The idea for creating the i4GovCon Summit came from the Thunderdome Initiatives that have been floating around our community for the past year. Knowing that Orlando and the Space Coast also have tremendous resources for aerospace and defense, we wanted to expand across the state, so we chose the “i4” to mark the location of this inaugural event. There are similar conferences in other parts of the state, including the ITen Wired Summit covering northwest Florida communities, the First Coast Defense Expo in Jacksonville, the Space Coast Tech Expo in Melbourne and of course all the larger conferences such as I/ITSEC and SOFIC.
Our aerospace and defense community is spread across the state and to some extent it’s overshadowed by beaches, theme parks, and real estate development. The goal of i4GovCon is to bring small business leaders from this crucial industry and supply chain together. The I-4 corridor is one of the fastest growing areas of the state. According to a report by Enterprise Florida and Career Source Florida, “Florida’s defense industry had a $79.8 billion economic impact in Florida in 2014.” Forward Florida reports that the space program “generates more than $19.2 billion in annual revenue.” Commercial applications and other technology initiatives provide even more growth potential.
Instead of another DC trip, join us at i4GovCon in Tampa on March 24. Let’s make things happen here! A fast track to meeting other like-minded professionals, the i4GovCon summit is a smaller and more focused event for those who are committed to the federal marketplace.
Veterans are the heart of the aerospace and defense community. Whether on active duty, in the reserves, or transitioning to civilian careers they deserve our support. One aspect of the summit will be to bring together some of the resources that serve this community. Florida is pushing to be the top state for veterans, to accomplish that we have work together to create better connections and networking between our companies and the veterans. We can assist on their way to a future career in our community. For example setting up a veteran friendly program.
Veterans already have what we are looking for: Leadership, discipline, and decision making skills. Let’s use this event as an opportunity to improve the veterans workforce in our communities.
Join our LinkedIn Group: i4GovCon Community
Jenny Clark / Solvability and Nadya Depontbraind / Realtor
Bill Schley / Brand Team Six
William Anton, Ph.D. / CEO Effectiveness
Carol Ann Dykes / UCF Business Incubator
Crista L. Shaw, M.S. / Regional Employment Radio and DeSheun C. Hines / VetaStart, LLC
Jeffrey A. Young / Marjau Systems Corporation
Katy Wolf / Celestar
Kirk Burton / Senior Commercialization Guide
Martin Long, CPA / Long and Associates
Nancy Laine / Project Transition
Peter D. Berardi PhD, CDR USN(RET) / SOF-ONE,LLC
Scott “Mack” Macksam / Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay
Lauren G. Weiner, Ph.D. / WWC and Dr. Sherilyne Dougherty / DAI Solutions
Tim Hagerty / Pro Dash