2012 Companies to Watch Winners Named

ORLANDO - The Florida Economic Gardening Institute (aka GrowFL) at the University of Central Florida is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 class of Florida Companies to Watch. In its 2nd year of existence, Florida Companies to Watch is presented by SunTrust Banks and the University of Central Florida in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation and with special support from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Created by the Edward Lowe Foundation, Companies to Watch is an exclusive program that honors second-stage growth companies. Fifty second-stage companies from across the state of Florida were selected as “Companies to Watch” for their impressive employment rates and revenue growth. Award winners were also selected for their entrepreneurial leadership, product innovation, social/community responsibility and competitive business practices.

Florida Companies to Watch is also a testament to the commitment of community partners across the state. These groups work with second-stage companies every day and serve as their champions. More than 25 organizations pledged their support to nominate companies based in their communities, resulting in a record 425 nominations submitted. Nearly 140 companies were considered before 50 companies emerged as winners.

“We built Companies to Watch on the belief that an energized entrepreneurial culture must exist for second-stage companies to thrive,” says Penny Lewandowski, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Edward Lowe Foundation. “Now in its second year, Florida Companies to Watch enables a wide variety of organizations to champion second-stage companies to participate, most notably by nominating them for the award.

“Florida Companies to Watch takes a holistic approach, identifying companies across the state that represent Florida’s future,” says Tom O’Neal, Executive Director of GrowFL and Associate Vice President at the University of Central Florida.

The companies selected for the Florida Companies to Watch award will be recognized at a special ceremony on Friday, October 19 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. To register to attend, visit florida.companiestowatch.org