Written by BrevardCounty.com | 08 February 2010

LEAD Brevard announced the twelve finalists for its sixth annual 4 Under 40 – Celebrating the Next Generation of Leaders recognition gala, to be held on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 6:00 pm, at the Bernard Simpkins Fine Arts Auditorium on the Campus of Brevard Community College, Cocoa.  The event showcases the many young adults who are working to make a positive impact in Brevard County through their leadership and commitment to community service.

Finalists for the recognition of 4 Under 40 are: Carey Beam, Communications Specialist – Craig Technologies; Julie Braga, Area Director of Sales - Courtyard & Residence Inn by Marriott Melbourne; Steve Crisafulli, Vice President – Crisafulli Enterprises, Inc. and State Representative, Florida House District 32; Courtney Culver, Manager of Contracts and Compliance – Symetrics Industries, LLC; Leasha Flammio-Watson, First Vice President, Investment Officer – Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC; Jimi Gonzalez, VP Sales & Marketing – Island Systems & Design; Susan McGrath, Vice President, Resource Development – United Way of Brevard; Jennifer Neuhard, University Marketing Director – Florida Institute of Technology; Jennifer Ogburn, Sr. Engineering Manager - Harris Corporation, Supply Chain Operations; Joseph Sofia, Commercial Lender – Florida Business Bank; Lisa Stigall, Manager, Community Relations – Harris Corporation; and Major Andrew Walters, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

From over 50 nominations, finalists were chosen by a group of independent community leaders who individually made their selections based purely on the information provided within the nominees’ questionnaires, without knowledge of the person whose name was attached to the submission. The final four recipients will be decided upon by a panel of four community leaders; Debbie Harvey – Ron Jon Surf Shop, Mark Mikolajczyk – FLORIDA TODAY, Jeff Piersall – Space Coast Business Media Group, and Dr. Joe Lee Smith – Brevard Community College.

Criteria for the selection of finalists was based on the nominees possessing the following leadership characteristics: exceptional communication skills; originality of approaches to strengthening and transforming the community; knowledge and understanding of how the community works; social entrepreneurship; tangible improvement in the lives of others; measurably strengthening the quality and health of community institutions; and a sustainable impact on the community at large.

Presenting sponsors of the event include FLORIDA TODAY, Harris Corporation, Parrish Medical Center, and a consortium of higher education institutions including Brevard Community College, Florida Institute of Technology, and the University of Central Florida.

Individual seating for the gala and and awards presentation is $75.00 per person.  Blocks of four seats or more receive a 10% discount. Reservations and pre-payment are required by Friday, February 12.  Individual seating reservations and payment can be made online at www.LEADBrevard.org or by calling LEAD Brevard at 321-632-8222.  To reserve large ticket blocks (five or more), please call.  For more information, please contact Erica Lemp at LEAD Brevard or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Written by BrevardCounty.com | 02 February 2010

Central Florida’s most in-depth guide to the high tech community recognized two Brevard County entrepreneurs whose innovative technologies have the potential to revolutionize high tech industry.  Dr. Rainer Meinke, founder and chief scientist at Palm Bay’s Advanced Magnet Lab, and David Coalter, Animation Director of Coalter Digital Animation Studio in Melbourne Beach, are among the “Faces of Technology” featured in florida.HIGH.TECH 2010, an annual magazine published by the Maddux Business Report in partnership with the Florida High Tech Corridor Council (FHTCC).

Both innovators helped their companies achieve incredible success in 2009.  Meinke filed 15 patent applications over the last year, using electromagnets in energy and biomedical applications.  As well, Coalter secured a contract to design 3-D digital animations and renderings that depict the Northrop Grumman KC-45 tanker, one of the biggest defense projects awarded by the Pentagon last year.

Now, through the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s “Faces of Technology” YouTube channel, http://www.facesoftechnology.com, viewers can watch Meinke and Coalter tell their own stories.  Both professionals discuss how their technologies are changing their industries, from invisible forces of an electromagnet to visually stunning renderings of an F-22.

