You may have heard that throughout Central Florida there is a surplus of housing and commercial property available. Obviously, that’s not news. But, what you may not have heard as much about is the way that East Orlando has dealt with the recession, the real estate burst and how the area is positioned to grow and become stronger than ever.

For starters, East Orlando is inhabited by thousands of smart, talented individuals and families. In the 32828 zip code alone, which houses Avalon Park and Waterford Lakes, 15 percent of the population have a bachelor’s degree or better - Metro Orlando sits at only 8.5 percent. Because East Orlando is so densly packed together, there are 784 individuals with advanced degrees per square mile, which is roughly four times the Orange County average at 216 per square mile.

Why does that matter exactly? Well, according to local experts, these statistics are some of the main reasons that the recession and real estate fallouts have played out somewhat different in the community. “When we talk about East Orlando, we’re talking about an economic environment that really doesn’t exist anywhere else in Central Florida,” says Jim Spaeth, president of Remora Partners, a capital investment group focused on East Orlando.

Anchored by the major metropolitan research entity that is UCF and the Orlando International Airport, Spaeth says the area has taken on a new shape, spurring a new type of economy known as the “innovation economy” that revolves around the mass production of ideas rather than the mass production of products.

“The influence of those two large economic drivers is pervasive,” says Spaeth. “What they end up doing is creating industries and offspring industries that otherwise wouldn’t appear in the scheme of things.” He is referring to industries that create high-paying jobs such as optics and photonics; modeling and simulation; digital media; and even biotech and life sciences in Lake Nona.  These industries and the thousands they employ, at least partially, help fill the void of houses and commercial space in the area.

According to Spaeth, East Orlando has experienced a different recession than the rest of Central Florida. “I think that there hasn’t been the recognition in the community that East Orlando has gone through a different manner of the recession when compared to Central Florida,” he says. “The media hasn’t really shown that so, consequently, the perception in the community is that East Orlando is struggling - and certainly some people are - but, if you dig behind that and look at vacancies, foreclosures and the state of real estate stock, you’ll find that the area has weathered the economic storm better than any other place in Central Florida, at least that I’ve been able to find.”

Again, Spaeth contributes the resilience of the area to the innovation economy harbored there. “East Orlando will stay ahead of the curve because of the evolution taking place there; someone will come up with an idea that was better than the last and it takes hold, thus pushing the economy forward,” he says. “The key is to have plenty of smart, motivated individuals living and working in your community that are engaged in those new industries or working to create new ones; and East Orlando has done a good job of attracting them there and fueling those innovations.”

Compared to the rest of Central Florida, whose growth was often stimulated mostly construction, East Orlando never relied as much on families moving into the area to create income. “Unfortunately for other areas, when the recession came and people stopped moving here, that’s when you saw vacancies go way up and prices go way down,” says Spaeth.

In East Orlando, however, the educated population leads to stronger job retention, according to Spaeth. “The people that live in East Orlando live there because they are employed in good industries that are still hiring today,” he says. “Those regions that relied on the housing and construction industries to fuel their growth are in much worse shape than East Orlando.”

For the future, Spaeth says that the area is definitely on the right path. “As long as you’re creating a place where those smart, talented people want to live than the real estate in the area is going to be in good shape, because they’ll need somewhere to work and a place to call home,” he says. “As far as recovery goes, I think that we’ve never really gotten off the path of progress, we just haven’t recognized that yet.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

When you think of the holidays, what comes to mind? Along with Christmas lights and reindeer, most of us associate the season with hours waiting at the airport or hair loss from those pleasant extended family visits.  For 2009, many experts are predicting that travel will go up compared to last year, although fewer people will travel by air due to budget concerns, reduced airline capacity and added charges.

A recent study reported by AAA says that for the recent Thanksgiving holiday, nearly 86 percent of Thanksgiving travelers chose to travel by automobile while only six percent said they planned to go by air. The projected decline for air travel for this past Thanksgiving is expected to be in the neighborhood of 6.7 percent, or 2.3 million travelers once the final figures are worked out. AAA said the amount of Thanksgiving travelers journeying by air has been declining for a decade.

Locally, Orlando International Airport is expected to beat the curve in passenger decline when they finalize their travel numbers from the Thanksgiving holiday. “Right now for Thanksgiving, we are down about 4 percent from last year, which is encouraging given what’s happened throughout the year,” says Carolyn Fennel, director of public affairs at OIA.

