Team

Dr. Tom O’Neal currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Research and Commercialization at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Executive Director of the UCF Business Incubation Program (UCFBIP) and also the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (FEGI). O’Neal has been part of UCF’s Office of Research and Commercialization team working to help UCF become a leading metropolitan research university since year 2000.

 

Fran Korosec is the Director of Client Services for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (FEGI) at the University of Central Florida and oversees all aspects of the GrowFL program, including administration and outreach, technical assistance, CEO forums and roundtables. Mr. Korosec brings more than 25 years of experience in management consulting, integration services, technology development, & manufacturing. He is a seasoned executive with a unique combination of business development/sales, program management and technical experience.   He has held various roles throughout his career including Business Development Principal, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing, Manager of Business Development, Executive Director of Software Marketing, Executive Director of Integration Services, director of Software Development Projects, Program Manager, Systems Engineer, and Manufacturing Engineer. Prior to FEGI, Mr. Korosec worked for companies including North Highland Management Consulting, Lockheed Martin, IBM, and Bell & Howell. Mr. Korosec holds a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering (State University of New York at Binghamton) and a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering (Clarkson University).

 

Tammie Nemecek is currently with the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida. She leads Partner Development throughout Florida, helping local communities build entrepreneurial efforts centered on the Economic Gardening philosophy that embraces strategies to grow existing businesses in a community, region or state. Communities are the economic gardens that cultivate these companies and create supportive environments where they can thrive.   Tammie was recognized in 2003 by Gulfshore Business Magazine as one of Southwest Florida’s top executives. In addition, ABWA recognized Tammie Nemecek in 2005 for her business leadership as part of the national Women in History celebration. Tammie is also a 2005 graduate of Leadership Collier and Leadership Florida Class XXV. She is a former Chairman of the Florida Economic Development Council and the Southwest Florida Regional Economic Development Partnership. She also served with the Economic Development Council of Collier County from 1994 through 2011, leading the organization as President & CEO between 2002 to 2011. Tammie has three children: Zachary, Blake and Lyndi.

 

Jeff Turner As client services for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute, Jeff Turner’s responsibilities include Client Technical Lead, Project Management, and Process Management for the Technical Assistance program. With an entrepreneur background, extensive executive management, and enterprise IT systems experience, Mr. Turner provides insight for second-stage client companies to target core business strategies and challenges.   Mr. Turner brings more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing business solutions. He has a solid background in strategic business planning, organizational development, business development, and change management and has worked with project budgets in excess of $30 million and generates revenue growth of 300 percent. He has detailed knowledge of Systems Integration, Systems Architecture, Data Warehousing, Data Marts, CRM, Business Intelligence, ERP, E-Commerce, Conversion, Software Design and Development, and Project Methodologies. Mr. Turner’s Fortune 100 experience includes General Motors, General Electric, Ford, AT&T, Verizon, WellPoint, Walt Disney World, FedEx, and WellCare. Mr. Turner is PMP certified and has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

 

David Brim, CEO and Founder of Brand Advance, an Orlando marketing agency, is a well respected business consultant and marketing strategist. This young entrepreneur is also the co-founder of GroupTable, a collaboration software created to enhance group collaboration, communication, project planning and document management. Over the course of his career, Mr. Brim has worked with brands such as Sears, Armani Exchange, Tupperware and many others on various social media and other marketing initiatives. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Marketing. Mr. Brim was also the winner of the UCF Joust Business Plan Competition for two consecutive years in 2007 and 2008.

 

Stephanie Kempton, MBA, PRC, brings more than 20 years of marketing and communication experience to the Economic Gardening Team. Her background in research, corporate strategy, marketing, advertising, product management and media planning provides second-stage client companies with the insight to grow their company to the next level.   Stephanie is uniquely qualified to not only conduct research, but to also apply it in an actionable way. She has applied her skills in marketing and research across a wide range of industries including banking, real estate, manufacturing, utilities, retail, health care, arts, nonprofit, sports and entertainment. In her career, Stephanie has held positions as a group product manager, research analyst, corporate strategist, media planner, account supervisor, director of advertising, account planner and director of research and planning. She has a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida and has obtained a Professional Researcher Certification at the expert level from the Marketing Research Association.

 

Jason Parry As an entrepreneur, market researcher and consultant, Jason Parry brings more than 10 years of business experience to his position at the Florida Economic Gardening Institute and its GrowFL program. Mr. Parry provides client companies with the competitive intelligence they need to make strategic decisions impacting the future growth of their business.   Mr. Parry serves as an analyst on the Economic Gardening Team as part of the GrowFL Technical Assistance program. The Technical Assistance program provides a free suite of economic gardening support services, as well as unique access to market research and technology. Mr. Parry’s input as the program;s competitive intelligence researcher helps client companies assess market conditions and establish a strategic course in order to grow their business. Mr. Parry has experience working with companies from a variety of industries and has worked for North Highland, CSX Transportation, Vistakon, the U.S. Air Force and Alltel Information Services. He has a proven track record of helping companies determine market conditions and develop effective strategies for success.

 

Clay Smithers Clay Smithers, GISP is the founder and principal of Upriver GIS. He has been working in the Geographic Information Systems industry for 6 years, having previously worked for IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Publix in the information technology arena. In his current role, Mr. Smithers provides targeted demographic mapping, site selection and spatial intelligence services, with the aim of helping companies better understand and utilize their business environment. He has served as the GIS client lead for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute (FEGI) since 2010.   Mr. Smithers has a Masters degree in Geography from the University of South Florida and a Bachelors degree in Management Information Systems (MIS) from Florida State University. He is also a member of several GIS organization, including GITA and URISA, providing leadership for both national and regional committees.

 

Lynn Aitken serves as Special Projects Coordinator and Office Manager for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. Lynn oversees all administrative functions of the Institute including analyst call scheduling, budgets, workshops, Webinars and other special events.   Lynn has more than 15 years of experience in the administrative services field working in various industries including banking, medical and franchising. Lynn has a Bachelor of Science degree in Liberal Studies from the University of Central Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Nutrition from the University of North Florida.

 

Ian Grant serves as Marketing Associate and Program Assistant for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. Ian manages and maintains the social media outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Newsletter. He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing with a minor in Digital Media.