Written by Eric Wright | 01 February 2010

E. Paul Hovey once said: “A blind man’s world is bound by the limits of his touch; an ignorant man’s world is bound by the limits of his knowledge; a great man’s world is bound by the limits of his vision.”  Most of the founders of successful businesses don’t lack a vision for their product or its market, but few have a vision for what their business can and will be in the generations that follow them.  Andrew Duda, an immigrant who came to this country from Slovakia early in the last century, was an exception.  However, I wonder if even he could see the celery growing company he started turning their ranch land into a master planned residential and commercial community, housing the county government, school board and professional baseball training facilities at the center of Brevard County?  Or that in the fourth generation, the CEO of A. Duda and Son’s development company would not be a son, but a daughter, Tracey Duda Chapman?

SCB: Transferring businesses from one generation to another has an extremely high mortality rate; successes are the exception rather than the rule.  What do you credit the success of A. Duda & Co. to?

TDC: First, our family still shares the values, vision and faith Andrew Duda had when he came to this country.  He never saw us as a strictly agricultural company, but as a land company; agriculture, like development today, was simply the best way to steward the land.  Secondly, we hired a family business consulting firm, which works primarily with European family businesses that have histories much longer than ours.  Out of that the Duda Family Council was formed to ensure that as the family grew and the business grew that the relational bonds between us stayed strong.

SCB: Please explain that dynamic.

TDC: We may disagree on a business decision, but not on the value of our relationships.  Family members are elected to the Council and though they may advise the business, they don’t manage it.  The Council also handles our philanthropic efforts and plans family gatherings and family job fairs.  The job fairs are the first step in grooming family members for various roles in the company, which is an important factor in keeping a family business, in the family.

SCB: You obviously grew up around the business, but I’m sure you had other options.  When did you decide this was where you wanted to invest your life professionally?

TDC: My father, the former CEO of the business, always told us we could do anything we set our minds to.  After completing my undergraduate degree, I did a one-year internship, which gave me an overview of everything from planting celery and running a packing plant, to working in the accounting department.  Then I went to law school and planned to practice law, specializing in real estate and property, separate from our company.  But our corporate attorney, Cal Livingstone, kept asking me to come and work with him, as he had to outsource more and more work.  I did and he was not only a tremendous man, but a great mentor.  When he left I stepped into his position as general counsel.

SCB: Then you transitioned into The Viera Company?

TDC: A portion of the work I was doing with the company involved government affairs, working with the state and local officials as well as community representatives.  I wanted to move from managing legal affairs to managing projects and people.  When Joseph Duda became the CEO of A. Duda and Co., I transitioned into this role.

SCB: What is your vision for the future of Viera?

TDC: From the outset we wanted Viera (Slovak for “faith”) to be a community people wanted to live in.  With the changes in the economy we are trying to create more purchase options for people.  We are even planning some multi-use developments for those who want a more urban feel, where they can walk to work, to shopping and to recreational venues.  We want Viera to be a place where people want to raise a family or retire to, with not only great amenities like the new hospital or Pro-Health and Fitness, but thousands of acres of land along the St. John’s River that will be pristine and untouched.

Written by BrevardCounty.com | 11 January 2010

Businesswomen Find Right Fit in Junior League

When my husband and I moved to Florida in 2006, getting involved in the local community was a priority for me.   I must admit that when my mother-in-law first suggested the Junior League, this Ohio transplant was a little skeptical if that was the right group.  Visions of ladies in Lilly Pulitzer enjoying proper afternoon teas bounced through my head, and I wondered if my wardrobe and checkbook could keep up.

But after a little investigating it was clear I was entirely wrong about the Junior League.  Rather than a club for socialite wives, I found that this was a powerhouse organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving their communities – and I wanted to be a part of it!