December air travel numbers are expected to increase compared to last year, but many people are still finding other means to move about the country including trains, buses and automobiles. “People are staying closer to home, not travelling for as long and not spending as much once they get there,” says Pat Tiffany, travel consultant with Travel Leaders. “Some airlines will run a special, but when you have a family of four that still gets awfully expensive.” Especially with airline baggage fees. “For about a year now almost every airline has been charging anywhere from $15-20 for the first bag and $25 and up for the second bag,” says Tiffany. “People are being very careful with their money these days, so sometimes it’s hard to justify that cost.”

Still, whether you’re jet-setting to your destination or having family come to stay with you during the holiday season, you’ll need to be prepared.

If you’re going to travel, the key is to make your plans early. Tiffany suggests being flexible about the dates and times you fly giving you more choices, saving you time and money. Midweek flights are the best option, and if you have to fly on a weekend, Saturdays are less hectic than Sundays at the airport. Remember that weather can also play a factor in your travel time. “Try to fly nonstop whenever possible,” she says. “If you do have to connect, try to avoid cities up north where there will be more weather problems.” There are less delays for flights earlier in the day, and, of course, arriving early allows plenty of time for security. Another way you can avoid delays and save money is by flying to nearby airports of smaller cities, like Sanford instead of Orlando.

If you have family travelling to you this year, remember to expect delays at the airport and on the road. “Even if traffic is down from years past, it will still be hectic getting in and out of the airport,” says Tiffany. She suggests meeting your incoming visitors in the departure area of the airport if they do not have bags to gather from the baggage claim area. “It will be a lot less crazed on the departure level and you’ll have a much smaller headache,” she says.

Most importantly however, remember not to sweat the small stuff. “When traveling, try to have patience and make the best out of time you spend waiting around,” says Tiffany. Even with numbers that are lower than in years past, travel can still be a stressful experience if you let it be. Whether by car, train or plane, remember what the holidays are for. You’ll be a lot happier when you get to where you’re going if you do.

Article by Corey Gehrold

Orlando, Fla. (October 8, 2009) - Today, Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) officially dedicated its new 175,000-square-foot scientific facility and marked the opening of Orlando’s Medical City as a life science center. Burnham at Lake Nona is the research anchor for the new development in southeast Orange County and the east coast campus of the La Jolla, Calif.-based institute.

The opening of the new research facility is projected to have a transformative effect on the region by fostering a medically-focused, knowledge-based economy. Burnham is a catalyst for the Medical City, which is becoming a hub for medical research that will advance scientific discoveries and lead to breakthrough therapies.

“We’ve established a foundation by bringing new expertise to the region and forging strong alliances that will enhance and accelerate scientific opportunities,” said Dr. John Reed, Burnham’s president and CEO. “Burnham’s collaborative approach has been very successful. We have generated research funding that has resulted in significant scientific discoveries. We’re transferring that model to the Lake Nona campus in Orlando, where scientists are conducting translational research in metabolic disorders, heart disease and cancer.”

In addition to Reed, dedication speakers included Florida Governor Charlie Crist; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty; Rasesh Thakkar, senior managing partner of the Tavistock Group; Malin Burnham, philanthropist and  chairman of Burnham’s Board of Trustees; and Dr. Daniel Kelly, scientific director at Burnham Lake Nona.

Collaborating with clinical institutions is a key element of Burnham’s strategy to move discoveries from bench to bedside more quickly. Partnerships have already been formed with Florida Hospital, the Stedman Center at Duke University Medical Center; M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando; and the University of Central Florida.The day’s festivities also included a formal announcement confirming the University of Florida’s intention to build a research facility at Lake Nona.

“Our continued growth and new partnerships are creating opportunities to make key discoveries across disciplines,” said Dr. Daniel Kelly, scientific director and professor at Burnham Lake Nona. “Coupled with our sophisticated technology and drug discovery platforms, Burnham is poised for developing the innovative therapies of tomorrow.”

The state-of-the-art facility includes an ultra-high throughput screening center, one of only four NIH-funded comprehensive chemical screening centers in the country, complete with three robotic arms capable of conducting more than one million experiments per day. Sophisticated research platforms in genomics and metabolomics will enable scientists to define molecular and genetic “blueprints” of specific diseases. With advanced technologies, highly credentialed scientists and top-tier partnerships, Burnham is forming the foundation for a world-class discovery and translational research center.

