May We Have the Envelope, Please?
Brevard Businesses Bring Home Awards
For actors, it’s the Emmys and Academy Awards that measure the value of a performance. For Florida businesses, innovation and economic contributions are strengths validated through a coveted Governor’s Business Diversification Award. Through distinctive community investment efforts, particularly relating to industries targeted for economic development and high wage job growth, these awards recognize outstanding contributions toward improving and diversifying Florida’s economy.
For the past 28 years, the State of Florida, through its economic development arm, Enterprise Florida, has coordinated these awards during the third week of September. They are celebrated in conjunction with Industry Appreciation Week when excellence is spotlighted in Florida’s business sector. During this time, numerous companies from right here in Brevard have been recipients of these highly regarded honors. Previous recipients of diversification awards include Harris Corporation, Lighting Science Group, One Senior Place, RMD Americas and Symetrics.
This year’s class of recipients came from one of the largest entry pools in recent years – over 100 nominations resulting in 18 awards. Brevard had a strong showing and came away with two winners. Winners are highlighted for excellence in the following six areas: Business Expansion, Entrepreneurship, Export Excellence, Green-to-Gold, Innovation and Newcomer. Three awards per category are divided by company size into Mid, Major and Mega markets. This year’s local winners were Coastal Steel (for Business Expansion, Major Market) and Rivian Automotive (Entrepreneurship, Major Market).
Coastal Steel
Coastal Steel is a minority-owned, sophisticated metal fabrication and manufacturing company, providing customized metal services to a wide range of aerospace, defense and industrial clients across the globe. The company completed a nearly 10,000 square foot expansion of their Cocoa facility to support production of aluminum mobile mooring systems for Lockheed Martin’s Persistent Threat Detection System and additional projects. They also increased their total machine count to 25 by acquiring new equipment.
Rivian Automotive
Rivian Automotive, based in Rockledge, is currently developing a line of affordable, efficient vehicles that will transcend the auto market, which could ultimately create hundreds of jobs for those on the Space Coast. For this award, Rivian was cited for not simply being a typical automotive company, but for embodying innovation by developing a vehicle that exceeds fuel economy for the consumer. Rivian’s vision is to create a vehicle that is environmentally responsible, stylish and five-star safety reliant.
You Could Be Next!
So how does your company gain statewide recognition through this program? Contact Patrick O’Neill at the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast (PONeill@SpaceCoastEDC.org) to be added to a notification list as information is released for the upcoming 2012 awards program. Requests for nominations are released in April of each year. There are a few caveats that must be met to be considered for an award. Your company must fall into one of the following industry sectors:
- Aviation/Aerospace
- Cleantech
- Corporate Headquarters
- Distribution/Logistics
- Education/Training
- Emerging Industries
- Financial/Professional Services
- Homeland Security/Defense
- Information Technology
- Life Sciences
- Manufacturing
- Marine
- Trade/Export Services
All nominations must be made by a local or regional economic development organization, or a professional or industry association. Lastly, your company must have made a significant contribution in one of the following areas:
- Governor’s Business Expansion Award: For Florida companies that expanded their operations in 2011, investing capital and creating jobs for Floridians.
- Governor’s Newcomer Award: For new-to-Florida companies that began business operations in 2011.
- Governor’s Export Excellence Award: For Florida companies with new or significant increases in documented export sales in 2011.
- Governor’s Entrepreneurship Award: For Florida start-up companies (less than 5 years old) that have set a standard for entrepreneurship and creativity.
- Governor’s Innovation Award: For Florida companies, organizations or institutions that through product or process best exemplified innovative leadership in 2011.
- Governor’s Green-to-Gold Award: For Florida companies that through product or process best exemplified “green” leadership as it pertains to the state’s goal to become a leader in this emerging field.
The EDC is pleased to nominate local companies that have made demonstrable advances in the categories outlined by the awards program. We hope to be able to recognize your company as a 2012 Governor’s Business Diversification Awards recipient later this year. Contact us for more information or visit Enterprise Florida (eflorida.com) for information on previous awards.
Bill Heiselman is VP of Supply Chain/Operations/Mission Assurance for Harris Government Communication Systems and 2011 Chair of the Economic Development of Florida’s Space Coast Industry Council.
