florida.HIGH.TECH 2008 Introduces 10 “Faces of Technology”

Magazine offers compelling stories about Florida’s High Tech Corridor, its researchers, entrepreneurs and technology breakthroughs

HEATHROW, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2008) – The Florida High Tech Corridor Council and Maddux Business Report have released the magazine florida.HIGH.TECH 2008, the region’s most in-depth guide to Florida’s high tech community.

florida.HIGH.TECH 2008 features a variety of compelling stories about high tech industry in the Corridor, including a first-ever feature highlighting 10 “Faces of Technology,” hands-on technologists who are driving innovation and entrepreneurship in a variety of industry sectors.  Profilees include:

Dr. Luis Garcia-Rubio – University of South Florida professor and founder of Claro Scientific, which is marketing a new, non-invasive way to test human blood for diseases;

Joe Gerek – General manager of Apopka’s Twyford International, the world’s largest plant tissue culture company, which produces more than 30 million plants for the international horticultural and agricultural marketplace each year;

Marlo Tan Walpole – Director of product development for AxoGenTM Nerve Regeneration, a University of Florida startup that provides surgeons with solutions to repair and restore nerve function to patients who suffer peripheral nerve injury;

Scott Faris – Founder and CEO of Orlando’s Planar Energy Devices, which is developing commercial uses and efficient manufacturing processes for advanced micro-batteries;

Mansooreh Mollaghasemi – Chairman and CEO of Orlando’s Productivity Apex Inc., which uses industrial engineering and operations research to improve productivity and maximize efficiencies;

Larry Langebrake – Director of the St. Petersburg-based Marine Technology Program at research powerhouse SRI International, which bridges the gap between university research and the commercial world;

Dr. Richard Melker – V.P. of product development at Gainesville’s Xhale Diagnostics, which is developing a line of breath-based devices to replace many conventional diagnostic tests and decrease the cost of bringing new drugs to market;

Carolyn Fries – Founder and CEO of St. Petersburg’s Guided Particle, LLC, which is developing low cost devices and methods to enable printing on the molecular level;

Mubarak Shah – Director of UCF’s Computer Vision Lab, which has become a national leader in its field with cutting-edge projects ranging from medical imaging to sophisticated defense applications and 3-D imaging techniques.

“Our goal was to put a face on the extraordinarily diverse sectors of high tech industry simmering away in Florida’s High Tech Corridor,” said Randy Berridge, president of the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC).  “These fascinating men and women are making technological breakthroughs with the potential to truly change entire industries, if not the world.  We are so proud that they call Florida’s High Tech Corridor home, and we salute their passion and commitment.”

“We identified these technology pioneers through informal surveys of contacts at economic development offices and technology groups across the Corridor,” said Berridge.  “There are a number of large, highly respected and innovative technology companies here, but we wanted to know, ‘who’s in there on the ground floor, making and advancing technology on a daily basis?’  These 10 technologists are truly on the front lines.”

The magazine also looks at six groundbreaking examples of numerous projects taking place at the Corridor’s world-class research universities – the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida and University of Florida – from designing vehicles that drive themselves, to cultivating life-saving drugs from marine compounds.

Additional features include an overview of the Corridor’s successful incubator network, statistical analysis of industry sectors thriving across the region and a listing of trade and professional associations.

For seven years, Maddux Business Report has published the magazine in partnership with the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, an economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida.

Copies of the magazine are distributed to trade groups and professional associations listed in the magazine, as well as to sponsors and advertisers.  Corridor Council development groups distribute the magazine nationwide as they work to attract, retain and grow high tech industry in the region.  Copies are available through the Maddux Report for $5 to cover the cost of tax, shipping and handling.  To obtain a copy, contact Marcia Turner at Marcia@Maddux.com or (800) 226-4394.  The content is also available for download via http://www.floridahightech.com/resources/directory.html.

About FHTCC

The Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC) is an economic development initiative of the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Florida (UF) whose mission is to attract, retain and grow high tech industry and to help develop the workforce to support those industries in the 23-county Corridor.

A partnership involving more than 20 local and regional economic development organizations (EDOs) and 14 community colleges, the Council is co-chaired by the presidents of UCF, USF and UF.  The Council includes the presidents of two of the community colleges, the president of Florida Institute of Technology and representatives of high tech industry. 

The unique partnership has resulted in a strategic approach to high tech economic development that involves matching funds research, workforce development and a marketing program leveraging governmental, EDO and corporate budgets on a regional rather than local basis.