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, strategic research, 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.

 

Steve Quello, founder and President of CEO Nexus, designs and manages market development programs including the PeerSpectives CEO Peer Learning Network distributed throughout Florida. Steve serves as the master facilitator for GrowFL’s CEO Roundtables and CEO Forums. He also provides counsel regarding economic gardening initiatives to entrepreneur support organizations across the nation and in Florida including the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, the Greater Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the University of Central Florida Office of Research and Commercialization, the Edward Lowe Foundation and the SBA Office of Advocacy.

 

Jason Parry, as an entrepreneur, market researcher and consultant, 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 Strategic Research Group as part of the GrowFL Economic Gardening program. The Strategic Research 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.

 

Robin Phelps has more than 25 years of experience in business development, strategy, and as a founding executive in investor-backed technology startup companies. For the past seven years she has been working in economic development to support the growth of university-based, start-up, and emerging growth businesses. For the past two years Robin has been a Team Leader for the National Center for Economic Gardening’s National Strategic Research Team, working with them to develop the Rural Track Economic Gardening program. Robin holds a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, a Master’s in Management, and a Ph.D. (ABD) in Public Policy where her research focuses on economic development and the growth of innovation economies.

 

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 Strategic Research 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, UCF Apartments and over 250 second stage companies 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 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.

 

Dennis Miller has 8+ years of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), Website Conversion Optimization and Click Path Analysis experience. He is well versed with implementing strategic online marketing programs, analyzing Search Engine Optimization campaigns, maximizing Pay Per Click campaigns and accelerating Email Marketing programs while maximizing the Return on Investment (ROI). Dennis has worked as an Internet Marketing Analyst for a Fortune 500 wholesale travel company and has worked for a Top 100 Internet Marketing Agency. His milestones include him systematically analyzing numerous online marketing campaigns that have yielded tremendous gains. Dennis received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a focus on International Business Law from the University of Central Florida in 2003 and was fortunate to study in Madrid, Spain for one semester where he studied business and conversational Spanish. Dennis continually attends SEO and Marketing events throughout the year to stay abreast with the latest internet marketing trends.

 

Clay Smithers 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.

 

Cindy Barson serves as Marketing Communications and Special Events Coordinator. She manages the messaging, branding, advertising and outreach to the various stakeholders of the organization. Cindy has more than 25 years’ experience in marketing, non-profit fundraising and wearing the many hats required in small business. Her previous experiences range from raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for March of Dimes, writing million dollar grant proposals for technology innovation to help deaf students, launching a successful line of educational iPod apps, and managing contracts for Department of Defense. Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Stephens College in Columbia, MO.

 

Ian Grant serves as Marketing Associate, Web Developer, 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.

 

Patrice McKay serves as Administrative Assistant and Project Manager for the Florida Economic Gardening Institute. Patrice oversees all administrative functions of the Institute including analyst call scheduling, budgets, workshops, webinars, special events and project management. Patrice has more than 13 years of experience in the administrative services field working in various industries including higher education and construction. Patrice has a Master of Business and Public Administration from Columbia Southern University and a Bachelor of Public Administration from Barry University. She is also a member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) – Atlanta Chapter.