People are seeing pink in October for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year local organizations are doing their part to make a difference by hosting several events designed to raise breast cancer awareness. Two of the biggest events are the Susan G. Komen Central Florida Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk of Metro Orlando.

Race for the Cure will be held on October 25 at Bright House Networks Stadium at the University of Central Florida in East Orlando while the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk will take place on October 31 at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.

Being a part of events like these have been life changing for participants and staffers like Jennifer Bradshaw, executive director of Susan G. Komen Central Florida Affiliate. She participated in her first Race for the Cure as a junior in college before taking a job with the organization. “I was overwhelmed as we walked by all of the pink shirts that said Survivor,” says Bradshaw. “It was something that I was immediately drawn to, wanting to know how I could be more involved and how could I help more women wear the shirt that said Survivor.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, excluding skin cancers, according to the American Cancer Society.

“Cancer is something that has touched my family and me,” said Lisa Bertin-Queena, manager of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk of Metro Orlando. “I never, ever, ever want anybody again to hear the words ‘You have cancer.’”

Both events set out to raise awareness, to celebrate breast cancer survivors and to honor those who have lost their battle against the disease.

As the largest 5k series in the world, the Komen Race for the Cure series has had over a million participants since 2005; and for the Central Florida Affiliate, the Race for the Cure is its largest fundraising event. “Having 8,000 participants on October 25, 2009 will be an achievement for the Central Florida Affiliate because, not only will it be our largest Race for the Cure, but it will also signify that we have 8,000 people in the Central Florida Area all coming together, on the same day, for the same reason-to end breast cancer forever,” said Bradshaw. “That, in itself, is a powerful statement.”

Making Strides also hopes for a large turnout to surpass last year’s 15,000 participant mark, but meeting its fundraising goal has been a challenge with no registration fee or fundraising minimum required. “We are finding ourselves struggling a little bit this year to reach our goal,” said Bertin-Queena. “It really is our volunteers and walkers who bring the money to this event.”

In an added effort to help achieve their goal to raise $630,000, Mystic Dunes Golf Club is hosting the Pink Ribbon Golf Classic on October 9 with proceeds benefiting the walk.

A large percentage of proceeds from both Race for the Cure and Making Strides will stay in the Central Florida community to fund research and aid breast cancer patients. With donations raised at last year’s Race, the Affiliate was able to present 14 non-profit organizations with grants to provide much-needed breast cancer health education and support, mammography, screening, clinical breast exams and diagnostic evaluations, according to Bradshaw.

“Cancer is a disease that touches all over, and one day it could be your family,” said Bertin-Queena. “We don’t ever want to see that happen to anybody, but at the same time we want to be here if it does.”
Article by Aimee Hoyt

East Orlando has a new safety feature located in Avalon Park thanks to the Board of Directors for the Avalon Park Property Owner’s Association. The Security and Safety Center, located in Avalon Park’s Founders Square, is now open and will be used for meetings and briefings by law enforcement personnel as well as private community safety officials. The center has also allocated space for a Victim Service Center outpost.

The center is designed to be a place where residents and law enforcement can come together and coordinate efforts. “Center use will include law enforcement debriefings, Neighborhood Watch programs and meetings, as well as individual usage by police officers,” says Stephanie Hodson, marketing coordinator for Avalon Park Group. Currently staffed by an off duty police officer from 6-7 p.m., residents can call during this hour to ask questions, express concerns or report a problem in their community. The space will include two offices, a full kitchen, living area and conference room downstairs. “I didn’t really know the resource was there, but I’m glad it is,” says Avalon Park resident Michelle Stepinanko. “Anything that can be done to improve safety is a big plus.”

“The second floor is currently occupied by the Victim Service Center,” says Hodson. “Orange County residents who have been a victim of a crime can visit this center for important information and guidance.” The VSC will be staffed by a Victim Advocate Monday through Thursday to offer help and information regarding crisis intervention, safety planning, legal advocacy, therapy and more. “Using the services provided by the Victim Service Center, survivors learn to reduce their anxiety, build and mobilize their personal support networks, and access appropriate community resources with the assistance of highly trained Victim Advocates, like the talented staff at the Security and Safety Center,” says Nicole Quinn, executive director of the Victim Service Center.

“Avalon Park Group is always exploring opportunities to enrich the community, while at the same time, support non-profit organizations in Central Florida,” says Hodson. “This facility is a classic example of a win-win partnership.”

Article by Corey Gehrold