors to the event, which took place at bowling centers across Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Volusia counties. Sponsors included Disney VoluntEARS, Banco Popular, Universal Orlando Resort, Tupperware, Massey Services and Attorneys’ Title Fund Services. 

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Kavaliro, a national staffing agency based in Orlando, has launched a free mobile job search application for the iPhone and the iPad.  Designed to interface with Kavaliro’s job portal, the app allows users to browse, filter and search jobs in the database from their mobile devices.  Users then contact Kavaliro about job openings directly through the app’s built-in contact form. The app empowers job seekers to quickly search and apply for jobs. Despite reports of growing jobless numbers, Kavaliro is seeing a significant number of jobs available. The firm experienced 165 percent revenue growth in May 2011 over the same period last year.

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Forbes has ranked Rollins College in Winter Park first statewide and 133rd nationally among more than 650 undergraduate institutions in “America’s Top Colleges.” The rankings are prepared exclusively for Forbes by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a Washington, D.C., think tank.  “America’s Top Colleges” rankings are based on five general categories: post-graduate success, student satisfaction, debt, four-year graduation rate and competitive awards. 

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WUSF Public Media is collaborating with National Public Radio, along with other public broadcasting stations in Florida as well as the Florida College Access Network on a new initiative called StateImpact Florida. The local-national journalism pilot project is focused on the impact of education policies in Florida on the economy, communities and people. All media platforms will have access to the reporting produced during the project.

Tags: economy, energy, healthcare, transportation, Workforce