Tenants flock to new incubator

Melbourne's new high-tech business incubator has reeled in a half-dozen tenants in its first month, with more candidates in the pipeline that could almost double its size by September, officials said last week.

The Business Innovation Center, at 1050 W. NASA Blvd., opened in early July with the Florida Institute of Technology and Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership providing the anchor operations.

Now, less than six weeks into its existence, the center has nearly 80 percent of its office space rented and 50 percent of its manufacturing space, organizers said.

The 31,000-square-foot operation is projected to be full by year's end.

It has more than 50 office suites and light manufacturing bays.

FIT moved its publications office, technology consulting unit, professional development programs and small-business information center into the incubator.

The manufacturing partnership's efficiency consulting service established its operations there.

Initial tenants include a cluster of entrepreneurs:

Adapt4 LLC designs next-generation radio spectrum technologies for defense and non-defense government communications.

Audigence produces software to increase the speech recognition capabilities of cochlear implants and hearing aids.

ColorSculpt has developed an image-capture system that can produce three-dimensional, sculpture-like portraits.

SeaWatch designs Web-based monitoring and control systems for marine vessels.

Now incubator organizers say five more tech operations have lined up to be considered: Artemis Services Co., government services consulting; Brevard Research Inc., energy engineering; Future Streams, wind energy systems; Solmax Technologies LLC, solar technology; and Silver Quarter Solutions, online training software for small businesses.

The prospective tenants are going through six weeks of workshops sponsored by the Florida Technological Research & Development Authority, a quasi-governmental high-tech agency that established the incubator.

"Road to Success" workshops focus on business planning, basic strategies, marketing, finance and other key components of managing a viable technology business, officials said.

Technology consultants Richard Fox and Scott Faris of Orlando-based Astralis LLC are leading the sessions.

The incubator hopes to become the focal point of tech-led economic development in Brevard County, according to Chester J. Straub, the center's director.

"The program's main goal is to produce successful firms that will graduate from the program financially viable and freestanding," Straub said.

"These graduates would then have the potential to create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, commercialize critical new technologies and strengthen the economy."

Lockheed stock rating up

J.P. Morgan boosted its stock rating for Lockheed Martin Corp. last week, citing the company's increasing work on the Joint Strike Fighter program, which has a major presence in Central Florida. The investment giant raised Lockheed from neutral (or hold) to underweight, indicating a cautious buy recommendation.

J.P. Morgan noted that work on the Joint Strike Fighter -- the biggest contract in Pentagon history -- is set to ramp up in 2008 and 2009, fueling Lockheed's revenues for those years.

Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed is the prime contractor on the next-generation stealth fighter jet, a $245 billion program.

The company's Central Florida missiles and training-simulator operations play a big role in the program. Hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts will be tied to the work in Orlando.



CONTACT: Richard Burnett can be reached at 407-420-5256 or rburnett@orlandosentinel.com