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Florida Business Incubation association
EMPOWERING INCUBATORS STATEWIDE TO LAUNCH THE BUSINESSES OF TOMORROW
about us
FBIA
If you're an entrepreneur, a business incubator can be a lifesaver!
Incubators and Accelerators help entrepreneurs transform their dreams into reality.
Incubators support the successful launch and operation of early stage businesses. But, what if you operate the incubator? Who is looking out for you and empowering you with access to the tools and resources you need to make your incubator skyrocket to success?
The Florida Business Incubation Association (FBIA) is here to serve YOU
Established in October 1998, the FBIA shares information and develops programs that support the successful growth and operation of business incubators throughout Florida. Specifically, the Association fulfills this mission through several key initiatives:
Statewide Peer-to-Peer Meetings - The FBIA hosts numerous meetings for its members throughout the year plus the Annual Conference. These gatherings present great opportunities for the incubator employees to network and share ideas.
Program Development -The FBIA plays an integral role in identifying and developing programs that help you provide greater service to your incubator clients.
Unified Voice - Through the FBIA, statewide incubators have one, centralized mechanism to ‘speak as one’. The Association serves as "sounding board" for its members, who can share their concerns, needs and goals in order to maximize their effectiveness.
National Affiliation – FBIA teams up with the International Business Innovation Association, InBIA, to award conference scholarship opportunities to the FBIA members.
As a member of the FBIA, you will reap the rewards of this fantastic networking and career-enhancing opportunity. Furthermore, you will enjoy reduced conference fees and access to incubator management training workshops to keep you current in your profession.
our bOARD
2020
Mark S. Long
President
Mark is the director of incubation services at UF. This includes UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech and UF Innovate | The Hub. He focuses on incubating companies according to industry best practices efforts, utilizing sales and marketing techniques and entrepreneurial mentoring.
Mark was the former President and CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation (IURTC), which owned and operated the Indiana University Emerging Technologies Center (IUETC), a life sciences incubator, and Mark served as President and CEO of that facility. Mark was also President and CEO of the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, a cancer treatment facility located at Indiana University, during his tenure at IURTC. Mark was the former Director of Technical Operations at Washington University in St. Louis.
Mark has a B.S. in biology and an M.S. in Molecular Biology from Florida State University. He attended both Florida Atlantic University and Indiana University for work on his Ed.D. He has been a member of the NBIA for 12 years and authored the books “Put It In Writing 2”, “Wholesale Economic Development”, and writes a blog on incubation titled IncubatorBlogger.
Elliott Welker
Vice President
Elliott works on programs and progress for startup biotech companies and recently launched the “Innovation NaviGator” program to assist individuals who want to start businesses by connecting them with the correct information and key support. Part of the NaviGator’s efforts includes offering a Community Calendar for Entrepreneurs. Innovation NaviGator seeks to publish information about local events open to entrepreneurs.
He earned his BA in history with a minor in teaching English as a second language (2013) and MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and marketing (2017) from UF. He was a Bob Graham Center for Public Service Student Fellow and Poe Center for Business Ethics Education and Research MBA Fellow.
Jennifer Harrell
Treasurer
Jennifer assists The Hub associate director and director with day-to-day operations of the business incubator in order to facilitate a supportive and encouraging environment for aspiring entrepreneurs to grow. She works with UF Incubation Services leadership to meet occupancy and revenue goals; implement programs, new initiatives, and special projects; monitor client performance; meet social media metrics; and establish operational goals and objectives that align with the overall strategic plan. She oversees accounting, reception, financial and contractual functions, and event management for The Hub.
Jennifer is an experienced manager with a history of working in both the private and public sectors of sales, hospitality, real estate law, finance, and accounting. She has been with The Hub since 2016 and was part of the team when The Hub was awarded the 2018 International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) Global Mixed-Use Incubator of the Year award.
Jennifer obtained her accounting degree from Fischer School of Accounting at UF. She holds an Incubation Management Certificate from the InBIA as well as both Fiscal and HR certificates from UF, and was a Leadership Gainesville Graduate (Go Green!).
Shannon Pastizzo
Secretary
Shannon Pastizzo is currently the Program Director at the University of South Florida CONNECT, the entrepreneurial incubator. She is also serving in the consulting role as the Director of Business Development with Synapse. She began her extensive career by identifying the financial needs of healthcare clients and then recommending the most appropriate programs for a financial institution in central Connecticut. Her more recent experiences involved creating and orchestrating initiatives to improve marketing and business development. These strategies proved to be professional, imaginative, and successful by creating significant benefits for both the business and the consumer.
Florida Business Incubation Association
Address: 12085 Research Drive, Alachua, FL 32615
Email: FBIAMGMT@GMAIL.COM
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